Books I read in 2024

 As I look through the books that I read in 2024, there are always those that stand out and others that I barely remember, even though I certainly enjoyed reading it.

As with most years, there have been a good dozen books that I started but didn't finish. Some I lingered over for two or three weeks, barely making it through a few pages each night and unable to remember the story or characters from one night to the next. I had a good dose of these mid-year, which detrimentally affected my annual tally and left me in a literary limbo for months.

Let's see what I had:

I started the year out strong with the audio version of 'Life Lived Wild' an autobiography of Rick Ridgeway's life of adventures and expeditions. Absolutely fascinating and captivating. It was because of this book that I then listened to 'The Responsible Company' by Yvon Chouinard (Patagonia company) and Vincent Stanley. Very interesting and one that I would like to listen to again as there is a lot to absorb.

The Michael Crichton was a good fiction read (people got micro sized), and 'Chickens Mules and Two Old Fools' is a real story about a couple that moved to a small Spanish town. 

'Shoe Dog', Phil Knight's memoir was a win. Phil is the guy who started Nike. Incredibly interesting and insightful. I loved every page. What a journey! We look at these big brands now, which are not without their challenges, but to read of the start - from a garage - and the risks taken, ideas, developments, manufacturing challenges, marketing, distribution... Incredible. This was my uncle's book. My mom was in the Seychelles early in the year visiting my uncle. He had just finished it and she brought it back for me. 

'Alone on the Wall' was superb. I've followed odds and ends of Alex Honnold's career through YouTube videos, magazine articles, and Banff Film Festival movies. He is an extraordinary - and quirky - climber. This book was enthralling from start to finish, giving a lot of insight into Alex's process and the preparation that goes into projects.

'Wilder Life' by Joan Lourens was an excellent read - and I've met Joan. I had sent a note to the NuTreats sister-duo of Feige and Zissy commenting on a book that they had reviewed in a NuTreats newsletter. They mentioned Joan's book and that they would send me their copy. While the book was in the post, I went to a Dendrological Society walk, which happened to be at Joan's place in Knysna! My friend Rob met us there and mentioned that Joan was active in their running club, she was a doctor and she had written a book or two. This sounded like the book that was on its way to me. It was the same Joan. What an incredible medical career she had working as a doctor in out-of-the-way locations, like the Kruger Park and St Helena island.

'Sanguinous' is a vampire-themed fiction story written by my dearest friend Allison Glass. I thoroughly enjoyed her rich characters as well as the medical elements and South African history that she brought into the book. The best part of the story, for me, was the way that Allison dealt with the 'being a vampire' reality. As we all know, vampires drink blood but they don't have a beating heart that pumps blood around their bodies. So how do they walk, talk, think and function? Their flesh is essentially dead but they don't decompose. Allison delighted me with her rationale for their undead-ness. I wrote a review of the book, which you can read from the link above.

The Dean Koontz and Chris Whitaker were enjoyable reads. I don't remember too much now other than that I enjoyed them. 'You are here' was a story of people built around a cross-country hike in the UK. Thoroughly enjoyable read but I don't remember too much now.

I am such a Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling) fan and I've read all of her books under this pseudonym. I've read a few on paper but more as audiobooks and now I only choose the audio options because the narrator is exceptional and he brings the stories to life. This was a helluva listen at around 33hrs. I blazed through it listening at any opportunity whether cooking, gardening, driving. I can highly recommend any of her investigator Cormoran Strike books but I'd suggest starting from the first one. 'The Running Grave' was excellent.

'Burnt' was another winner and another autobiography. This one about Clare Frank's career in firefighting in the USA. Her book gave a lot of insight into how the fire service works - and its heirarchy, life in a fire house, and plenty of interesting information about fires.

I've ready a lot of Amunden, Shackleton, Scott content, but while I knew the name Douglas Mawson, I had not yet read about his life and expedition. 'Alone on the Ice' is the story of Mawson's 1913 expedition. Superbly fascinating and captivating. An incredible account of Mawson's expedition as well as others in his team, the challenges, risks, logistics, overwintering, and of crevasses that can swallow man, sled and a dog team whole. Brilliant.

