Se7en’s Fabulous Fun Post #337

Along with mastering the art of relaxed weekends, we are working on a “getting things done this month,” a whole entire lot of getting things done right now. Busy and relaxed… all at the same time.

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Lovely Links from This Week

  1. Did you know that it is National Non-Fiction Month and you really should be following The Federation of Children’s Book Groups… Fantastic Posts, every single day!!! Meanwhile, here is our great big list of 100 of the Best Non-Fiction Books for children!!!
  2. 10 Abstract Art Project on Family Style Schooling… lots of lovely quick and easy projects in here…
  3. Alisa Burke’s Beautiful leaves to colour…
  4. Absolutely love the Architectural Carnival on Krokotak…
  5. And The Best Last Minute Washi Tape wedding Card on Zing Zing Tree… too sweet!!!
  6. And by Hannah Gale: 36 Amazing Things our Generation was the Last to Experience…
  7. Seth Godin has a way with words: Plenty of Room on the Island…
  8. And the last link… we have been trying something new on our instagram feed… reading the first paragraph of our book of the day as a “story.” Check it out, we are trying to post a new story every day. And another thing, while I wasn’t watching our Pinterest followers crossed the 25000 mark, I have no idea how these things work… just a whole lot of crazy numbers really!!!

A Blast From the Past:

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Brilliant Book of the Week

Elephant Dawn by Sharon Pincott: What an astonishing story. This is the tale of Sharon Pincott, who began the book as a high-powered executive in Brisbane, Australia. She bravely left the corporate world behind and headed for Zimbabwe, a country that so many of her friends and family hadn’t even heard of before. She made a fresh start and began her journey in the Hwange National Park. I drove through that area on a bus last year and was surprised at the incredible natural surroundings and wondered what wildlife was with in the forests and trees there. This is where she lived for thirteen years, all the while getting to know the President’s Elephants in an a personal way… she documented families of elephants and learnt to identify each individual. In fact, she got to know the elephants in a remarkable way, and she called them by name and they would emerge from the brush. She battled day after day and month after month to protect the elephants, rescuing them from continuous trail of snares left in the undergrowth by poachers, and neighbours. During the heart of the worst land reform/grabbing and the fight to rid Zimbabwe of all foreigners… she lived alone in a tiny rondavel, visited by snakes and scorpions, she drove out to meet, interact with and document the elephants each day. All the while she suffered through relentless and terrifying intimidation, the political power play made it impossible to trust anyone and apart from a handful of friends scattered far and wide she was truly alone, just herself and her elephants. This book read like a journal, in and out of the years… through highs and the low and then the lower than lows. In places it is so funny you can’t help laughing out loud and in other places you can’t help feeling her despair. This is a compelling read and an important read. I would say this is essential reading for anyone interested in wildlife conservation and especially elephants, but this book isn’t just about that… it is essentially the story of a person, so committed that they are willing to give up nearly everything to follow their heart and stand up for what they believe in… no matter what. The kind of book that you will want to read in a sitting, I know I couldn’t put it down all weekend. The book does contain pages of photographs, but if you want a better idea of the person behind the book then head over to her website: SharonPincott.com, where you will find video footage and the story behind the story. An excellent read, if you like biographies then don’t miss this one.

I received a copy of this book from the Publishers, Jacana Media, for review purposes. It is not a sponsored post and options express are as usual, entirely my own.

That’s us… Hope you are all have a fabulous week!!!

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