Our third year students have just graduated and the intake for the new first years has been delayed for 6 months so I'm using the time to do a professional exchange visit. I'm visiting the University in Mzuzu, the central hospital and the mental hospital and catching up with VSO friends. The university is the only place where they train students to degree level, a bit different from degree level in the UK, and where they train registered nurses. The drive up to the north was fabulous, the road goes through the Viphaya mountains and forests. It got much cooler the higher up I drove which was a pleasant change. The smell of the forest was superb.
The college graduation ceremony and dinner had to be endured. It was one of the most dull evenings that I've spent in Malawi. However some other people took advantage of the fact that most staff were at the function and took the opportunity to empty the hospital safe, steal the wages and break into a house and steal the TV and DVD. The phone lines that were stolen 4 months ago have still not been replaced but we hope to have the satellite Internet link up and running soon.
Last weekend we had a regional meeting at Mulangie in the very south of the country. It was a beautiful setting at the bottom of the highest mountain in Malawi. It had the added bonus of an ice cream shop on the way. This weekend I'm staying in the north and going to Livingstonia for the weekend. At the end of next week we have a peer group meeting on the Lake. I hope to do a bit more exploring at the beginning of the week.
The garden continues to flourish, I've more sweet corn, beetroot, carrots, tomatoes, cape gooseberries, onions and peppers coming up. The herbs are great and I'm also allowing a local lad to grow veg in the garden for his family. I keep threatening to eat my cockerels, especially at 5 in the morning, but I can't bring myself to do it. Harry is doing fine. I thought that she was pregnant but I think she must have aborted again, thankfully not on the door step this time. We have a VSO vet from Canada who is going to bring his kit to the house and operate on her. I've not had any more floods in the house. We are back to having lengthy power cuts most evening and I'm perfecting cooking on charcoal. I'm getting really excited about my first visitors arriving and our trip to Zambia.
I hope everyone at home is well. Keep the comments and letters coming.
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3 comments:
Hi Shorty, What an experience you are having out there. I love reading your blogs. I hope the cat is ok after the surgery, perhaps the vet will sort the cockerels as well for you, nice new feather pillow and a chicken madras, plenty herbs etc to excite the taste of the bird. Perhaps Delia's new cheats cookbook might ot be so useful for you out there....Betty,Carol and I are using it for speed cooking. We were at Dobbie's this week for the usual prawns and depending who is on what diet either a potato or a sandwich. My new kitchen is in situ and the finishing touches are to be made......so that will take some nagging. No golf tonight as the shoulder is painful after several trips to the dump with old kitchen bits. Everyone was asking for you at the Committee meeting! Work is a bit mad Betty and I have both been doing some clinical which is great.......we fancy that more than the real job. We had our first weekend away in the motorhome with the 3 dogs, all was well until Archie decided to snuggle in beside Nevis, short snarling scenario then everyone settled back down. It was so cold John's baldy heid was freezing, he wants a flannelet pillow case, big Jessie. It was bad snow on the way home but clear in Fife. Have you managed to meet those objectives we set before you left? The country sounds lovely you are certainly seeing plenty of it. Shame about the hospital theft, imagine stealing phone lines. Hopefully you get the internet soon. Well must go and review the ironing pile as I will have nothing for work tomorrow. It is my Friday to work, pity. Take care and enjoy your visitors. Your garden sounds very bountiful. take care old girl and keep in touch. LOL Rhona
Hi Carol,
Your trip sounds fab but who are you kidding......professional exchange trip ....!!! I think it is an ice cream field testing trip more like! I wonder if it's as exciting as my taking Brianna out driving in the car! Talk about white knuckle ride, apparently you don't stop at giveways anymore you just have a quick peek out and if there's nothing too close you just go for it! We've got all our veg planted in the garden. I'm hoping I'm a bit better than last year and won't have to eat 500 radishes all in one week! I've increased the height of our veg beds so that we don't get U shaped carrots this year. They tasted great but looked a bit weird. The family are all fine, exams for the older two start in two to three weeks time so no doubt the stress levels will start to increase! Oh joy! ANyway I must dash and get the tea on. Take care, will write soon.
Lesley & Co xxxxx
Hi Carol. Gd 2 hear ur enjoyin ursel there. I am gettin excited about coming over, and been thinking about it lots. Its going to be very different to my usual holidays. I am getting my jabs 2 weeks on wednesday. Alan n kev are also gettin their jabs soon to. Along with alan getting hypnotherapy for the flight over. I was wondering if i could bring my guitar across? I just recently picked my Uni course for next year. Its to do Aeronautical Engineering at Glasgow Uni. They are wanting 3 B's for me to get in, one of which is for advanced physics. Its tough conditions but i think its managable. If i get in, then i wil be starting my course on the 1st of Sept. Until then i have the last 3 weeks of school to enjoy. Anyway i wil be back on soon, but until then take care and enjoy!!
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