Summer time & the living is easy

28^th September 2011. Time is truly flying – I cannot believe we are only a few days away from October! So much has happened in this year, but even so, it is going so very fast. Even more amazing is just how well and how quickly we’ve settled into a good routine here in Nairobi, making good friends and enjoying our environment.

We’ve had a great run of good weather, which I am loving. The sun has been out, letting us play outside and swim and enjoy the heat. Evan it seems has lost all of the swimming skills he learned during his 8 months at swimming lessons in Jo’burg and is actually a little scared of the pool, preferring to splash in his shell on hot days. The swimming class I was hoping to take him to here has been cancelled, so I’m going to have to slowly try and reintroduce him to the pool and get his confidence back up so that he enjoys the water more. Having said that, the pool in our compound is so indescribably cold that I cannot really blame him for not wanting in!

Evan is settling nicely in school and starting to participate a bit more in the activities they do. This morning we had a coffee meeting for all the parents in his class where the head-mistress and his teacher told us what they’ll be doing this year, what they should achieve etc. It was great to meet the other parents and get all the info. Having said that, I was the one who cornered the headmistress last week and told her she really should have an orientation morning for us newbie parents … so she’s probably going to start ducking each time she sees me now and label me as ‘one of those busybody mums’ from now on. Mark and I found it very informative though & were very happy to meet the other parents, so it was worth being pushy!

We’ve also been doing some local sight-seeing with Mark’s mum here. Last week we took her to visit the giraffes and feed them and this week we went to the Crocodile village. I’d not been here before and we loved it. Fuzzy wouldn’t touch one – but Evan and I got up close and personal with some baby crocs and some tortoises too.  They also had a bit of a funfair area, so Evan got to ride around on some cars and play on the trampoline while we were there too. A great day out.

We’ve also been quite busy socially, enjoying time with new friends and meeting more people. This town is so expat-friendly, there are so many opportunities to be social and find your feet – we are truly lucky to have been sent here. We’re off to Nakuru on Friday for a long weekend away to see more game and more of Kenya with Mark’s mum, so looking forward to that & will post pics and details early next week.

In the meantime, lots of love & congratulations go out to Claire and Andrew from us on the birth of their girl twins Morgan and Andrew – we cannot wait to meet them. Also, very happy birthday wishes to both my parents and my ‘adopted’ mum, Rosemary (who is unfortunately in hospital at the moment) for a great year ahead.

Chat to you all next week. Love and laughter xxx.

Of Zebras & Zumba

18^th September 2011. After nearly 5 months in Nairobi we finally spent today discovering the gem on our doorstep (15km away from home to be exact) – the Nairobi National Park. What a super day out! Within half an hour of entering the park we found ourselves watching a pride of lions feasting on a zebra they’d just killed (the second time in two weeks we’ve been lucky enough to see this) and we just continued to see more and more as we drove. Giraffe, heaps and heaps of zebra, ostrich, gazelles, wildebeest, warthog and more. The glimpse of the city skyline you get every so often is the only clue that you’re driving around in the middle of a capital city. It may have taken us a while to get into the park, but now that we have – I’m pretty sure we’ll be fairly regular visitors. I think I’m going to have to work hard not to turn this blog into a travelogue with all the wonderful stuff we’re getting to do and see in Kenya.

In other news, we have Mark’s mum here from South Africa at the moment. She is visiting us for a month and enjoying her time with Evan and with Percy. We’ll spend most of her month here in Nairobi – which is a great excuse to visit the giraffes at the sanctuary again, feed some elephants, visit the crocodile farm etc. – but we have got a trip to Nakuru planned for the last weekend of the month, which will be great. Before today, Fuzzy (Mark’s mum) hadn’t been to a game reserve in over 20 years – so we’ll overload her with wild life and safaris this month to make up for all she’s missed.

Evan is back at school and settling in steadily. He still has ‘moments’ and has on some days point blank refused to take part in the activity planned. That stubborn streak is showing itself more and more!  There are more kids in his class now but I’ve only met one of the mums so far as none of them ever seem to be there when I drop Evan off or pick him up. Anyway, I’m sure the birthday party circuit will start before long and we’ll meet up with everyone that way

I didn’t start the job that I spoke about in a previous job. In the end, it wasn’t really the right thing for me for a whole heap of reasons. I was really looking forward to working, but at the same time I’m glad that I discovered it wasn’t for me in good time. I’m still hoping that some other contacts here work out and I can get some consulting work for a few hours a week in another way.  I would like to find a way to keep my brain in gear (even low gear) while we’re here, but still don’t want to return to a full time position yet.

What I did start this week was volunteering at a horse riding school for disabled children. My role is as a ‘side walker’ and just as it says, I walk along beside the child on the horse and keep a hold on their leg, making sure they retain their balance on the horse and encourage them to take part in the activities during the lesson. The children who were there on the day I volunteered are mentally (and some also physically) disabled, but they are such happy little people who just love the horses and the riding classes. I had such a good time and so enjoyed the experience that I’m most definitely going to keep doing this and more than likely get just as much out of it as the kids themselves do. I have to say though, that seeing these kids makes me tremendously grateful for all the health and opportunity that we’ve have in our lives. A clear reminder to count my blessings.

