Independence Day

We went for a drive on Sunday afternoon to the houses to see how they are going and saw that three more two-bed roomed houses have been started. We took Gundi and Genie with us.

Jose` and Arno came to see us there and Arno fell in love with Genie. I would have let him have her (I do love her already but am worried about the relationship between her and Gundi when they get older) but he is still at the hotel and it is impossible for him to look after her there.

Porks tries to be a good dad and often picks the "kids" up and walks around with them on his shoulder.

They are both happy to balance there for some time.

This was the first time we took Genie out for a stroll in the bush.  We have only had her just over a week and when I put her down and walked away, she caught up to me in no time.  This little creature is fast!

She can climb well too. She climbs my leg even when there is no material to cling to.....ouch!

Well, on Sunday night the lights went off at 10pm and came back on at 11pm, so I was incorrect, they do come on in the middle of the night sometimes!  We have to use a remote control to switch the air-conditioner back on again after the electricity goes off as it doesn't come on automatically.  It tweets when it goes off (and wakes me) and tweets when I switch it back on again.  It went off so many times last night that I eventually fell asleep holding the remote in my hand, waking every now to check and then pointing the remote at the air conditioner to turn it back on again. We can see the hotel lights through the curtains, so know when the electricity has come back on. I didn't bother to open and close the windows this time as it had rained and cooled the air somewhat.

On Monday morning a lovely storm started at 6am!  Pouring rain, fairly strong wind and cool, cool air. (I thought of that little school Haze!) I stayed in bed with both my critters reading a book on my iPad until 8am.  The rain had stopped, the cement was dry, but there were still dark clouds around.  As I circled the house, the drizzle came again and after 20 minutes it was pouring!  What a pleasure exercising in the coolth! 
By the end I was wet as usual but this time my perspiration wasn't as salty!

Putting on my moisturiser after a shower was a pleasure!  It penetrated my skin this time and didn't swim around on top of my perspiration!  The sun only burned through at about 11am and still then it came and went throughout the day.....what a relief ....first "cloudy" day for me.
Tuesday was even better - cool all day with only a few electricity outages.





Genie has taken over Gundi's "house" now that Gundi is in bed with us.








When Genie is hungry, she squeaks like a squeaky toy - a short sharp sound, so cute, but insistent.  She sleeps most of the day and night at the moment so is quite easy to look after.







They seem to be getting on fairly well although Gundi is a little rough with Genie. I am not too concerned as Genie is already a faster runner and will eventually get bigger than Gunds. Then perhaps the tables will be turned. So I am giving Gundi his chance while he's got one.

They both eat the same thing at the moment. Genie has only baby teeth so the chicken has to be cut "small small" - as the Ghanaians say.

Then I add milk and sometimes an egg.

Genie still prefers us to feed her though rather than to take the food out of her lid on her own.


Wednesday 6 March was Independence Day.  Ghana became independent from Britain in 1957. (Great year that!)  There was no-one at work so we drove to Kwame Danso to buy some fruit and vegetables. 

In Bantama, the school children were marching in their neat little outfits to a live band.

Smart little girls in their uniforms.                

Marchers marching in March!

When we arrived in Kwame Danso there were huge celebrations.



 





The gloves were white socks.
A Ghanaian "maak `n plan" this time. (Hey Deidre and Louwsburg?)

Porks told me that those are wooden rifles.

These are the white gloved drum majors and  majorettes.



Saluting and standing to attention to the Ghanaian flag.

Another amusingly named beauty saloon! 

Its actually a salon.

 

                                    Obviously this time "Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder."

"Where Determination Exist Failure Can Never Dismantle The Flag Of Success.   In Jesus might."

Small business enterprise .   Ladies (in uniform nogal) sewing on their machines.

We managed to buy cabbage, onions, tomatoes and some "garden eggs" - the size of a chicken egg - tasting and looking similar to a brinjal.  I cooked them with garlic.  Not too bad. Another vegetable for us.  They reminded me of tree tomatoes.






The "wild sea" road is gone! See the hi-way to Kwame Danso. It is a pleasure driving on that road already and its still not finished.

Although we have been told that the rain we have had is a "false rain" and the rainy season really only starts in April or May, the farmers have started to plough their lands again, ready for planting.

 



This land is just off the main "hi-way".

 I couldn't find the Gunds.

 

So I looked in the bedroom............






I found him sleeping under Porks' just washed shirt.

I am thrilled that he is independent (well, it is Independence Day, silly!) and can move around as he pleases.

