Today is national cleaning day so I set about washing the bedding, sweeping and moping whilst Paul did some work on the garden area we are hoping to plant some veg in. After lunch we called at Timbooktu only to find it doesn’t open until 3.00pm on national cleaning day. We walked on further and noticed the Art Café was open so we called in to have a look around. It was full of African paintings, dyed fabrics, metal and wood carvings. The owner then came to say hello he works downstairs as a hairdresser and he let us have a look around the Café Restaurant area which is still not open for the season it was set with draped curtains, artwork and lots of plants and an area where he is in the process of building a botanical garden. Then back to Timbooktu to have a look around and buying a few more presents for Abigail. On the evening I set about sewing some tie backs for the curtains and also sewing a hem on the batiks so we could place a bamboo stick through to enable us to hang them better.
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Amy's Compound
Today we were up early as we were getting a lift with Paul to Brikama as we had arranged to spend the day with Amy. On passing through one of the villages on route I noticed a girl sat at the roadside who I thought looked like Soukey so we turned around and went back. Realising it was Soukey we pulled up and on getting out of the car she started crying saying she had come of her motor bike I gave her a cuddle and got her a drink of water as she was very shuck up. She had avoided a young girl who had ran out across the road and had come off her bike skidding on her side down the road luckily her jacket had protected her however she had a rip in her jeans and a graze to her knee. She had contacted VSO who were sending out a driver and her boyfriend Greg. Greg then turned up along with Andrew one of the other volunteers who had also recently come of his bike with Courtney who was riding as pillion passenger. We chatted and waited for the VSO driver to turn up eventually Soukey and her bike were loaded into the truck and she was taken to the Africmed centre to check nothing was broken.
We finally arrived at Brikama college and met up with Amy in the staff room, she took us to the VSO Office where she did a little science exercise for Abigail and Bradley which they both enjoyed. We then had a walk around the college grounds buying a Baobab Icy to drink they are made from the Baobab seeds by adding sugar and water so they produce a milky drink then freezing in sandwich bags which you bite the corner off and drink as it melts. Bradley ended up having Abigail’s as well as his own I must admit they are very sweet. We visited the poultry farm were they sell a tray of 30 eggs for 110 dalasi which is 40 dalasi cheaper than the markets so I will have to get Paul to buy them when we need any. We then set off towards Amy’s compound picking up some coloured card to make a birthday card for Felix on the way. On arriving she showed us around her compound and house, Awa was there with Louise cleaning so the children had a little play before we ate the sandwich’s I had brought with us for lunch. Paul turned up so we got ready to leave for home as Amy has offered to look after the children this afternoon so we can go present hunting for Abigail.
On arriving back in the Kombo we called in to the VSO Office to pick up a parcel and dropped Amy of at the bank. We then left the children with Amy who set about drawing pictures to go on their bedroom walls also Emily was going to call around and help later. We first called at Kariba Centre and got a few bits then on the way back looked into Mina’s by this time it was past 5.00pm so we headed for home. On arriving home Emily was laid on cushions on the floor with Abigail and Bradley jumping on her also they had wrote VSO on her back in felt tip pen I only hope it comes off. They showed me the pictures Amy had drawn for them and the card she had made from us all to Felix with the help of Bradley and Abigail. On the evening we received a text message from Greg to say Soukey was okay nothing broken just a bit shaken.
We finally arrived at Brikama college and met up with Amy in the staff room, she took us to the VSO Office where she did a little science exercise for Abigail and Bradley which they both enjoyed. We then had a walk around the college grounds buying a Baobab Icy to drink they are made from the Baobab seeds by adding sugar and water so they produce a milky drink then freezing in sandwich bags which you bite the corner off and drink as it melts. Bradley ended up having Abigail’s as well as his own I must admit they are very sweet. We visited the poultry farm were they sell a tray of 30 eggs for 110 dalasi which is 40 dalasi cheaper than the markets so I will have to get Paul to buy them when we need any. We then set off towards Amy’s compound picking up some coloured card to make a birthday card for Felix on the way. On arriving she showed us around her compound and house, Awa was there with Louise cleaning so the children had a little play before we ate the sandwich’s I had brought with us for lunch. Paul turned up so we got ready to leave for home as Amy has offered to look after the children this afternoon so we can go present hunting for Abigail.
On arriving back in the Kombo we called in to the VSO Office to pick up a parcel and dropped Amy of at the bank. We then left the children with Amy who set about drawing pictures to go on their bedroom walls also Emily was going to call around and help later. We first called at Kariba Centre and got a few bits then on the way back looked into Mina’s by this time it was past 5.00pm so we headed for home. On arriving home Emily was laid on cushions on the floor with Abigail and Bradley jumping on her also they had wrote VSO on her back in felt tip pen I only hope it comes off. They showed me the pictures Amy had drawn for them and the card she had made from us all to Felix with the help of Bradley and Abigail. On the evening we received a text message from Greg to say Soukey was okay nothing broken just a bit shaken.
Parrot's
Abigail and Bradley are now off school for a week so after a late breakfast we decided to spend the day at the beach. I set about making a picnic lunch of baguette fruit and crisps whilst Abigail sorted out the towels, buckets and spades. We finally set off walking and met a Gambian guy who we usually talk to he now lives in London however he is back visiting family for a few months. The children like to stop and chat as he has a pet parrot which sits on his shoulder however today he had two parrots. He took one off his shoulder and placed it onto Bradley’s cap so I could take a couple of photos of him.We then continued onto the beach and found a couple of sun beds we had a quick dip in the sea to cool off. On exiting there was a cuttle fish which had been washed up, Lamin came over to talk and he then took the cuttle fish to the craft market as someone he knows likes eating them. When Adam arrived he gave the children a necklace each and a bracelet for me which he had made then he set about building sand castle’s with Abigail and Bradley. A couple of children called Alex and Mia played with Abigail and Bradley in the sea jumping over the waves. With the sea being very rough I went in to watch them and I was shortly joined by Alex and Mia’s Scottish father, their mother is Gambian. We ate our picnic lunch and the children played a bit more before we packed up to leave for home.
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