I also started Zumba classes this week. It is aerobics really (although with much cooler music and rhythm) and I haven’t been to an aerobics class in more years that I’d like to admit. I thought I did okay though and managed to mostly keep up with all the moves – just had a little problem coordinating my arms with my legs in some places – and made it through the hour class. I’ll go to a class every week going forward and hopefully get it all sorted before long.

Okay, that’s it for now. Over and out from Nairobi xxx.

Our fabuous weekend in Ol Pejeta

4^th September 2011. After 4 months in Nairobi (with a 3 week sojourn to SA and the UK in between) we have just taken our very first trip inside of Kenya and our destination of choice was Ol Pejeta Conservancy near Nanyuki in the Laikipia province.

During the colonial era, the Laikipia Plateau was utilized as an extensive cattle ranching area. Lacking the rainfall required to successfully cultivate crops, cattle ranching was seen as the next best way to utilize the land. In those days wildlife was perceived as having little or no value to landowners.

Ol Pejeta's past is filled with many colorful characters. John & Jane Kenyon took over the management of Ol Pejeta in 1949 when it was owned by Lord Delamere and together they spent the next 15 years putting their lives and souls into the development of the ranch. John and Jane left Ol Pejeta in 1958, returning in 1959 for a further ten years before finally retiring to run their own cattle ranch to the north.

Since that period the conservancy has had a number of owners, all entrepreneurs in their own right. However, over time cattle ranching became less and less profitable. Increasingly elephant populations that previously used the ranch as a transit area from the north to Mount Kenya and the Aberdares were forced to take up permanent residence on the property. As a result the fences required to maximize cattle productivity were destroyed and impossible to maintain cost-effectively.

With declining wildlife populations elsewhere and as a means to effectively utilize the land, the recent past has seen increasing emphasis placed upon wildlife conservation. So In 1988, the Sweetwaters Game Reserve (24,000 acres) was opened. Primarily started as a sanctuary for the endangered black rhino, wildlife populations (including the "Big Five") have steadily increased since that time.

The reserve is currently owned by Fauna and Flora International, a UK based conservation organization. The Sweetwaters game reserve has now be extended to encompass the entire ranching area to create the "Ol Pejeta Conservancy", approximately 90,000 acres in extent. This has created the largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa, with the aim of generating profit from wildlife tourism and complementary activities (including cattle) for reinvestment into community development in the local area.

The drive from Nairobi was fairly good, we struggled a little to find the Thika Road out of the city and after that, took just one wrong turn along the way. It must be said that road signage is not one of Kenya’s many positive attributes and attractions.  Once we reached Nanyuki, we made our first stop at the Mount Kenya Safari Club, one of Fairmont’s hotels in Kenya. It is an exquisite place with pristine gardens and the most magnificent views of Mount Kenya. We enjoyed a delicious lunch there and got a sneak peak at their rooms too. We are hoping that at some stage (soon) we return to the area and get to at least spend a night in one of their beautiful suites.

After lunch we made our way through to Ol Pejeta. It was raining fairly heavily and the road into the conservancy is pretty rough going. Mark had his work cut out for him navigating potholes, mud roads and the like getting us to the entrance. As we drove in, heading toward our hotel for the night, we were already spotting game at every corner. I think we saw elephant, buffalo and warthogs in that first very short drive to Ol Pejeta House.

We spent Thursday night at Ol Pejeta House which used to be the exclusive hide-away of multi-millionaire Adnan Kashoggi, reputedly an arms dealer and generally shady character. The mansion is housed inside of the conservancy but still boasts its own extensive grounds and views of Mount Kenya. The main house is opulent in a very period sort of way – enormous reception rooms, stunning verandahs and a huge dining room.  We didn’t see the rooms in the main house on this trip as we stayed in ‘Buffalo’, a guest cottage set just away from the main house. We had a living area with a roaring log fire and we slept in what may be the biggest bed I’ve ever seen – well beyond King Size.  And after a long day on the road and a very good dinner in the main house, we slept like logs in our big bed.

We started Friday early with a 6am game drive in the conservancy. Now Mark and I, who have been very fortunate to have spent time in a few of South Africa’s lodges and game reserves, automatically presumed that we’d be jumping on an open Landie with other guests and heading on our way. But no, we actually drove ourselves around – what a unique experience, being able to stop for as long or short as we liked, track the animals of our choice etc. The thing that really struck us during this drive and the many others we took in the conservancy was the difference between South African parks and Kenya’s. Everything is somehow ‘wilder’ and more down to earth and the wildlife is abundant beyond anything we’d ever experienced. No small groups of buffalo, 30 or 40 at a time, big herds of elephant, frequent rhino sightings all made the safari experience better than anything we could have imagined. We spent ages watching a silver-back jackal preying on a Warthog with her baby, while we didn’t actually witness the kill – the hunt was just awesome to see.

After our morning drive, we headed to a picnic spot in the conservancy for a ‘bush breakfast’. The staff from Ol Pejeta House had set up a mini-kitchen next to the river and we feasted on a cold buffet and had very yummy Spanish omeletes cooked ‘on-site’ for us as we drank coffee and enjoyed the scenery. The very setting is like a balm for the soul and you can actually feel the ups and downs of every day life seeping out of your system.

