PS

A especially likes this photo as he thinks he looks all statesman-like with me as his PA, following him around keeping him to schedule and making sure all the paper work is filled in.

Pretty accurate actually.

For now.

F x

Hot Christmas

Davina threw one of her Christmas bashes last week, especially early so that we could go. It was great fun but very odd walking from 30 degree heat into Christmas lights, baubles, a candle tree and and jolly Chrimbo tunes.

Brain couldn't compute. Especially when flying ants swarmed around the Christmas lights and a stray (big black) snake had to be pangaged by the guards. Was there a snake in the stable? Perhaps. Would the shepherds have rushed to see it? I think not. They would have, like me, lifted their feet off the ground and waited until it was definitely dead!

Anyway, another thing I'll never forget.

F x

PS – universal truth of eating and drinking too much at Chrimbo parties seems to hold true no matter how hot it is :-)
F x

Dad: Malawi & Monsoons

Dad & Sue's trip was totally action packed. I loved showing them around everything and think (hope) they had a great time. It was only a week so we've fallen down on the traditional 'guest blog spot' but if Dad wants to post something from windy old Swansea all he has to do is e-mail – I'll keep the spot open!

Anyway, we had a fab time. Bit of a mix up (on balance my fault) with bookings into Safari camp but we went to the lake and boiled instead. They saw first hand diesel shortages, water shortages (a woman actually climbed up our wall to ask for water....made me think twice about conditioning my hair in the shower, especially as she was still perched on the wall at the time....), paper making, mango buying, personal taylor services, the dust, the heat and the rains.

Wow the rains. They arrived yesterday. Utter Bliss. The heat was getting unbearable (mid to high 30s) but one huge crack and the water came. I've never never seen the like. The temp dropped, the thunder was right above and the water felt so fresh and cool. Cliché but it actually does smell sweet. If I hadn't had a meeting that afternoon I'd have gone all Andy McDowall and danced like a banshee in the downpour. Roads are now a total state but I'm delighted to be a 'normal' 27 degrees again!

2 weeks and I'll be heading home. Scottish rain will be so boring now (I'll have to make up for it with shopping!).

F x

Blantyre Status Update

Its been a while since I updated you on Blantyre goings on. So:

It is HOT! 35 C in the shade now. I've never stood still and actually had sweat dripping off me before.

There are water shortages. For me this only means that I can't use the washing machine & have to get Phiri to hand wash stuff, but for others this is a real problem.

Probably a combo of both of the above, but the general aroma of human body odour is getting really quite strong.

There is no diesel or paraffin and petrol is getting short. Whether this is because what little forex Malawi has is being spent on fertiliser or whether its because there was a big explosion at some dodgy fuel depot in Mozambique, I'm not sure. Either way, this could be a big problem.

Words fail me to describe how delicious mangos are. They are in the super food category with curry (there's food and then there's curry and mangos).

A's on a big business trip in the v north of Malawi – its so rural up there he had a cow walk into his meeting!

I went to a Guy Faulks night at Blantyre club. First time I've seen the Malawian, White and Asian communities at the same thing. Great fun explaining to shocked friends why we are burning some dude's effigy and fantastic fireworks (apparently courtesy of the Chinese, hope they didn't spend forex on them anyway!).

I was right and the gekos behind the water tank are breeding. Now lots of little tiny gekos everywhere – and the ants are so desperate for water they embark on kamikaze missions down the kitchen wall and into the kettle. Lots of boiled, drowned ants floating about.

I'm enjoying being here. I'm looking forward to coming home.

F x

Skyscrapers & Table Mountain

Two oceans at the same time!

Cape Town

Was fabulous and strange.

It has to be in the running for the most beautiful city in the world (see photos). Beaches, mountains, vineyards, proper skyscrapers, a busy port actually doing business (contrast Scotland), and the oceans. OMG the oceans. I LOVED IT!

But from the v short time I was there I think it is creepy. The townships are nightmarish sprawls of violence. We didn't see any black people driving cars. Breaking through the security round the tourists and the white people would test even Jack Bauer.

I was 14 when apartheid ended. I've never really thought about. But my God, how did that happen? And so recently? Cape Town has infrastructure that Malawi can only dream of, there is a buzz there, it could be such a great world hub. But it's broken.

I really hope it fixes itself and doesn't become another Zim. Right now it's a horrible, horrible, wasted opportunity.

F x
PS – don't get me wrong though, I spent most of my time there floating on a cloud of delight at things like fresh milk, a bath, seafood, carpets, a proper bed!