A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO NAOMI!

Batik's

I had a bad nights sleep last night and for the first time had the cotton sheet pulled up over me and I appear to have come down with a head cold. Paul, Abigail and Bradley called at the VSO Office this morning to report the broken fridge/freezer, whilst I was trying to freeze some water in carrier bags yesterday they leaked so don’t know if it has fused something Op’s. I set about washing the settee throws and then called at the shops to get some plates and forks etc for Abigail’s party. On my way home Paul phoned to say a new fridge was getting delivered at 10.00am and he was calling into Safari Garden to invite Maurice and Gerrie to Abigail’s party. When Paul arrived home the VSO driver was just arriving with a new fridge for us, so he helped carry it in then we quickly transferred our food across to the new fridge. On the evening Paul hung up the Batiks I am very pleased with how they look the bamboo has made them hang much better.

Fajara Club

This morning Abigail and Bradley wanted to make a candle stick holder for Amy, so whilst I applied the polyfila they set about sticking on the shells, finally finished we cleared away and called at the bakers for some bread. Then after lunch we decided to visit the Fajara Club to use the pool and hopefully to join which we will know by Thursday if they are keeping the cheaper volunteer joining fee going otherwise it will be double the cost and too expensive for us. We were the only ones at the pool so the children enjoyed jumping in and playing with their woggle float. I managed to do some exercise by swimming twenty lengths of the pool which is a start although the pool is only about a quarter of the size of a standard pool back home. At 4.00pm we set off back home to have dinner, Paul arrived home then he quickly got changed as he has joined a running group called the Hash Harriers. The plan is for us all to go as a social evening as they meet each week at one of the bars or restaurants in the area sometimes for a meal, and the men go off for a run whilst the women and children chat and play. Paul is looking much trimmer with all his sport activities and the fact that he is not eating as much as usual, he has gone down a trouser size and has lost about a stone in weight. As for me my skirts are fitting me much better and I have managed to get into a dress which was too tight for me. When I last called at the VSO Office I jumped on some scales and it did show that I had lost about twelve pounds so life out here is doing us both some good.

We called at La Parisienne this morning to make our usual phone calls and emails, Mariella arrived so we chatted for a while before leaving for home. As we walked home it was funny to see a car on it’s side jacked up with a gas bottle whilst a couple of guys were working on it. After a late lunch we spent the afternoon on the beach arriving at 3.00pm. Abigail and Bradley played in the sea body surfing in the waves, the sea was very rough with a strong back current. Bradley and Paul decided to burry Abigail in the sand then they started to tickle her toes being helped by a couple of Gambian girls. Adam his usual friendly self chatted to Paul and gave him a necklace he had made (Paul doesn’t do necklace’s) and Bradley a Hippo wood carving which he was pleased about. At 5.00pm Paul made his way further down the beach to play touch Rugby whilst we got everything together and followed on behind. On arriving midnight the lifeguard was running along the beach so he stopped and chatted for a while whilst Abigail and Bradley played in the sea. Then Adam joined us and sat watching Paul playing Rugby, we decided to invite Adam to Abigail’s party which we are having on Friday with some of the other volunteer’s as he is so good with Abigail and Bradley. When we arrived home we had a late supper then it was off to bed, Bradley with Hippo in hand finally decided to put it on the window sill making sure it was far enough back as not to fall off.