After breakfast we had a few hours of down time at Ol Pejeta House before we packed up and moved a few kilometres down the road to another Serena managed hotel in the conservancy, Sweetwaters Tented Camp.  We were just in time for lunch (I have to add at this point that we ate and ate and ate while we were away – it is going to take a week of detox to get over our over-indulgence.) Our accommodation for Friday and Saturday night was a very well appointed canvas tent. The tents are permanent and have their own good bathrooms and are covered with a thatch and wood roof, so they’re also weather proof and warm.  But best of all, they overlook a watering hole that is very well frequented by the local wildlife, you could spend hours in the deck chairs in front of your tent watching their comings and goings.

Once we’d settled in, we were back out in the car looking for game.  After a tip off from the gate guard, we quickly found two lions who were busy enjoying the spoils of their earlier catch – a Zebra. They were fairly low in long grass, but you could see the blood on their faces and every now and again you just saw Zebra legs being tossed into the air as they ate a different part of the animal. It was hard to beat that, but I also then saw my very first Grevy’s Zebra ever, very cute with ‘mickey mouse’ ears (as a friend described them), stockier bodies and thinner stripes. We still managed to see more elephant, buffalo and rhino before we stopped for a sundowner at the picnic stop. There is something so joyous about drinking wine in the middle of the bush – it just takes you so far out of your own world in very peaceful and positive way.

On Saturday morning after breakfast we headed to the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary which is also located inside of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. It is the only place in Kenya that you can see chimpanzees and the facility is truly a testament to animal rescue and conservation. The chimpanzees are carefully nursed back to health so they can enjoy the rest of their days in the safety of a vast natural enclosure. The chimpanzees live in two large groups separated by the Ewaso Nyiro River and have started their own families on in the sanctuary. We were lucky enough to get a very close view of a toddler and a baby when we visited.

After the Chimps, we went to visit a Rhino called Baraka who is in a special enclosure as he is totally blind and unable to fend for himself in the wild. We actually fed him and touched him too! Although I kind of felt a little sorry for him, it was great for us to have the experience. Mark got to go on a little Rhino walk and see some of these animals in a special conservation project afterwards. I stayed in the car with Evan who by that time was well overdue for a nap and needed a bit of down time to restore his good humour.

When we returned to camp I was treated to a very good massage at the hotel’s little spa (a great spoil) and once I was done, the heavens opened and it rained and rained and rained a bit more. Evan and I made our way up to the reception area under umbrella for some tea and then almost had to wade back to our tent to spend the rest of the afternoon playing while Mark got to relax a little and spend some time chatting in front of the fire at the bar.

The rain let up a little just before dinner and we saw so many animals at the watering hole, specifically a herd of waterbuck who were all lined up next to the fence and ready to jump over into the camp. One or two had made the leap before there was a sudden power outage that turned all the lights off. This must have scared them as we just saw them all scuttle back and disappear into the darkness.

Sunday morning dawned bright and clear, giving us our first full view of Mount Kenya. Normally covered by clouds and haze, it was just such a treat to see it in its full glory. And just in time, as after a leisurely breakfast, it was time to pack the car, buckle up and make our way home to Nairobi.

We had such a wonderful weekend and we’ve definitely caught a dose of ‘itchy feet’ too - we’re already talking about when and where our next adventure in Kenya will be. This country has so much to offer and to experience and I am so very grateful that we are going to be fortunate enough o experience some of that while we are here.

Adventure time

30^th August 2011. Tomorrow we are going on our very first adventure outside of Nairobi. We’re heading up to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy near Nanyuki (at the foothills of Mount Kenya) for a long weekend away. I am so excited, it is going to be brilliant to see some of this beautiful country.

We are going with friends from Nairobi who are locals and specialists on Kenya, so we’re going to get so much insight into the area. We’re staying at Ol Pejeta House on Thursday night and then at Sweetwaters tented camp for Friday and Saturday nights. The conservancy has a huge range of game and also has a monkey and rhino sanctuary. Apparently one of the rhinos is so tame you can actually feed it! I will definitely be taking heaps of pictures and reporting back on our trip next week.

Ol Pejeta House

Sweetwaters camp

The last few days have been pretty busy too. We had our first braai on Sunday with friends. It was so nice to have a house full of people and kids, even if the weather didn’t cooperate that well. Mark’s ex-boss from his Gillette days, Michael Wood, also arrived on Sunday and will be with us until tomorrow. So on Monday we went out for Sushi and last night we had more people over for one of Mark’s delicious chicken curries. It is lovely to have him here & we’re hoping he spends more time in Kenya (and with us) going forward. Today is a public holiday here (Eid), so I’m having some time out while Mark is playing golf.

The long holiday also ends next week, with Evan officially starting his first year of school on Wednesday. And I did get a consulting job – Yayay! So I will also be starting my working life here for a couple of mornings a week at Destination Magazine. I’m very much looking forward to having some ‘grown-up’ work to do and will also hopefully continue to write for Mark’s company too.

Chat to you next week with news of our trip xxx.

Home sweet home

25^th August 2011. I am once again a bit behind in my blogging life! I’m really not that busy, so I don’t know why I can’t seem to manage putting my thoughts down more often at the moment. I will make it my spring resolution to be a better blogger. And as spring has so very much sprung here in Nairobi, it couldn’t be a better time to make that resolution. We are having a week of perfect weather – Evan’s been playing in his little shell pool thingy and wondering around naked in the garden, I’m in T-shirts and flip-flops and everything is just generally brighter and lighter. I’m such a fan of sunny weather.

