Greetings to friends and family – wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a great New Year 2013

Well once again time rampages on and usually I would take a glance at last year’s version to familiarize myself with what I wrote – hard drive crashed in March and I was not properly backed up and have lost 2010 and 2011 Christmas letters!! This should be a lesson to us all – BACK UP!

So – please send me an e mail as I lost a lot of addresses – twomlows@btinternet.com

I always find this time of year a time for reflection ... and as I look back on 2012– it has been a year of serious highs and depressing lows coupled with some major changes and subsequent adjustments.

At this point it is probably best to get the lows put of the way;

In 2012 we lost Steve’s Dad after a somewhat brief illness, although at the time it seemed to be a long and protracted few weeks exacerbated by distance. He was unwell from the beginning of the year, and a definitive diagnosis took many weeks, by which time, after they had ruled out one by one less worrying explanations, we had a fairly good idea that this was indeed serious and actually turned out to be terminal. The challenge for us in Kenya was logistics of distance and the fact that this was in the lead up to Anna’s IB exams. We received the news that he had left us on May 1^st – exams started the next day! Steve had just returned from UK on 29 April and we are grateful that he saw his Dad and that he was able to lend support to his Mum. Incidentally, she is coping remarkably well and will stay in the house alone for the foreseeable future.

2012 was a year of farewells. As Anna finished High School, this was a threshold for several friends to call it a day on Nairobi, with their kids moving on to college/university. It’s been quite emotional seeing so many off to pastures new, but we have met some new people and of course, as in all things, life rolls on. In addition 2 lots of neighbours left within a month of each other, so the dynamic in the compound has altered with new Canadians and Italians taking up residence.

Steve started a new job in the UN in the middle of January, for IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development) He moved across the UN compound to a new office and from my perspective not a lot changed. HQ is now in Rome so he has travelled there several times this year. He has visited many countries in the region, Ethiopia, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zanzibar, Lesotho, Rwanda. There is a suggestion that we may have to move to Rome sometime in the future, but Steve’s work would remain the same and so he would be travelling back to Africa frequently – does not make sense to us – AND IFAD have recently committed to keeping the office here, open so we are crossing fingers that the suggestion is on the most extreme backburner for now! I have continued to work for UNKLESA in the orientation program (assisting UN (from specific agencies) employees and their families relocating to Nairobi) and have developed the service to a level that hopefully my clients find efficient and useful.

The biggest changes in 2012 lie with Anna. She finished school having worked extremely hard and with amazing focus and dedication towards her IB. We attended a wonderful graduation ceremony – based on the American High School system but a fitting tribute to the Class of 2012.Senior week was very busy, with parties, a Senior Parent banquet on the day the IB exams finished and of course too many farewells.We were lucky that my Dad was able to share this with us- his arrival a surprise for Anna!

Anna’s friend Kirsty from Zimbabwe came to stay once the exams were over and arrived in time for the Graduation. The ceremony coincided with an old neighbour from Nairobi visiting so Anna was delighted that she could join us, along with 2 existing neighbours.

Anna received an offer from Durham University on her 18^th Birthday – it was a tough one and a challenge which she accepted. She scored an IB40 (2^nd highest in the school) but unfortunately she did not quite get the combination of scores that Durham asked for. After a LONG and excruciating wait – 6 July to 10 August - she finally heard that she had gained a place at University College, Durham - BSc Geography. This by coincidence is my Father’s alma mater – Dad, Anna and I met with my Godfather and his Grandson who started at the same time – white haired guys, friends since their Castle days! Funny how life loops back?

Luke survived Middle School Grade 6 and seems to have transitioned well. He has enjoyed the socials continues to attend swim training and compete in Galas. In Grade 7 he has joined drumline – a small band of various drums – meets twice a week before school. He played the role of a handsome blind Prince in a recent production at school called Beauty is a Beast. At International Day Luke proudly walks with Zimbabwe!

He has taken up golf along with his Father but the latter is way more keen and committed! He misses his sister but has coped way better than I was expecting. He turns 13 in December and the best gift will be the prodigal sister returning the previous day!

We have had some interesting holidays this year – not especially by destination but by combinations of family members!

For March break we went to Turtle Bay as part of a big group – my brother was visiting at the time and helped to balance the genders slightly but it was a very female dominated bunch!! There were other families at the hotel who we knew and we even managed to fit in some card games amongst the eating, swimming, reading and sunbathing. Anna dedicated a lot of her day to revision and just socialized in the evenings

The last 2 weeks of June, Steve and Luke headed off to UK which was part of the ‘worst summer on record’? They had one decent day, meanwhile Anna and I had a 3 night trip to the coast where we basked in barmy winter temperatures of 28 degrees! The lads took Steve’s Mum on a brief trip and they visited Durham and York which were Anna’s 1^st and 2^nd choice universities respectively. This has retrospectively proved to have been a very prudent move, as all 3 can picture, very well, where Anna now stays. Anna took off to Zimbabwe after her IB results and caught up with her mates from Bulawayo – majority of who were back for university vacations from South Africa. 

At the end of July just before Luke started back at school in August we headed off on a family safari spending 2 nights in Samburu and 1 night in Meru National Park. Both these areas have links to Elsa the lioness. We have now circumnavigated Mount Kenya by road and experienced the most amazing and contrasting scenery.

