Back home.

Just a short note to say that we're safely back home after one of the most enjoyable and fulfilling trips ever.
Lots of good news, which we'll write up after we've caught up with our sleep, our family and the washing!
Thanks to all our friends, both home and abroad, who made this possible.
Our love and best wishes to all of you, and may your dreams for 2011 come true.

Ready for the off!

Well, almost. The bags are (nearly) packed. Thanks to Tracey at Warrington Thomas Cooks for all her help. Thanks to Snips and Hatters' for the collecting boxes, to Val & Joan & Bob & Lynne & Ruth & VRWG & Warrington Poets & Tafique at Superdgrug & The Forge Medical Practice (especially Sister Sue and her needles) & Janice & Len & Roy & Eileen & the lady from Wales and all the other people who have helped so generously. A special thank you to the wonderful people at 'Chain of Hope' who are working as I write this to help repair the damaged heart of Moses, a boy we're sponsoring through school. The Chain of hope charity has flown him, with his big sister N'yanya, to Papworth Hospital for an operation which will save his life.
Bless one, bless all. There are so many good people in the world.
Best wishes for Christmas and may all your dreams come true in 2011.
Really must get on with the packing - the taxi will be here in just a few hours.

The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month ...

Tomorrow is the 11th of November. I will go into the town centre and stand for a couple of minutes in silence, surrounded by other townspeople as we remember those who died as a result of war.
No war is ever over. After the ceasefire has been declared people still mourn, lives are changed for ever. To my mind it is not a time to think of victories and defeats, of glory or disgrace. It is a time to think of mothers, fathers, lovers, children torn apart by violence.
As I stand in my hometown I will be thinking of war graves three thousand miles away. Fajara War Cemetery in The Gambia. White stones, inscribed for the most part, with the names of young men. Young men who died in the service of a country they had never seen but were willing to give their lives for. A tiny, Third World country, the size of Yorkshire gave the flower of its youth for us. There, in blistering tropical heat people will stand in silence as we do, though we most likely, will stand bare-headed in the rain.
Fajara graves carry the memories of 200 or more West Africans, 63 British people, 15 men from other Commonwealth countries, and a French Foriegn Legion Colonel. The crew and passengers of flying boat G-AFCZ 'Clare', which took off from Banjul (then Bathurst) harbour then crashed into the sea are remembered there.
The killing, the dying, goes on. Why is peace so difficult?

Chance encounters

Really nice how things work out. We chat to someone on the way home from The Gambia last April, then, a few weeks ago, a 'phone call offering help, today, a meeting in the car park of a local hotel and now - a car boot full of reading glasses/mobile 'phones & children's clothes, all of which, thanks to Thomas Cook, will be finding new Gambian owners before Christmas!
You know who you are - many thanks. Sometimes words aren't enough!

Respect!

Respect!
Football isn't one of my great interests in life nowadays. When one player can 'earn' more in a couple of months more than many people (me included) earn in a lifetime of work I begin to think that something has gone sadly wrong. I love to see the game played by youngsters who play because they love to play. The boys in this picture play with great enthusiasm and skill and good humour.
Maybe they do dream of playing for Man United or Chelsea or ... and there's no harm in that. Meanwhile, they play with great energy and enjoyment and that I can and do respect, greatly. It's something a lot of the richest players in the world could learn from them.
Rant over! Just a thought though - Joyce would love to watch a team of Gambian girls playing in the Cricket World Cup on day soon - how about it, girls?

Slowly getting there!

We've booked! Next stage is writing the Thomas Cook to see if they'll allow extra free baggage - they usually are very good because we're a registered charity, so fingers crossed. We've been offered educational and medical supplies together with some clothing and we've made to usual requests for mobile 'phones, laptops and reading glasses. We're also taking out a few tin and bottle openers - seeing friends opening bottles of Malta with their teeth is frightening!
Paul and Jenny have been working on the new web site and we'll let you know when it's up and running.
We sold the old broken outboard motor for scrap and the money is in the charity a/c - thanks to the generous buyer.
I'm working fairly hard on the next book but it's not flowing very well - must lock myself away somewhere and put nose to keyboard ...
Each time we go into town we buy a few tubes of ointment, bandages, plasters, skin cream and that sort of thing. We get great medical advice from the travel clinic at out local surgery and from T. at Superdrug.
We've renewed our travel insurance and we have permanently crossed fingers to avoid any of the illnesses that put us out of action earlier in the year - crossed fingers make typing very difficult!
Looking forward so very much to seeing our Gambian friends again.
Best wishes & thanks for reading,
Tom.

Next visit

Booked! Packed? Don't be silly - there's heaps of time! We had a surprise 'phone call from some one we'd spoken to on our way home last March and were delighted to find out they have been busy collecting things which will be of great value out in The Gambia. We expect a delivery shortly!
As you're reading this just check to see if there are any surplus laptops, mobile 'phones or reading glasses longing for a longer life in the sun! Email us at the usual address or leave a message on 01925-264926. We also take medical supplies which we donate to hospitals and clinics - we're not qualified to prescribe ourselves.
£3 0r £4 pounds (depending on the exchange rate) provides protection from malaria and provides the netmaker with an income.

Best of all - go to The Gambia yourself, if you can. There are some really good travel bargains about at the monent.

Thanks for reading this. Our new website should be up and running shortly (thanks, Jenny & Paul).
We'll keep this blog going as well.

Best wishes & thanks to all our supporters,
Joyce & Tom.