 

Gundi found a spider under the curtain. I moved the curtain to have a look and he growled, just like a dog! I don't think he was growling at me necessarily because even when I moved away he continued to growl.

He ate it and then immediately went to sleep.  I was a little concerned but he was fine.  Theresa found him another one this morning and he gobbled it up and went to sleep again!?

I made jam buns for Porks today.
This grosses me out (probably not good English but descriptive!) but even after thrice sifting my flour, there are still worms in it! 

I have to be careful of the cereal, the noodles and anything that can grow weevils and worms. 

The only reason that I keep using it is one: that I have no choice and two: they don't wriggle and are dead after being cooked!

I should keep the flour in the refrigerator but we have so many other items in there that there is no space.

                                 
Gundi does not like to be in a room when the air conditioner is on - its too cold for him.  Sometimes he insists on staying with us though, that is why I made him that little blanket and why he sleeps inside the bed with me. If he is with us in a cold room, I cover him with whatever is around so that he is happy. 
                                        I often get told....."Take a photo, Shan", so here is...

                                                             Little Gunds and Porks!

Our first "date".

Since Tuesday night, the singing and dancing has continued outside our house.  Fortunately it has only been during the day and early evening though.  In the middle of the singing on Tuesday night I said to Porks, "So these locals do their mourning in the evening!" (Well, I thought that was funny!) When it started again on Saturday afternoon, I took a photo from our bedroom window without a zoom....

 







 ..........and with one.

Whenever Porks came home from work this week, we looked at each other, lifted up our elbows and shuffled our legs, moving our bodies side to side in time to the music...copying the dancers.  Then we'd laugh with each other. As the music started again yesterday, I turned to Porks and said "How many people do you think have died in that house?"

As we were driving onto the main road I took a close up of the crowd. They were quite happy and seemed to be celebrating the person's life.






 Porks met the contractor who is levelling and grading the road. He invited Porks and me for drinks and snacks on Saturday night in Atebubu, where he is renting a house.  So we left at about 5.45pm just as the rain and wind started up again. We knew we were going to be late getting home and Gundi and Genie had not yet been alone at night.  We were concerned about them being alone in the storm. I fetched my hat, Gundi's new blanket and my jersey and arranged them on the couch at the top of his ladder so that he could climb up and down at will.  I put food out for both him and Genie and then closed up the house (for the wind) and switched off the lights.  I have a little tissue box made up into a bed for Genie that is placed in a bigger box.  She was quite happily sleeping there when we left.




Gundi's new blanket.

The sun was just setting as we left Bantama and drove into the on-coming rain.

We took a self-portrait of our first "date" as our host was fetching the drinks.

Jonny Adam, from Baskinta in Lebanon.  He is 29 years old and single.  He is running the family business as his father and uncle are getting old and are passing it down to him.  What a life!  Living on his own in Atebubu with no family or friends!
 

He put on a lovely and unusual Lebanese spread for us.  We had "labneh" (a yoghurt and olive oil dip) with Lebanese bread, sliced apple, carrots and cucumber.

  From right to left, top to bottom:

sliced cucumber   crisp Lebanese bread     labneh

carrots    apple
 

We also had "batengan" - also known as garden egg - a small brinjal-like vegetable, roasted and cut up with garlic and olive oil. Delish!
As well as "tabuli" - parsley, onion, tomato, olive oil and bulgar - a small wheat-like lentil.
(We have seen the "garden eggs" at the market in Atebubu but didn't know what they were and how to cook them so we haven't bought any....but now we will.)

Swalisu (Sale, pronounced Saaly, for short) is Jonny's Ghanaian cook and house-man.

(I wished I could steal him for us!)

We had a lovely, informative evening commiserating and sharing grievances and got home at about 9.30pm.  The lights were on...(all together)......yaaaay!   But one of the phases was off....aaaaah! 
The kettle was working.......yaaaay!  But the kitchen was in darkness.......aaaaah! 
The TV was working......yaaaay!   But the air-conditioner and lights in our bedroom were off.....aaaaah! We managed to get the kitchen fan working in the bedroom....yaaay!         
and that's all, so there's no more aaaah..........aaaaaaah! (Or is it .....yaaaaay?)

When we walked into the house, guess what we saw?  Genie was sitting on my hat, jersey and peeping out from under Gundi's blanket.........she had climbed up Gundi's ladder! Gundi had gone to the bedroom and was sleeping behind one of the little cupboards. (I have now brought in a "ladder" from outside for her to climb onto and off of the bed!)

