SpRinG dAy!

Porks and I took Buddy for a walk in the forest and came across these loofahs.
Those of you who knew me when I was still living in Steele Road will remember how green my Daddy's fingers were.  He used to grow these and give them away in their hundreds. I remember doing an oral on loofahs in Standard One!  I still have some at home and am reluctant to use them in case I run out as they are the last crop of my father's vine.  Augustina told me that in Twi these are called "Sapow".

Buddy gets very excited when we go out and goes wild running about madly.  When he is away from me I crouch down and call him and he gallops towards me, with a smile nogal, ears back and his long front legs scissoring.  How he doesn't trip himself up, I don't know.

Porks must have been bitten or stung by something virulent as both his cheeks, earlobes and one neck swelled up, got hard and very itchy.  It worried him for more than a day and he even couldn't sleep! That's saying something!

So we decided to take a walk to the little clinic stationed behind our house on Tuesday evening.  Buddy walked with us and stood at the gate.  Joyce, the clinic sister and Kadek her assistant, competently took Porks' temperature, checked for malaria and measured his blood pressure.  Joyce then administered a weeks' worth of 6 capsules of antibiotics a day, pain killers and sleeping tablets.  While we were waiting, more patients arrived from the village and smilingly most of them greeted Buds with a "Buddy, Buddy, Buddy!"  I went to call him and he ran away from me with fear stricken eyes.  I then realised that he must have thought that the "clinic" was for him and he wasn't going to take that chance and hang around.  As soon as we came out though, he bounded happily towards us with that look of "thank goodness you have left that building!"

I had a bit of a panic on Thursday evening when I received an sms from Africa World Airlines to say that my 16h00 flight from Kumasi to Accra on Sunday was cancelled.  I phoned around trying to get another reservation but the cell phone communications are terrible and one can't hear the other person properly.  I thanked my lucky stars that at one time I had been a travel agent as to try and spell my name, surname and email address to Ghanaians over the tinny phone is ridiculous. "S"... "F?"... "No, S for..." then it all came back to me SIERRA! and we were away! Thank goodness the Starbow flight was available although departing two hours earlier but at least I should get to Accra.

I depart Accra at 22h30 on Sunday and arrive in South Africa on the morning of SpRinG dAy! Until we chat again, take care and stay safe my much loved family and friends.

A change of heart

I have had a change of heart due to another emotional week with Buddy.  He developed what seemed to be an abscess in his groin which popped open and he stopped eating.  He had supper on the Monday but then didn't eat again for two days.  The only way to fix this was to take him back to the vet in Kwame Danso for more anti-biotics. The first day of his three day anti-biotic course went off fairly smoothly although Buddy was not happy to be back at the vet.  While Buddy was there, I received an unexpected but pleasantly surprising phone call from Gloria, the vet in Kumasi, to ask how buddy was doing! That, plus the fact that when I went to Kwame Danso and witnessed the few facilities and little equipment that they have, I realised that I was harsh and judgemental and that the so called vets are just doing the very best they can under such difficult circumstances.  Benjamin, the Kwame Danso vet is a lovely, caring Ghanaian who too has phoned during the week to find out how his patient has fared.

The second day Isaac took Buddy and me for his second injection.  We had not yet reached home again when Buddy started to get extremely agitated.  He could not keep still in the vehicle and within 10 minutes of arriving home, he was covered in allergic bumps and was very disturbed.

We turned around, raced back to Kwame Danso whilst phoning the vet to warn him.  On the way, Buddy's little tummy was even having contractions!  I was panicking as I didn't know whether his trachea was closing up with the swelling.  Jeepers!  I was wet with perspiration and had a pounding headache at the end of this ordeal.

The vet gave him the antidote and he calmed down.
We had to go back on the third day.  This time the antidote was given at the same time as the anti-biotic. Benjamin said to me "Yesterday, I was afraid!"  Yes well, join the club Mr. Vet!

Porks, who knows very little about fairy tales commented that Buddy looked like "Rumpelstiltskin." Hahahaha!

We had to take the stitches out with Buddy gently biting my hand as if to say "please don't hurt me!"

He is back to being his happy, lovable and arrrrring self.

In the evening, when its not yet bed time and I go outside, Buddy is desperate to follow me, but doesn't want to go into his box, so he stands at the door and stares at me waiting to see where I am going!

I've been busy again!

One of the local men gave us some raw ground nuts.  It is interesting to see how they grow.

On the way back from Kumasi I was so hungry, so we stopped at a village and bought a roasted mealie. It came wrapped in some clever little person's school work.



I saw this sign Haylee. I looked and looked but very sadly I couldn't see you!

Someone found this little hare and gave it to the von Benecke girls to look after. We learnt quite a bit about hares and rabbits and their differences.

 Such a sweet little animal and was content to sleep in Em's pocket.

Em and Hannah with Snuggles.

Emma even made him a little house...

...and crocheted him his own blanket.

Sadly, on Sunday, Snuggles passed away.  Emma had made him his name in wire, so she placed it on his grave outside the house under a large, shady tree.

Hannah and Roz left on Tuesday for South Africa. Deon left on Friday and his father Giel, who had come for two weeks, and Emma, left today.  Sadly, my special time with the von Benecke girls in Ghana has come to an end and we go back to being Darby and Joan again.

A few bits of good news is that I now have an air conditioner in my furnace of a kitchen and our bedroom one has been fixed.

The Ghanaian Cedi is now 3.2 to the Rand which makes grocery buying a lot cheaper!



Our darling son, Andrew is safe and happy in Amsterdam.  He is there and in Madrid for two weeks.



Two of my wonderful friend's daughter's weddings are in September and I cannot miss these special occasions, so I have just over three weeks to go until I travel hooooome again.

Clapping hands and dancing with joy!