Reflections from a man and his dog

I have a black Labrador named Bella. She’s 18 months old, full of energy, mischief, and love. She doesn't speak in words, but I’ve come to realize that she doesn’t need to. If I listen closely, I hear her spirit loud and clear.

The other day, I found myself wondering…

If Bella could talk, what would she tell me about life?

What would she want me to remember on the hard days? The quiet days? The busy ones when I forget to breathe.

Here’s what I imagine she’d say,...

I’ve had many dogs in my life.

Big dogs, small dogs. Fiercely loyal, wildly playful, stubborn, gentle, they’ve all left paw prints across the timeline of my years. But none quite like Bella.

Bella is our 18-month-old black Labrador. If you know the breed, you’ll understand: boundless energy, a heart full of mischief and love, and eyes that seem to ask, “What are we doing next?” But lately… I’ve started wondering if Bella is something more than just a very clever dog.

Let me explain.

Over the past...

A true story from Angola, 1986–88

Corporal Kraai wasn’t scared of the Russian Cubans. He didn’t flinch at mortar attacks or a 30kg backpack. But if there was one thing that could make him scream like a tannie at a flea market, it was a snake.

It all started back in Basics, when someone threw a rope at him. He jumped like a ninja, screamed like an opera singer, and ran like a man late for a Friday morning bungalow inspection. By that afternoon, everyone knew: Don’t mess with Kraai when it comes...

In warm and lively corners of restaurants across Durbanville, Cape Town, something truly extraordinary has been happening for the past 23 years. Month after month, through...

Some stories begin long before the first word is written. This one began in the Angolan bush, echoed through the silence of loss, and finally found its way home through the...

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Last night, with a rooibos in hand and internet tabs multiplying like rabbits, I went exploring down one of those late-night tunnels where YouTube, Reddit, and half-forgotten blogs all conspire to feed your imagination.

The ideas I found...wild, but strangely compelling:

• Some believe we live inside a simulation, a reality coded and maintained by powers beyond us.
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You know you’ve made it when a Founder from Dubai, a School Teacher from Navarra, a Salesperson from Fujitsu, and someone from Heineken Beverages all check out your LinkedIn profile… in the same week.

Now, this could mean one of two things:

1. You’re on the verge of being headhunted for a hospitality-tech-education-beer hybrid startup.
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The Pretoria braaimaster stands with tongs in hand, eyes locked not just on the boerewors, but on the slow-burning coals. There’s wisdom in a braai, if you stare long enough. The coals whisper: patience, timing, heat control, perhaps the same lessons life throws at you.

Now, lately there’s been plenty talk about AI. Kids chatting to bots, lawsuits flying, clever people on the news predicting the end of the world. But as the Klippies and Coke sweats in my hand, I ask myself: ...