On 23^rd August Anna headed off to UK, stayed mainly with my Dad, sorted out UK driving licence, bank account, shopped for winter clothes etc. She visited Steve’s family and started to get a hang of public transport, as well as working out how to get the best ticket prices for train travel.

I joined her on 16 September – my feet hit the ground running and I barely paused for breath until I left on 4 October! I had a packed itinerary catching up with various mates – including my dear friend Sandy from Zimbabwe who was visiting her eldest in London. Anna and I went down to London for just one night; we visited our old Nairobi neighbor (the one who came to graduation), in a hospice in St John’s Wood – she has since passed away. We met an old Bulawayo school friend of Anna’s in Covent Garden for dinner then headed back to the hotel. The next day, with Sandy and Wendy, we tramped round the British Museum followed by an afternoon at her Majesty’s theatre watching Phantom of the Opera. We headed off to a book signing by John Barrowman before grabbing a traditional pub meal and heading back up North. The main purpose of my trip was of course to dispatch Anna off to university. My brother took some time off work to be chauffeur and support in Steve’s absence. We had a hectic 4 days moving her in, completing the requisite shopping at IKEA, ASDA, Durham Market etc.  There was a parent fresher lunch in the Great Hall of the Castle – very Harry Potter esque! John and I stayed about 45 minutes South of Durham with Rosi Keatinge (wife of Steve’s ex-boss from ICRISAT days) – this prevented me from being a helicopter parent!! We met Anna’s roommate and her Mother and a got a minor feel for life in DH1 ( I have told Anna , she will probably never again live within a city centre postcode!!) I also manage to squeeze in a quick pit stop with our next door neighbor from Zimbabwe – eldest daughter – who has now settled in UK. I had a fabulous time in the UK – the weather reminded why I live in Africa – wet, cold and windy. We were travelling to Durham around the time that the A1 northbound was closed due to flooding!!

Once the Kenyan contingent of the family were all back in residence we headed off to the coast for October break.

We took a day trip on a Dhow with other Nairobi friends staying close by. For this we had a road transfer to just north of the border with Tanzania then hopped on the Dhow for a morning of diving and snorkeling followed by a crab and fish lunch on Wasini Island. In the afternoon there was sufficient wind to hoist the sail on the Dhow and switch off the engine – what a peaceful experience.

We stayed in an amazing house on Tiwi Beach, South of Mombasa, with 2 other families. It was a lovely experience and very different to our holidays in Watamu on the North Coast. The seafood was wonderful and as the house came equipped with a cook, housekeeper and general domestic, all we had to do was ensure that the cupboards were full of food!!

So now all thoughts are turning to the Festive season, once again, to be characterized by many parties. We are planning the usual compound Christmas Bash on 7 December and I foolishly offered to be the coordinator of this event!

We have holiday visitors arriving a various times – Anna and my Dad are due in together on 17 December and the following day Anna’s friend Mara jets in from the US. On December 24 my brother arrives – we will have a family Christmas traditional style meal on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day we are joining with 4 other households in the compound all contributing various national dishes to what I think will be a feast of note.

So we started 2012 with Anna’s 18^th birthday -

a year in which she realized her Durham dream and we bade her au revoir. Overall 2012 was truly an emotional rollercoaster, not something I would wish to repeat. Usually I struggle with the change of year – entering the unknown -but I will not see off this year with any wistful emotion! As in the past 2 years we will be at the coast for New Year along with the family from next door – home away from home!

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2013

Blog February 2011

Been a busy time since I last typed … without a driver at the moment so kids running around has been down to me – not complaining as have enjoyed the extra time with them. I have realized that the time in the car is so precious – we talk about stuff that gets abandoned the minute they get home. Also by being at school and taking coffee at the PTO shop many mornings instead of heading straight home, I have met lots of new parents, been able to welcome and reassure them. There is a whole culture of parents who bring their kids to school every day which I have been out of for 18 months. Generally I do errands on the way home so essentially my day has completely turned around. I have broken my semi obsessive routine which has been great for my mental health. Our house help, Joyce, thinks I have secretly got a job as I am hardly at the house! This has partly been because I have been very involved with organizing a Valentine Party at the school along with a couple of others. The event was very successful, enjoyed by seemingly everyone. It is great that it is now over and I can start to look towards finishing my time on the PTO at the end of this semester…

I have been reflecting on all the Ambassadors and High Commissioners we meet (or even just people with prominent embassy positions) – my kids must think this is normal … to me it is still even after 2 years in Nairobi, surreal to say the least. Of course, these are actually just normal folk in most cases …. A couple of weeks ago I was at the UN shop and got chatting to a lady, South African called Nicola, in the car park. I had a trolley full of sparkling wine which was somewhat unstable as I was trying to load the car and she came to my rescue – very innocuous – turned out she had only been here 2 weeks, first posting without her kids – we exchanged numbers and later the same day I sent her a text suggesting we meet for coffee. The upshot of that simple gesture was an invite to her house for coffee the following week to meet some SA ladies she had hooked up with (turned out I knew 2 of them – one I had met in the school car park when I had been here about 2 weeks!) I took rent-a- crowd to her house – 2 ladies who lived close to her in the same suburb, always useful to know someone close by in the event of an emergency… on arriving at the house I began to suspect her husband was fairly high up in the EU delegation here – high up, mmmm only Head of Mission – AKA EU ambassador!! Here is another connection – those hairy bikers from the back end of 2010 - Nicola knows their Uncle, who works for the EU in Ethiopia, from their days in Belgium. What a small world indeed. I now see this expatriate existence as a group of overlapping circles which overlap more and more as time goes on. It is all very different to our time in Bulawayo, although I was involved in a conversation last week which was a connection to Bulawayo – ‘Did you hear about the guy who was taken by a lion on the shores of Lake Kariba? ’ At the time we were exchanging gruesome safari stories and near misses …. I know that guy; he lived down the road from us in Bulawayo and worked for the same organization as my husband – there followed gasps of amazement at the coincidence. It’s not the first time that this incidence has been mentioned in my presence. Small continent, Africa – love her!!

