Tuesday 26 November 2013

Sorry - still no photographs!

I did try, honestly I did. I managed to send a picture of the spare bed hidden under a mass of carrier bags filled with goodies for The Gambia to my Facebook page but I failed miserably to post it to this site - I need a bright ten year old child as assistant!
 Visited the Travel Clinic for jabs today and chatted to the nurse about The Gambia - her bro-in-law has been out twice raising money for the street children. A couple of hours later this same nurse rang us at home to say she's collected some medical gear for us to take out to the clinic! People are so kind - I must remember to thank my daughter for her kind contribution to GOES this week.
Somehow we failed to get an extra baggage allowance from Thomas Cook this time so we have a problem with what to take and what to leave for next time - can I manage with just one shirt, one pair of socks etc. for a fortnight?
 Really looking forward to visiting the schools, the clinics and the homes of our friends again. Why are there no West African eating places in Cheshire? It's a disgrace! I have to be satisfied imagining Shrimps Domoda! Looking forward to my first sip of Malta ...
Bye for now!
Tom

Thursday 21 November 2013

Stories for Gambian Children - and others! Free from Saturday.

Hi. Title says it all - Yesterday I promised the 'Empty Bananas' new & revised edition, would soon be on free offer to compensate all those who kindly purchased the first (and terrible) edition. Sorry; it has to be published for 90 days before I can make a free offer. So, as a slight compensation, I'm offering 'Stories for Gambian Children' free, for 5 days, from Saturday 23/11/13.
 Still haven't managed to post any pictures directly from the borrowed camera! I think I'd better return it to the owner before I break it!

Wednesday 20 November 2013

Really must do some packing soon!

For the first time in years we haven't received an extra baggage allowance from Thomas Cook. THIS GIVES US A BIT OF A PROBLEM - WHAT DO WE LEAVE BEHIND? It's a headache. People have been very generous again and the spare bed is swamped with donations. Clothes, educational materials and medical equipment. We would like to take some odds and ends for ourselves, too! It's surprising how quickly 20kg mounts up. We have a ritual of weighing everything on the bathroom scales, remembering to include the weight of the suitcases.
 I have been given the loan of one of these new phones which not only can take pictures but can send them to blogs and web-sites and whatever. I'd been perfectly happy for years (and years and years) with my old Nokia - it was just a phone (oh, and it could turn into a torch, very handy on a dark night in a village!). This phone has survived rainy seasons, being dropped, being generally ill-treated, but now it's starting to fall apart. The keyboard bit is detaching itself from the rest of the phone and it's lost part of its memory (it's not the only one!)
 So I have a loan of one of these new (how new?) multi-purpose phones. So far I've learned to switch it on. If and when I learn how to take and send pictures I will 1) post some on here, just to show off, and 2) set about finding a similar camera for myself.
 Oh, and a big 'thank you' to Barclay's Bank for the gift of lots of pens - should keep a couple of schools happy!
 I've not posted on here for a while because I've been busy re-writing 'Empty Bananas' - the first of the Malinding series of books. The original version was a disgrace, I'm ashamed to say. The new edition is much improved (so I'm told) and will soon be on free offer for a few days on Kindle. I hope you enjoy it and that it encourages you to buy the other books in the series. All money from the sales goes to GOES and then on to The Gambia.
 Thanks for reading this - I know I ramble on!
Tom

Thursday 7 November 2013

Carry on!

Heavens, I was down when I wrote that last page! True, these things have to be faced but not just yet - see what Manflu can do to a soul!
Today is a better day. been chatting to Gambian friends about schools and clinics. A friend sent a photo of her daughter, a beautiful little girl, happy and healthy.
Barclays Bank in Stockton Heath, presented me with hundreds of pens to distribute to schoolchildren when we arrive there in November (it's November already and we still haven't packed!)
I've been bust re-editing 'Empty Bananas' after withdrawing the book from sale on Kindle. There were too many mistakes, so when the new edition goes on sale again at Christmas it should be a much better buy! (In the mean-time you can still purchase the other books in the Malinding series. All income from the sales goes directly into the GOES bank account.)
We've written to the chief medical officer at the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital in Banjul about material we've been given - thanks, people, you know who you are!
Haven't heard yet from Thomas Cook about extra baggage allowance but our fingers are firmly crossed!
Must sort out the Travel Insurance, buy another suitcase - the zips have give up the will to carry on!
Thanks for reading this,
Best wishes - when are you going to visit The Gambia?

Tom