Middletide - entertaining fiction read.

The Naturalist was another fiction story - murder mystery.

Coming off the Mawson story, I jumped into another David Roberts with a 1930 expedition on the Greenland cap by young 23-year old adventurerer Gino Watkins. This was a free audiobook but it had an expiry date and I missed out on the last 40 minutes! Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this fascinating story about an adventurerer I'd never heard of.

'The Glitch' - thoroughly enjoyable fiction book about a woman who wakes up on the morning of her 30th birthday five years earlier (on her 25th birthday). Sweet story that makes you wonder what you would do differently if given the chance to go back five years and try again - with the insight and wisdom that you gained over the five years that passed.

'In my DNA' - another autobiography about a detective in the USA. She specialised in cold cases. Very interesting about how DNA testing has changed the game for investigations and nailing criminals. IT is incredible how things have progressed in 30 years and also the DNA databases.

I went to a talk / book launch by Ryan Sandes a few weeks ago and picked up a copy of his new book, which he signed. While I've had an eye on Ryan's racing and various expedition projects so I know in general what he has done and accomplished, I loved his book for more insight into his racing, illness, injuries, sponsor responsibilities and projects (Himalaya, Lesotho, Drakensberg etc). I can definitely recommend this one. Steve Smith

I'm a few dozen pages shy of completing Ben Fogel's book, which I borrowed from friend Graeme Addison's bookcase while he was in hospital undergoing heart surgery. He has indeed been an accidental adventurer, falling into so many expeditions, many facilitated and made possible from his tv work. What stands out is that he has been game for anything and he gives whatever he jumps into his best shot. 

Looking back, I have most enjoyed the autobiographies and biographies, not just of expeditions and adventurers but also of 'adventurous' people in career choice (firefighting, detective) and business (Rick Ridgeway, Phil Knight Yvon Chouinard).

Not a very high book count this year, but some really good reads and listens.

The psychology of putting your stuff out there

 A year ago, I created a new product for YOLO, a YOLO Garden Sieve. A friend had sent me a video of something that he had seen. I found the product listed in the UK - same product sold under three different brands (probably made in Asia and imported by different companies with their logo stuck on to it). I read through hundreds of product reviews and the same complaints kept coming up. But, I thought the concept was a good one and I was sure that I could improve on it. I made five major changes, additions or innovations from components to materials to make this a really awesome product.

I know a steel manufacturing business in George so I contacted them to see whether this was something that they would be able to make for me. With their confirmation, I drew up the design and made a cardboard 'prototype' for them - and myself - to gauge the size and components.

The factory manufactured a steel prototype for me and with only one small adjustment, I was very happy with the result.

I asked the factory to make three stock units, which they completed. That was a bit less than a year ago.

Why have I waited so long to put this awesome product out there?

A day or so after I received the stock units, I left for Expedition Africa. A week after I got back from the race, I left for the Seychelles, where I spent two weeks visiting family and exploring trails. I returned home to the craziness of the dogs (I still had all three foster puppies then) and catching up on YOLO and AR Gaiters work.

And a week after this dad-drama began. We're 10-months down with no let up. This has sapped a lot of time - hours every week, and both psychological and emotional energy. I've felt depleted and lacking in capacity to deal with anything new.

To get the YOLO Garden Sieve to market, I still had a lot that I needed to do: finalise packaging for courier delivery, work up assembly instructions, make videos, take photos, create the website page, write content and set up the product listing.

I had a good early part of this year with a lot of travel and event work. Returning each time meant catch-up time again (admin waits for no man).

Over the last few weeks, I have been sufficiently settled to attack these tasks. Earlier this month, I put the product up on the YOLO website, creating a page, adding content and images, editing video clips, and adding the online-order product listing.

For the last half-dozen days, I have worked intermittently on the assembly instructions, and creating all the drawings. I'm no CAD designer or technical draughtsman, but my drawings for each stage of the assembly have come out really well.

