How it began

When you move to a different country and a different country you can lose touch of the small things, the little chats, catch ups and moments in life that can make being an extended family hard. 

this is how it began - I think

A is still growing, she is likely to be quite tall but it's getting to the point that when she snuggles up for a cuddle I feel like she's big, happily she still wants to have cuddles and this morning, while I was pottering around the garden in my dressing gown, she came out in hers and had a big long hug on the lawn. As you saw from the picture, she had the tent out in the garden, a small way to feel like we have escaped a little bit. 

It's half term soon, and I can't help but try to swallow a sad sigh when I think that mum was coming out and now, who knows, will any of you really be able to travel this far again? It makes me sad, at least mum was going to see  my life here, meet some key people and be able to share that with you all. There is a good website that I check for updates on Malawi - 65 cases conformed, 24 recovered and 3 deaths. No real lock down, just schools shut and us trying to figure out what that all means for the survival of our school. We meet as a new leadership team, keep planning for opening in September, but who knows. If COVID really hits here, and it's noticed, which isn't necessarily going to happen, then who knows. 

One airline has begun to plan flights out of here, I think once a month, and oddly that has given me a sense of relief, if we need to, it seems it might be possible to get home. Who knows where we would stay for our 2 week quarantine! But if things are ok, well then we're here a while longer, I have hopes for the school but staff are so very unhappy about the pay cut - trying to fight it - the only alternative is redundancies - and I know from experience, yours and mine, that that is miserable. And we've still got a small but loud group of selfish arsehole parents who are demanding fee reduction, which means the pay cut would essentially go in their pocket - I can't tell you how angry that makes me, you just have to look at the cars they drive to know they are not in need of a discount, The rich protect the rich, 

Happily BigA has been doing a bit more around the house and I've tried to stop myself feeling guilty when I read a book while he washes up. We've got A doing a it more too, so I feel less frustrated by all that. 

The money you sent for charity came at a great time, some women we know through a orphanage here, had all their goods from their market stalls stolen, leaving them and their family destitute. We plan on giving them the some of the money so they can re-stock. 

The weather is turning cold, once the sun goes down, it's jumpers and blankets but not so cold yet that we've got out the gas heater. It makes me think that if you ever do get to come mum, you really should come over the Easter break - it's the best weather of the whole year and the most beautiful season, 

And mum, as you're enjoying seeing birds you would have loved our garden right now, because the students aren't dropping food all over the place, the crows have been going elsewhere and so the range of beautiful birds that visit our garden are stunning. But they are loud fuckers and wake me up most mornings! 

Some pictures... the first one is likely to go in the national press- ha!