Surprise!

Surprise!

I have changed my mind. As my Dad would say, "That's how you keep it clean Shannie!"
Yoh! I really miss my parents. And my children. And my family. And my friends. And...

I had to weigh up my reasons for stopping against the reasons for starting again. No contest. I have had withdrawal symptoms and have felt disconnected and alone. Being in contact this way fulfils my soul and that is more important to me. I have not posted for months and there have been a few changes in our lives.

We live in a little Estate called Rehoboth in South Africa and I saw this vehicle in Accra!

The Shinning Spot in Kwame Danso.

If you want to improve your life better then use shine-feel!

Todd has joined the team.  He is from Canada and has been employed to run the mulchers and chainsaws. He has gone back to Canada but comes back permanently in the next few days. The team is growing and this should make everyone's lives more interesting and varied.

Per and Anna have arrived.  They were here for 7 weeks before flying back to Sweden to tie up some transactions before coming back here on a permanent basis.  Per is the new GM and Anna will also be working for the company.  Per has already made a difference and Anna is enthusiastic and a breath of fresh air.  It will be wonderful for me to have a lady with whom I can share thoughts, shopping and bad hair days.  Yay, I have someone here who can speak girl! Per gets back this weekend and we hear that Anna should return sometime in September.

Bawa and Faustina got married last Sunday and we were invited to the wedding.  It was slightly different to Kingford's wedding in that it was less formal. Fortunately it was a relatively cool and cloudy morning.

Bawa waiting for his bride.

 He and Faustina did not acknowledge each other during the ceremony.

This delightful minister also gave us English words of wisdom as the other one had.  He told us that "one plus one equals one" to which I nodded while pointing out Porks and myself and then we both laughed...the minister and I. Not Porks. He is unaware of what is said at weddings! (Hey Pips?)

We were also told that there are "three important dates in ones life...birth, marriage and death". Another important lesson is that "marriage is a long conversation with short periods of disputes". Are you listening people?

The "come as you are" attitude is humbling and heart-warming.

Bawa and Faustina were called up to take their vows.

As with the other wedding this was happy, noisy and very casual.  The congregation were quite at ease chatting amongst themselves and walking around while the ceremony was being performed.  We could all learn lessons from these non-judgemental and tolerant Ghanaians.  The crowd more than doubled once we had arrived and were very enthusiastic in showing their support.  The bride and groom are in the middle there somewhere.

"You may now kiss the bride" to whoops of cheering and laughter.

 The shy newlyweds.

Gilbert sat next to me and translated the messages spoken to the congregation.  He was extremely helpful and a real gentleman.  He met us at our vehicle and showed us to our seats. We, as always, had v.i.p. treatment and positions.

A few Ghanaians were sent to South Africa for nursery, plants not people, training.  One lady, Emelia, came back and proudly said to Porks, "Sawubona, unjani?" with hysterical laughter! Delightful!

The electricity has been behaving relatively well for more than a week now. Phew! Before that, it had been going off for more than 12 hours every day. Our fridge balances on a shelf and one morning I heard a huge bang. The constantly defrosting fridge had leaked onto the shelf which eventually disintegrated and collapsed.  I phoned Porks to tell him that our fridge had committed suicide.

On Tuesday while Porks was at work there was loud cheering, drumming and singing coming from the school grounds near our house.  Lizzy, my helper, told me that schools from the nearby villages and our local Bantama schools were having a dance and drama competition. So I went along with her to watch.

I peeked over our wall to observe the activities.

We arrived to excited crowds of school children, teachers and dignitaries.  I was, again, ushered to a comfortable chair in the shade with the main manne.

The children had skillfully crafted these intricate vehicles.  Note the rear-view mirrors nogal!

 The girls and boys danced in rhythm to their peer's drumming and singing.

Then they performed mini plays in English to much raucous laughter.

I watched for approximately two hours but it only finished in the late afternoon.  Lizzy informed me the following day that the teachers were grateful that I had attended.

Guess what? Bantama schools won!

I bought three pieces of Ghanaian fabric to take home with me. Each piece costs 50 Cedis, about R170, for 6 yards. That is how it is sold. The colours and designs are bright and unusual. One is for a tablecloth, another for a quilt. 

The third I have had made locally into a dress for approximately R70, the equivalent of 20 Cedis. If by any chance we are invited to another wedding or another formal occasion, I'll be able to dress up and blend in with the other Ghanaian ladies and not be conspicuous!

I had to do a little tweaking but it turned out very well.

I leave to go back home again on Thursday. 

Its great to be back.

Blogging that is!

8 April 2015

I know I am biased but this was the most perfect wedding!  Without the help of all our family, friends and the supporting companies, it would not have all come together like it did. A huge thank you to you all.

On a cloudy day on Wednesday 8th April 2015, before the ceremony, we and the bridesmaids travelled to a farm just outside Pietermaritzburg and had a few professional photos taken.  The photos that I have posted are from Andrew's cell phone.

Kelly and her wonderful bridesmaids.

Two of my most favourite people in the world, Kelly and Andrew.

Our special family.

It was Roger's dream to fly Kelly to the venue and up until that morning it was not certain that the weather would comply.

Kelly and Andrew with the helicopter that flew Porks, Kelly and me to the wedding venue.

Kelly and me with some of the beautiful flowers that our friends had worked so hard to arrange.

Me and my very precious daughter.

Kelly and Roger saying their vows.

