| Kafue National Park in Zambia is home to an incredible variety of antelope – these Lichtenstein’s Hartebeests roam the burnt savannahs of the miombo woodland in search of good grazing. Even without rains, the soil still manages to produce tiny new green shoots from the ashes of wildfires – proving that there is always hope in desperate times.
The rains are not due until October/November and yet the trees have learnt to adapt, becoming “suffrutex” in their behaviour; meaning that they survive the fires by growing more of their trunk and branches underground instead of above ground. This allows them to put out new leaves from the tips of underground branches which poke through the surface relatively quickly after fires have swept through rather than waiting until the following season. |
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| What has our jewellery brand Harmonite been up to? |
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| Since 2019 when Elemental started, we have sold our jewellery exclusively through the Amazon platform, both in the UK, and the USA. We are very pleased to announce that we have a new outlet now based here in the UK in the form of the Druidry online store, who have started to stock a select few of our acorn pendants, as well as my book “Energetic Herbalism for Beginners“. |
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| I won’t be out here in Zambia for much longer, my time is already halfway through, and I will soon be concentrating on the autumn fayres that start towards the end of September. I really enjoy these and chatting directly to my customers – Online selling is convenient, but seriously impersonal. |
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| What have I been writing? |
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Aphantasia
Is now available on Audible! A mere three and a half hours of the wonderful voice of Kim Bretton to give yourself an overall understanding of what it means to be mind blind.
If you are not yet a member of Audible, there are a limited number of promo codes available, just drop me a message if you would like one.
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Kafue National Park
Whilst working in Zambia, I spend a good deal of time hosting guests at dinner tables and campfires, sharing stories and knowledge of the bush. I often find myself answering the same questions and sharing the same information with people. So much so that I’m now considering writing a short inspirational book for safari tourists who have perhaps already booked a visit or who may be considering it for the future. Not so much a guide book as there are already some really good ones covering Kafue, but perhaps a book more geared towards helping guests make the most of their time here, managing their expectations and inspiring them to see the Kafue through different eyes.
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| What have I been influenced by lately? |
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“Wild” by Jay Griffiths is an elemental journey through some of the world’s wildest places. The author takes us to the Amazon rainforest, the Arctic, and more, sharing her experiences in a way that makes you feel like you’re right there with her.Her writing is vivid and poetic, making the book not just about nature but also about how it connects to our inner lives. She explores how freedom, culture, and our deepest feelings are all tied to the wildness around us.
One of the best parts of “Wild” is how Griffiths mixes environmental and cultural insights with beautiful, almost poetic language. She passionately argues for protecting wild places, encouraging readers to rethink their relationship with nature and their own wild side.
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The Kafue Community
Living in the bush can be a tough life. Not just due to the wild creatures and dangerous critters that roam around.
Remote, isolated camps, busy with guests, logistics, and maintenance issues, provide little time or opportunity to socialise, or even just take a day off.
This is something every operator in the park knows and understands, so we build a community, we rely on each other, we share and support each other and we take any opportunity we can to celebrate the privileged life we are experiencing. However short the season or our stay may be.
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| One small business helping out another … |
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Kasabushi Camp
I have spent the last 6 weeks helping out at this incredible safari bush camp in the centre of Kafue National Park in Zambia – where the team cater for both lodge guests and self-drive campers at a luxury location right on the banks of the river. Owners, Tessa and Quintin, provide a truly amazing experience for each and every one of their guests.
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A final word from the woodland…
Whilst I am indeed missing Rais wood in Sussex, and all that is happening there, I am thoroughly enjoying the woodland scrub of the miombo in central Kafue, Zambia. Plenty of birds to identify, insects to study, and sounds to listen out for.
Most of the trees still elude me, simply because it is winter here now and most leaves have fallen, making identification trickier than usual. That said, the combretums (bushwillows) are starting to flower now and I suspect it won’t be long before we see new foliage emerging like we see here on the White Thorn… providing valuable food for caterpillars, antelope, and the ultimate browsers – the elephants!
Until next time…
Blessings
Joanne
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| If you are reading this and thinking who the hell is Joanne Hedger, then I sincerely apologize; your email address has reached my Google contacts list somewhere along the line and I have embarrassingly failed to keep in touch. For this I am very sorry and wish you all the best in life. (There is an unsubscribe link below).
If, however, you wish to continue receiving Elemental newsletters, (I send a maximum of 8 per year), be sure to whitelist my email address or mark me as an approved sender in your email inbox. This is to ensure that you will receive all updates and announcements and not have me sent to your spam box. My email address is: joanne@elementalretail.com |
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