So first things first. We are unpacked and officially IN our house. I was so happy to see our container arrive I was almost delighted to do the unpacking – not completely of course, as moving is never the ultimate past time. Anwyay, it took just short of a week & every box was unpacked, sorted and stored somewhere with pictures hung and knick-knacks arranged. Evan has been rediscovering his toys and loves having a selection both upstairs and downstairs and outside. I’m loving having more than 1 pot and 1 frying pan in the kitchen as well as a wider wardrobe selection and Mark of course is delighted that the big screen TV arrived in time for the start of the new Premier League season. Now we have a HOME and are only too happy to have our friends come to visit and stay, so come soon please.

My car is in Nairobi, but as we’re still waiting for immigration to issue Mark with an Alien card (not the UFO type) so he can get a tax number, we can’t get it released. They have to have that number for it to clear without paying duty – so we just wait. In the meanwhile, Clare got back from her holiday and I had to give her car back and the thought of being without wheels again was more than horrifying. So I have a little rented Toyota that is just perfect & I’m very happy just to be mobile and have freedom. I should add at this point that I have never ever seen so many Toyotas in my life! I think the whole world’s second hand Toyotas end up in Kenya – there are thousands and they have models that I’ve never even heard of, ever. Mark has his company car now and it is a Toyota “Klueger”, but there is everything from the “Platz” to the “Sharona” in every parking lot here.

Thanks to a little nepotism, I have a small little job writing some press releases for Mark’s company. Even though it isn’t a lot of hours, it is very nice to have something to do and to have deadlines to meet. I’m also hoping (so hold thumbs tightly) that by the end of the week I’ll have secured a two-morning a week consulting gig too. Will let you know the details once it signed and sealed, but it will be fantastic to have consistent work that doesn’t mean giving up time with my Evan.

Pizza Delivery Ambitions?

 Evan is doing really well. He’s got very tall of a sudden (jeans are hovering at his ankles or higher) and even put on some weight again. The super long holiday is almost over and he starts school (for real) the week after next for 3 mornings a week. We have been lucky enough to make friends with 3 other mums who have kids around about his age and have been getting together with them weekly for a playdate. Although this hasn’t improved Evan’s language skills at all, I think it has definitely improved his social skills as he isn’t stuck to the inside of my knee anymore and heads off to play either on his own or with the others. I have to say that I think one of the most amazing things about motherhood is the almost automatic connection it allows you with other mothers. The other mums are really fantastic women and real friendships are forging – an opportunity I probably wouldn’t ever have had if I didn’t have a child and would have been poorer for in the end.

Mark is trying to get more established at the golf club as he doesn’t have a regular group to play with and has to just try and join games that aren’t full on a Saturday. He is however playing well up here and even won a prize in the competition last weekend. He has a nice team lined up for a game on Sunday morning, so perhaps from there he’ll be closer to having a regular crowd to play with him. He is busy at work and enjoying having his own car (although the traffic is a disaster at times) and also settling in nicely.

We have decided to host an American girl from September for six months or so when she comes out to Nairobi on an internship with a magazine. We haven’t met her yet obviously but her profile sounds good & it’ll be fun to have a new dynamic and dimension to our home. I did just hear that she is a vegetarian … which thanks to my very meat-loving husband, isn’t a regular menu option in our house! My guess is that she’ll become very adept at throwing a stir-fry or omelette together for herself when she gets home in the evening.

Okay, that’s it for now. Hope you’re keeping well & look forward to chatting again soon xxx.

Africa is as Africa does

5^th August 2011. If you read my Facebook status in the last 48 hours, you’d know that our container did not arrive yesterday as promised and I was pretty damn upset about it.

Without going into too many details, the customer service rep that we’d been working with from the Kenyan removal company has led us on a merry chase over the last month. In fact, her service has been despicable on every level – not returning calls, not providing promised updates and worst of all, she outright lied to us on more than one occasion. When she called on Wednesday evening, about 16 hours before our container was due to be delivered to say that it was still in the port in Mombasa and she couldn’t tell me when it would be with us in Nairobi – my very last thread of patience snapped.

After a series of emails to both the director of the local movers, Worldwide Movers Africa and Elliot – who packed us etc. in Johannesburg that were very cutting, we finally got some action and the director of the Kenyan company took over our case personally. As I write this, our container is in the Nairobi warehouse and scheduled to be delivered to us at 9.30am tomorrow. So 48 hours after we whinged, whined and squealed, our container is in the same town as us, and ready for delivery.

What really bothers me is that it took threats and harsh words to just get what we paid for. And worse, I’ve seen this attitude in a whole heap of the companies that we’ve had to deal with since we relocated. Kenya is such a beautiful place, bursting with potential – then this 3^rd world mentality kicks in where “African Time” is a viable excuse for shoddy service and poor delivery. I am African (despite the fact that to some, the colour of my skin precludes me my heritage) and would love nothing more than to see this continent thrive and find success with harmony. But sometimes it sure is hard to be proudly African when the continent lets itself down by living up to it’s difficult reputation.

