Married to a Witch

Not once but twice the man committed to the witch. Bound to her through a handfasting ceremony he later signed a legal form pulling the knot tighter.

Was it because of his love or the Love Potion Spell the witch cast? Perhaps bit of both. I think he likes being married to a witch. He's my husband.

I know hubby has taken quite a bit of ribbing being married to a witch. Standing around the barbecue pit with his buddies flipping burgers, I heard him asked, "So, like, does she put spells on you?" followed by a bucket full of manly ho, ho ho's. Husband just smiled. He knows that indeed I did put a spell on him shortly after we met - with his permission of course.

He supplied me with a snippet of his hair. "Go ahead, put a spell on me," brave-hearted potential lover said before dubiously eyeing the anthame (witch ceremonial knife) and adding, "A good one."

I didn't use all his hair at once. First, using a few strands, I cast a spell that he'd be happy, healthy and play good golf. In time we fell in love so I wrapped the remaining strands of hair around my finger like a ring before carefully slipped it off to soak overnight in Cleopatra oil. When the moon was lustfully plump and bright one Venus night I knelt before my altar and chanted (actually cooed) words of love to him. When I mentioned the love spell he laughed saying, "Cool" whereas a sister witch declared "Oh my goddess alive! You'll never get rid of him." And, to this day, I never do want to get rid of him. That's another spell anyway.

Before marrying legally (muggle way) we had had a handfasting ritual, and although my wedding day was superb, the handfasting was magically beautiful with lots of laughter during the holy affair. It took place in the early crisp winter morning of New Years Day 2001 in a wooded countryside with the wedding party and guests in their sleep attire covered by down jackets and complete with woolen gloves. The bridesmaids were several Barbie dolls dressed up in glittery costumes like Fairy Princesses, which I'm sure they really were.

The deep green winter clothing and earthy scents created a lively energy to the ceremony. The rapid running of the overflowing river was our music. A circle was drawn around the area where our personally written vows would be exchanged. The officiating priestess-witch donned in flannel nightgown and woolen leggings read the vows aloud before binding our hands with a red ribbon signifying we were as one. It was a fun, loving, enchanting event.

In time we decide to renew our vows. He likes being married to a witch. He can handle it. That's what he tells the guys.

Handfasting is an ancient ritual for a couple to agree to live together for a year and a day. During the ceremony the couple's hands or wrists are bound together with a ribbon or cord wrapped snugly in a figure eight hence giving the ceremony its name. Today "tying the knot" comes from the tying of the cord or ribbon. The vows were similar to modern day marriage. If all went well the agreement was renewed. If not, I guess they divided up the furniture, goats and chickens. It was a common practice amongst the ancient Celts for many centuries and remained a legal union in Scotland until 1939. Although there are a few ideas of the purpose of handfasting - an engagement or actual marriage contract - it was a time to decide if they'd make a good life together. There are other handfasting rituals, such as drawing a circle around the ground where the wedding party stands symbolizing a power place where only good can enter there in. And with a marriage that's all we still hope for.

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July's People by Nadine Gordimer

In July's People Nadine Gordimer presents a scenario laden with fears. Written in 1981, the book presents a South Africa afflicted by near-worst case Cold War disintegration. With rumoured external support, the urban black population has instigated a revolution of sorts, transforming the cities into war zones. No longer "nice" places to be, they are no longer home for decent white liberals like Bam and Maureen and their youngsters.

Twenty-five years on, it is this aspect o July's people that grates. The scenario now seems horribly and, perhaps, naively, simplistic, improbable. At the time, people saw things differently, from a perspective that is difficult to communicate to anyone who did not live in through the Cold War.

But then this is an unimportant point. We do not criticize Orwell for the passing of 1984 without Big Brother. Neither do we regard Huxley's current lack of either Bravery or Novelty as a restriction on the relevance of his book to our world. Similarly, the scenario of Margaret Attwood's Handmaid's Tale makes the novel both possible and successful, but its likelihood is no more probable as a result of this well-conceived fiction.

So Nadine Gordimer's scenario, once accommodated, can be taken as a given, an imagined premise upon which the free-standing substance of the story both develops and succeeds, and then this becomes a strength of the book, not a weakness.

Bam and Maureen, long-time employers of a "houseboy" called July, decide on flight. They pack what little they can in the bakkie - a go-anywhere, basic truck of local manufacture, and set off, mother, father, their two boys, and July, their "boy" to seek safety. Bam bought the truck for bush trips, weekends when they might commune with nature in a limited, controlled way, protected from the harsher demands of Mother Nature by the maintained proximity of a retreat to urban protection.

But now the laden truck is driving into new territory. The city is uninhabitable and the journey to July's rural home area is potentially one way. And so the white-black, black-white relationships of employment, protection, patronage, reliance and condescension are reversed - or at least questioned. And so the liberal white family must come to terms with the precarious necessity of rural poverty. They discover things in themselves that a sophisticated city gloss has hidden or suppressed. They realize how dependent they have been upon status, a commodity not valued in a fundamentally more cooperative way of living.

