link to photos
Saw a cemetery on drive to work - they are hidden in the bushes and I had mentioned that I have never seen one but a few had spotted them so pointed it out, today the coffin shop had children's boxes on display, so terribly sad - makes me very grateful to be Canadian every day.
Was great to get back to the house today and continue with the build. Robin was off again today - this time in Chitikale on business but we did much better than Friday as we had Tadeo to translate. After working alongside a couple of teenage boys for about 30 minutes one of the started to recite the 6 continents, I asked if he knew which continent Canada was on but he did not, at one point I was uncertain if he was following the entire conversation and I guess his buddy didn't want to be outdone so he broke into 'I've got a feeling' by the Black Eyed Peas - the wonders of satellite radio! The walls are beyond our reach now and so we are using barrels as make shift scaffolding to reach.
Barb was on lunch duty today and the local ladies were baffled I am sure by all the photos of her cutting tomatoes and stirring the pot - those who know her well can appreciate why it was a Kodak moment.
Once again we had moments of downtime as Laxon cannot always stay ahead of us.
We got our first taste of sugar cane today and the group was mixed in their assessment of it. It is about the diameter of loonie and you bit off chunks chew and swallow the juice then spit out the solid - not my favorite but well worth the experience.
Went for a walk to the waterhole/creek that is used for laundry and I suspect bathing. Stopped to assist an older gentleman tie his load back onto his bicycle - he struggled to keep the bike balanced, place the load and tie it down. He was very thankful and spoke English quite well. The water hole has a very nice beachy area alongside it but the water does not flow quickly so it is more bog like than stream.
Upon return, the men were building scaffold out of the tree beside the house and so we took the time to bring out a coloring book and crayons - what a hit and how focused they quickly became, it was soon evident that they were no strangers to coloring as each child balanced the flimsy papers on their laps and outlined the image and then filled it - many never went outside the lines. Again their giggles are musical.
By the end of our work day we have 4 exterior walls that are nearly at their peak and ready for rafters, the support wall in the inside is almost as tall and the dividing walls between the bedrooms and the storage closet are getting to the 5 foot marks too - so exciting. We know that we will not be finished the house before we leave on Thursday afternoon but we are hopeful that the exterior will be done.
Prior to leaving I played catch with a soft ball about the size of a hardball and must say he could be a future goldeye - very excellent hand eye coordination. Soon there were several youngsters joining in. Sue L introduced them to a bit of baseball as she hit the ball with a makeshift bat - they were quite impressed.
It was hotter out today than any other day - must have been in the mid to high 20's and the heat brought our first encounter with flies, we thought that maybe Africa didn't have them.
Meag lent her copy of Long Way Home to Tadeo as he is very interested in reading some of our books - it is such a good choice.
He is still addicted to YouTube and was talking about how he watched some WWE Smackdown this morning - I fear I have created an addict!
Tonight we were attacked by a rather large flying worm that buzzes like a bee - makes the lion pig sound normal doesn't it?
Happy 40th Derrick!
XO
hugs to Robyn, Kylie, Dillon, Conner, Cooper and Ryanne - miss you all and look forward to seeing you soon!
ps the monkeys are not baboons - saw 4 more on the roof of the cafeteria at breakfast