This little mite is extremely clever too - we have had her a week and she is finding her way around without being taught!  She is a brilliant climber though and would normally be climbing trees, so it was natural for her to climb the ladder!  Here she is climbing up Porks' pants to get to him.

I have asked Porks to bring home a spade so that we can make a cat-litter for Genie....the smell of her urine is overpowering!


There is a Ghanaian custom called "chop", similar to a tip but it is not only for services rendered, its for anyone at any time. It is supposed to be allotted to ones wife to pay for food.  If you give someone their salary, "chop" is expected to be added.  When Porks sends the driver to Kumasi, he gets money for petrol, money for the tolls and "chop" money.  Anyone in authority will expect "chop" for allowing one to work on the land or when renting a tractor etcetera.  It apparently derived from when the British were here.  They'd give their worker money to go and shop and when they came back they'd say "keep the change", which then became shop/"chop" money. I don't know if that is true but I am making sure I have some "chop" when I go back home!

"Genie"

Tony and Ester, his lovely wife, came to visit us the other evening. She does not speak English, so it is difficult communicating with her. I asked Tony about the "pink chicken" we had seen at the market, and he told me they do paint them to "stop the hawks" from taking them. (Sorry Porkles.) We offered them juice or diet coke and they both chose cans of diet coke. Porky offered to open Esters for her and she said "No", she was taking it home for Paul. So I said, "and Cynthia". Little Paul definitely runs the roost at home and Cynthia takes second place but that is the way in most African countries.
                                                                 
                                                                    Ester, Tony's wife.

We really battle to obtain any sugarless drinks or healthy ingredients. We can buy normal coke and white flour, white rice, white bread, white pasta etc., but there is a shortage of "brown" of anything (ironically) and I really, really miss that!  

The local ladies are encouraged to run the home and fetch the wood and water etc., but the men, when they are not farming, sit or lie under the mango trees and socialise. So I think it is surprising for them to see me with Porks doing things together.

Unexpectedly, the pub man, Sarkwa, had told Porks the day before we went for goat to "Bring your wife next time you come." Wives are not often included in men's activities.

 We popped in to say hi to Tony on Sunday evening. He calls me "Shari", a combination between "Sharon", how I am introduced and "Shannie", what Porks calls me. We had bought him some bread in Atebubu in the morning. He gave us some Cashew "apple". Strange tasting. The skin was a little bitter and the inside was quite tough.

It has many nutrients and 5 times more Vitamin C than an orange, so I am going to force myself to eat it.

Apparently the shell of the cashew is toxic and that is why one only finds shelled cashew nuts in the shops.




                                                                     The cashew nut is attached to the bottom of the fruit!

(We hadn't been offered anything to drink, so as we were leaving on the quad-bike, I leaned forward and whispered in Porks' ear...."Lets ask for some milk and then we can take it home to Gundi.")

We had a lovely storm on Monday just after midnight. The first rains since I have been here. (There were storms when I got here and we could hear the thunder but we didn't get any rain.) The pelting rain on the tin roof was music to my ears!




I had to get up and open the windows and curtains as the electricity went off but at least this time there was a cool breeze.

Gundi and I stayed awake for a while. (Porks can usually sleep through anything but I am a very light sleeper.) He kept pushing his head up high, lifting his nose up and smelling the air, (Gundi, not Porks) so I took him to the window to watch the storm, just like my dad used to do with me! This rain smelled of hot wet dust and not wet grass, a scent that I dearly miss! Porks estimated that we had about 20mls at home, but they only had 5mls at the office where they need moisture so badly.

Well, since Monday night we have had a storm every night. On Tuesday the rains came early, so we were without electricity from about 5.30pm. We switched on the generator and had a "cold" shower then went to bed at about 8.30pm. Still having no electricity, we had to sleep with the windows open again but this time there was no breeze. At 12.30pm the drumming started. Then what sounded like metal spoons against tin lids joined in. Then rhythmical singing was added. As more and more people arrived and joined in, the sound got louder and louder. It was coming from across the road from us. It did not "Peter out" or "Fay'd away" until 7.30am! We found out that someone from that house had died that day and it is their tribes' custom to play music all night.

