Tick-tock.

I can safely say that I'm not generally one of those girls who hears my biological clock ticking. I'm not in a mad dash to be a mom, but seeing things like this makes me realize that I definitely want to have kids at some point:

 This is Jack.  I read about him on ohdeedoh today.

He lives in the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya with his animal behaviorist dad and cinematographer mom.

Yep, I definitely want one of these some day.

Read more about Jack's life and see more pics here.

On safari.

So when I saw that a place is actually offering a 1920s safari expedition (Cottars Safari Experience), I nearly lost my mind. I've already rambled on about my obsession with Out of Africa, but this...

Oh, Africa.

Also, it was Isak Dinesen/Karen Blixen's birthday last week, so here are some of my favorite quotes from her:

“Who tells a finer tale than any of us. Silence does.”

“The entire being of a woman is a secret which should be kept.”

“When you have a great and difficult task, something perhaps almost impossible, if you only work a little at a time, every day a little, suddenly the work will finish itself.”

“The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea.”  

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

I was lucky enough to catch the encore of the premiere episode of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency on HBO. I haven't read any of the books (which seem to have a huge following around the world) but I think I'm hooked on this miniseries. Jill Scott is the lead, starring as Precious Ramotswe, and Anthony Minghella (The English Patient, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Cold Mountain) directed--this was his last project before his death last year. After Precious's father's death, she uses her inheritance to take her future in her own hands. She leaves behind an abusive ex-husband and heads for Gaborone, the capital of Botswana. There, she sets up her detective agency (she's number one because there are no other female detectives in her country). She uses her skills to help people, making friends along the way.

The show's storyline is entertaining and everything is so colorful:






All the music in the show is incredible, too.

I highly recommend that you check this out!

Another period film in an exotic locale.

Thinking about Indochine reminded me of my absolute favorite "monied woman an a colonialized locale in a different era" film.



While I'm not trying to endorse colonialization, these films always make life in one of these countries seem so full and exciting. Not to mention gorgeous and exotic.





More and more, I wish I could experience more culture, more life, more customs that are not my own. Even for just a little bit. I'm tired of having to live vicariously though film and books.

However, on the topic of Africa, if you want a real-life look into the world of colonial Africa, browse these reads:




(If you've already seen the film, you still need to read the book.)