Colin and Audrey

Fun Audrey and I decided we needed a break and went with Joe, the driver to Kumasi to drop Hans off at the airport and to do some shopping.

Audrey bought her return ticket from Kumasi to Accra at the airport and then our eventful day started.  We bought meat, groceries, cheese, wine, medication, fruit and vegetables all at  different stores.

 

Joe bought a TV from the side of the road for the foresters and it took pride of place in the front seat next to a hot and thoroughly wet Joe.

We had been asked to go and find out about a table tennis table, so we entered Melcom Store.  I was just ahead of Audrey walking up the stairs and at the top one, I tripped.  She had just opened her mouth to admonish me, and she did the same thing.

We giggled as we checked why and found out that the top step was at least 2 cm higher than the others.  On the way down we were extra careful but Audrey "joked" that she had pulled a muscle in her inner knee.  I laughed and laughed and she said "I'm serious, I have pulled a muscle!"  Oops!  So when we got back to the car, I found her a bottle of iced water and she sat with that between her knees as we went from shop to shop.

One of the last stops was at a pharmacy to buy Imodium and Coartum (the local malaria medication for Justin - Justin case!)  Joe had told us that we were giving Peter a lift back to Bantama, so we moved the TV to the back of the Fortuna.  We were asked to go to the office to collect pizza.  So then we were confused.  Did we move the TV for Peter or for pizza?  After more giggling, pizza ended up sitting on the front seat.  Hmmm, these Ghanaians, sometimes they talk funny!

It took us from 1pm to 4.30pm to complete all the stops as the traffic was horrific. Although it probably would have been quicker to walk, we were happy to be sitting in an air conditioned vehicle.

During the past weeks we have had a braai at Colin and Audrey's house, a braai at Deon's house, a braai at our house, a curry at Colin's house, a cottage pie at our house for Colin's 60th on the 20th January and then lastly a curry at Colin and Audrey's house to celebrate Audrey's birthday on the 22nd January.

Porks, Deon and Willem.

 

Willem, Colin and Audrey. 

Happy 60th Colin!

A lovely picture of Colin and Audrey on his 60th. 

 

 

There are no vehicles available for us to use as they are either being used for work or have broken down.  Colin and Audrey had to visit us on the quad bike...

...and we had to visit them on the mule.

So much for the dry season.  We had a wonderfully refreshing 22ml thundershower on the night that we had organised a braai....nothing could stop the enjoyment of the dust settling and cooling rain.

 Colin and Audrey have a house like ours - falling off the wall/sink things!

 

          A Boer maak 'n plan. Al weer.

  

So, we have been soaking up the company while the company has been available.  Unfortunately my new friend Audrey has left to go back to South Africa so now we wait with just Colin here until Roz arrives with Deon and the girls on the 12th February.

Porks had been feeling desperate for me and put the word out that he was looking for a puppy.  While circling the house on Wednesday morning, Samuel 2 (there are 4 of them!) arrived at the gate with this little flea-ridden tyke. Aww man! I took it from him and placed it on the cement and he ran away; the puppy not Sam.  I went towards him with some meat and he growled at me, cowering and then yelped in a high pitch as though I had kicked him, "aaarr aaarr aaarr aaarr aaarr".  I realised that this was the first time he had ever seen an obruni! I managed to coax him towards me and he ate some meat, then had a huge wee and a diarrhoearous poo.  I bathed him and wrapped him in a towel and he fell fast asleep.  "Magie vol, ogies toe".  It took 15 minutes for this little chap to trust me.

 So, my heart is healing very quickly with the love and quick trust of a dear little puppy.

 

 

Ooops, I did it again!

 

Just before we left to come back, we met up with Porks' best man Ronald Corbishley.  He and Angie, my bridesmaid, who now lives in England and is married to a very special man, Henry, are still great friends of ours.  Brigit, their second daughter, is due to have her first child in February and Jannet, their first daughter, is getting married in September in South Africa.  It will be wonderful to see Angie and the girls again.

 

Departure day.

Due to some smooth talking and charm, we managed to get priority loading stickers onto our four suitcases this time, which then gave me peace of mind all the way to Accra.

We then said sad farewell to Kell, our darling daughter and started the long journey back to Ghana.