Steve had a nasty theft incident last month which could have been a lot worse… after cycling one Sunday, he and Barbara were driving through a dodgy area (dodgy is a VERY mild description of this place) with bikes on the back of a car on a carrier. While they had slowed for a speed bump/ jam of matatus, a saddle bag was stolen off the back of Steve’s bike. The car behind indicated what had occurred so they turned round and ‘gave chase’ in the car. The upshot of it all was Steve got the saddle bag back minus the tool kit, BUT in the process had his new sunglasses stolen off his face while the car was surrounded by a threatening crowd – I think at that point Barbara just tried to ‘put foot’ and drive off - very difficult when the car was being pawed by many people. It was a lucky escape with no injuries – the bikers have not gone that way since …..

Anna went on a fabulous Inter-cultural trip in January to West Pokot where a group of 20 students built a bridge! Check it out by clicking on the following link www.bridgingthegapafrica.org she had a fantastic time – it was so interesting hearing about their interaction with the local community and being touched by the enormity of what this bridge meant to them. Luke is currently on his Grade 5 IC camping trip to the Mt Kenya region. I was very grateful that in 2009 we invested in good outdoor gear – arctic sleeping bag/sleeping mats, large rucksack, day packs, walking shoes etc. Luke is away for 3 nights and as Steve is in Germany that leaves Anna and I – what a change to be just girls in the house …. She is studying and I am blogging – shouldn’t we be doing movies and chocolates??!!

After 11 years I am finally joining the ranks of the employed with a job right up my street with the

UNITED NATIONS LOCAL EXPATRIATES SPOUSES ASSOCIATION IN KENYA

(UNKLESA)

This organisation has developed an orientation/relocation program for new UN employees and families. This service will be automatically offered to people coming to Nairobi who are starting with certain UN agencies who have signed up to the program. A number of consultants have been recruited (yours truly included) and will be assigned clients – first one coming my way next week. For the time being it will be very part-time and hours to suit me but the number of people taking up the service is a bit of an unknown quantity – with it being a new service there are no statistics on uptake. I suppose the success will partially depend on the quality of consultants on the ground. The agencies pay for the service so is gratis to our clients. I will get an hourly rate. The future remains to be seen!!

I am pulling back from my school PTO work at the end of the school year, so should the paid work take off I will be able to make myself available more frequently wef August.

We just organised and held a very successful Valentine Social for parents and teachers, with Lebanese style buffet, cash bar, disco and a fantastic array of baskets containing all sorts of goodies which were auctioned silently. There were weekend breaks, jewellery, wine, chocolates, DVDs, restaurant and beauty vouchers – mostly donated from corporate sponsors – giving 100%profit. We hope to be able to make a very generous donation to local charities on behalf of the PTO next month as a result of a great year of events supported by the school community.

And so to March – cannot believe that we are nearly through February. Dad arrives mid month and we are off for a week at Spring Break – 6 nights at the coast and 1 night in Amboseli on the way back. Anna is off skiing in Verbiers for the 3^rd and final time. On March 30^th we have such a treat – Sandy is visiting for a week – SO looking forward to seeing her after more than 2 years – will be fantastic catching up with her.

So I will sign off here – until next time ....

Blog February 2011

Been a busy time since I last typed … without a driver at the moment so kids running around has been down to me – not complaining as have enjoyed the extra time with them. I have realized that the time in the car is so precious – we talk about stuff that gets abandoned the minute they get home. Also by being at school and taking coffee at the PTO shop many mornings instead of heading straight home, I have met lots of new parents, been able to welcome and reassure them. There is a whole culture of parents who bring their kids to school every day which I have been out of for 18 months. Generally I do errands on the way home so essentially my day has completely turned around. I have broken my semi obsessive routine which has been great for my mental health. Our house help, Joyce, thinks I have secretly got a job as I am hardly at the house! This has partly been because I have been very involved with organizing a Valentine Party at the school along with a couple of others. The event was very successful, enjoyed by seemingly everyone. It is great that it is now over and I can start to look towards finishing my time on the PTO at the end of this semester…