A strong case in point is the horrific famine that is currently plaguing East Africa. After the horrors of the 80’s when over 1 million Ethiopians died of starvation – it is just unthinkable that we’ve let it happen again. But despite this, I’ve read numerous local reports saying that in Kenya there is no fear of famine, just a very serious drought that is resulting in starvation in certain areas. People dying because they have no food – how does that not constitute a famine? Why are we Africans so scared to tell the world that we’ve hit some trouble? Why do we need to sacrifice our people before we put our hands up and admit that we need some help? Why is there always budget allocated to arms and never to food? Why does corruption dog every area of every government on the continent? Until we find answers and solutions to these very deep-seated issues, it seems that the same cycles of exploitation, deprivation and poverty are doomed to repeat themselves.

I pray that the victims of the famine (or drought) are given the help they need before they become another dreadful statistic. I pray even more that our people and our continent can rise above the excuses, the past and the mediocrity that has settled on us and create a spectacular future.

It is (almost) here!!

2^nd August 2011. This morning Evan and I went out on a play date – and it was only just in time. I’ve been on my own for over a week (Mark being in Nigeria) and not had any plans or seen anyone and was officially sick of my own company.

Evan and I have been on a few outings to play areas, the club and to feed the giraffes at the Giraffe Centre nearby – but considering he only has 4 words in his vocabulary, he isn’t much of a conversationalist. So it was perfect timing that a Finnish woman I met before we went on holiday was back from Finland and we met her and her two kids for some playtime this morning, saved me from complete isolation insanity.

But the most exciting news ever also came through on email this morning. Just when I was starting to lose faith in it ever reaching us, our container is scheduled for deliver on Thursday. Yeehaah, Yahoo and Yay! I cannot wait to have the house full of our stuff, to see our pictures on the walls, to have more than one pan to cook with, for Evan to be reunited with his toys, to watch TV on a big screen, to have a freezer – the list is endless. It is going to take quite a bit of work getting it all unpacked and sorted, but I cannot wait! Lucky Mark is getting out of unpacking as he’ll miss the delivery still being away until Friday evening

And then, to complete the picture, my car is officially here too. I’m not sure when I’ll actually get it, but at least is in the same city as me. Who knows, maybe by the end of the month after 5 months in Nairobi, we will actually be completely sorted out? It could happen…

That’s all in terms of news – just wanted to share my delight and joy with you all. Will send news and pics when everything is in and we have a proper home again.

Happy happy times xxx.

Back in routine

29^th July 2011.  I can hardly believe that on Sunday we’ll have already been back in Nairobi for 3 weeks. Proof that time flies even when you’re not so busy!

When the summer holidays hit (which is now in Nairobi as most of the schools operate on the UK calendar) it is so obvious that we are living in an expat environment with everyone packing up and heading abroad for their holidays. Almost all the people that we’d met prior to our leaving for the UK are out of town, most of them until late August. So it feels a bit like the beginning again, with nothing going on socially. We have however made it as members into the Karen Club, so hopefully soon that will allow us to develop some new friendships too. 

Mark is currently in Nigeria on a two-week trip, but before he left he played a couple of rounds of golf, so he’s starting to feel more at home now that he can swing his clubs again. The club also has a pool with a little play area, so Evan and I have been visiting regularly to burn off some his extreme energy and get a change of scenery too. Yesterday we had lunch there too and Evan discovered the joys of tomato sauce – it was so funny watching him aim his chips at the pool of sauce and then get them into his mouth, very messy but very funny.

One of our friends, Clare, headed back to South Africa last week for a month and very very kindly has allowed me to use her car while she’s away. I cannot even begin to describe the feeling of freedom when I get behind the wheel. Actually, just knowing it is parked outside and ready for me when I want to use it makes me happy. Although our driver Dun is great, the ability to be spontaneous and just do what we want to do, is amazing.

So obviously, from the above paragraph you’ll have worked out that my car is still not here. And neither is our container. The container is apparently in the process of clearing customs (has been for nearly 3 weeks now), so I live in hope that one day I’ll see it parked outside our house waiting to be unpacked. My car has apparently set sail for Kenya, but it’s anyone’s guess to when I will actually have it again. The whole business is so far out of my control that it is impossible to get stressed about it, as there is absolutely nothing I can do to change the situation – just got to go with the flow.

When we got back from our trip I had Evan in a Summer School programme at the Waldorf school just down the road twice a week. I thought it was running throughout the holidays, but when I walked him there on Monday morning with Grace, I found it was closed and was only a 2-week programme. Such a shame as Evan was loving it as they did heaps of singing and dancing (his favourite things) and they have the best playground and swings. So he’s back to only having Grace and I for company for a while! He has started saying a new word – ‘no’. Usually in the sentence ‘oh, no, no’ when he doesn’t want to do something, eat something or doesn’t get his own way. And when he’s really frustrated, it comes out as ‘oh, no, no, NOT.’ Very cute but also proving again how stubborn he can be … which of course, he can’t get from me, can he?

Our veggie patch is absolutely blooming. We have so much delicious coriander and basil I’ll need to start bottling pesto next week to make sure we use most of it up. The tomatoes and onions are doing well too, it’s just the habaneros that are taking quite a bit of time to sprout. I was even thinking of making it a little bigger so we can add baby marrows and peppers going forward. Will have to speak to Josphat the gardener and find out what we can do.

Before I leave you, I just want to send heaps of love to my friend Shanda who is going in to have her little boy on Monday morning. I wish I was in Jo’burg to help her do everything she needs to in the next 48 hours to prepare for his slightly early arrival and to be there when the blessed bundle arrives. You’ll be in my thoughts S, I am so excited and happy for you.

