Trouble in the City!

On our journey back from Entebbe last weekend we stopped off in Kampala to meet Chris Foster. We first met Chris when she came to Potters Village in Kisoro a couple of years ago.  She now supports a project run by Francis in the slum area in central Kampala.

The project works particularly with children growing up in the slums. Chris is a nurse so she came out for a couple of weeks to advise the health workers in running the clinic.

 

Later in the week Malcolm had to go back to Kampala to sort out some issues with one of the ministries. He naively thought it would take a couple of hours. Five hours later, having had a battle with the ministry’s ‘user friendly’ (not) computer system some progress was made, he thinks (naively?)

 

Next week we, and Dr Corrie, are going to Nairobi for a CMS Conference. It looks like the flight arrived early for Dr. C.

 

This week’s Proverb from the BBC Africa web-site is from Nigeria: “The sky is too big for two birds to clash”

Raise the Flags! Light the Beacons! The Eagle has Landed!

It’s been an exciting week with everyone getting ready from Irene’s return from England.

The hospital’s flags have been flying.

(The flags are the national flag of Uganda, and that of the Kingdom of Buganda)

 

Rory arranged a Bar B Q for Malcolm and some other friends.

 

Malcolm went to meet Irene at the airport

 

 

Irene was soon back into a familiar routine.

 

This week’s Proverb from the BBC Africa web-site is from the local Buganda Tribe: “An eagle does not eat clouds - it still comes to the ground to feed”

Malcolm's Get Away

This week Malcolm went on a visit to South West Uganda. For the first part of the trip he had a lift with Richard. He is the country manager of one of the hospital’s major funders. Enroute we visited another ISIS project – a home for former street children whose education and care ISIS have funded.

 Malcolm’s first visit was to Kisiizi Hospital to complete the audit of the Power Company. There is no mains electricity to the area so the Hospital has to generate its own. It sells its surplus to the local community which helps keep the running costs low. Apparently it is the most reliable electricity supply in Uganda – which is not saying a lot.

 

At the end of the audit George, the Manager who visits from the UK during the winter months, gave a tour of the power house

And then onto Kisoro to audit the accounts of Potter’s Village. We first arrived in Kisoro in late 2010 and even in that short time there have been many changes as the town as expanded.

 On Friday Malcolm returned to Kiwoko. The total journey took about 16 hours door to door. Time for a rest, me thinks

 

The ‘bug of he week’, spotted on George’s house, was a large beetle.  Even though it had lost a leg it was still able to climb up the wall. Tough these African bugs!

 

 This weeks Proverb from the BBC Africa web-site is from Kenya, and was particularly helpful to Malcolm in keeping him going in the past week: "He who starts on a long journey does not put a banana to roast under the ashes”

 

That's Amaizing!

Whilst the cat’s away…….

Malcolm is surviving with Irene away  -  in fact he’s getting up to all sorts of mischief.

 

This week he was spotted caressing a ripe pineapple – something which for good reasons  isn’t normally allowed in the house because Irene can’t stand the smell. They are very common and delicious local fruit which cost less than 40 p each.

Later he was discovered sniffing (some might say snorting) some fine white powder which came from some small plastic bags he was holding. Any suggestions what this might be?

 

In the maintain there seemed to be some sort of man-hunt going on in the maize field just at the rear of Irene and Malcolm’s house. You might think Irene is in England, but…..

 

The bug of the week is a spider which seems to have found its lunch.

This week’s African proverb from the BBC website is from Nigeria “You can tell a ripe corn by its look”

P.S. Malcolm would like to thank his many friends here for enabling him to survive by feeding him including Denise, Rory, Corrie, Becca, Mairead, Sarah and Raymond.

Hair today, Gone tomorrow

New Year – Time for a new haircut.

The UK news this week seems focussed on the Prime Minister’s hair. (Can’t be much else happening, then)

 In the past few weeks there has also been some concern at the state of Malcolm’s hair so it is time for his annual shearing.

One of the personal ‘hygiene’ problems of living here is how to get a haircut. The local hair dressers may be excellent at shaving heads, or spending all day braiding hair, but not necessarily so good at ‘4 on top, 1 at the sides’ or styling.

Fortunately Mairead is at hand.

Malcolm wasn’t too sure how it would turn out (nor seems Mairead?).

Having tackled the impenetrable, Mairead enjoyed the easier task of tidying up Irene.

However, the ‘bug of the week’ did not seem too happy.

 This week’s African Proverb from the BBC web-site is from Liberia: “The wisdom of a person cannot be determined by the number of grey hairs on their head”

P.S. Apologies to all her fans, but Irene has returned to the UK for a well deserved 3 week break. So, no more photos of her for a few weeks. Please keep watching anyway.

Free with the Wild Life

This week Harrods Store announced the closure of their Pet Department, which used to sell exotic animals. To fill the gap in the market we have found some wild life of our own.

Following our New Year break in Jinja we went north to Murchison Falls Safari Park, with Rory, Denise and Gideon.

 We will simply leave you with a selection of animals we saw.

 

 

This week’s African Proverb from the BBC web-site is from Ethiopia: “A fool is thirsty in the midst of water”

A Rest on the Nile

For a break we have been to Jinja over the New Year with Corrie.

Jinja is the second largest town in Uganda, at the source of the Nile on Lake Victoria. Our lodge was on a hill overlooking the Nile at what used to be the Bujagali Falls – until a dam was made for a new hydro-electric scheme.

 Malcolm took the opportunity to try out a hammock on the verandah of our room.

He also made the most of the restaurant at the lodge

Irene and Corrie enjoyed chilling out in a local coffee shop.

They also found the weather unseasonably chilly - for Uganda.

We visited a small weaving factory and had a tour of the workshop.

There were a number of new bugs. There were very small ants, and monster ants...

.....and something which may have been a frog

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This week’s African Proverb from the BBC web-site is from Uganda: “You don't punish a fish by throwing it in water”