Mole in the Hole

The Erection The halcyon days of Chibuluma Golf Club were enlivened by the usual regular events. Monthly medal competitions were serious, though a ‘hacker’s four ball ‘was allowed to follow the field, much to the disgust of Maurice Keegan who claimed that great oafs such as I should not be allowed on any course, anywhere, […]

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On Tour

So the boy’s father said to me, if I send him out to you can you introduce him to a horse? I didn’t know that he fancied horses; thank goodness, it turned out that he seemed to prefer the young ladies riding upon them!   So here comes an impressionable lad, he has only got […]

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The Bowels of the Earth

Emerging from time to time from the murk of the pollution and the fumes from the Smelter could be seen the headframes of the two shafts that have served the old Nkana orebody for almost 90 years. Central Shaft and B Shaft are old and show it. The cages in Central Shaft are small, triple […]

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Groundee Rent

Come September every year is a task that must be done, however irritating. The ground rent has to be paid. This is a comparatively small amount of money but, if you do not pay it, there is a chance, pretty remote, I must say, that your property can be taken away from you. The reason […]

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The Holiday from Hell

A few weeks ago a group of enthusiastic bridge players decided to enter the annual Manicaland Bridge Contest held at Nyanga in the Zimbabwean Eastern Highlands.   To get there it was decided to hire a bus for, as someone pointed out, you cannot fly there unless you have your own helicopter, and the roads […]

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Mole in the Hole

Remember, Remember I think it was in 1605 that naughty old Guy Fawkes was found to have parked considerable loads of Gunpowder in the cellars of the old Houses of Parliament so that when King James the First of England (The Scots call him James the Sixth; funny lot the Scots, when government vehicles appeared […]

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Mole in the Hole

The Heterogonite Caper   For some days now, the gates of Chambishi Mine had seen a queue of lorries, laden up with sacks of material, with their drivers and hangers on sat about the place, cooking up nshima and smoking rolled up cigarettes that had no tobacco but something far better in them! I had […]

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Mole in the Hole

Oh, How are The Mighty Have Fallen   Once upon a time I was elevated to the position of Mine Superintendent (Acting Unpaid) and in that elevated position I was sent to relieve people going on leave or sick or even when they had been very naughty tortoises and had their blasting licences suspended by […]

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