Guest Blog #7 Viv (Grandma)

Pop and I have been house guests here since Boxing Day (or the day after Christmas for non-Brits)and a thoroughly interesting time we are having, too. This is my first visit to Kenya, Pop's second if you include the hair-raising journey he had last year driving the car from Tanzania.
The house occupied by the Nairobi Simkins reminds me partly of my childhood home, a bungalow in a large garden plus black dog, and partly of our Reading house on Wokingham Rd, for the quantity of noisy traffic that passes. The setting seems pretty idyllic and I have never enjoyed hanging washing out so much, watching the birds in the soaring tree above! On the other hand, the rolls of barbed wire atop the wall, the two sets of gates before the road, the guard at the entrance, the doors locked, chained and barred, all remind you this is not quite paradise. This weekend we have been warned it is not a good idea to visit tourist places or crowded shopping malls as there is a terrorist threat.
But we have had some outings. Even being brave enough to drive the small car ourselves into the maelstrom that is Nairobi traffic, but not as brave as Daniel when it comes to negotiating unbelievably potholed dirt roads. One outing was on Saturday (before the warning) when we went into the centre of Nairobi (not Libby's favourite place so only the three of us went). We treated ourselves to a drink at Nairobi's equivalent of the Savoy and one of few remaining old buildings, the Norfolk Hotel. Ordering coffee would have been OK but I had the temerity to ask for a chocolate croissant and six arrived. The bill was such that although we only ate two, we asked for a doggy bag for the remainder and had the gall to ask for the four little pots of jam to be added too. The waiter was momentarily nonplussed, but had the grace to jokingly decline including the plate!
My private mission (bee in the bonnet, says Daniel) has been to find a library for Libby the bookworm. Surely there must be one somewhere near.. We did find a mausoleum of a vintage one in the centre of the city with coloured paper jackets on the books, fifties-style, plus layers of dust. But not quite the ticket.
The weather for us Brits is wonderful. Most days have been warm, but when there are shady trees, and we aren't stuck in traffic, that's not a problem. We have spent time outside as much as possible, and can't quite understand when little people prefer to watch a DVD inside. But then it isn't such a treat for them as it is for us, and to do them justice, they spend a lot of time on the trampoline using up that wonderful little people energy. Tomorrow they are back to school with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
Also on Saturday we went to the MAF BBQ a few paces away, and met others on the team, a very pleasant bunch.It's nice to know the family have these folks around them.