Tuesday 25 November 2008

Anytime's packing time!

Here we are again; plastic bags all over the place, piles of things that must go growing larger, pile of my clothes getting smaller, panic setting in! What if the extra allowance is only 10kg, only 5kg, doesn't materialise at all?? Does the laptop for Ami or the box of 'phones or the football boots for Mussa stay here?
We're away for the weekend, hiding at Gladstone's Library at Hawarden for a writing workshop. Log fires and great puddings, storytelling, some writing, lots of talking and putting worlds to right ...
Should be a boost to the writing. Ed's adventures in West Africa has been neglected for a couple of months. Need to move on from the cloud of sadness left by the death of two people close to me. My own health problems fade into insignificance - just get on with life! Good to be in contact with Glynn and Ian again (they run SHINE Africa, the charity from which GOES sprang. Ian and Glynn cater for nursery school children in The Gambia, having built 3 or 4 schools there, taught teachers, provided thousands of mosquito nets etc. Google for them or give me a call and I'll pass messages on.)
Beautiful sunset here, after a freezing cold day. Should be a lot warmer next week, 3,000 miles south of here!

Wednesday 19 November 2008

Noses to grindstones again.

November has been a rough, unkind month so far. Death of a family member, death of a friend. Sad, grey month. But out of sad days came great kindness - donations for G.O.E.S., gifts of mobile 'phones, clothing, toys to take out to The Gambia when Tom goes in December. We certainly were not minded to solicit donations but they came along without the asking. Even as the 'credit crunch' started to bite people were thinking of those in Africa, and we heard the phrase 'however bad it is for us it's worse for them'. We have had so many expressions of sympathy from our Gambian friends, which we have passed on to our bereaved family and friends here.
So, the packing starts - the spare bed will be covered with things to take. Just hope that Thomas Cook turn up with an extra baggage allowance again. They are usually very helpful. Of course some of my stuff is already out there after the aborted trip in April when I stayed here but the luggage went on holiday without me!