Great news!

Poor Porkles!  In retrospect I think I would have rather been in Ghana than having to do what he had to do while in Johannesburg.  He eventually managed to get his visa and passport and was booked on a flight on the Thursday evening at about 5pm South African time.  While he was waiting, he had to buy some sunglasses for me as I had left mine behind and they are essential here.  The poor chap had very little cash on him, so in the beginning, had to buy a cup of tea with his credit card!  He also didn't have a charger, so had to switch his phone on and off intermittently to save his battery.  He was told to urgently get his Police Clearance while waiting. He managed to draw money from his credit card and pay the R300 each way to Kempton Park in the taxi.  Our doctor, who we could only see on the Monday before we left, had emailed a new prescription to me for him, so after many phone calls backwards and forwards correlating with the battery "on" period, I managed to email it to a chemist when Porks had already gone through passport control.  So he received this new medication at the last minute.

On my side, the television wasn't working when I got here, so poor Jose` rushed back from the office to help me!  I fiddled with my computer for three hours trying to get it connected to the internet and eventually managed! (Well done ME, Kell.) The toilet in our bathroom was blocked and I had to phone Porks during one of his "switched on" periods (phone wise, not brain wise!) to get permission to get someone from here to come and fix it as I couldn't raise Jose` on his phone.  I didn't get him either, but we managed to fix it without help.  There were no tomatoes, onions and fresh eggs in the house, so Theresa went into Bantama to find some for me as the guys were having supper here that night and I was cooking, not Sarah this time.

I wanted to bake some kind of pudding for the chaps that evening and when I opened the cupboard, hundreds of weevils rushed out to greet me.  They were in the flour, the bicarb, the cereal as well as the icing sugar.  Fortunately, I had brought two and a half kgs of flour from home, so the guys didn't have noonoos in their buns (raisin buns that is!) I have now placed all vulnerable and precious commodities in the refrigerator.

The electricity went off  while we were chatting and luckily Porks has taught me how to change over from VRA (Volta River Authority) (our ESC) to the generator.  The generator is at the back of the house and we had to go out in bucketing rain to start it.  Deon followed me to help me and we both got sopping wet but the rain here is always warm and not at all unpleasant.

Porks arrived back on the Friday afternoon but it took me quite a while to pick myself up from the setback and find my equilibrium again.

We have had wonderfully cool weather since I have been back, with either rain or cloud cover almost every day. Such a difference from the heat in the first months I was here. The mosquitoes are rife though because of the rain, so we have to be extra careful with repellent.

Genie is still battling to walk on our slippery floor but we take her outside as often as we can.  Its difficult though as being nocturnal, she is virtually blind in the sunshine and prefers the darkness of the house.  She and I connected the day after I arrived and when I am sitting on the couch knitting and watching TV, they both want to sit with me on my lap.

I couldn't find Genie the other night but saw a largish bump in the bed.  I got my camera ready and in the dark took a "blind" picture of my children. Sweet, hey?

 

 

We bought these "ayesu" in Atebubu the other day.  Made from ground mealies, ungrounded/unground/ungrinded ground nuts then deep fried and rolled in sugar.  Porks said it reminded him of home as it tasted of phutu.

                                        

Porks had been been back for a day when we invited the two new South Africans for rugby and breakfast on the Saturday morning. We also had them around for supper one night.  We had a roast pork that we had bought in Accra which cost GHC 21.46 for 1.3kgs - cheaper than the broccoli I wanted to buy!!

Wayne Beswick (Pietermaritzburg) was here to supervise the building of prefabricated houses but completed his work and went home after two weeks.

Neil Halshausen (Now Scottburgh but Highflats originally) is here to support Porks in the clearing and planting. You won't believe this!  Neil and I were at Stirling Primary School together in East London.  We were in the same class in Sub A, Sub B and the first term of Std One in 1965, when my family moved to Pietermaritzburg!  He is a softly spoken, gentle, amiable, considerate and empathetic man and was born in April of 1957, so we are very similar! (Hahaha!)  What a small world! (More importantly, how did he remember me?)

 

Neil is new to Ghana but not to Porks. They have known each other for years being in the timber industry together. He arrived the day before Porks flew home to South Africa, so has been here three and a half weeks.  John the driver, Neil, Porks and I went to Kumasi yesterday to buy some much needed groceries. 
                                                                                   
                                                                             Not this!

                                                                              

 

                                                                   Look - I'm famous!!

                             
Yes, (elbow pumping) I'm not genetically modified, am internationally No.1 but have only been of any quality since I got married in 1981! Thanks Porks.
                                        


When I want to know how Porks is really doing, I ask him what number he is emotionally out of ten.  He has been fluctuating between one and one and a half since I have been here, and was in the minuses before I arrived.  With the emotional support of Neil who also understands how braaivleis, rugby, sunny skies and Chevrolet work, he is now up to a seven! 
                                                                   The best news!
                                                   Shan is smiling louder than ever!