4G 2023 06 29

 It is very unlikely that there will be any more posts in June this year! Tomorrow I fly, drive, eat, sleep, not necessarily in that order.

There is a story about a man who went to the wilderness.

He was excited to meet the solitude, he welcomed and shook its hand.

After greeting the solitude he spoke at length with it. He told it about many things and asked questions.

Questions to which he thought he wanted the answers.

Months later a degree of wisdom entered into the man's thinking. No longer did he listen so closely to what solitude did not reply.

Long walks with one set of footsteps and one-sided discussions were what the man needed.

When his time in the wilderness ended the man took solitude back to his house. They lived happily ever after.

4G 2023 06 25

 . . . and now the time is near, to make this year's exit.

I think I may have taught my final lesson of the academic year.

Paperwork and odd jobs to complete and then the packing to travel.

I used to throw things into a bag an hour before leaving for the airport. Gosh it is different now! I must be growing up, I actually plan the things I am going to take and I even plan how I am going to pack them!

Last week I spent days out on trips with year eights and year sixes when the one trip I wanted was the older students in year ten and eleven for their Duke of Edinburgh which has failed this year. Ask the boss about that one!

We have had staff meetings and trainings and I feel ready to rule the world now, inspired by the boss (not Springsteen – ask Adam [happy birthday Adam :-)] or your mom.

In Karonga we have had a staff change and now another one who does not seem to want to continue with us. Crops that have vanished, land that is no more. Hopefully, I will have six weeks of work to do and put right some errors. Any help gratefully received.

How has your summer term been? Are you finished nearly too? Exams, trips, anything exciting happening, or happened?

4G 2023 06 04

 I did indeed go out to the family gathering, good food and company. A few people I had seen before, so nice to catch up with them. A couple of new ones that it was a pleasure to meet and greet.

That was a couple of weeks ago now and in between we have had the weekend where the school celebrated its seventy five year anniversary. That weekend was also the birthday party of one of the people I had met at the 'gathering'.

I go to very few social events and then to have two clash is a nuisance, I missed the birthday party.

I took some pictures at the anniversary and posted them for the school so these are copies for you.

20230527 01 Before it started

20230527 02 Before it started

20230527 03 Coffee is serious business

20230527 04 Primary students performing

20230527 05 All that jazz

20230527 06 Museum preview

20230527 07 Museum open

20230527 08 Bezawit monologue

20230527 09 Elin traditional tale

20230527 10 Commemorative statues

The hall that the Primary students performed in was an original building from the earliest years of the school while Bezawit and Elin (both students of mine) were in the new auditorium. The man, Haile, opening the museum and unveiling the statues has been with the school all of his life.

In the evening we had a meal and some speeches, most notably online with one of the grandchildren of the founders.

This weekend has been a different occasion with the year thirteens graduating and they had a fabulous warm sunny day to celebrate around the grounds with their families and friends.

There has been alot of free cake just lately :-)

4G 2023 05 20

 What a week we have had here, how was yours?

Monday morning and a message from our great and glorious leader. A rousing rant to ready us for our labours.

After that, well all the days were going to be interesting. On Tuesday I got on a special bus, it goes between the hospitals of the city. Very useful for visiting patients.

It ran out of fuel so we got off, and then we got on another bus who was passing. It wasn't going to the same place but they would let us on with our tickets.

I sort of ended up where I meant to be. I was late getting back though. Cooking my dinner did not appeal so I bought samosas from the lady around the corner.

Meetings and mixed ideas abounded this week at work. I saw briefly my schedule for next year which was interesting.

In between all of our activities the rain has fallen every day, sometimes more than once and occasionally very heavy.

We took our students to the local school and they were much more confident this time, the students seemed to be enjoying and learning – result!

20230517 My shopping street

I took the picture of my shopping street from the top floor of the school building. When I say "shopping street" it is where I get eggs and butter, vegetables and fruit, and occasionally other things too.

Today the clouds have started to come over as I write. I was supposed to be going out to a family gathering of one of the staff but I am not so sure now.

Have a great weekend :-)

4G 2023 05 13

 Good day to you, how are you?

I am very well, thank you for asking!

Last weekend I had a long weekend, an extra day of holiday on Friday. Here it is called Patriot's Day. For you there was the Coronation, did you watch it?

I did not watch it, I was in Muscat getting my hair cut and my nails done, your mom can explain about mani-pedi's! It was lovely and warm at thirty degrees, like when you go on holiday, and we also went to the cinema.

Perhaps it sounds strange to go to the cinema when I go to Muscat but here in this other capital city I have only found one cinema and it does not show films in English or subtitled that I have noticed yet. So, go to Muscat and go to the cinema :-)

Work was work. School is school. How was yours?

20230513 01 Waiting for the bus, Arat Kilo

Today I went to an old railway station, it used to be the main station for trains across and out of the country. It was built by the French and although they were not in charge here they wanted to trade.

20230513 02 La Gare

 So, to help people here to trade with their place, the French built a railway and stations all the way from here to there.

It is no longer used, it was built with the French measure of a metre. 

20230513 03 The train not leaving platform 1

20230513 04 The end of the line in every way

Nowadays there is a standard guage and recently the Chinese have rebuilt the route including new stations. 

