Our last full day of the away holiday was a muggy one, the air thick with the pressure of a coming storm. I had a pleasant breakfast and did another short workout - pleased to see I'm now 5 weeks in a row on my app and planning on keeping it up. I've been neglecting my fitness levels and I'm determined to be better at looking after my body in readiness for cold winters and the germy children of London. Happily the storm kept away and we had a nice time by the pool and relaxing, looking out over a beautiful bay scene. Annoying though that none of us slept very well and so the early set off the next day must have been hardest for BigA ahead of another long drive. Perhaps it's because there has been so much rain but the baobab trees are full of leaves, I never think of them this way, for most of the year they look ghost-like, skeletal. The whole country seems to be so full of potential and life and yet we know just how the season will change as the dry season should be on its way. I'll never be able to forget the level of poverty here and the sheer resilience of the people. Each trying to find a way to make something of a living.
It was hard to come home, Bruno was so pleased to see us but no sign of Gizmo, we are slowly accepting that he has most likely been killed. Very hard for A.
We did the usual, unpacking, loads of washing and TV before heading to bed. I stayed with A as she was so sad about her cat and needed her mum. Bruno decided he wanted to sleep with us too, so I didn't really get much sleep.
As Monday rolled around we all set about working, A headed off to a History revision session on campus, BigA worked and I set about the beginning of my next NPQH module. The week has been a mixture of catching up with friends, a bit of gardening, NPQH stuff and helping A with revision with a smattering of TV thrown in for good measure.
I booked an optician appointment and gave in and ordered some bifocals. Feeling old because of it, but should help me in the long run. We got to catch up with Lynne, who left a few years ago and had to leave rather quickly with the onset of COVID. It was lovely to see her and reminisce, she was one of the people who BigA spent a lot of time with in those first few years in Malawi and who I went to South Africa with to see Ah Ha.
We also got serious about our stuff - I took pictures of the more expensive things were selling and booked dates in our diary for khonde sale and leaving do. A had a huge clear out. It still seems odd that we're really going.
We have another long weekend ahead as Eid means the school is shut on Monday. The days are speeding by.
I've also been talking to a few agencies in the UK who have put me on their books, looking to do some interim work when I get back. They are very confident that something will come up. I quite like the idea of something less permanent. I dreamt I got a job last night and then woke up wondering where it is and what the commute would be.
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