In the late 1800s, amid the searing heat of an African summer, a farmer stopped ploughing his field, wiped his brow and squinted at the horizon. What was he doing here, sweaty and miserable, staring at the south end of a north-bound mule? In the distance, a small band of adventurers were heading for the mountains. If only I could join them, he thought. Since... 

It was meant as a reward for good behaviour but when my son, Joshua, was confronted with row upon row of his favourite action figure at our local toy store, he went into sensory overload, which degenerated into kicking and screaming. I was in the middle of trying to calm him down when a woman passed us and muttered something about controlling my child. Joshua...