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Monty Brett Environmental and Cultural Courses Newsletter |
October 2009 |
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Hi
there, Would
you believe it – Monty has just recovered from the worst bout of the Measles
I’ve ever seen! He was as sick as a
dog for nearly three weeks, and had spots where he didn’t even know he had
places. Even his spots had spots. It’s
great having him up and about again, but guess what? My daughter had a mild cold this weekend,
and now she’s just erupted in spots … aarghhh … here we go again … This
is the last newsletter for 2009, so I’ll get right down to it. Baroque in the Bush was a real hit this
year. Richard Cock and the
Johannesburg Festival Orchestra members were on top form and the music was
simply gorgeous. We also had Clive
Hopcroft who did two bird talks and a bird walk over the course of the
weekend, which went down very well indeed.
A few days after Baroque, we held our Bird ID Course at Skukuza, also with Clive, who really is such brilliant
value. The group seemed to enjoy his quirky
sense of humour and his easy manner, and learned a huge amount. Next
year, straight after Baroque in the Bush, we’ll be running the Bird ID Course
again, but this time at Shingwedzi, which is a much nicer camp by far! LBJs (Little Brown
Jobs) In
just under two weeks, Geoff Lockwood and Clive Hopcroft will be lifting the
lid on the mysterious world of those indeterminate little critters that flit
and frolic past our binoculars, seldom giving enough time to nail down an
ID. Larks and pipits, warblers and waders
are the species that will be covered during this course. Lecturers: Geoff Lockwood, Clive Hopcroft Dates: November 2, 5, 9 and 12, 2009 Duration: 4 evenings, 10 hours in all Times: 18h30 to 21h30 each evening Venue: Wanderers Club, Illovo, Cost: R560 per person for
the full course We
plan to leave on 6th April, returning on 21st April,
2010. We’ll be visiting ·
Violinist
Joshua Bell and the New York
Philharmonic Orchestra, playing Mozart and Brahms. ·
La
Traviata and Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera House ·
American
Symphony Orchestra playing
Schumann ·
New York
Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted
by Riccardo Muti, playing Mozart and Schubert. Cellist Carter
Brey. ·
The ·
A day-long
bus-tour with the famous Gabby Cabby, getting the low-down on ·
The ·
Takacs
String Quartet featuring Joyce
Yang on Piano, playing Haydn, Beethoven, Schumann ·
The ·
Daily
sightseeing of the major sights of ·
A specialist
American guide knowledgeable in the politics, culture and history of the ·
A selection of Broadway shows such as ·
An evening at
a Jazz Club ·
Some free
time to do your own thing Richard
will do pre-concert talks before each concert, giving insight into the
music we’re going to hear, as well as being on hand to answer your questions
on music in general. The
cost of the tour should be in the region of R66 000 per person sharing
and includes just about everything: Return
flights to the USA, hotel accommodation for the duration of the tour – three
star or better, all meals, all local transport in USA, all music and
sightseeing events on the itinerary. Not
included are drinks, laundry, spending money and other items of a personal
nature. NB – PLEASE NOTE: If you’re interested in this trip, please
contact me soonest so I can get an idea of numbers. All the above events were still available
at the time of writing, but are subject to availability at time of booking. MUSIC IN THE MIST This weekend
in the lush Magoebaskloof area is a wonderful mix of classical music concerts
and birding. Dr Richard Cock will
conduct the midday and evening concerts, played by brilliant musicians from
the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra.
Clive Hopcroft will lead an early morning bird-walk in the indigenous Minimum 60 people. Dates: March
20 – 22, 2010 Venue: Magoebaskloof Hotel near Tzaneen. Costs: R3 720 per person sharing for the
weekend. Single supplement is R560 extra. Prices include accommodation, dinners and
breakfasts, as well as all musical and birding events for the weekend. Not included are lunches, drinks and other
items of a personal nature. Some of the other items we have planned
for 2010 are: TREE ID with Dr Bob and Prof Mary Scholes, covering the
40 most common trees to be found in the bushveld. Dates will be February 8, 11, 15 and 18,
2010, and the venue will be Wanderers Club, BIRD ID COURSE AT SOUTHBROOM – March RAPTORS at WANDERERS – May A TRIP TO ANGOLAN BATTLEFIELDS – August Keep an eye on
the website for details of these and other offerings for 2010: www.montybrett.com. Warm regards
from an exquisitely verdant and shimmering Natal Midlands. Monty Brett Courses Tel: (033) 266-6113 Fax: 086 652-7662 Cell:
082 824-9378 email: kim@montybrett.com website:
www.montybrett.com |
Our contact details Monty & Kim Brett 3280 Tel: (033) 266-6113 Email: kim@montybrett.com Fax: 086 652-7662, or (033) 266-6970 Web: www.montybrett.com |
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Quotes |
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Use what
talent you have. The woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those
that sang best. Henry van Dyke Truth is more
of a stranger than fiction. Mark Twain Going to a
junkyard is a sobering experience.
There we can see the ultimate destination of almost everything we
desire. Roger van Oech |
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350 |
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Scientists say
that 350 parts per million CO2 in the atmosphere is the safe
limit for humanity. We’re currently at
387 parts per million. 24th
October (this Saturday) is International
Day of Climate Action. On this
day, people all over the world will be taking a stand for a safe climate
future. Click on http://www.350.org/
to find out more and to participate in this wonderful initiative. |
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PS: |
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Unwanted emails are a headache. If you would
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Parting Thought |
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It has become
appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity. Albert
Einstein |