I have been reflecting on all the Ambassadors and High Commissioners we meet (or even just people with prominent embassy positions) – my kids must think this is normal … to me it is still even after 2 years in Nairobi, surreal to say the least. Of course, these are actually just normal folk in most cases …. A couple of weeks ago I was at the UN shop and got chatting to a lady, South African called Nicola, in the car park. I had a trolley full of sparkling wine which was somewhat unstable as I was trying to load the car and she came to my rescue – very innocuous – turned out she had only been here 2 weeks, first posting without her kids – we exchanged numbers and later the same day I sent her a text suggesting we meet for coffee. The upshot of that simple gesture was an invite to her house for coffee the following week to meet some SA ladies she had hooked up with (turned out I knew 2 of them – one I had met in the school car park when I had been here about 2 weeks!) I took rent-a- crowd to her house – 2 ladies who lived close to her in the same suburb, always useful to know someone close by in the event of an emergency… on arriving at the house I began to suspect her husband was fairly high up in the EU delegation here – high up, mmmm only Head of Mission – AKA EU ambassador!! Here is another connection – those hairy bikers from the back end of 2010 - Nicola knows their Uncle, who works for the EU in Ethiopia, from their days in Belgium. What a small world indeed. I now see this expatriate existence as a group of overlapping circles which overlap more and more as time goes on. It is all very different to our time in Bulawayo, although I was involved in a conversation last week which was a connection to Bulawayo – ‘Did you hear about the guy who was taken by a lion on the shores of Lake Kariba? ’ At the time we were exchanging gruesome safari stories and near misses …. I know that guy; he lived down the road from us in Bulawayo and worked for the same organization as my husband – there followed gasps of amazement at the coincidence. It’s not the first time that this incidence has been mentioned in my presence. Small continent, Africa – love her!!

Steve had a nasty theft incident last month which could have been a lot worse… after cycling one Sunday, he and Barbara were driving through a dodgy area (dodgy is a VERY mild description of this place) with bikes on the back of a car on a carrier. While they had slowed for a speed bump/ jam of matatus, a saddle bag was stolen off the back of Steve’s bike. The car behind indicated what had occurred so they turned round and ‘gave chase’ in the car. The upshot of it all was Steve got the saddle bag back minus the tool kit, BUT in the process had his new sunglasses stolen off his face while the car was surrounded by a threatening crowd – I think at that point Barbara just tried to ‘put foot’ and drive off - very difficult when the car was being pawed by many people. It was a lucky escape with no injuries – the bikers have not gone that way since …..

Anna went on a fabulous Inter-cultural trip in January to West Pokot where a group of 20 students built a bridge! Check it out by clicking on the following link www.bridgingthegapafrica.org she had a fantastic time – it was so interesting hearing about their interaction with the local community and being touched by the enormity of what this bridge meant to them. Luke is currently on his Grade 5 IC camping trip to the Mt Kenya region. I was very grateful that in 2009 we invested in good outdoor gear – arctic sleeping bag/sleeping mats, large rucksack, day packs, walking shoes etc. Luke is away for 3 nights and as Steve is in Germany that leaves Anna and I – what a change to be just girls in the house …. She is studying and I am blogging – shouldn’t we be doing movies and chocolates??!!

After 11 years I am finally joining the ranks of the employed with a job right up my street with the

UNITED NATIONS LOCAL EXPATRIATES SPOUSES ASSOCIATION IN KENYA

(UNKLESA)

This organisation has developed an orientation/relocation program for new UN employees and families. This service will be automatically offered to people coming to Nairobi who are starting with certain UN agencies who have signed up to the program. A number of consultants have been recruited (yours truly included) and will be assigned clients – first one coming my way next week. For the time being it will be very part-time and hours to suit me but the number of people taking up the service is a bit of an unknown quantity – with it being a new service there are no statistics on uptake. I suppose the success will partially depend on the quality of consultants on the ground. The agencies pay for the service so is gratis to our clients. I will get an hourly rate. The future remains to be seen!!

I am pulling back from my school PTO work at the end of the school year, so should the paid work take off I will be able to make myself available more frequently wef August.

We just organised (as mentioned earlier) and held a very successful Valentine Social for parents and teachers, with Lebanese style buffet, cash bar, disco and a fantastic array of baskets containing all sorts of goodies which were auctioned silently. There were weekend breaks, jewellery, wine, chocolates, DVDs, restaurant and beauty vouchers – mostly donated from corporate sponsors – giving 100%profit. We hope to be able to make a very generous donation to local charities on behalf of the PTO next month as a result of a great year of events supported by the school community.

And so to March – cannot believe that we are nearly through February. Dad arrives mid month and we are off for a week at Spring Break – 6 nights at the coast and 1 night in Amboseli on the way back. Anna is off skiing in Verbiers for the 3^rd and final time. On March 30^th we have such a treat – Sandy is visiting for a week – SO looking forward to seeing her after more than 2 years – will be fantastic catching up with her.

So I will sign off here – until next time ....

Blog January 2011 Part 3

The Beach and Back …

We had an uneventful (thankfully) drive down to the coast. Not too many trucks on the road. We did a short detour at Voi to go to the KWS gate and put money on our Safari Cards (virtual money system for entering National Parks – can only load with money at certain gates – not all- and the nearest to where we live, is Nairobi National Park gate which is a 2 hour round trip from our house)

On checking in we were allocated rooms which I suspected were not great – close to a walkway, on the ground floor and probably noisy – having booked in March I had no worries about suggesting that they should re visit the room plan and find an alternative … success – we got 2 Lamu rooms – on the quiet side of the hotel, both with view of sea and adult pool – lovely.

