by Allan Stratton | Dec 21, 2009 | Travels
Normally you don’t even see this much of a hippo. You just see the tips of the ears and snout. Also, normally, you’ll see hippos in family pods of five or more. Clearly, this loner is socially dyslexic. Within minutes, he went from watching us to warning us. Check out...
by Allan Stratton | Dec 17, 2009 | Travels
There’s a national park twenty minutes from my country cottage here in Elandsdoorn, South Africa, where I’ve been on location for the film shoot of my novel Chanda’s Secrets. The owner and his son-in-law were kind enough to take me. They reminded me of the...
by Allan Stratton | Dec 15, 2009 | Filming Chanda's Secrets, News, Writing
It’s lunch break, and the Three Musketeers, aka Iris, Esther and Soly, are enjoying the time off in pink bathrobes. Barbecue sauce and ice cream have a habit of ending up on costumes. Wardrobe thinks of everything!Meanwhile, Martin Hamer stands on the road...
by Allan Stratton | Dec 11, 2009 | Filming Chanda's Secrets, News, Writing
Deciding to shoot Chanda’s Secrets on location was a gutsy move by the producers. Take financing. Even though South Africa is a relatively stable and prosperous country, the word ‘Africa’ makes bankers twitch: They don’t seem to understand that Africa is a continent,...
by Allan Stratton | Dec 10, 2009 | Filming Chanda's Secrets, News, Writing
This is one of Chanda’s roosters (chickens?). I’m afraid I’m no good at figuring out the gender of barnyard animals, except for the ones with horns and obvious extra bits. Which, considering my grandparents and uncle were farmers is pretty embarrassing. (Hmmm, I’m...
