The last few days

An inspired title indeed. But when life makes twenty twists a day and nothing happens quite as you would imagine, there is no common thread that links each event therefore allowing some summary title to be provided. Not the first time I've pondered titles - I must admit the title is one of the highlights of blog writing.

First of all - a couple of new pics up - nothing of great excitement in terms of breathtaking photography or thousands of words being said in a single pictures.

Well......ummm.....hmmmm. I seem to write 10 blogs a day in my head and when I'm about to fall asleep, but when I'm stationed in front of the computer in the most uncomfortable of all positions - sitting (what a boring way to hold yourself - why not lie down or stand up, or run or swim or hammer a nail - anything but sitting!) - my mind empties of all anecdotes, tall tales, short tales and monkey's tails - speaking of which we had a monkey meandering across our driveway the other day.

Birthday the other day. I don't find birthday's particularly exciting - all that attention and well wishing. I much prefer Christmas. Reminds us all of how Jesus committed suicide in a barn on our behalf, and something about SIM cards?? I dunno. No actually I prefer Christmas because it's usually the time when The Family gets together and the focus is on Jesus, I mean presents, I mean eating, I mean winning the annual decathlon - much more fun than pondering years coming and going and whether my sons will have a beard before me.

So I went to the gym on my birthday - squats and leg presses among other exercises. Then arrived home in time for some dinner and a banana cake and another rendition of Happy Birthday (had one in the morning meeting as well). Then it was time to continue plugging away on my final uni assignment for the semester – got it finished – bit of a shambles – not going to study next semester – external study is not conducive to learning or enjoying study. Then being the end of the month it was time to input the 300+ transactions, 99% paid in cash, mostly with no receipt and mostly by a variety of people with different styles for recording how they’ve spent FWS money. Luckily everyone had been good recording their expenditures and I was only 60c out of balance. Just finished doing all that and uploading the transactions into our budgets last night.

Heather has been suffering from a bit of fatigue recently – struggling to get out of bed. So we’ve been instructed to take a week off. Taking the 6:30am bus to Lushoto tomorrow – a quaint old German (like everywhere here) town in the highlands. Going to do some hiking, resting, reading – and responses to reviewers comments on the paper I might get published. Such unpleasant people, Reviewers.

Doesn’t sound like much has happened when I explain it like that – I suppose those twists are so commonplace I don’t know which to include. Here’s a couple:

• Rebecka’s computer died (yes president Rebecka with all her work on the computer)
• Some planned volunteers pull out
• A labourer drops a concrete sleeper on his shoulder
• A labourer is suspended for a week for racist comments about Warusha tribe – the punishment saving him from being beaten overnight by some of the other men.
• Our much feared Safari auction winner (feared because she might not like it here after spending a fortune on coming here) loved the project and has gone home intending to raise $70k for the fitout costs. She also sewed everything that needed sewing and made cushions for our wooden benches.
• The worsening roads suddenly become driveable.
• The mfareji suddenly becomes a rushing torrent after weeks without water.
• Our new guard Laizer continues to sleep soundly all night.
• The office gets painted by some labourers
• The office gets repainted by the two Becks.

Perhaps we feel each minor change in fortune more acutely than we would at home, the success of the this project is not hanging in the balance, but is still by no means a guaranteed winner.