So the old station has been turned into a coffee shop and small museum, the signs on the platform area still show in French.

I met a friend and we walked from the station to a bookshop, secondhand (the books are secondhand not the shop!), but nearly all in English. Perfect place to spend time and money, I got you a book, I hope you enjoy it when I eventually get it to you!

20230513 05 Meskel Square and financial district behind

We then walked across to Meskel Square and had lunch on the rise behind which is where I took the picture from. I saw that there was an exhibition and found out from a man called Addis, who did not come from Addis, he came from Tigre, that on Sunday 14^th May the whole square will be closed and there will be parades and demonstrations to celebrate International Firefighters' Day.

20230513 06 International Firefighters' Day

There is a world Mother's Day too tomorrow (gosh it really is your mom's day isn't it?!)

So there we go, have a lovely weekend :-)

4G 2023 05 01

How are you feeling now?

I hope that you have been able to enjoy a better day, a holiday!

Here I have been using my new coat that you have not seen, I will send a picture, Uncle Crip and Aunty Flora got it for me.

20230428 Card on table one

20230428 Card on table too

Here are pictures of the fabulous card you made for me in the apartment. Thank you.

In betwen the rain and hail that we have had I went to drink coffee out yesterday.

20230430 Cumin coffee girl

The girl in the picture makes an excellent coffee with cumin added. Cumin is a spice and she is the only one I have come across doing this. It does come with a warning for you though, do not try this at home!

Today I spent some time with some students for the final time before their exam. Tomorrow while we are all getting started with a new school term they will be sitting down to their first paper.

Tomorrow I doubt that we will see the

20230501 Birds on field

birds in the picture on our football field. I wonder if you can find out what they are? Some sort of Ibis or Stork I think.

Be well and enjoy school :-)

4G 2023 04 26

 4G 2023 04 21

Friday comes around again, how are you?

If you have been fasting for Ramadan then now you can celebrate for Eid al Fitr.

I hope your week has been a good one, happy at home and fun at school?

It was super, special, splendid to see you, great fun and thank you for the card. I will send you a picture of it in my apartment when I get back there.

2023 04 14 Waiting to depart, Bole

Here I am going to put a small selction of pictures of some of the things your mom and I got up to this week, we missed having you here.

2023 04 15 01 D2 A4 M61

2023 04 15 02 Teddy & Grandpa Kev meet

2023 04 15 03 Family garden time

2023 04 15 04 Balances with Aunty Cora

2023 04 17 Bathing children, grandchildren

2023 04 18 02 Adam & Kiaya & Teddy,
Buttermere (Sykes)

2023 04 18 03 Adam & Kiaya & Teddy,
Buttermere

2023 04 18 04 Kiaya & Dad, Buttermere

2023 04 18 05 Relaxing with Aunty Kerry

2023 04 18 06 Playing with Aunty Kerry

2023 04 18 07 Best sausage & mash eveeeerrrr!

2023 04 18 08 Bathtime with mummy

2023 04 19 01 Lunch for Cora

2023 04 19 02 Tableau

2023 04 19 03 One for Georgie

2023 04 19 04 Raven Crag base camp

2023 04 19 05 Two for Georgie

2023 04 19 06 I was 'ere

2023 04 19 07 Family time

2023 04 19 08 Family time too

2023 04 19 09 Flora & Teddy

2023 04 19 10 At home with Flora

2023 04 19 11 Not so at home Chris

2023 04 20 01 Keswick Town Car Park

2023 04 20 02 Old KE offices

2023 04 20 03 Lake Road Brunch Bunch

2023 04 20 04 1 Wood Cottages

2023 04 20 05 Wood Cottage memories

2023 04 20 06 At home with the Buxtons

2023 04 20 07 Night on the town jitters

2023 04 20 08 What was daddy doing

2023 04 20 09 The stagger home

2023 04 21 01 Nana visits

2023 04 21 02 Waiting for the bus
with Earl of Mayo

2023 04 22 01 At nanny's

2023 04 23

Leaving day and no time to adjust.

2023 04 22 01 At nanny's

One of the things that was clear this last week was that I must make sure you have the opportunity to ask questions and get answers.

A day with nanny and half a day with Aunty Cora, Stuart, and Lilly before this train ride to the airport.

2023 04 23 02 My classroom 2005

I fly this evening, arrive tomorrow morning, and work on Tuesday. This last week has been my best this year so far. See you soon :-) x

2023 04 23 03 Shakin' all over

2023 04 23 04 Cora & Lilly

2023 04 23 05 The plane leaving at gate A6 . . .

2023 04 24

Back at work, nearly. How was your school day? I start mine tomorrow, special lessons for students who take their international exams next week.

I am doing all of the boring jobs today; collecting my dry-cleaning, buying fresh food for breakfast, doing my washing, and putting away the things I was carrying in my bags last week.

A nice thing that happened today was the driver who bought me from the airport was very nice.

2023 04 26

Silly Grandpa Kev has taken this long to get all of the photos together in your folder. Then when I uploaded them into this post they placed themselves exactly in the wrong order. So, I have uploaded them one by one! Enjoy the week as I saw it.