Reflections

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Hard to believe it’s a year since I came out here alone to prepare for the big move, so much has happened. Sometimes it feels like we’ve always been here, at others like we’ve only just arrived.

Things are really moving on, we will have one Banda completely finished and furnished be Wednesday, providing the weather is good we can then take the promotional shots for marketing. The kitchens, store and office are now up and the bulk of the reception/dining area is built, the raised bar now has a roof, roughly another six weeks work and we will be able to start recruiting and staff training not to mention landscaping in an attempt to turn the site from a building site to an established looking lodge.

We seem to be accumulating animals, we still have Star (completely mad) plus two puppies (Marmite and Bovril) a goat called Poppy Popcorn (no I DID NOT name her) and we are about to obtain chickens. There is also a collection of cats living in the cliffs - not ours- but, they live on the dogs leftovers, and, I hope, on any rats/mice around.

The veggie shamba is going from strength to strength, even things like swiss chard are growing, and we have salad! Together with all the fruit trees already here plus fish from the fishermen on our beach, we’re doing well.

There are daily frustrations, I’ve lost count of the amount of times the circular saws have broken (tho’ it’s usually just the bearing and good ol’ Bonifast gets them going again), water pumps seize, generator stops working due to dirty fuel, vehicles are held together by elastic bands, strips of inner-tubing and string and one member of staff lets you down AGAIN! But at 4pm we stop, take the kids for a swim and then afterwards sit on the verandah with a drink and some of Rahema’s wonderful sambusa’s (samosa’s) and watch the sun go down - and somehow, it’s all worth it.

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Photos

sunsets and puppy 006.jpg
sunset