Have a super weekend all xxx.

Catching up

14^th July 2011. It’s been ages since my last blog. I just didn’t find the time (and probably, the inclination) to write everything up while we were away on holiday. The result however, is that this is an epic blog – so happy reading & give yourself a gold star if you make it to the very end.

Part 1: Cotton wool

Even when I lived abroad before, I always felt that a trip back home was like landing in a big mound of cotton wool. Complete comfort in the familiar. You know where you are, how to get where you’re going and where to go to get what you want. On top of that luxury, you are surrounded by people who have known you forever and have a lifetime of history shared with you. So landing in Jo’burg was just that – a cotton wool experience, it was just amazing to see our families and catch a few moments with friends.

The weather however, was not quite as kind. I’m pretty sure that we may have picked the coldest weekend of the winter to visit and we stayed at my parents’ house which is cold even on a warm day. Evan was dressed in layer upon layer of clothing including gloves and a beanie to keep warm. He was in great form though, full of beans and loving being the centre of attention with both his grannies and his grandpa in attendance.

Evan and I also got to spend a little time with friends and it was so awesome to see him reconnect with his best buddy Liam. With only 6 weeks difference in their ages, they had pretty much seen each other 3 times a week or more since birth, so really they are brothers in every way but biological. I also got to have a wonderful sushi dinner with my special schoolgirl friends – I believe I had fantastic people judgment in my teens, as more than 20 years later they are all still amazing and I couldn’t possibly have picked better friends. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see everyone we would have liked to, we couldn’t get hold of some people and some weren’t available, but that just leaves more things to do on our next visit back.

We also made some time to visit our kitties, Thandi and Billy, at Viv’s place while she was away in the US. Billy was super friendly, sitting on my lap purring up a storm and even allowing Evan to poke him from time to time. Thandi is obviously still highly upset with me – she deigned to rub herself against my legs a few times, but bolted every time I tried to give her a pat or pick her up. They are both a bit chunkier than when I left them (thanks Viv for feeding them so well) but super happy and settling into their new home well.

Then quick as that, it was time to pack our bags, jump on another plane and head off for the UK.

Part 2: A cousin, a concert and London as never before

Mark’s brother Lloyd and his daughter Kaela picked us up at Heathrow when we arrived and drove us back to their home in Milton Keynes. The last time Evan and Kaela saw each other was in August last year when Evan was just 5 months old – so it really like the first meeting of the cousins on this trip. Once Evan woke up from his post flight nap – the two of them were inseparable. They played and played and played, it was really nice to see them interact so well despite a 7 year age difference. One of the best things ever is that Kaela has a kid’s motor car, a red jeep. She drove Evan around the garden tirelessly even though her legs are way too long to comfortably drive it anymore. Lloyd offered the car to us for Evan, and we would love to have it but still haven’t figured out how to get it from the UK to Kenya without it costing the price of a new one. Any suggestions would be most welcome!

We spent the next few days just relaxing with Lloyd, Dasi & Kaela, doing a fair bit of shopping (those UK sales are really exceptional) and playing with the kids. On Friday afternoon, we headed up to Woburn Abbey to take Evan and Kaela to watch ‘In the Night Garden Live’ – a theatre styled adaptation of the CBeebies television show, which Evan loves to watch. It was excellent and although Kaela is a few years to old to really enjoy it, Evan thought it was amazing, dancing in the aisles to the songs and clapping for his hero, Iggle Piggle. Very cute indeed.

Then on Sunday afternoon we headed off to the Milton Keynes Bowl to the concert of concerts – The Foo Fighters! They played two shows in Milton Keynes, the Saturday and the Sunday that we went, both were sold out with a crowd of 65,000 people at both concerts. It was absolutely packed, and with every shape, size and type of person you could imagine – they clearly have a very diverse fan base. I hadn’t heard of any of the support bands before but one called Biffy Clyro had a huge following in the audience. The Foo’s where simply amazing. They played 3 solid hours of rock at full throttle and I loved all 180 minutes of it – what an absolute treat, I am so lucky to have been there. I have to also say a big thank you to my husband Mark who really doesn’t have any taste for rock music and who really doesn’t like the Foo Fighters much, for hanging out with me at the concert and not moaning his way through it. If you ever have the opportunity to watch them live, I would highly recommend that you do – simply great, raw entertainment.

On the Monday morning after the concert; Mark, Evan and I headed off by train to take on London. By now on our holiday, Evan had taken a plane, been in a car, taken a bus and gone by taxi, we just had the tube left to conquer once we reached London. I absolutely love London – but this was my first time with a toddler in tow – so my usual haunts of the Tate Modern, the West End and hours cruising Oxford Street were not on the agenda. We got to our hotel (just 3 minutes from the Baker Street tube station), settled ourselves in and headed off to see the city through the eyes of a 16 month old. Despite appearances, London is really child friendly (with the exception of the tube stations, which rarely ever have lifts for prams) with so much for the little ones to do. We started off at the Museum of Modern Science and headed straight to the basement which has been transformed into a sensory wonderland for littlies. Evan had a ball, especially with the water canal activity, he splashed and splashed, sent boats down the river and more. He also played with giant lego blocks and enjoyed the wall of wellies and springs. We also had a good time even though we never made it upstairs to see the more educational part of the museum …