July's People is presented from Maureen's perspective. She is thirty-nine, a fundamentally confident, though constantly doubting, forceful mother and wife. As the book progresses, she tries to preserve the memory of the family's former life as a way of protecting herself and her brood from the threats of new unknowns. Their "boy", July, is generous, kind, but also pragmatic, and realizes he must make sacrifices on their behalf.

July's People is ultimately enigmatic. It remains undermined to a degree by the hindsight-rendered unlikeliness of its scenario. Its most powerful statement is the way in which the sensibilities of the urban sophisticates are questioned by mere natural necessity. It is a short book, but feels much bigger, much more of a statement as a result of Nadine Gordimer's pithy, abrasive style.

Just as the rural poor find a use for everything, Nadine Gordimer wastes not a single phrase or even word, and neither does she consume more than she needs. The book's prose is economical in the extreme, the language sometimes pricking like the thorn bush described. It remains a moving book about culture and social identity, despite the unlikeliness of its setting.

Philip Spires
Author of Mission, an African novel set in Kenya
http://www.philipspires.co.uk

Michael, a missionary priest, has just killed Munyasya, a retired army officer, outside the cathedral in Kitui, Kenya. It was an accident, but Mulonzya, a politician, exploits the tragedy for his own ends.

Daily Nuggets Cafe Lounge

Four housewives who are friends since their teens. They live in a very quiet compound where everyone knows everybody. They meet here in Daily Nuggets Cafe Lounge every 9 to 10 o'clock in the morning every Mondays to Fridays. Four beautiful women who are all accomplished professionals although they have different kinds of life styles they still manage to be friends for life. Each of them has a life story that are full of fun, intrigues, or out of this world experiences that are very interesting for us to know and to learn from.

I was sixteen when I met Pete, Cham and Gorge. We were all freshmen way back then and since we were all in great shapes, funny and attractive that we were known as the "Campus Girls" in our University. We were very popular because everyday we tried to alter our school uniform to make it look fashionable. We wore the same style of hair. We were always on our heels. We always wore our make up on and always full of enthusiasm even we had our heavy loads of assignments. We were like the easy go lucky students who do not care of what life will bring us everyday. We enjoyed our youthfulness and we are always on the edge and free.

Pete, Cham and Gorge were so petite back then while I was more on the shapely gal among them. Every now and then we always have suitors to follow us around. There were no days that we were not invited to a party or a lunch or dinner. Our days were always full of fun. Our motto was "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cindy L.

And now up to this time we are still friends. Everyday we meet in our nearby cafe in our compound, the famous Daily Nuggets Cafe Lounge. This is our favorite place to hang out.

Monday Blooms

This morning I was 5 minutes late. As I approached the glass door of the cafe I already saw the three of them giggling together into something very interesting. They were seated in our favorite corner nearby the window where we could all see the people walking by and people who come and go to the cafe. As the glass door slides automatically when I entered they easily catch my all smile greeting to them. "Hey what happened this morning, you usually come 5 minutes before time?", asked Pete. "Ya, but you seemed so fresh this morning, any good news?" Gorge teased me as she gave me a hug and a cheek to cheek kiss. "Come on tell us the news", Cham grabbed my right arm to sit near her. So here we were sitting. I sat near Cham on my right side while across me was Gorge with Pete on her left side. Then I started to tell them what happened with me this morning. They can tell my excitement while I told them the love-making that I just had with my husband. I blushed while I told them, 'Hey guys you wouldn't believe this but I came five times! I was really so dead exhausted my husband woke me up with all his kisses all over me and we had just had a fantastic sex this morning so that I got up late from bed to make my usual morning choirs. Whew! here I came late!" as I giggle so sweetly to them making them jealous. "Wow!" the three of them said it in chorus with their eyes wide and cheek all blushing as we all giggle together that made all the people in the cafe looked on us.

"Hey, hey, hey guys, something here sounds wonderful with all of you this morning! What will you be having now, the usual?" Asked Tonette on her waitress white uniform with pink head cap and apron, always looks nice on her everyday, as she approached on our table for our orders. "Yes, you're right and leave it on me, its my treat", I winked on her and gave her a blow kiss, while the three clapped their hands as soon as I said it.

We finished our one hour morning break away from home today with all of the things that happened between me and my husband's love-making. Like all men have their boys talk, women have their girls talk too in time like this.

Before I went to my house, I first passed a small supermarket in our compound to buy for my menu for dinner. My husband is a chef, so once in a while I have to impress him in my cooking. I reached my doorstep, and went straight to my kitchen and put all my ingredients for today's dinner in the fridge.

I don't usually prepare for lunch because my two boys who are now in their college only go home every weekends. Both of them stay in a very comfy dormitory nearby their University. My first son is now on his 3rd year in college taking up Medicine while my second son on his 2nd year taking Business Ad. Mondays and Wednesdays, my husband comes home before 7 pm and the rest of the days except on his off days Saturdays and Sundays, he comes home 12 midnight. It's Monday night and I cooked his favorite menu that I invented myself and he likes it very much.

I like to write on every day living that we encounter in our life. And in this Daily Nuggets Cafe Lounge, I will have the opportunity to share our readers how we cope up everyday with our families, husbands, wives, and children and to our community and environment as well.
Check me out in here: http://lovebytesonair.blogspot.com/