Holiday is over...

Rachel has adopted this little lamb and named him Smudge, and I've had fun feeding him too. His mother decided she just couldn't cope with two lambs! You can see how dry the grass is. The rains don't come back until November or December.

It's been a relaxing and fun time just staying at the farm during the holidays. Unfortunately they had to come to an end, so today I go back to Kilolo for the start of the Secondary School term. I'll be back some weekends, and Elizabeth returns from the UK next week, so I'll have to come and visit anyway. The Bible School students are doing well, and their three month course will finish mid August.

My daily bread

This is the bread I made in my wood oven in Kilolo. It tastes good! In fact I take some with me to Kibebe Farm most weekends when I stay there. During the holidays I'm spending a lot more time in Kibebe because it's so relaxing and my friends make me so welcome there. Rachel (9) and I did some painting of pictures, including one of their house.

Elizabeth is still in the UK and seems to be enjoying herself. She went to the wedding of her grandson and saw her great grandson as well. She'll be coming back mid July together with her daughter and granddaughter!

Everybody needs good...

...neighbours... here's Mama Ndokole and her daughter and their vegetable patch, which doubles up with mine. Did you know that chicken wire keeps chickens out? There are loads of chickens around and up until a few weeks ago none of us could plant anything. Then we put up some wire and... it's like magic! Everything's growing. Now my neighbours are a happy bunch.

The bees have kept out of the cooker, and I'm having a holiday!

...and smoke

Here's the smokey kitchen...

Bees

This chimney belonged to me first, I tried to tell the bees, but they decided the cooking smells were so good that while I wasn't looking they set up home there. Poor things when I lit the fire lots of them died and fell into the bend and blocked it. Result; next time I lit the fire all the smoke came back at me. I even had tar running down the cooker, and tears running down my face. So I made a wire bee hat for the chimney, to reassert my ownership. My garden helper, Edward took the thing to pieces, cleaned it out, I put the hat on and since then I've had a smoke-free kitchen.

It's been quite a difficult month because of the bees and also a very full teaching schedule; internet connection that didn't stay connected long enough for updates, and I was taking treatment for Giardia, a little stomach bug which is very pretty under the microscope, but made me feel uncomfortable. The treatment is worse though! Now the Secondary School are starting a month's holiday, so I just have the Bible School one day a week. I'll be able to catch up with friends a little, spend time working on the house, and perhaps get a few days' break away somewhere. I go to the farm most weekends, and that is a good place to relax.

Birthday

I think there was a bit of confusion whether it was a birthday cake or garden. Anyway I've planted lettuces and carrots in Kilolo, and this was a gingerbread that reminded me of that.

The secondary school has just had half term, and the Bible school students are graduating, so I have a few days off here and there. I am nearly finished with the marking of exam papers. Suddenly the students are writing real essays in Kiswahili, not the one-liners I've had until now. Great, that's what I want them to do, but it makes marking a much longer process! Maybe I'll change the format next time...

Today Elizabeth left for her epic three month trip to England at 83 yrs old and just a month after a hip replacement and before that a broken leg. I've heard that the seven hour trip to Dar es Salaam went well, and believe God will take her safely on the plane with Rebecca her granddaughter. Prayers please!

Dolphin-fin

Here he is, enjoying the palm trees of Oyster Bay in Dar es Salaam! I went on 3rd March, and on the way the vehicle I was in overturned completely and rolled back onto its wheels again. We all survivied with minor injuries, but the vehicle looked very sorry for itself and wouldn't drive after that. The rescue vehicle took a while, but thankfully we were able to get to Dar the same day. I collected my ten year old Daihatsu Terrios the next day and am calling him Dolphin-fin because he has extended the scope my life and I had lots of lovely swims in the Indian ocean that week.

Next day Elizabeth had her hip replacement in Dar, so I was able to spend time there in the hospital together with her family while getting a tyre change and service done. She walked the next day and is slowly developing that skill again.

It has taken me this long to get back onto my blogsite, because I had some difficulties with connecting to the internet. They are still not sorted out but I am borrwing a friend's laptop again...