Rather than go back to bed which had been our, or at least my, original plan I googled the kick4life restaurant which I knew did breakfast and found it started serving at 7 so after the boys (well 2 of them) dutifully did their morning runs, we piled into the car and I drove, rather cleverly I thought as I did not know exactly where it was, to the restaurant where by 7.30 we were seated around a lovely table eating a full English breakfast. Kick 4 life are a charity I have come across before who use football skills to help youngsters in schools learn about HIVAids. They do a great job and the young couple who were a huge force in it's implementation are connected with my mum's church....they world is a small place. Breakfast was amazing....and English chef with local waiting staff produced us a breakfast fit for kings and they even managed a decaf latte! All 5 of us ate and drank as much as we could want for £5 each.
We got back before 9 when I went straight into playgroup and set up play dough and colouring tables while Alison went back to the clinic to work and the boys went over to the school to plug a mouse in which we had bought to make 2 more computers work at the school. (There were 2 computers so there were two things to plug in but I have spent a long time re writing that sentence because I don't think there is a plural for a computer mouse....I am pretty sure it isn't mice). There is a joke there ......How many English men does it take to fit a mouse to 2 computers? clearly in this case 3. Where one goes they all go now, there is male solidarity building here, a bit like the 3 musketeers (us girls can only dream). Talking of which, the first night we were here, we were in our lounge area sitting round a table chatting when there were strange noises from down the corridor. As one man, all 3 stood up to go and investigate while Alison and I wondered exactly what they would have done had it been more than just the wind!
Anyway back to the day. Craig ended up teaching an hour and a half of maths over at the school which he thoroughly enjoyed while Christian came back and got some balloons out for the children. his plan wa to do some balloon modelling but in true African style the minute the children saw the balloons they wanted them so there were a lot of snakes around and some he managed to make into hats for them . They loved it but as you can probably imagine within half an hour there were no longer 25 snakes but 25 popped balloons. It was fun while it lasted and the children were so good picking up the last bits of deflated balloon off the ground before going back to their houses for dinner. Playtime over we all met up and drove back into town again for a visit to the Basotho Hat.... The gift shop in the Main Street. They have been selling the same things in the gift shop for all the years I have been coming so i wasn't planning on buying much for me but I did fulfil a request for some friends back at home if they are reading this, and also bought a few bits to sell for Beautiful Gate. I did, however, treat myself to a lovely tablecloth which I have often looked at. The exchange rate is in our favour so the time was right.
We then popped into the French cafe...a must for all trips to Lesotho. It is set in the grounds of the French consulate which also seems to be the German one too (???) and is run by an Eritrean called Solomon who I once had the pleasure of meeting. The rest of the team were all happy to eat but, hang on, we had a cooked breakfast a few hours before, so I was happy with 2 pineapple juices, both ordered at the same time as I have learnt that is an efficient way to do things out here. If you wait for a waitress to come back to you for seconds you could die of dehydration in the meantime! Blanket shopping was the next request so we drove to the mall where they had sold out of anything decent so we left Christian and Steve drinking a milkshake and drove back to the main street where it was rush hour to another store I knew . I wouldn't let the 3 musketeers all stay as I knew I might not be able to park so I dropped Alison and Craig off prepared to do a few circuits when I spotted a giant parking space outside the shop.... How cool was that?
All that done we managed to get back to BG in time for the children waking up. I should mention all this time it was about 28 degrees so it might sound as if we were rushing but we weren't. Time moves slowly over here....we pass through time while in the UK or in the so called 'western world' time passes us by. I haven't worked that out yet but it is true.
We had bought the children mini Kit Kats from England for their afternoon snack which I had fortunately kept in the fridge so they all went home munching them while the house mothers prepared baths and dinner and the inevitable feeding time followed.
Lindi, our lovely housemate cooked us a Basotho meal tonight which we enjoyed outside before the wind blew up quite quickly and the Lightning started. No rain tonight though. It was lovely to have Australian Allan back with us to share our meal. He had driven up to the Golden get park with his team where they are spending the. Night before their journey home continues. He is back here till 1 day next week, a day as yet undetermined I feel. Craig sadly was not feeling too well this evening so he and Alison stayed at home and chatted to Peter while the rest of us went and sat outside Bryan and Anita's house and caught up with the week's activities, we have not really seen too much of them over this last week as we have all been busy so there was plenty to say. The frogs are in abundance at BG this year and their noise is deafening- they eat the mozzies though so we can't complain. As Alison and I are lying in our bunks now we can't hear the crickets. It the other noises of Africa are all around. No cars, no planes but a gentle breeze, crickets and dogs barking incessantly...oh and that annoying mosquito that I am sure lives in our room and comes to visit every night. There are a few other random noises which make us break our silence and ask what it might be but I think we have out the world to rights tonight already so when I sign off now it will be sleep time for me. I have been up 9 hours. No work tomorrow....am hoping Craig is well enough to come to Mohale dam and drive over the mountain passes with us.
I don't know where the week has gone but we have achieved a lot... Not just serving Beautiful Gate but also opening our eyes to the world around. For Christian and Alison it is their first time in Lesotho . For one of them I am very certain it won't be their last. We are looking forward to our last dy together tomorrow before we go our superset ways on Sunday. Please pray for safe travels for everyone on that day.
Much love.......
Jenny xxx. PS.....any snow yet ???
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