Sigh! Perfection!

The photos from the lead up to the wedding and decorating the venue etc., have taken too long to upload so please just enjoy these few from the actual day.

My birthday was the following day and again I am overwhelmed and grateful for all the wishes and love sent to me from all over the world.

Porks and I flew to Johannesburg the following Tuesday to catch our connecting flight to Accra. We arrived in Johannesburg 20 minutes early as the pilot announced we were given a shorter route!  I thought all flights flew the shortest route....ah well, we live and learn.

The 'plane parked quite a distance from the terminal and we had to board a bus to take us to "arrivals".  The automated lady on the bus spoke in a Chinese accent which brought the normally statue-like passengers unexpected light relief and joy.  "We are now turning reft"  was enough to bring the house down and one gentleman was quick to announce "This must now be our 12th official language."

We have been back in Ghana for nearly two weeks.

After much contemplation and sadness I have decided to stop posting on my blog. I will continue to write our news on an email and then send it in bulk to those of you who are interested in reading it. Please let me know if you'd like to be included and I'll gladly keep you informed of our adventures.

To all of you who have supported us so far, you will never know exactly how much it has meant to us to have you in our corner!

THANK YOU

800 Days

We are back again in Ghana and have been for over two weeks. 

We had a wonderful time in South Africa and celebrated a fabulous Christmas and New Year with our family and friends. 

Roger's little nephew, Keegan, turned two and we had managed to get him a little wooden Ghanaian aeroplane which enthralled him. 

We celebrated our fabulous couple's engagement with their friends but unfortunately some very important family members couldn't join us.

So Pippa photostatted and cut out those missing family members and we had them on sticks. Jokes were bantered about how "legless" they were and how they couldn't hold their heads up in our company!  So actually, Porks and Andrew were there.

  

As were Sarah, Orf and Emma and the Holt family - Brad, Melissa and the very precious and much loved little James. (Lovely scarf hey, Britt?)

Roger has bought a property of land in Hilton and during the time we were there, Porks and Tony helped chop down some pine trees that were blocking the view.  What a lovely outlook now.

My four South African children!

Once we were all in one city, the four of us spent some much missed and needed family time together and I took every opportunity to record these precious moments. I really do have a wonderful family and am so, so grateful for them all.

Unfortunately the time to leave came around far too quickly and we had a last minute "selfie" at the airport before we flew off in our different directions.

On the flight back, I was gently reminded of my two little canine girls as I found Scruffy's hair transferred from my jersey to the airline blanket!

As we flew from Accra to Kumasi the following day, there was a distinct line where the dust from the Harmattan winds met up with the clear sky.  Its a dry wind from the Sahara, charged with dust that blows along the northwest coast of Africa.  The airport had been closed for at least three days as the dust made for poor visibility. 

Getting back to Buddy was my saving factor.  The Bantamanians have really taken to him and have his well being at heart.  Apparently while we were away, Augustina couldn't find him one day, so a BOLO was put out over the village's loudspeaker and he was soon returned home.  I am relieved to know that he still loves to wander around the village, eating scraps and chatting to the villagers, even while we are with him, so that pacifies me when we have to leave him behind.  Augustina has left us to go back to "school" to study Home Economics.

When we arrived home, the house was covered in dust. Every surface has to be cleaned daily as even if the winds don't blow, it is so dry that the dust from the dirt road drifts in to the house. "Close the doors and windows" I hear you shout. But....the doors don't close properly as the wood has shrunk and the louvres don't fit snugly anyway.  I am constantly washing my dirty hands and cleaning all the surfaces with assistance from my new helper, Lizzie.  Apart from the dust, this is the season to burn everything and the bits of burnt grass also somehow enter the house.   This one is for you Kell, to show you Ghana is not always so green.

 Porks has been coming home later than usual as he has had to fight some ferocious fires.

We were watching television one evening when there was a sudden spontaneous roar from across the road.  I said to Porks that Ghana must be playing soccer, so we switched channels and continued to watch our home team get annihilated by the Ghanaians.  I am not really a soccer supporter so it gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling to know that our little village had some joy in their lives even though it was to our detriment.  When Ghana scored a second time, we switched to mute to listen to their excitement. Porks had the sulks though as he loves to win!

I had downloaded some new pictures from my trip to South Africa with some friends that you haven't yet met like Karl and Di Penzhorn and Graham, but after deleting them from my camera, I couldn't find them again on my computer! Sorry my friends, next time.

We have arrived back to the mother of all load shedding, people!  Porks said that the electricity has been off more than it has been on and I agree.  It often goes off for 12 or more hours at a time and yesterday was off for more than 15 hours.  It is so erratic and unreliable and that is partly why I have been discouraged from writing a post as the Internet also seems to be affected by it.  It is definitely getting worserer and worserer! But that is the reason why we are here to plant trees in Ghana! I am also reluctant to use the generator for that length of time as petrol is not always easily available in our remote village.  

I have also eschewed writing a new post as there is so little to tell you.  I have not left the house except for an half an hour's drive on Sunday and therefore there are no new photographs to show you. The great news is that I am going home early to help with Roger's and Kelly's wedding planning. 

Despite the ongoing Sturm und Drang here, I am managing to hang on because of your continued love and support. Thank you all again!  All being equal, minus the days we will spend in South Africa, we have just over 800 days left.

What makes you think I have been reading a lot, like, a lot, a lot?