The amazing sound of crickets slowed down

 

The sounds of crickets might have been slowed down and then played on a keyboard to sculpt them into music but I love the sound of crickets. I think the photo might be of a grasshopper. 

Paul Trembling's review of Ride The Wings of Morning

Sophie Neville went out to Africa for health reasons. She found what she was looking for - her health improved - but that's not the story here. The story is what else she found: a land full of extraordinary beauty, incredible characters (some of them human), serious danger and enormous fun. It's structured as a series of letters to her sisters back in the UK or other parts of Europe, which gives it a great sense of 'immediacy.'

Paul goes on to write:

Her adventures - and misadventures! - are recorded as they happened, or shortly afterwards and that comes across very strongly. As a counterpoint, she also includes the letters she in turn received from her sisters and other family members. There’s a great sense of family, of connection over the miles, as her exciting life is compared to the less exotic but sometimes just as exciting lives back in England.

Neville is a very fluid writer. Her words flow smoothly off the page and into the readers mind, bringing with them powerful images of African scenery, of wildlife and human life. Sometimes funny, sometimes terribly sad, sometimes almost surreal! One of my favourite passages is where, out in the middle of a vast salt pan in the moonlight, she comes across a fire - and next to it a drinks table (with ice and lemon slices) and another table laid for dinner, with silver cutlery, linen napkins and a chicken tikka! All brought out into the middle of nowhere for her and her companion.

These events took place in a time of social and political changes, some of them violent, and in countries where natural beauty runs alongside human poverty and terrible sadness (such as with the AIDS epidemic). Neville does not dwell on these things, they aren’t her main focus, but they are as much part of her life in Africa as charging rhinoceros, venomous snakes and friends weddings. It all makes for a great richness of shared experiences.

It is also well illustrated by lots of drawings and pictures - presumably the authors own, as she is, along with her many other talents, an artist - unfortunately in black and white, which may lose something, but which are still very effective and which help the reader to see Africa as she saw it.

Recent screenwriting awards for THE MEETING HOUSE

Sophie Neville has won a number of awards for her feature length screenplay THE MEETING HOUSE based on the true story of an African serviceman's adventures during WWII.

Sophie will originally commissioned to write the script by Dashwood Films. 

Sadly the producer died shortly after being diagnosed with breast cancer 

but the concept was optioned by George Marshall.

The rights have now returned to the writer, Sophie Neville

Years of historical research are now bearing fruit.

The compelling story is calling out to be produced

The classic drama is set in Tanzania, Burma and Japan

Winning so many writing awards is exceptional.

They testify to the strength of the story and the hard work that has gone into setting it down on the page.

 

Author Sophie Neville is a Finalist in the Page Turner Writing Awards

 

Sophie Neville has been working on a novel based on an exceptional true story from WWII that has just reached the finals in the Page Turner Writing Awards

This unpublished historical novel is set in Tanganyika, Burma and Japan, so should make a good holiday read for those who love to travel.

An interview with author Sophie Neville

 

Sophie Neville interviewed on Your Take

Think of Riding in Southern Botswana

Sophie Neville is hoping to take a group riding through Mashutu Game Reserve as soon as travel opens up. Here's something to look forward to:

14 (hot) Tips for cooking on an open fire:

When dining outdoors or cooking on an open fire:

1. Keep your matches and kindling dry -

Don't forget your matches and take care to keep them dry. I pack a lighter just in case. Gather wood for your fire from appropriate places before you begin to cook. (Don't tear off branches or use fence posts). No matter how much you encourage it, wet kindling simply won’t light. 

2. Plan carefully where you will locate your fire -
Think about which way the wind is blowing and take care not cause a bush fire! You may need to cut away turf. If so, keep it on one side to replace later. Make sure you are not lighting a fire on peat, which can burn, or over tree roots. If you make a fire under a tree you can kill one side of it. 

Fires for cooking can be laid in a cross-hatch pattern, rather than in the traditional wigwam. Having said that, I once made successful coals by burning a pile of spindly dry thorn branches and letting the sudden blaze die down.

3. Collect water before lighting the fire -
When filling a kettle from anything other than a tap, place the spout beneath the surface of the water to avoid getting scum on it. 

4. Take a potholder with you -

Make sure you have a designated potholder for holding pan-handles, for keeping your hands from slowly roasting as you cook and for pouring tea. We used a thick leather glove in Africa, which I called 'The hairy hand'. 

5. Don’t forget that everything near a fire gets hot!

It is easy to accidentally melt the soles of rubber shoes by placing them too near the fire (I can tell you from experience) and remember that the lid and handle of a kettle can get dangerously hot. Have a bowl of sand and a bucket of water to hand in case of accidents or emergencies.

6. Root vegetables must be skewered before being cooked, not afterwards -

One of my favorite things to cook over an open fire are potatoes. Wrapped in foil with a little bit of butter, salt and pepper (or rosemary if you’re feeling fancy), spuds cook wonderfully when nestled into the embers of a fire. And yet, who would have thought that such an innocent vegetable could become a dangerous projectile if left un-skewered! Skewer your root vegetables before you wrap them. Poking a stick into an un-skewered potato to pull it from the fire can leave you covered in boiling mash!

7. Always place your mug on the ground before pouring anything hot into it -

Tea, coffee or hot chocolate are vital additions to any outdoor meal, but remember to place your mug on a flat bit of ground before pouring anything into it. Kettles can be unpredictable, and super-heated liquid can easily splash over hands and wrists.

8. Beware the soot in your soup!

Put a lid on anything you’re cooking over an open fire. This speeds up cooking and prevents an unexpected blast of wind from blowing into it.

9. Limit your washing up
You can prevent your kettle and pots from becoming blackened and difficult to clean by wiping the outsides with washing up liquid before setting them on the fire. Use bread as a plate you can eat afterwards. Leaves have a number of uses and can be folded to contain things.

10. Don’t cook anything that drips fat straight over the fire -

Be careful not to cook bacon or steak directly over your coals. Fat dripping onto the fire can spray up and give you a nasty burn. The South Americans make an art of roasting meat upright so the hot fat runs down, helping to cook and flavor the meat that is then turned. 

11. Wait until the fire burns down before cooking on hot coals -

Cooking over flames will give you raw, burnt food - blackened on the outside, cold on the inside. Wait until the fire dies, bring the burning pieces of wood to one side, or even right away from the fire itself, and you’ll be able to cook your food evenly. Smoke from the flames is useful to keep away bugs but can be irritating when you are cooking.

12. Tin foil and leaves -

Many wonderful dishes can be cooked up in tin foil, from baked banana-chocolate pudding or brownies to lemon-garlic roast fish. Alternatively, you can wrap food in leaves - such as wild garlic or banana leaves if you know they will be to hand.

13. Beware the embers and hot grills!

After a delicious meal cooked over an open fire, it can be easy to regard humble embers with condescension- do so at your peril! Make sure there are no stray embers lying around after your meal, as stepping on one in the early-morning search for coffee is an experience very much worth avoiding.  Never lay a hot barbecue grill on the ground where is it easy tot red on. Plan to prop it up somewhere safe.

14. Always burn any card or paper rubbish carefully and put your barbecue fire out properly after use. Take all your litter home with you for recycling.

To read more about my adventures - and disasters incurred while cooking outdoors in southern Africa, find a copy of Ride the Wings of Morning