On the bright side of the delay in launching, I have used the YOLO Garden Sieve many times over the seven or eight months to sift compost and soil for a variety of projects. I've separated out roots, stones, leaves, uncomposted material and also beetle 'houses' and large white grubs with great success. I've filled bags of material and also a new raised bed. This has allowed me to assess the wear-and-tear on the sieve to send this product out there knowing that it is robust and that it does what it is meant to do.

While time, capacity and energy have been factors, there has also been a psychological component to getting this product out there.

I think the sieve is awesome and for people who need to sieve soil or compost regularly, it is an incredible asset. It works effectively, and it is made to be strong, robust and long lasting. 

I like it, but what if no one else does? What if I get no orders? While this sounds silly, one has to be able to handle the disappointment of a product not taking off. 

Realistically, this is a niche product, like my YOLO Compost Tumbler. But, it is perfect for the right type of person.

With the sieve now out there on the YOLO Compost Tumbler website, Facebook and Instagram, there is still work to be done to reach out to potential customers to let them know directly about this fabulous YOLO Garden Sieve.

The base work is done and I am pleased to now have it out there. Holding thumbs.

I painted a picture

 A watercolour painting teacher-artist (Andrea Nelson) came up on my FB/Insta feed a few months ago. I followed and have enjoyed her simple, creative and colourful projects. I just watched and didn't do, despite her encouragement of followers to just give it go.

The other day with friends, the one says that she gets together with another one or two friends every Monday and they paint - watercolour - for about 90 minutes. Of course I said, "I'd love to come" and the other two with us said the same.

On Monday, we joined the painting group. I only had an hour but I did complete this flower. I'm no good at thinking up things to paint myself (yet) so I found a picture online of something that I liked and did my own version of it.

My first watercolour painting probably since primary school!

I've got a way to go in learning how to use watercolours - strong, dilute, water first, how it spreads etc. It is fun and creative, and I look forward to improving.

As far as yarn crafts go, I have had a crochet hiatus for about two years. Sure, I have made a few odd items, but no proper projects. I just do not know what I would like to make. I have had an itch to embroider flowers. I saw a booklet at a fabric store a few weeks back with 100 embroidery stitches and took it as a sign. I started at 1 and worked my way through to create a sampler.

The first 40-ish embroidery stitches. A lot can be done with these
plus French knots and bullion stitches.

There are some lovely floral designs that I have seen online. I need to choose one and a colour palette and give it a go. Handcrafts like this go well with listening to audiobooks and podcasts, and watching shows on streaming.

My years of blood donation posts have done some good

I have been a blood donor since I turned 16. I had a gap of about eight years when I was often in malaria areas with adventure races, which is cause for deferral. I regained my regular donor status in 2008 and have retained it since.

I usually post here and on Facebook after donations, encouraging friends and readers to only donate if they intend to go back again at least three times within a year. The reason for this, in South Africa at least, is that your plasma (the other components are discarded) is quarantined after your first donation if it passes various tests - like for HIV and hepatitis. When you return and the tests on your second donation are clear, the plasma from the first donation is used and the second is quarantined. The same happens when you return a 3rd time.

It is only after you are clear of various transmissible diseases three times within a 12-month period (you can donate up to six times a year, every 56 days) that your red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma are used.

As such, once-off donations are a waste of time, resources, labour, testing, freezer space, money, and blood because your donation will be discarded after a year if you do not return. The marketing around blood donation always says that each donation saves three lives. It only serves this purpose if you donate regularly so that all of your blood components are used.

I went to donate yesterday.

Watching Olympics at the George Western Cape Blood Service branch. My timing wasn't great as I got powerlifting instead of something like athletics, but it was interesting to see. 

My oldest friend David - we met at nursery school when I was 2 and he was 3 - responded with this:

"You’ve successfully persuaded me (after 20 years of making these valuable posts) to try again in the UK - they didn’t want it when I first moved here but this time they did - been used at Charing Cross hospital already. Just saying so you know your adverts work."

He is booked for his next donation in three-months time.