winding down

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Hi again everyone,
How is everything going in the land of the long white cloud? Hopefully you are working towards summer and starting to get some warmth in the days! It is a bit cool here today - I am even wearing a light jacket! We have had a bit of rain lately, but the rains haven’t come fully so we are reaching something of a water crisis. There is a public tap near my house and all day there are people crowded round it waiting their turn to fill their bucket/s. Unfortunately the lack of pressure means that my tank is not filling up so I am stuck washing in a bucket every day - that definitely loses its charm very quickly! Apparently 2 years ago these rains failed completely, so people are starting to get a little concerned. Am keeping my fingers crossed!
Jane and I managed to head to Lake Manyara the other week - saw our first hippos! Didn’t see any lions, even though - I kept calling ‘here kitty kitty’ just incase. Manyara is beautiful and really green, which was a nice change from all the dust! It was quite refreshing. On our way back to Monduli we passed a number of giraffes just hanging in the scrub at the side of the road, this was well after we had left the National Park - random! I was all for trying to lasso one, but Jane thought I would hurt myself (probably would lasso myself if the truth be known!) So . . . that’s the wildlife I like. Unfortunately it’s the wildlife I don’t like that keeps showing up in my house! The other day I had a visit from a bug which looked like a cross between a bumble-bee and a small helicopter! I think even George and Mildred would have struggled to get rid of that one! Luckily it just did a couple of circuits of the lounge and left, unlike the spider I had one night which I think I could have filleted! (Would have had to get near it though - as it was I stood on the other side of the room and threw my slippers at it until it was dazed enough for me to kill - took a while, I must work on my aim!)
We now only have about 4 weeks left of school! The 4th form exams have finished and the 2nd form are sitting theirs at the moment - no armed guards this time though!
We have 2 kids who have been selected to go to the Netherlands by a group which does a lot of work with the school. I have been asked to produce a powerpoint for them to take with them showing life at Irkisongo - should keep me busy! I am now looking like a real tourist going round with my camera all the time - as if I didn’t already stand out enough!
I have booked myself in for a tour from Johannesburg through to Victoria Falls at the start of December. That will keep me busy until Mum and Dad arrive! I will be going to Kruger National Park, the Great Zimbabwe Ruins and Antelope Park. Yay! I get the feeling that if I don’t do Zimbabwe soon, it might implode altogether before I get a chance to go there!
No other news at this stage - I will write again after all my amazing travel (unless something really exciting happens between now and then!).
Take care of yourselves,
j

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Photos

pelicans
check out their legs as they land - they look so gammy!

baby elephant
I know I've already done a baby elephant pic, but this one is just so cute!