Fairlady December 2015

The first time I heard the word ‘misspeak’ was in 2008 when Hilary Clinton was trying to explain why she’d said she had to evade sniper fire in Bosnia in 1996 – when, in fact, she hadn’t been anywhere near any sniper fire. ‘I misspoke,’ she said when she was caught out. Until then, I never knew misspeaking was an option. I thought we were all pretty much limited to telling a whopper or telling the truth. Obviously, since then we’ve all become very familiar with the notion of misspending (sometimes also referred to in South Africa as ‘to nkandla’), but a while ago I came across the concept of ‘mis-selling’, when Lewis Stores was referred to the National Consumer Tribunal for selling insurance to customers who couldn’t possibly claim…

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante I love the mystery around this book almost as much as I loved the book itself: the Banksy of the Italian literary world, ‘Elena Ferrante’ has been writing for over 10 years. But that is not her real name, and nobody knows her true identity, although there is plenty of speculation. This series of four novels (The Neopolitan series) is about the lifelong friendship of two women born into the same poor neighbourhood in Naples – with all the love, enmity and complications that that entails. It’s a stealth book … very understated, but it creeps up on you and suddenly you find yourself caring about the characters, and looking for the next in the series. The Hummus Bar at the M Mall in…

‘Woman power’ Carol Tshabalala (featured in ‘The First Lady of Sport’; September 2015) is a phenomenal woman! She is strong in her convictions, principled, fiercely driven, passionate and unapologetically and unwaveringly herself! Our country is filled with amazing and phenomenal women like her. Women should make it their mission to befriend other women who are dedicated to pursuing their own empowerment and emancipation. They should build a network of women of substance, thought leaders, across all sectors. They must start building one another up and not pull each other down. How many women are waiting for another woman’s downfall to make a breakthrough? Isaac Tshepo, Johannesburg Ed: We agree with you about Carol! But those other competitive women you refer to are clearly not FAIRLADY readers – we’re all about…

‘From strength to strength’ Your article on hormone therapy (October 2015) was informative and impartial. After consulting with my gynae in 2014, we agreed I’d begin oral HT. I was 49, and experiencing classic menopausal symptoms. My gynae considered me a prime candidate for HT, but the deciding factor was the risk of developing osteoporosis. As a lifetime athlete and Iron-Man finisher, the prospect of a future without sport filled me with dread. After 14 months on HT the nightmare symptoms have disappeared, I’ve summitted Kilimanjaro and trekked to Everest Base Camp. I urge anyone to have that initial discussion with their gynae. HT is not for everyone, but it might be the best thing for you! Cheryl Gibson-Dicks, Jeffreys Bay Ed: We agree; every woman’s situation is different, and…

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for the past four years, a group of South African celebrities has set out to climb the tallest mountain in Africa as part of the Trek4Mandela campaign – a campaign that, together with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, aims to raise money to provide sanitary towels for girls so that they no longer have to miss school. Leanne Manas and Gerry Elsdon were part of this year’s group. We listened in as they chatted to each other about the good, the bad and the ugly bits of their experience. Gerry: Leanne, how did you feel just after you’d agreed to climb Kilimanjaro? Leanne: Of all the decisions related to the climb, deciding I was going to do it was the hardest one. My husband, Marc, who climbed with me, kept telling…