 

The 2013 matric results had been published in the newspaper and after more charm, we managed to obtain one from the steward in business class as the papers hadn't yet been delivered to the airport by the time we had left.  Our good friends, the Higgs' daughter, Taryn, had done very well and received 8 A's.  She must have her father's brains because he told us that in his matric year he got 3 A's.....when his Dad opened his report card, he shook his head and said "Ay, Ay, Ay!"

 

Anyone need a sleeping partner?

We arrived in Accra and had to snake our way past the "yellow fever" check point to immigration. In line were two young people we had met in the queue while waiting to go through the x-rays in Johannesburg.  We hadn't realised that they were also going to Ghana and staying in Accra.  He has a job in construction. While we were explaining to them that we still had to travel 9 hours north, another gentleman asked where our final destination was.  It ended up that he works on a Jatropha Farm near Yegi, one hour north of Bantama, so we swapped telephone numbers and agreed to meet up for dinner.

We were picked up late from the airport and taken to the Oak Plaza Hotel.  It has been the best hotel we have been in so far but the confusion is that there are two Oak Plazas in Accra and one takes a chance as to which one has been reserved. We were helped by Ghanaians named Stephen, Theophilus, Benjamin, Mercy etc. and were glad that at least they have names we can remember and spell.

 

We went to the Holiday Inn for supper and met up with camera-shy Ian Crawford.  He works three months on and three weeks off in Yegi but his home town is Shelly Beach.  He is also lonely in Yegi, so we told him to come and see us anytime that he wants to get away.  He also has to have a driver so we'll see if he manages to arrange an outing.  The guys had hamburgers and Porks swears it was the best hamburger he has ever had!

I changed my watch to Ghana time and set my cell phone to wake us up at 6.30am.  We woke startled from a deep sleep, bleary eyed, hearts pounding and in pitch darkness. Porks eventually slurred "its 4.30 Shan". Ooops, I did it again!
My scrambled egg for breakfast the next morning was delicious!  

The trip to Kumasi was uneventful besides the fact that we had to pay R500 for excess baggage and the fact that the electricity went off twice while we were in the airport.  Flying over Accra and Kumasi, we noticed that the only tarred roads are those close to the airport.  We think that 80% - 90% of the roads in Ghana are dirt roads.

Driving home was a relatively easy trip with a couple of naps on the way and we arrived in Bantama at about 3pm.

We brought caps for two of our special people.  One for Papengarru, the local tomato farmer. The cap he is wearing we bought at a shebeen in Mbali in Pietermaritzburg.  We had a bridal shower there and bought one as a souvenir.  He has such a beautiful white-toothed smile but this is obviously how some Ghanaians are used to posing.

The other cap we brought for Isaac, one of the drivers, to whom I had to explain that SANBS means South African National Blood Services.  I can only donate twice a year at the moment as one has to be away from a malaria country for three weeks before they'll take ones blood.  I wondered if he understood the concept of our donating blood to saves the lives of others?

We bought our new house assistant, Augustina, a bracelet.  I met her the day that I left for South Africa.   Theresa, our other helper, has had a baby daughter.

 

 

On Saturday evening we went for a braai with our new colleagues, Colin and Audrey Croudace, who live about 4 kilometres away from us.  We had a wonderful, fun evening with them and we know they would have made a vast improvement to our social lives BUT sadly, after a month here, he has resigned. Audrey leaves on the 23rd January and we are hopeful that Colin can stay until Deon gets back with Roz on the 12th February.  Deon is also here at the moment, but leaves again on the 21st January.  

We still have both their birthdays to celebrate next week, so we are focusing on the present and just enjoying their company while we can.  I am so sad for Porks as he and Colin get on extremely well. They have the same work ethic and the same vision and he is another South African who understands the complexities and challenges of working in a strange and foreign environment.

