Wise Words: A Collection of Quotes from John Muir

Categories Culture, Featured, Personal

I recently read a luminous travelogue/memoir/work of philosophical genius called My First Summer in the Sierra that really struck an almost uncanny chord with me.

Penned by Scottish-American naturalist, John Muir in 1869, the book is basically a personal diary of his experience joining a crew of shepherds on their humble search for good grazing in the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains.

He was a young man of 31 at the time and intent on finding meaning beyond the mundanities of daily life. And, well, (spoiler alert): he found loads of it in the wilds of North America.

It’s been quite a while since a book resonated as deeply with me. Its pages are properly dog-eared now, stuck full of place-holder post-its and almost entirely covered in pencil marginalia and underlined paragraphs.

So, I decided to jot down some of my favourite quotes right here:

Continue Reading "Wise Words: A Collection of Quotes from John Muir" →

Playlist: Hazy Autumn Days

Categories Culture, Featured, Personal

Looking back into the Peregrina playlist archives, it’s evident that – for me – any change of season calls for a soundtrack.

So, it’s hardly surprising that I found myself collecting songs again recently to match the mellow golden glow of Autumn. A season after my own heart.

I guess the reason I love it so much is simply because of its subtlety. The way it inhabits the in-between with such splendour. How it arrives without fanfare and leaves without wasting time on goodbyes.

I love it for its romance – the soft twirling of leaves and the dramatic sunrise pink streaks, special gifts for anyone with eyes to see.

It’s also the season that lends itself best to soothing melodies, sultry love songs and slow jams… and who doesn’t love those?

Continue Reading "Playlist: Hazy Autumn Days" →

The Curiosity Curse

Categories Featured, Personal

I’ve always envied people who have a clear-cut purpose in life. Those blessed souls who know their calling and always have; who wistfully recall the moment of childhood enlightenment – how, at three-years-old, they swooshed a flimsy paintbrush around the watercolour pallet and instantly *knew* they’d be an artist.

Those who set about pursuing their life’s purpose by achieving one quantifiable goal after another, well dang, I envy them even more.

I, on the other hand, have always been somewhat erratic in my pursuits.

Continue Reading "The Curiosity Curse" →

Wild Woman Interview: Rambling Roz on Poetry, Vulnerability and Travel

Categories Featured, Interviews, Wild Woman Interviews

The Wild Woman Interviews is a series of Q&As with women who do interesting, brave and inspiring things. The name is inspired by the fact that the focus is largely on how nature, the outdoors, travel, the natural cycles of life etc. inspire and influence women in their passions and pursuits.

For the inaugural Wild Woman Interview, I’d like you to meet Rozanne de Jager aka Rambling Roz. She is a writer, poet, teacher and life coach from South Africa, living and working in Vietnam.

Continue Reading "Wild Woman Interview: Rambling Roz on Poetry, Vulnerability and Travel" →

Snaps: Walking in Wilderness

Categories Featured, Hiking & outdoors, Photography

About a month ago, we headed to Wilderness for Andre and Danielle’s wedding – a wild and wonderful beach-meets-forest affair.

Despite a storm breaking out in full force on the afternoon of the nuptials, it was a truly beautiful and joyous occasion.

Apart from celebrating their promises of forever to each other, we also got a chance to rediscover a few of the trails in this lush section of the Garden Route National Park.

Continue Reading "Snaps: Walking in Wilderness" →

8 Pretty South African-Made Items I’m Loving Right Now

Categories Featured, Lifestyle

There are many things Instagram has done wrong in recent years, most notably changing their algorithm and sneakily squeezing adverts in among stories.

One thing they seem to be getting right, however, is hitting a target market bullseye when it comes to promoted posts.

How do I know this? Well, the majority of promoted posts that have popped into my feed lately have been so enticing that I’ve clicked through and followed the relevant profiles.

So doing, I’ve also discovered a whole new bunch of local makers to add to my favourites list.

Here are eight rather diverse items I’m particularly in love with right now:

Continue Reading "8 Pretty South African-Made Items I’m Loving Right Now" →

Snaps: The Camino Portugues on 35mm film (and a few thoughts on walking 240km with my mom)

Categories Featured, Personal, Photography

I realised with a great shock the other day that I’ve never posted anything about my Camino experience here on Peregrina.

Soon after returning, I wrote a piece for Slow Drive; then, about a year later, shared a few thoughts about it in Juice (Mango’s in-flight magazine); and finally put together a comprehensive guide for Traveller24.

But I never brought it back home to where it truly belongs – on Peregrina! Which makes me a little sad, really, because it was – after all – those two weeks as a pilgrim that sparked the renaming of my blog. 

Continue Reading "Snaps: The Camino Portugues on 35mm film (and a few thoughts on walking 240km with my mom)" →