The next day we headed off to Hamley’s and it’s 5 floors of toys. Evan is still a little young to understand the magnitude of it all, but he had a good enough time checking out the toys and watching all the demonstrations. We bought him an Iggle  Piggle toy (from ‘In the Night Garden’) at the store, because no child should go to Hamley’s and not come out with something special for themselves.  Mark and I enjoyed the store too, that many toys will bring out the kid in anyone! After Hamley’s, Evan had to endure a couple of hours with us traipsing up Oxford Street, but soon we had our picnic lunch bought and we headed for Kensington Gardens. With the fabulous summery weather on our side, we sat on the grass and had lunch before making our way to the Princess Diana memorial playground. Another highly recommended spot if you’re in London with young ones, the playground is beautifully maintained with a large pirate ship at the centre and plenty of sand, grass and other toys to enjoy too. Evan soon found the water section and was sopping within minutes, but happy as can be nonetheless.

We also took a ferry down the Thames to see London from the water, embarking at Westminster and floating all the way down to the Tower of London before returning to Westminster. Evan had a snooze through most of the boat trip, but Mark and I enjoyed seeing all the sights again, as once you’ve seen Big Ben and the Tower etc., you hardly ever go back to see them on subsequent trips, so it was great to see it all again. The ferry is reasonably priced and very relaxing too.

With sights seen and some shopping done, we made our way back to Milton Keynes for our last few days in the UK and to celebrate Lloyd’s birthday with him, a rarity for any of the three brothers as they all live on different continents. Then we started our shopping in earnest, making our way around the MK Centre with true purpose. We all got new clothes and shoes, some DVDs and more. Packing up was quite a job – luckily Mark is very good at it – as we put all our purchases plus the awesome gifts that Evan received from the family into our cases, weighing in at almost 70kg by the time we checked in! Luckily we weren’t asked to pay any additional baggage fees. Then we were on the plane again for the long haul flight back to Jo’burg.

Part 3: Over and out

We had less than 24 hours in Jo’burg on our way back home to Nairobi. Just enough time to celebrate Mark’s mum’s birthday with her (a few days late) and enjoy her delicious prawn curry and chicken for lunch. Then off to visit our friends, the Utermöhlens, who just had a brand new baby girl. It was lovely to hold a newborn (2 weeks old) again and Madison Gin is a beauty – congrats guys!

Louise kindly let us use her home as our hotel for the night while she was away and we were in bed and wrapped up warmly soon after we got in that evening as we had to make an early morning run to the airport for our fight to Kenya.

Part 4: Home sweet home

Well perhaps not quite as our house still needs our furniture and bits before it will really become home, but we made it back to Nairobi with our luggage and sanity intact. It was fantastic to see Percy, who I always miss terribly when we’re away, and of course he was doubly delighted to have us back.

Our container is in the country, so hold thumbs that by the end of next week, we’ll have taken delivery of it and unpacked and sorted out the bulk of our stuff. I can’t wait to settle in properly now – just need my car, which as of now, still has no ETA … but I am hoping it won’t be too much longer.

So after a wonderful family holiday it is back to life as usual and I am determined to make it a good one.

Catch up soon with more news from Nairobi xxx.

Bags are packed

 

24^th June 2011. WooHoo, the day has arrived & we’re headed off ‘down South’ to Jo’burg late this afternoon for a few days before our holiday in the UK.

I will do my best to blog a few times while we are away and update you with what we’re doing, but overall – I expect to be quite quiet for the next two weeks.

Wherever you are, enjoy yourself & we’ll chat again soon xxx.

Fathers' day and more

19^th June 2011. Happy fathers’ day to all those of you who qualify, most especially to my Mark and to my Dad – my very favourite fathers in the whole world. We’ve had a great day here in Nairobi, even if it was a little chilly for the first half of the day. Mark got spoiled by Percy and Evan, he received a pictorial history of Kenya book to learn more about our current country of residence. He also got a trip to the spa this morning for a pedicure and massage – both of which he thoroughly enjoyed. After his morning of pampering (I so definitely married a meterosexual) we headed off to lunch at the same restaurant we went to last Sunday, the Talisman. It was doing a roaring trade today, but we still had super food and a great time with Evan in the playground.

Mark & Evan swing together

While we were sitting at our table, it struck me that despite its 3^rd world location and reputation, Nairobi is positively cosmopolitan. In just our small section of the restaurant I heard American English, UK English, Spanish, Swahili and French. While we were in the play area, a dad told us that his 20 month old son was speaking words in 4 languages – Italian from his dad, French from his mum, Swahili from his Ayah and English from his kindergarten! The only one word Evan can say is “Yay”, so we’re a long way from that kind of multilingual ability. I’m sure that during our time here, we are going to be fortunate enough to meet people of many nationalities and that our boy is going to get a very broad view of the world, even while living in a town in Africa.

After lunch we went to meet up with new friends; Brennen, Kate and their lovely son Thembi at a place we hadn’t yet been to called Mattbronze for afternoon tea. It is a gallery of bronze artwork ranging from sculpture to tableware to jewellery that has a small coffee shop attached. The work is amazing, but super expensive – there was a bronze bird piece that was going for USD40,000! I held onto Evan like my life depended on it when we were browsing, as I could only imagine what it would cost me if he grabbed something, as at times, he is truly a weapon of mass destruction.

