Ramblings (Libby)

As I write this it has gone very dark. The rain which started a few weeks ago only lasted two days and it has been hot ever since. This afternoon however with the glowering rain clouds it looks like the rain might have finally come again. Caleb has fallen asleep on the sofa and the other two are up a tree somewhere or trying to light fire like the Masai!! Daniel has gone to a friends wedding where ‘children are loved, but not allowed’ and will probably go on for ever. There is always a start time for weddings. But generally the wedding actually starts hours later, so it’s very difficult to know what time to arrive.

Daniel and I actually had lunch out together today, thanks to our lovely neighbour's who offered to babysit. Second time this year, it must be a record! The children went to the Wende resort down the road and had chipsi mayai (egg and chips)and ice cream, we had steak and chips. Steak is very cheap here in case you think we are living it up.

Things plod on here as normal. There is still no sign of Christmas, although we have put up our own Christmas tree. I must admit I do miss that Christmassy feel you get when it’s dark and cold and you see all the Christmas trees and Christmas lights. However it is nice not to bother much about Christmas shopping apart from the odd Internet purchase. We don’t even have to worry about buying loads of food in because there isn’t loads of Christmas food to buy.

In fact I much prefer living here in many ways and am not sure whether I would want to return to the commercialism/consumerism/materialism of the west.

At the beginning of the week the compound looked like a world war two bomb site with huge craters. However we have now sacked the first tree cutting team and the MAF facilities team moved in and within the week two craters were filled in and two other trees chopped down. It’s quite hard work here without chain saws and proper equipment, especially in one of the hottest weeks of the year.

I got stopped by the police again this week when I was driving the MAF minibus. As usual I was sweating a bit and braced myself for a battle and made sure I only spoke in English. However all they wanted was to say hello and then waved me on?????

We are once again in the middle of a another TV drama, Prison Break. With no other TV and nowhere to go, DVD watching has to be one of the main forms of entertainment for the ex-pat community here. Yes Prison Break is a bit far fetched, but if you like 24 type things you’ll probably enjoy it as much as me. I hear 24 season 6 is on it’s way to us, although we might need a break before we start that one. Just in case you think I am a square eyes ( I am), I also just finished (well actually I only started it yesterday) ‘ A thousand Splendid Suns, by the author of the ‘Kite Runner’, Khaled Hosseini, highly recommended. See I can be literary and watch rubbish and I enjoy both.

Enough rambling, ‘Prison Break’ awaits…..