Having unpacked, we headed for the pool as the beach seemed full; to relax in the shade … The next day after a few hours on the beach it felt like we had been there weeks – must be the familiarity factor… both with the hotel and environs and some guests – families we knew from Nairobi and even Brits we had met at the hotel before. Anna had flown down to join her friends on 28/12 – she was staying in a house down the beach with 3 other families – this has a couple of benefits – she is with her mates all the time – and when they go out in the evenings they are altogether and I am not responsible for the curfew – good position to be in – also being mercenary this is a far cheaper option for us – her daily rate at the house was 25% of her cost at the hotel. We paid for her to come into the hotel for one of the days and at other times she ‘sneaked’ in to see us. She befriended one of the guards who then was willing to let her ‘pop in’ to see us! It seems a bit of a waste to be paying a high season daily rate for her to sleep a lot of the time – alternatively when not sleeping she was helping at Turtle Watch (even went on a turtle rescue to Kilifi (down the coast) one day) OR out partying elsewhere and not wanting to be in the hotel – when on all inclusive basis it’s really not the order of the day to be going out all the time buying drinks elsewhere!

New Years Eve brought a lovely Gala dinner – we were able to share a table with friends from Nairobi – RB and Barbara - and their friends from Uganda. The food was wonderful – including copious amounts of grilled lobster – most delicious. Following dinner there was a program of entertainment, fireworks at midnight, Goulash buffet at 1.30AM and Bacon Butties at 5.30AM – and I was under no illusions that I was going to be up for that – unless I had been to bed first!! We went back to the rooms to change out of our decent clothes into beach gear, to then head for a beach party where we were meeting friends and the teenagers… before they headed off for their New Years bash at Ocean Sports (popularly known as Open Shorts – go figure!!) We had been given directions to the house – I elected to drive … when we turned off the main road it was a bit of a white knuckle, twisty turny off road drive down to the property on a very narrow track – I was very relieved to find a turning spot as I was not relishing the prospect of reversing out. They had built a big fire on the beach and there was music and drink – they, like us had already eaten. The party was hosted by Philip Leakey – worth googling the name – he was a Kenyan MP and related to the famous paleontologist. We did not stay very long as the smoke from the fire was irritating Luke’s cough. We got back to the hotel in time for midnight and the fireworks on the beach. The public beach was packed with locals - it was a bit us and them – ‘us’ sitting in the relative luxury of the hotel on the private beach which had been cordoned off and ‘them’ clambering for a good view of the free fireworks – made me feel uncomfortable at the disparity. One firework failed to go off – we headed for bed at around 12.30 – Luke and Dad’s room was nearest and as we were walking to ours there was a scramble of guards running round panicking – we thought there was an invasion of locals coming over the compound wall but it turned out to be a thatch roof on fire – THAT firework had gone off – the wind had picked up in the meantime and it had drifted onto the thatch – we then looked and deduced it was the block that Dad and Luke were in. We ran in that direction and I started screaming and shouting for them to get out when I could not see them outside the block. It turned out to be the tiny lapa, which houses the boats, next door to their block which had been affected and the fire was soon out. A bit of a dramatic start to 2011.

I got up fairly early on the 1^st – to reserve the sun beds in our favourite spot on the beach and to grab some fresh milk for tea. The revelers from the night before were staggering down the beach looking starved of sleep and there I was fresh and ready for the day. At Breakfast they were offering ‘hair of the dog’ – not being an evening drinker myself (just affects my sleep so badly that I virtually abstain these days – one glass of bubbly is my evening limit) I decided that maybe a drink at breakfast was a good idea – how could it affect my sleep at 8AM!? I had everything – bubbly, a long dawa (Kenyan drink of vodka, lime and honey) AND a bloody Mary (actually I left out the Mary and just had the spiced tomato juice) Delicious!! That seems to be the way to go – as by bedtime the effect has worn off!!

The final Ashes test started on 3/1 – dilemma – really could not justify getting up at 2.30AM – so decided if I woke that I would check the score online – go back to sleep and then head for TV room at a more realistic hour. We managed to watch the last session everyday – and knew that we would win on the 4^th day – even though we were on safari and out of touch. What a result winning the Ashes 3-1 in Australia – a GREAT start to 2011.

One morning Dad and I went to see the Moray eels in the rock pools left behind at low tide. They all have names – King George, Obama and Henry to name a few. It is amazing how they rear up for a morsel of sausage on a stick and can be so easily coaxed out of their comfort zone. I went snorkeling – and discovered some new coral growth (coral was all destroyed in the 1997 El Nino storms) The shoals of colourful fish were amazing. Steve and I decided to try out the camera which will work to 3M depth – I was a bit skeptical – anyway it did work AND the camera lived to see another day! HOWEVER – it is very difficult photographing under water – the natural movement in the water and making sure the light is behind you is quite challenging – but the photos turned out to be OK – after a bit of photoshop enhancement!!

I have managed to get in some good reading … Rules of the Wild by Francesca Marciano, The Help by Kathryn Stockett and Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert (The follow-up to Eat Pray Love). The first is set in Kenya – kind of a contemporary Happy Valley story – clearly based on some truth – but a little regurgitating the usual expat formula and possibly a bit soap opera ish . The 2^nd book was great and I would thoroughly recommend it – interesting as I have domestic staff myself and certainly made me consider my privileged circumstances – will be interesting to see the reaction of others who have never had domestic staff to this book …. and finally Elizabeth Gilbert – it was a bit much having only read Eat Pray love in November – but I did feel compelled to read that first. I just feel like saying ‘Get over it and move on’ – I feel like she just goes on and on and does not move forward – but maybe having been married for a long time all those feelings have been overcome and so it is too distant for me to be relevant – I can see that the book would appeal to an unmarried early twenties type and be far more pertinent. Currently I am reading ‘A week in December’ by Sebastian Faulkes - not read anything by him for many years and am enjoying.