On Wednesday night, gusting (Really gusting, Melissa!) winds started that whistled through the closed louvres and still the dust managed to swirl in. Gundi hated the noise and tried frantically to get under the sheets but also tried to be with me! Porks switched on the generator and went to shower. I saw that the electricity had come back on, so went outside in the warm rain to switch the generator off. After I got back, the lights went off again, so I had to go outside and re-start the motor. Another night with no electricity. With no air-con, Gundi lying near me is just like a hot water bottle (and a bottle of bovril! Ha Ha!)

Last night......... again! Lights went off at 6pm. We went to bed at about 9pm, I was reading (luckily my Ipad has its own light) and the electricity came on again. So I got up, closed all the windows and curtains and switched the air-con on again. I got into bed, read and fell asleep and the electricity went off again. Up again, windows and curtains open, and back to bed. Some people in the middle of the night arrived in the road, hooted and hooted and then off-loaded some huge pieces of metal, banging and shouting for ages!

We don't hear much noise from outside if the air-conditioner is working.

When the rain abated (Is that right Em?) and I lay quietly, I realised that the white noise of the air conditioner is to silence the black noise heard from outside!

If the electricity goes off after 10pm, we know that it is off for the night and will only be switched on again at about 6am.

There has also been a shortage of petrol. Although Porks is extremely organised and we mostly have spare fuel for the generator, we cannot easily acquire more. Often Atebubu and Kwame Danso run out so we have to wait until they obtain refills. The petrol price has also gone up, so it has been difficult to justify the use of the generator for lighting, to keep cool, use my computer and to watch television.

Two little bibinis arrived at the house on Monday with a baby Genet. I was in two minds what to do as they wanted to sell it. If we had bought it, we would be responsible for the little critter until we leave but if we didn't take it, they would kill it, so what to do? Porks said, lets try and if it dies, it dies.



 So, heeeeeeeres ...arms spread wide, one up one down... ta daaaaaaaa, "Genie"!  (not you this time Sez!) ( Andrew named my new baby!)

Gundi meeting Genie for the first time. She is
interested and then nips at her ears and tail, wanting to play.

I am still getting to know this little creature, so I haven't much to tell you yet. She (?) is nocturnal but as she is still very young she sleeps most of the day and night. She is eating tiny bits of raw chicken. I have had to feed her milk and egg with an eye drop bottle but she is starting to try and lap up milk on her own.

I asked Porks to "trim" my hair, showing him 2 cms between my thumb and index finger. "Sure" he said..............cutting off 6 cms!!!  (Proving the joke about men and measurements!) HE is the one that likes me with long hair, so he is never again allowed to tell me when I come back from the hairdresser, "Your hair is too short!"

 

You are still my favourite, Gunds!

 

In three weeks time I will be on my way to Accra to fly home! Porks has chosen to go in July with me but I have a few commitments in April, so I am going alone this time. No count-down worm for me.....the last time was too traumatic so I am writing this very furtively!

 

The pub!



On Wednesday evening, Porks phoned me to say that he had to go with Tony to Kwame Danso to look at a tractor that the company wants to hire.  He said "I'm fetching you in ten minutes."  We went to see the tractor and organise a driver and then on the way home we all stopped at the "take away" to have some goat.

The chef cut pieces of meat off the bone and placed them on a piece of newspaper. He then cut pieces off what South Africans know as a "pofadder", the stomach filled with giblets and other body parts. The "pofadder" is the long dicey looking thing on the right hand side of the picture.

I picked it up to show you the insides but its not very clear.

 Porks then asked the owner/manager to cut some onion as well, so pieces of raw onion were added to the plate, along with some curry coloured pepper.






The corners of the newspaper were tied up with a twist of his fingers and then placed in a plastic bag.

 

Although the meat was a little tough and I had to chew it off the gristle, it was tasty. Another little adventure in an otherwise mundane day.




We then walked to the "pub" next door. An open air thoroughfare that houses chairs and tables under cover.  Happy music was blaring and Sarkwa, the owner, welcomed us.







We were asked if we wanted beer of coke, and we all chose coke.  We sat down to eat our pub snacks and drink our coke to the amazement of the locals.  

 


The little children around were too scared to dance with me, so Porks said to Tony, "Watch, this is how we dance in South Africa" and grabbed me and off we went!!! (Eyes wide! Who is this man?)




We spent about 15 minutes chatting and when we wanted to pay for the cokes, Sarkwa insisted that they were on him.  He is an ex-policeman who is retired and decided to run a pub in Kwame Danso.

                                            These cute felines were not interested at all!

It's amazing to me how a little outing like this boosts my spirits and energy levels for another week!
                                                                 Thanks Porkles.