well, the drama of the getting my visa and the holidays is long behind me. jan and feb was really busy shooting a short film, Last Call,
https://youtu.be/-KFk5BthkdA
publishing my camino book, 5 Steps to a Successful Camino, re-publishing an older e-book on kindle, Trusting the Divine Plan, and working 2 days on set for Showtime's special on heavyweight boxer Sonny Liston. plus working on upgrades on the cottage. i was busy busy. happy happy.
then all the projects were done and the wheels came off and things came to a grinding halt. wish i could blame it on the drought in Cape Town or fallen president Zuma, but things just went quiet. so last monday for the first time since moving to idyllic Stanford village in my dream cottage i sat down with a cup of coffee and look into the great abyss of retirement. the doldrums had set in, the water was glassy and still, and i could see a long way into the future. and it frightened me. wow, this is it??? 30 years of sitting here in this cottage talking to my cat??? is it game over? life over? COTW over??? i was vexed.
and since then i have no answers, only questions to the great beyond. dear Maker of the Universe, is this where i start growing tomatoes and Pennsylvania peppers, and start listening to opera??? the days are starting to blend all together. the phone isn't ringing. i'm noticing the cracks in the concrete floor. i'm becoming a bird watcher. is this the end of the beginning or the beginning of the end??
the state of the industry (show business and all things production) is bleak. the rand is stronger which is bad for int'l exchange sake, and the drought and "Day Zero" has everyone freaked a bit. don't blame them. bottom line is things are
q u i e t. probably til next november at best. no guarantees it's coming back.
so i left the CBD/city center, i chose the country life, to be a home owner, dip in my pool, get a cat, and settle down. but man, this q u i e t for the next 30 years!?? not that much to do in Stanford! or the Overberg in general! do i look for a flat in town??? become a manic binge watcher? a shut-in?? i only have questions at this stage. how long will i make it here? or do i travel 6 months out of the year??
i am walking another camino this year, from Le Puy, France for another 760kms. 6 weeks. sept 14 thru 31 oct. so i least i got that to look forward to!
and i love teaching my master class still. it's become a monthly workshop in town. with a smattering of students. not sure it's worth the $116 i make for a 4-hour drive and a 3 hour class, but if the mantra remains to "make art, teach art" then i guess it fits the bill. it pays for the space and my gas. and i have fun and hopefully i'm giving something back. the end.
the doco-reenactment of the Sonny Liston was 2 days of hell. here is a facebook post...
"i know the only thing unhappier than an out-of-work actor is a working actor but hear me out on this one. i just sat 5 hours in base camp to be brought to set for a 5 second shot. no jokes. enter the patio door, take a beat, walk through the frame. cut. proud to say we got it in one take. all total today i drove 4 hours to and fro set, then sat around 11 hours for about 3 minutes of being on camera. if that long. it's a re-enactment doccie drama for Showtime. oh yeah, and it's all MOS (no sound) and my head is cropped off. michael caine once said "they pay me to wait, i act for free", and i suppose it's good work if you can get it, but this hombre may have to pass on the next one. BTW, if you ever see this shirt, i'm the guy in it."
speaking of Facebook, i'm barely on it. it's too exhausting hearing how right everyone's point of view is. and watching other's peoples dogs and toddlers don't excite me much. lately the BBC news app has been winning over Facebook. or i chat a lot on whatsapp. find me at +27 72 666 1895
so that's my report this st. Pattys day weekend. facing retirement and bird-watching. ugh. and still making short films to do something fun and creative. and teaching. and walking caminos. IDK, town is looking attractive again! even with the 2 minute showers! let's see what happens next!
and my nephew danny is coming for 3 weeks June 1. that'll be killer.
and now for some pics...in no particular order!
thanks for reading! cheers! xxoo ddm aka COTW
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| a new house in stanford! old style with new. |
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| i sold the motorbike. love having the garage room. but do i miss it??? |
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| coffee on the rocks is always a lovely outing! |
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| i put an iphone photo on paris on the huge brick wall before i i cut it in half! |
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| Yoda is my refuge. sad! |
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| rehearsal for Last Call at the cottage! |
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| Last Call cast & crew |
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| i've been doing this campaign for class. lots of fun! |
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| painting my roof white is one of my home improvements! |
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| my next short film, Bush Pilot, was looking to use this river lodge location. |
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| And this romantic suite. |
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| And this dock. |
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| with an insert of these heads. |
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| love the cape town one-word eateries. Melt, Knead, Graze, Brew, Etc. |
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| my work station on set for Sonny. |
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| cruise ships in cape town harbor. don't they need lots of water?? |
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| another sat eve dinner at Maison du Carnivore in stanford village! |
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| the shirt was the star as my head was literally cropped out of every shot. |
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| valentines day with friends at Stanford Hills wine estate! |
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| chair. |
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| this couple came from holland thru africa with a side-car! well done! |
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| quite a set up. took them 6 months. waited 2 months in sudan for a part. note the flip-flops! |
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| new ceiling windows in my loft. |
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| i can see stars from my pillow! |
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| sadly the tower had to come down. |
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| pure bistro in hermanus. lovely chicken pie! and a view! |
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| the wall must fall! |
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| our first short last year with star ruby. |
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| training dirk to cam op! |
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| we were shooting game. |
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| with a vintage landy! |
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| then waited for a moonrise. |
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| on the dock at stanford river lodge. |
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| ahhh, the nature! |
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| also spruced up my Finding Messiah doco with some drone footage! |
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| and the occassional sundowner at Dutchies in hermanus. but winter is coming! |
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| and now teaching a kids workshop in my village! |
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| HAMC grad Victory Stage always sets the bar! |
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| And Israel joined us yesterday. he actually won us all over! |
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| https://youtu.be/-KFk5BthkdA watch the short! |
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| i got a Dirk an agent off of Last Call. |
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| Didier is another HAMC grad who is working! |
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| the March advert. |
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| me in my outdoor kitchen! |
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| the book is finally on Kindle! |