So all too soon our week at the coast came to an end. As usual we filled out a booking form for next time – requesting an upgrade to the Lamu rooms – definitely ruined for life now as anything less would not be acceptable!! It was nice not facing that long trip to Nairobi as we were breaking the journey on safari a mere 4 hour ride…..

Blog January 7, 2011 Part 2

December 30^th 2010 to January 6^th 2011 – another fabulous week at the beach in Watamu. I shall blog about this at a later date so for the time being here is the latest on the safari we took on the return trip to Nairobi…. On January 6^th 2011 we left our beloved Turtle Bay to go on safari. After2 Years in Kenya and having never visited Tsavo East (or West for that matter) we travelled in convoy with Wendy and Mara and within 2 hours of leaving the coast we were at Sala gate on the extreme East of the park .. It had been dirt road all the way – but fairly good condition so we averaged a decent speed. Once inside the park we had to slow down. We saw 21 elephants bathing and frolicking in the river – impala, water and bush buck, zebra, baboons and giraffe (from a distance) - in a tree there were baby monkeys playing – with one swinging and performing acrobatics on another’s tail – frequently falling and hoisting itself back up to be scolded by the other one. It was like something out of a Disney cartoon. Luke was great a spotting game – he said it looks like a computer screen – you delete the background to remove the camouflage and reveal the game. We arrived at the camp – Epiya Chapeyu – AKA - Bigi’s camp, owned by an old Italian family – by lunchtime – 17 tents secreted amongst the palms on the banks of the river. It was HOT. Lunch was served by the river where there was a slight breeze giving relief from the relentless intensity of the midday heat….. In the tents it was borderline suffocating. Later I developed a rapidly intensifying headache (probably caused by dehyration) so I retreated to the tent with water and panadol in the vain hope it would go away … the stifling heat was not helping so I decided to take a cold shower then with wet hair in a towel and wrapped in a kikoy (Kenyan sarong) I lay on the bed ….. now what came next was unbelievable – even to me who has been on many safaris – so picture me lying on the bed in my semi luxury tent – mesh windows are ‘open’ ie flaps down – so the window opposite me is like a giant TV screen to the world outside …. And a HUGE elephant wanders past slowly and silently – perfectly framed in the tent window – a mere 3 or 4 metres from where I lay - WOW ! Now clearly this elephant is a frequent visitor to the camp and did not seem bothered by people or tents or activity BUT knowing what these creatures are capable of I felt very nervous and humbled by this fine beast – a bit too close for comfort. It is interesting that this type of unfenced camp in Zimbabwe would not allow kids under 14 years in, however here in Kenya there seems to be no such condition. It stealthily picked its way around the camp for several minutes until the staff pointed it in another direction away from visitors.

The food on the first night was excellent – not camp food at all – homemade ravioli stuffed with spinach and cheese in a cream sauce – followed by beef snitzel, mash and fresh veg – flambéed bananas and tea or coffee ….

… so to bed … I wake in the dead of night and the generator has gone off – it is PITCH dark … which I despise as it makes me feel claustrophobic … I thrash around feeling like I cannot breath and I catch sight of Steve’s luminous watch hands – phew – relief – I grab his arm and keep it close for the comforting knowledge of that tiny light in the small hours.

We decide to hang around camp for the morning and go out in the afternoon – to end up at another lodge for tea then back to our camp before dark. Wendy, Anna and Mara get up early and go for a drive before breakfast – we hold our breaths when they return waiting to hear how they have gone on. .. …did they see anything worthwhile or was staying in bed the better option…. phew! Bed was a good decision. We spend the morning reading. Blogging, playing cards sitting by the river in the cooling breeze – generally relaxing and drinking in the atmosphere – but not for long … the peace is shattered when a couple of noisy Italian families turn up for lunch and seem to spread out taking over the space in all directions. Still, not long before we head off .. …Not the best time of day to be looking for game as it is hot but we have an interesting route planned …. Not too far into the trip and we find beautiful giraffe almost hidden by the palms in a dry river bed. There were sporadic elephants, herds, lone and small groups. The landscape changes rapidly with the soil type – lunar and barren, green, and parched vegetation seem to be the dominant types. Tea and toilets at Aruba Lodge were very welcome. Sitting amongst the British tourists eagerly awaiting their safaris – red sunburn very evident on their legs and wearing ‘safari’ gear – probably purchased a job-lot in Millets! Some of them appeared to have not paid such great attention to the footwear – there were silver sandals, flowery pumps and other such inappropriate shoes which just did not offset the khaki!! Miaow!! On the way back we saw a beautiful herd of Cape buffalo crossing the track from the river into the bush, numbering 60 or so, including babies trying desperately to keep up with the big ones. Back at camp all is quiet, but just as dark falls there is an invasion of Italians – about 40 including many kids. The noise level goes off the scale – not sure if it sounds nosier because the language is indecipherable? Waiting for the mini pizza pre dinner snacks we can barely hear ourselves speak so we retreat to the veranda of the dining room for some peace. The dinner arrives and it is truly delicious – pasta roses stuffed with Italian tasty mince, followed by beef, roast potatoes and veggies then real Crepe Suzettes with orange sauce. They then bring a birthday cake for Anna with a chorus of Happy Birthday and the appropriate embarrassment from her. We divide the cake and pass it to the Italians – one tries to bring it back, so Dad gestures – rather like an Air Steward coming out of retirement – for the Italian to pass the cake round … bit of a mis-interpretation and the Italian serves EVERYONE himself like a waiter (maybe that’s his job back home!) He brings a few pieces back to us ‘Prego’ and we have a wonderful ‘conversation’ nods and the few Italian words we know interspersed with even fewer English words he knows! Dad starts with Italian footballers language ‘Roberto Mancini’ brings nods of approval … not convinced anyone really knew what the other was on about!(in fact we know that he did not have a clue as we certainly did not expect him to do his waiter bit with the plate of cake!!) Finally he goes back to his table, but soon returns to our table with champagne to toast the birthday girl – Anna is now recoiling with all the attention!! Maybe we can forgive the noise level ….Long live entente cordiale?.... well at least until 05.30AM when the peace is shattered and destroyed once again as they leave the camp – I SO nearly shouted out “Roberto Mancini – we’re trying to sleep in here!!” Still the upshot of their early departure was a PEACEFUL and leisurely breakfast by the river – car packed ready to leave, and waiting for the food – a Brown spotted hyena runs through the camp – Hyena Hyena !! Ssssh ‘ You’ll frighten it off!!’ We scramble for cameras but I think it is more disturbed by us than we are by it!! A few minutes later … a hippo is spotted hauling itself out of the river onto the opposite bank and stumbles around in the vegetation almost looking like it is blinded by the light of day. ‘Maybe there was a noisy tourist that had disturbed it from its wallowing slumbers??!!

