Frances Simpson – Kenyan watercolour artist
‘Interview’ is quite a grand word for what was really a snatch of questions, but I did manage a few. Here’s what I found.
Frances Simpson (known to many as Franny) has painted in watercolour for years, encouraged, she told me, by her husband’s wedding gift to her…a studio.
View of Kilimanjaro on the road to Taveta, near the Tanzanian border with Kenya
We knew Kilimanjaro was there – we’d glimpsed it behind the clouds many times – but the first time we met for real was the day we left.
The early morning was fresh as washing on the line, with the great volcano high in the blue above us all. It was stunning.
Zimbabwe – “Caged Bird” (also a poem by Maya Angelou)
I love Zimbabwe – I was born there, my father was born there, I went to school there, and I was married there. A few weeks ago I returned for a wedding.
It was a packed ten days. We stayed on a farm, we visited friends in Harare, and we spent three days in the Eastern Highlands.
Every step of the way weary Zimbabwe was courteous and kind.
The Phraser 