The other thing I did this week was to start a vegetable garden. Actually when we moved in there was already a veggie patch that the gardener who was living here established. It had Sukuma Wiki (I kind of Kale that is a staple food here) and Spinach growing in it, quite abundantly. Our nanny picks her lunch from the patch almost daily – but still we had a heap that was just going to waste. I thought it would be far more productive if we grew a bigger variety of vegetables and of course, some things that we actually eat too.

The new veggie patch

I really like gardens, I love the thought of growing my own food – but I’ve yet to be convinced of the actual merits of doing the gardening itself, myself! So I called in the complex head gardener, Josphat, and struck a deal. If he and his crew planted, maintained and nurtured my veggie patch, they were welcome to share in the produce when they made their lunch every day – in return I would buy the seeds and pesticide that are needed. Obviously it was a very agreeable plan to him, as within the hour all the old plants had been removed, the soil tilled and the seeds planted! Apparently by next week there will be seedlings which can be planted out and then a couple of weeks after that our tomatoes, onions, chillies, coriander and basil will be ready for eating. I’ll definitely post pictures of how they turn out – be it good, bad or ugly.

I am so excited that this time next week we will be in South Africa catching up with friends and family before we head off to the UK.

Can’t wait xxx.

Ticking Boxes

14^th June 2011. We would like to join the local golf and country club, not only because Mark is having intense withdrawal from his weekly game of golf, but because it is a great place to meet people and become part of the community. I naively thought this would mean that you just paid up your joining and annual membership fees completed a few forms and there you go. In practice however, it is quite a process. First we had to be introduced by a standing member of the club, and seconded by another – which luckily we managed to get done. Then our application was scrutinized (and apparently, sometimes even investigated) by the committee before we made it to the balloting phase. I know I mentioned this in my last blog, but really not being very experienced at the whole country club thing, I didn’t actually know what balloting was. On Thursday evening we got all dressed up and headed off to the club to meet the balloting committee. Effectively, it’s a bit of an impromptu interview – you have to meet the members on the committee, tell them a bit about yourself etc. and then get them to sign your ballot paper. There are 12 people on the committee and you need 10 of them to sign your paper before you are admitted to the club. Only 6 members were at Thursday night’s meeting, so we met them all, repeated our story and smiled a lot, thankfully receiving all 6 signatures. We now go back this Thursday to do it all again, hoping that more members come through and we get the final 4 that we need to join. I cant wait for it all to be finalized as the club has great facilities (not just a golf course) that we can use – I’m planning to frequent the gym and take Evan swimming as they have a heated pool and perhaps even take up some tennis lessons. Yup, it’s expat living at its finest really.

Karen Club

On Sunday we discovered an awesome restaurant not far from us at all called the Talisman. Since having Evan, and more specifically since he became a toddler and is as busy as a proverbial bee – our restaurant criteria has changed significantly. Luckily in Nairobi, this doesn’t limit us to the Spur (although there is one in another suburb called Westlands), but does definitely affect our selection. The food at the Talisman was amazing – we feasted on a wide array of starters, ranging from tempura sushi rolls to pork belly medallions while sitting outside enjoying a great afternoon of sunshine. Evan particularly enjoyed the Feta and Coriander samoosas and garlic prawns. The garden is big and very kid friendly with swings and slides and climbing frames, keeping him happy and making sure all of us had a good time. So good in fact, that we are going back this Sunday for Father’s Day lunch.

Evan had his 3^rd day at school yesterday and he’s doing better and better. No tears, although he’s still clings to Grace’s legs a lot of the time. He even played with some kids yesterday for a while, so we are making progress. He has 2 more days this week and 3 more days next week before the holidays start, so hopefully when we begin the new school year in September he will be completely comfortable in that environment and start participating and enjoying it more. I’m not sure exactly how we’re going to fill our days in the very long 2-month holiday, but we’ll work that out as we go.

The very best new development is that Mark has finally got his proper work permit for Kenya. Only took 4 months, a mountain of documentation and reels of red tape to achieve. So finally, our container and my car can ship from South Africa. Our container is due to sail on the 20^th of this month and my car shortly afterwards. So at best, our worldly goods will be here in mid July, at worst, mid August. It is going to be like Christmas unpacking our stuff and making the house our own. Evan is going to be thrilled to have all of his toys and books back too. Although I have to say that it is amazing how little you can make do with when you have to. We’ve actually managed pretty well with a mostly empty house, minimal kitchen equipment, only one room with curtains and just one small TV.

When we arrived in Nairobi at the beginning of May I knew that we’d be returning to Jo’burg at the end of June en route to the UK for a holiday that we planned ages back. Knowing that I only had to manage an 8-week stint before I could go home and see my friends and family made the initial move seem a little easier in my mind. But 6 weeks into our lives here, I think we’ve accomplished a lot and come a long way to settling in. We have a house, we have a great nanny for Evan, we have started making friends, we’re 4 signatures away from being members of the club, Evan has started nursery school and Percy is completely comfortable. So even though I’m still very much looking forward to my few days in Jo’burg and our trip to the UK (especially as it includes tickets to one of my all time favourite bands, the Foo Fighters, concert), I think we’ve definitely ticked more boxes than I’d anticipated and that we are going to make Nairobi work for us even more when we get back from our break.

Look forward to chatting with you again soon xxx .