.. so it’s back to Nairobi .. until the next time …. From sunny Kenya x

Blog January 7, 2011

I fully intended to blog before the end of the year 2010 but laziness and lack of motivation and being at the beach got in the way!!

So to an update on visitors -Dad arrived on December 15^th and the twins left us on December 17^th and the bikers finally left after 13 nights on December 18^th.

The first lot of bike parts that arrived by DHL were not right and so the contingency plan with parts arriving the following week kicked in. In the meantime Julien detected a problem with the other bike – thought it was gear box and was prepared to strip it to find the problem, BUT with some help it was soon discovered that it was the prop shaft that needed replacing and in the end it was this that held them up. He was able to still keep one bike going during this time period so they were not completely stranded.

Antoine communicated to me that they were feeling bad and felt that they were outstaying their welcome. Having undertaken a long road trip ourselves I realized the precariousness of their situation and was happy to help where I could. For me it was a strange evolution – from strangers arriving the first day and friends leaving 13 days later …. I am JUST old enough to be their Mother – and certainly I felt a level of concern and protection towards them like that of a Mother and I am sure they got fed up with all my questions and nagging !!!

We ended up watching movies together – some choices more prudent than others – White Mischief was not the greatest idea – too much sex and nudity – VERY embarrassing sat watching that with two twenty something’s !!!

Mugabe and The White African was interesting and SO sad … I think their growing up in Africa made the documentary seem more real and likely to them. It was even more poignant that the twins were with us and the movie was set during the time that we lived there. The upshot was that we all felt very depressed by Mugabe’s ‘I will be Hitler 10 fold’ – in fact the bikers asked us to rewind that part as they thought they had misheard!

So when we finally waved ‘au revoir’ NOT ‘Adieu’ (which apparently has the context of forever BUT the English translation is ‘Farewell’) it felt like there was a huge gap in the house especially having seen off the twins the morning before. I don’t think I have ever had so many people around meaning that I had to do a head count at some mealtimes!! I cooked for them a few times and they made a delicious Belgian dinner for us one night and on their last night a Senegalese Chicken dish. Having twittered away in my school girl French for 13 days – I hope my French improved – certainly my tenses did! It was amazing the number of words for which there is no equivalent in French – sometimes we could think of 3 words in English which all had the same meaning in French so the context was not quite right.

So the day they left was Luke’s birthday – I baked a cake and in the afternoon we attended a Christmas party at a friend’s house. The talk was all about the weather in Europe – the delays and cancellations – so many people this side had been affected – flights to Europe and US cancelled and kids coming home from University for the Christmas holidays stranded and delayed all over …. Speculation rife as to whether or not his is the shape of things to come …. The future as we will know it?

The following week I seemed to spend the whole time planning and shopping for food – why oh why do we buy enough food to feed an army or cover a long term siege!! ?? We had Christmas Dinner on Christmas Eve at 6PM – turkey and all the trimmings ( I had not cooked such a dinner for 9 years … so enjoyed the planning)

On Christmas Day we went for a walk with 3 other families in the tea estates – plenty resistance from the teens and twenty somethings about having to get up for the event but I think in the end everyone enjoyed the fresh air (it was quite warm actually!) We assembled back at our place for coffee and snacks – Rhodie took exception to all the strange dogs and picked on a male who fought back – very unusual – even more weird was Harry did not bat an eyelid in defence - so maybe Rhodie’s gender neutrality since being spayed has wiped out Harry’s defence mechanisms !!

On Boxing Day we had a house full for – Bring a plate of creatively transformed leftovers for the buffet table …. I was fairly jaded having been up at 2.30AM watching cricket. Life continued like that for a number of days until England won that test to retain The Ashes – what a victory …. We were relieved to get some sleep before the trip to the coast with the test finishing a day early – YES a day early – we really ground those convicts into the ground!!

