Days 17-18. Mon 3rd - Tues 4th May
Lilongwe
Monday is a day of rest, although I am up with the sun out of habit. It
is a holiday and the kids have no school so while Picaninny takes charge
of the pile of laundry the rest of us drive into town to pick up a few
essentials and let me change some money.
In the afternoon I open my bag of goodies. As well as the bits for
the computer and for the Land Rover there are presents for Ken, Charlotte
and the kids both from me and from Gaynor (the UK director of the
PAW project). Then I get onto the computer,
install the CD writer and the sound card, and get all the photos off my
camera and the "diginocs". It looks like I have got a few useable pictures
with them after all.
Later we go for a walk with Ken's two vimeranas, Donner and Blixom.
Kenny is desperate to play with my frisbee, and ends up throwing it over
the hedge into the tobacco field next door. It is going dark and eventually
we have to send Picaninny round with a lamp, but they find it eventually.
Kenny is fined some pocket money and is very contrite.
On Tuesday I start work. The morning is spent ringing round various
people who may be able to help with the project. This is a frustrating
task as the Malawian phone system is a bit hit and miss, and nobody seems
to have answering systems, even on their mobiles. I feel somewhat inadequate
in this line of work and am happy whenever Charlotte has a computer question
to get me back into familiar territory.
The kids are home from school at 12:30 which puts an end to the peaceful
working environment.
Ken announces that I am to go off to Mwabvi in the morning. I'd expected
to go down with him, but has plenty to do in Lilongwe and decides that
I can cope without him. Auxies, who was one of the drivers on the African
Odyssey trip, and is still employed as Ken's mechanic, is to come with
me as driver and interpreter. We set to to organise tents, provisions etc.
In the evening Ken braiis sausages for supper (braii - South African
for barbeque).
