The guts of the glory

The outdoor "organic" lifestyle. With it's glories comes it's challenges.

I was a girl fed up with big city life and a deep desire of living an outdoor rugged life. Better a dream of going to Africa. A girl who went from a temperature of -30 C to +30 C in 30 hours and arrived in the deep african bush, ready for the guts and glory of it all. I arrived in the rainy season if you remember, I was fresh, excited, ready to take it all in. I don't think nor do I remember it fazing me at all. Any discomfort I may have felt was obviously overshadowed by my ambitious determination to embrace all that the bush was. And it was warm then. It was a lovely and beautiful warm african rain. Sigh. As I understood it the rainy season was short. And come winter it never rained. Perhaps this also helped alleviate any of the discomfort I may have felt. It would be over soon and then it wouldn't rain again for another year. Glorious.

It's June. It's raining. It's not supposed to rain here in june. I've been told this is "highly unusual". And so I go with it. Waking this morning saying "how odd is this weather" as if I would know, but I go with what I am told. It's raining hard and has been for two days. Straight. It's no longer a warm wonderful African rain. It's cold and wet and everything is damp. I don't remember the rainy season feeling this way. The guts of the glory now rearing it's ugly head. With this wonderful outdoor natural life I am "embracing" comes some challenges. With this torrential down pour (I exaggerate not) come some rather obscure challenges. While yes, simply stay inside, in your tent or in your office. But with this "outdoor" life comes an outdoor bathroom. And the rain is outdoors.I try to wait for the rain to subside a bit before I make my attempt. But the rain is relentless and my bladder seems to get smaller and smaller as I listen to the water running over the top of the office roof. I have no choice but to make a go of it.

The only way to do this is to attempt to go to the loo,with my loo roll and umbrella in hand. I can't put the loo roll down, it will get wet. I need to hold it, and the umbrella and perch myself on the throne. I can't help but laugh at myself and how hilarious this must look. The view still magnificent. I wonder what blooms this rain will bring to any lost seeds that still lay in the previously dry ground and take comfort in the forecast of sunshine from tomorrow onwards.