… so it was then going coastal for a week followed by safari but that’s for another day ……………..

Blog December 6th 2010

… and now just like waiting for a bus 2 come along together … here is another post ….

We were descended on by strangers yesterday (sons of friends of friends along with 2 German travelers who had rescued them)

We have had 2 hairy Belgian bikers sleeping in the maid’s quarters and the German couple in their German registered camper van in our front garden!! Their story is quite amazing and makes our trip from Zimbabwe to Kenya look very tame.

The Belgians were principally raised in West Africa, Niger and have been studying in Belgium. They are now on their way to South Africa where they will spend a year furthering their studies and decided to take a trip from Brussels to Cape Town www.ridebacktoafrica.blogspot.com Check out their amazing photographs and details of their fascinating story.

I received a message from friends in Ethiopia on December 1^st 2010 asking if we could help these guys…. They had broken down in a remote part of Northern Kenya in bandit country. I was asked could we maybe let them camp in our garden for a ‘couple of nights’ as they were going to try to get the bike fixed here. I passed on my phone number so that they could call me…..

After a couple of calls they arrived at lunchtime Sunday 5^th December 2010.

The bike broke down about 120 km North of Marsabit … this being seriously far from anything. They had hitched a lift with some Somalis in a truck and managed to put the broken bike and luggage on the truck and get to Marsabit … this is not a metropolis BUT there was civilization there.’ Luck’ was on their side as they bumped into some Germans who they had met on the ferry from Europe to Egypt. They are travelling from Germany to Cape Town in a 20 year old VW camper van … and I thought these sorts of people were fictional characters!!

The Germans offer to take Julien and the broken bike (bike partially dismantled and squeezed in the bedroom area of the camper van – with Julien also sat in a cramped space – reminded me of when we left Bulawayo and squeezed Harry into the car to get him to the kennels in Harare!) to Nairobi where they can get it all fixed, with Antoine following on his bike …

So, imagine, it is Sunday lunchtime and Steve is about to leave for a trip to Rome and we are trying to fit in a quick cooked meal BEFORE he leaves … about 30 minutes before we are ready to serve the meal the 4 travelers arrive. Following whispers in the kitchen about how much food there is and preparing a few extra veggies to increase quantities we offer them lunch – talk about feeding the 5000 with 5 loaves and 2 fish …. They seemed grateful for a home cooked lunch- the Germans, Andy and Veronica were a little overwhelmed with the hospitality. In true Twomlow style I offered the Germans to stay for a night in their camper van on the drive – this turned into 3 nights and they gratefully thanked me with some beautiful long stemmed thorn less roses! Must have worked out I was a sucker for flowers – very perceptive! They all went up to the Great Rift Valley for the day on Monday 6^th and took the twins (Anna’s mate’s visiting from Zimbabwe) This was very useful to me and they all seemed to have thought the trip was worth it for the stunning view – VW camper van broke down 3 times while they were out though.. Is this the curse of the Twomlows? On Tuesday they were able to get new shock absorbers for the VW – highly recommended for the speed bumps of East Africa. The Germans are planning to head for Amboseli having perused some of our safari photos and then to the coast when they will eventually meander down to Tanzania. They have all used the veranda as a dining room/ lounge and the staff quarter’s kitchen for cooking, so were able to be virtually independent as are the 2 brothers … yes ARE, the best laid plans of mice and men … December 10^th 2010 and they are still here (as it is getting towards the close of year I figured I should clarify that it is still 2010!!) – bearings arrived in Nairobi on Wednesday from Belgium via DHL and were collected from the EU offices yesterday BUT unfortunately only one bearing is correct (this was not a complete surprise as they had had suspicions but was still a big blow to moral I fear) … however they had a Plan B so hopefully the RIGHT parts will arrive with some travelers from Europe on Monday. Tried to lighten the mood with a communal dinner and movie night last night – Mugabe and The White African was maybe not a feel good movie BUT was fascinating to watch . tonight we will find something lighter….

Since being here they have discovered a problem with the functioning motorbike – so Julien is stripping the gear box today in the hope that he will discover and more importantly be able to fix the problem. Antoine has mainly stayed around the house catching up with computer work on the blog, sorting out photographs etc, etc. So he has evolved from sitting on the veranda working at his laptop to using the spare desk in the study and finally sharing the study this morning while I wrote Christmas cards …. I have enjoyed using my school girl French – but with me twittering away and being a dreadful middle aged distraction I must have driven him crazy! He has gone off in the tragedy car with the twins to the local Mall where he can use the free internet to upload photos to their blog and the twins are looking round the Masai Market – big help to me that they are all sorted out and I have the house to myself for a short time! I am old enough to be Mum to both (which has made me feel exceptionally middle aged!!) and I have been trying especially hard NOT to cluck like an old mother hen!! Probably failing miserably but airing on the side of the mature concerned!! Having spent much more time in Antoine’s company, it has felt like having an older son in the house who I have not seen in a LONG time – still would not want my dear Luke to get any ideas about motorbikes though – even after all these years bikes just do not do it for me – too scary!!

Before I finish – a clarification – Hairy Bikers – the nickname has come from me, as I connected them to The British TV cooking show called the Hairy Bikers – motorbikes and beards appears to be about all they have in common …..

‘til next time ….