Beach and Sunbed Marques

Reading, Breakfast & Pool Lounge Courtyard

Yes it is a hairy caterpillar on Paul's lip for Mo-vember, I carn't wait until December!

Once home we washed and changed before jumping in a taxi to Palma Rima junction as we have been recommended a pizza restaurant there. The restaurant was small and more like a coffee shop however the Italian owner seemed pleasant. He had decided to leave Hull and come out here as he has recently married a Gambian girl. We picked a couple of pizza dishes and a pasta dish to share between us all of which were very tasty. The only down side was the owner was a born again Christian so he had decided on a policy of no booze. As we were leaving he gave the children a couple of doughnuts as he also supply’s bread and pastries to some of the restaurants in the Senegambia area. We decided to have one drink in the Commin to see the end of the Liverpool v Stoke game (shouldn’t have bothered), once over we jumped in a gelleh for home. When we got out of the gelleh there was a lot of commotion, across the road one of the electricity cables had caught on fire however it soon went out on its own, ugh would this mean no electricity for us tonight, yep.

Weekending, 6th November 2010

On the Sunday morning we walked to Le Palais to use the internet we have stopped using La Parisienne as they have recently started charging 75 dalasi for an hours use with a complementary drink. Then after lunch we made our way to Safari Garden to meet Vicky Taylor. She is one of the VSO staff from the UK and is the lady who actually found us our placement. When we arrived Rachel was already chatting to Vicky, we introduced ourselves and then spent the afternoon chatting about our placement and the ups and downs of life in The Gambia. Abigail and Bradley spent most of the time in the pool along with a weird looking insect which was clinging to the steps. It was quite large and round with a long spike on its tail and six legs. The front legs where very much like a claw and at one point we did wonder if it was a type of scorpion. Paul decided to take it out of the pool picking it up by its long tail and prising it off the step which it did not want to let go off. When he put it down it crawled about a bit and seemed very awkward on land. We left it there and went back to talking, about an hour later the insect was still there and when we checked it again it was dead. We think it maybe was a water living insect so we had killed it by taking it out of the pool. We also had a short visit at the pool by Alpha he was over from Kenuma visiting his cousin. At 5 o’clock Paul went off to rugby taking Vicky along to watch. She is going out for a meal with Pete, Bernie and Tom after they have finished playing rugby. Vicky has worked with Pete in the UK VSO office so is quite keen to find out how his placement is going.

A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO NAOMI!

Abigail's Birthday

The rest of the week was spent preparing for Abigail’s birthday. Dale had already brought some things over so we just needed a couple more bits. We had also arranged a barbeque party for her on the Saturday afternoon and invited the VSO volunteers as well as Mick, Jenny, Teo and Mia. On the Friday the day of Abigail’s birthday we were all up early watching her open her few presents a couple of DS games, a CD bought out here with about ten kids films on some of which we already have, a cross stitch monkey to sew, crayons, colouring book and a Gambian insect book. On the Afternoon whilst Abigail played with her new DS game I set about making a chocolate birthday cake. Oops I ended up burning it so had to make another one, luckily the faithful carrot cake turned out okay. Oh forgot to mention we now have a new member of the family in the house. Whilst Paul was locking the door one night this week he said something large flew in on investigating the next morning we found a large praying mantis sat on the curtain pelmet. We watched him as he sat licking his antennae and eating a fly which he had caught, so along with Freddy the skink (we think the gecko has made its way outside) we are a family of six.

Bradley in Middlesbrough Rugby Club strip, Paul had had some kit sent by the club and this was just his size.

A little skink which keeps coming in and out the house, Abi was tickled pink when it went on her foot.

Abigail's Party!

Saturday morning was spent rushing about making pasta, coleslaw, salad, pizza and cooking chicken legs ready to then be put on the barbeque to warm through. As I was cooking the chicken legs I suddenly noticed flames in the oven, the juices from the skin had caught alight. As I flapped Paul sauntered in and got a wet cloth whilst I ran out of the house with the kids as by now the kitchen was filled with smoke, luckily the fire went out by itself. For the rest of the morning Paul was busy pottering about digging a couple of holes to put the buckets of drinks in, sorting out the barbeque and setting out some chairs under the plum tree. The party was due to start at 3 o’clock and the first guests to arrive were Mick and Jenny. The kids went off to play in the tent which we had put up. Within the hour most guests had arrived, Abigail had received a lovely present from the volunteers a wind chime to make and scoobidoos which are a plastic string plaiting craft game. Whilst Paul set about cooking the burgers, veggie burgers, sausages and chicken I started to set the table with the rest of the food. As usual I was trying to keep the doors closed and everything covered because as soon as there is food about the fly’s just appear from nowhere. Once everything was prepared we all tucked in and sat outside under the shade of the tree as it was a lovely sunny day. The kids enjoyed themselves playing with some of Abigail’s birthday presents, at one point she did get a bit upset about this because they were her toys. Yet again we then had a game of pin the tail on the donkey. Abigail really enjoys this game and we all had a good laugh as everyone tried to walk straight to the target not easy when you have had a couple of drinks and are made to walk in a circle around a broom. I then set the kids off looking for stars which I had hidden around the compound earlier, unfortunately Mia and Bradley didn’t get a look in as Abigail and Teo found most of them. We then had a game of pass the parcel no guessing who got the presents we had parcelled up a little present for each of the kids so no one felt left out. By now it was dark so most of the volunteers were making moves to leave whilst we brought the last of the things in. By 9 o’clock everyone had left Abigail and Bradley were in bed and everywhere was clean so we could finally relax after our busy but enjoyable day.

Weekending, 30th October 2010

On the Wednesday afternoon we walked to Bakau via the beach. The tide was a bit further in than usual so we had to clamber over large boulders and try to outrun the incoming tide into the next cove. As we reached the fish market we were surprised at how little we were bothered by the locals, usually we will have guys asking if we want to buy fish but not this time. We continued on to the market and bought some groundnuts and vegetables before getting into a gelleh for home.

The children have now broken up for a week as for myself I will still be working as the school have decided to add holidays onto the Tobaski celebrations this will enable those who wish to travel to see family more time to do so. However this also means we will have to juggle the children between us. On Thursday Paul dropped the children off at Diana Mariam on his way to college. The school were due to go swimming at Sheriffs house so I made sure I packed Abigail and Bradley’s swimming costumes. The boys were picked up first by the minibus then at around midday they returned so the girls in year 2, 3 and 4 could go. Madame Senghore was already at the pool so me and Rosemary assisted getting the girls into the minibus some of which had to sit on each others knees. With all the girls in Rosemary climbed into the front of the minibus and shut the door as she did so I let out a cry as my finger was trapped in the door. She quickly opened the door, I had a small cut to my little finger and it was already starting to show signs of swelling and bruising luckily I didn’t think it was broken as I could still move it. We arrived at Sheriffs and all the girls quickly changed and got into the pool. Rosemary, Abigail, Bradley and myself then changed and joined them. It is a bit of a joke as no one shows them how to swim whilst there they just tend to play around. I tried to show some of the girls how to swim however with about twenty girls in a small space it was not easy. Also it doesn’t help when Fatcilla who is quite a large year 4 girl jumps in and ends up ducking the smaller girls. I decided I had had enough so got out to get changed, Abigail and Bradley then decided to get out followed by Rosemary. The rest of the girls were asked to get changed and we were back at the school by 1.30pm.