Home Alone

Two weeks ago, it was Mary waving goodbye.
Tonight, it was Clive & CJ.
Leaving us "home alone" for the next 4 weeks.
Clive is the distinguished chap on the left.
CJ is the football fanatic below.
Dad & son fly out to Sweden, where Mary already is.
Later next week, all 3 of them fly to the UK.
Clive & Mary's oldest son Mark, a pastor (like his dad), and his family live in Savadalen, Sweden.
Their middle son Wesley, a Regional Operations Director (also like his dad?), and his family live in Wisbech, England.
Our prayer?
That over the next 4 weeks Clive, Mary & CJ will truly "wind down" and "charge up".
Guy

Bore The What?

Gerro loves to sing.

One of his favourite songs is a hymn which includes the words:
This, the power of the cross:
Christ became sin for us,
Took the blame, bore the wrath;
We stand forgiven at the cross.
Today I realised how deep an impact his 4 years in Scotland have had on him, when it dawned on me that he was actually singing: "took the blame, bore the BROTH".
I'd never thought of Jesus as a glorified soup carrier before!
Guy

Running On Empty

Went to a shopping mall today.
Got there by "matatu" (overcrowded minibus), but splashed out on a taxi for the journey home.  Bad idea.
Turned out there was less than a pint of petrol in the taxi - and none at all at the petrol station!
Conked out in the middle of nowhere.
Note to self: check the fuel guage before getting in.
I used to do that, when I was here before, but had forgotten that taxis run on empty here.

Susanna

Babu's Babes

Like any proud "babu" (the Kiswahili word for "grandad", pronounced like "baboon" but without the final "n"), it just didn't feel right to post a photo of my utterly adorable grandson & then not to post photos of my equally utterly adorable granddaughters.
That's Anise (3) on the right & Harry (1) on the left.
I have absolutely no idea how my grandkids get to be this good-looking with at least some of my genetic material in them.
There must be a scientific explanation out there somewhere.
Babu

What Did We Do Before ...

Skype?

Finally got our communication problems sorted.

Spoke "face to face" for 90 minutes tonight with my mum & dad, our daughter Lauren, and our grandson ...
Lucas "Skywalker" Bastable.

What a blessing to see as well as hear them all.

Thank you, Skype.

Guy

Sally's Shot

Our dear friend Sally is a journalist with the Aberdeen Evening Express.
She wrote a piece on New Life & us before we left.
Now we're here, Sally wants to run a follow up story.
Today she sent an urgent request for a picture of me holding a baby.
With the sun setting fast, I grabbed the nearest baby not yet in bed & got Guy to snap a shot while there was still daylight.  Just made it!
Susanna

Basket Case

I've already got about 50 baskets on the container making its way here.
But simply couldn't resist buying 8 more today, at just 40p each.
Here's one filled with regional & seasonal fruit & veg from the "duka" (road-side stall) just outside our gates.
I know I'm a "basket case", but doesn't it look lovely?
Susanna

Back Home?

Earlier today Levi & I were talking.
I mentioned someone or something back in the UK.
I used the words, "back home".
Levi looked genuinely puzzled.
He said, "But this is home".
We've only been here 4 days.
Now that's what I call rapid reorientation.
Guy

Matron's Missing

We arrived 3 days ago.

And Mary left today.

Was it something we said?

The "matron" is off to see family & friends in Sweden & the UK.

Clive & CJ will join her in 2 weeks.

We arrived just in time for Mary to give Susanna a 2 day crash course.

Gulp!

Guy

Braeside Boys

Just 3 days after jumping continents, our brave boys were facing their first day at their new school.
Don't they look smart?

Braeside School is English speaking & follows the British curriculum.
But most of the staff & pupils are Kenyan.

So the boys will learn Kiswahili & be introduced to Kenyan culture.
They came home happy.
Phew!
Guy

Coming Up Roses

Adrian & Lindsay Rose turned up at our door this morning ... with a BIG bouquet of exotic flowers.
What a lovely surprise!
The Roses and us come from the same home church.
But they beat us out here, arriving 17 months ago.
Adrian's a pilot - surely every boy's dream job? - with MAF.
Guy

Dudu vs Doom

Top of my shopping list today?
Doom Spray.
It's the first line of defence against any "dudu" (pronounced "doo-doo"), the Kenyan word for any big bug or pest.
No comments, thank you.
Guy

Croc Crunches

We are not alone!
We're sharing our new home with some rather corpulent cockroaches.
Or, as our grandson Lucas calls them ... "croc crunches".
Guess they see us as the intruders?
Guy

(New Life) Home ... At Last

We made it ... eventually.

It was 2004 when Clive & Mary (the couple on the left with the big smiles) invited us to join them in Kenya.

Last night - 6 long years after that initial invitation - we finally got here.

That's just the end of the beginning, I guess?

Guy

Karibu

That's how we say "Come in!" or "Welcome!" here in Kenya.
Thank you so much for dropping in.
We look forward to seeing you again ... soon, hopefully.
Guy