 

Walking in to an empty house without my Gundi being here to greet us was more difficult than we could have imagined.  It has been just over a week and I am still battling to find my positive attitude and things for which to be grateful. I catch myself tearing up when walking past his jungle gym, finding his ball, seeing his toys and ladders, finding his little packet of diced chicken in the freezer and while cooking in the kitchen. I also find myself watching where I walk in case I stand on him.  Any movement on the floor, shadows or curtains moving, makes me think it is Gundi and then suddenly my heart sinks again. Sitting at the computer is heart breaking as it brings back memories of him scuttling to me and screeching to be picked up, so I have put off writing this post.  In every aspect of my day Gundi was involved and I have nothing to talk about to Porks when he comes home in the evenings. I know I will heal with time but I am so sore and so lost without him. He was my only source of joy and gigglement during the day, and night, and I am finding it difficult to find the silver lining in being back in Ghana.  Porks feels the same way and we both bring out the tissues when we talk about him. I know it will improve, it'll just take time.  Walk through the pain, Shan.

The end and the beginning

It is nearly time to return to Ghana and I am a little apprehensive about going back this time without my Gundi to greet me.  The positive side of this story is that Audrey, Colin's wife, will be there for a while and that should assuage some of the loneliness for me.

I have had such fun while I have been at home though.   Besides partying with all my normal? friends whom you have already met, we spent some time some of our other friends too.

                    Sandy McKenzie, Hazel Hosking, Charleen Hulley, moi and Jenni Marwick.

 The manne.  Stu McKenzie, Craig Marwick, Lance Hosking, moi's man and Mike Hulley.

 

Kelly, Roger, Andrew and I went fly fishing in the Tugela River near Winterton.  The boys did most of the fishing though. 

 

  Kell caught a little yellow fish.

 

Roger persuaded me to have a go and he cast in for me. I just had to "jiggle" the rod and reel in slowly.  On the second cast, I hooked a fish and zweeeeeee went the line.  Roger was so excited and asked if he could reel it in for me as I probably would have lost it.   After quite a few minutes of playing the fish he brought it to shore.  We measured the yellow fish and it came to 58 and a half centimetres.  The largest Roger had ever seen.

We had to decide to whom the fish belonged as I had hooked it but Roger had cast and reeled it in, so neither of us could honestly claim it.  So we decided that "Shager" had caught it!

Roger posing with our fish.

Me, posing with the same fish!  Look at the difference in size! Oh my word, these crafty fishermen!



 

 My special little family together!

 

 

Christmas Day with our wonderful friends, the Nicholson's and their two sons in law. Oh, and Mabel of course, the little black bundle of happiness.

 

Unfortunately Andrew had to get back to Cape Town just after Christmas, so we took him to the airport and met our great Pinetown friends for lunch.

My stalwart friend Lyn Dales who has had some challenges to face the last few months but continues to be radiant and positive, and her husband Brian who has been the family's pillar of strength and guiding light.

 

 

 One of their sons Greg and his darling wife Desiree.

 

 The twins, Andrew and Greg who were both at school with our Andrew.

  

 I had tea with Pippa Nicholson and Rina, our earth angel friend.  Giggles, giggles and more giggles.

 

New Year's eve spent at our special friend's beautiful home, the MacGillivrays. 

Karen Poole, Porks and gracious Amanda Greene.

 

 Amanda, John Farr and Robbie MacGillivray.

 

 John Campbell, Britt Stubbs and Leigh MacGillivray.

 

 Robs, Shan, Ren Stubbs enjoying the love and Bronwyn MacGillivray.

 

 My wonderful Robs and me.  Robbie was one of my special friends who visited my parents and my mom-in-law in Amberfield when I couldn't get there.

 

Two of the three MacGillivray girls, Leigh and Bronwyn.  Kirsten is in Thailand at the moment but we were all together in spirit.

 

Shan and Charlie MacGillivray.  He and Robbie have always opened their hearts and their home to my family.

 

Herewith endith 2013 and the year 2014 begineth!

Happy New Year!

 

 

 We had tea with our friends from Richmond, Trevor and Rae English.

 

 Lunch with their son Robin and Bridgette, my busy and generous friend.

 

We met up with Deon and Roz, our soon to be Ghanaian friends and their two pretty little girls, Emma and Hannah who are hopefully going to somehow take the place of my Gundi.

 

 

After some concerns about my having no confirmed booking, it now seems we are both booked to leave tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. This time Porks and I fly together.  I am almost finished packing but am still throwing in last minute essentials as well as trying to squeeze in requests from other expats.  We are having one more braai tonight under our beautiful blue South African skies and then early to bed to get ready for an early start in the morning.

Huge squeeeeze!