driving to patrick's house

samuel & patrick's school

The children all walk to school, carrying their exercise books and a pencil, where they sit three to a desk. Due to the Kenyan Government making education free to all children three years ago, every child is able to go to school, however there have been little increase in school buildings being built or teachers being recruited and as a result there are up to sixty students in one class. As sponsors we were shown the school reports of all the children we sponsor and in some of them we were able to see a real link and a decline in their results coinciding with this.

samuel's home

samuel

After tea and bread we visited Samuel's home. We didn't know it at the time but it was to be the most comfortable house we'd see. Samuel's father was lucky enough to own his own home on his father's land. His father, mother, and Samuel's aunts and uncles all lived on a small plot where they had a two roomed house made from corrugated iron, and a small garden in which to grow their own vegetables.

Compassion allow their sponsors to send a monetary gift in which is passed onto the parent of the child to spend appropriately. Samuel had happened to have his birthday just a few days before we arrived, so with the birthday money we sent he saved a portion to buy a large birthday cake to celebrate his birthday with us, the staff and the rest of his family. It was a very happy occasion, and although most of it was in Swahili and most in song, the staff were kind enough to translate the festivities for us. The cake was cut and divided into tiny pieces so that everyone was able to have some. We felt so guilty in taking any ourselves but of course to refuse would have offended them.

We sang 'Happy Birthday' to Samuel, which was followed by a song sung in Swahili, which served as a soundtrack for Samuel feeding each guest a piece of cake. There was much laughter and joking going on in the song although we had no idea what it was about except that it directed him who to serve next. They also directed us to serve each other a piece of cake.

For a 12 year old birthday party there was a noteable lack of soft drinks, sweets, crisps, presents and expensive entertainment. What we did see was a family united in celebrating their son over something as simple and indulgent as a birthday cake.

day eight

After arriving late the evening before, our first full day in Kenya started off at 9am when our driver picked us up from the flat we were staying in to take us to a rural village 25 km out of the centre of Nairobi, to visit the children we sponsor through Compassion.

Our driver Jim, was so welcoming and the perfect host for our visit. He was incredibly professional, starting the day by going through some basic Swahili with us and taking us through what the day would hold for us. The drive, he told us, was just 25km, not far at all. What he didn't tell us though, was what the state of the roads would be like, thus making the journey very slow and very very bumpy.

We arrived a little under two hours later where we met two very shy boys, Samuel & Patrick, both of their mothers and the staff from Compassion. It was all very formal as we shook hands with everyone and they formally welcomed us and thanked us again and again. For us it was just a great opportunity to meet the children and spend a bit of time understanding their world and who they were but for them it was a once in a lifetime opportunity of which they were overwhelmingly grateful. There were times that we got a little teary, especially when we heard from the parents who were better able to express themselves in English. Samuel's father particularly emphasised our "total commitment" in coming to visit his son. We certainly felt undeserving of his praise.

driving to the land of nod

london waits for no man

day six

Woz had visited Franschhoek before, almost ten years ago on his last trip to Africa. He and his friends had eaten lunch at a winery nearby where he said he had eaten 'the best meal' he'd ever had. We found the restaurant which had been built into a hill, with the cellar in the basement and the restaurant above, it was the perfect place to store the wine to avoid the heat from the sun above.

The lunch had to be fairly well planned in that we needed to get Nate off to sleep before we sat down. Too hot to walk around in his buggy until he fell asleep we got back into the car and drove through more national parkland until he finally nodded off.

Back at the restaurant, with babe snoozing, we sipped champagne and cooled down underground. With all the build up I was a little apprehensive that the meal would not live up to Woz's expectation, but thankfully it did and he was not disappointed.

franschhoek architecture

cemetery

franschhoek

After lunch Woz and I left Lindsay and Delilah to drive back to Cape Town while we drove further inland to Franschhoek. We drove through beautiful scenery to get there and once there we were not disappointed, least not with the beautiful cottage we stayed in. The town was very small, and nestled amoungst the mountains and surrounding wineries. The architecture was stunning, the setting picturesque and there was no shortage of restaurants, cafes and little boutiques to wander in and out of. Had we had a house in Africa somewhere we could easily have bought loads of beautiful furniture and other handcrafted accessories to furnish a house, but we didn't think it would quite work in our flat in London so we declined.


The cottage we stayed in was so lovely and inspired us to build something like it one day, where and when we don't know, but it's something to dream about. It was so simple, just the basic necessities yet beautifully done and decorated with individual crockery made by the owner of the property.

day five

Today Lindsay, Delilah, Woz and I drove out to the wine farms (wineries) in Stellenbosch just an hour out of Capetown. The landscape was beautiful, and the further we drove away the more mountain ranges were revealed. I don't remember a time when there was ever a view free from a mountain whether nearby or in the distance.

We visited four wineries and bought a bottle at three of those. The wine was all very good quality and dirt cheap when you converted it to pounds. We bought bottles of wine that would retail in the UK for about £15.00 for around £1.50.

Our favourite winery was JC Le Roux which is dedicated to sparkling wine. It was a beautiful property and we sat outside and had a gourmet lunch in the warm air. It was such a relaxing day.

sand dunes

cape of good hope

day four

Table Mountain dominates the landscape in Cape Town. It's size means that it never fades into the distance, and can be seen towering over the city at all times - except of course when it is completely hidden by cloud. It's a little eerie when this happens as for a newcomer to the city, the mountain is used as a means of navigation, however when it disappears you get a feeling off being lost in a desert of roads without being sure of where they are leading you.

This morning we had brunch with Lindsay and Deliliah before driving up to Table Mountain in the hope that the day would stay clear and we would be able to take the cable car up to the viewing point. Although each day so far had been warm, the cloud was incredibly unpredictable and would change several times daily. By the time we reached the cable car the sun was beaming down on us and there wasn't a cloud to be seen, it was however too windy for us to take the trip up and the cable car was closed.

From there we decided to visit Chapman's Peak again, this time in the light of day. We made it all the way to the Cape of Good Hope which is the most south-western point on the African Continent. To get there we drove for hours through National Park, seeing wild baboons along the way.

We were invited to dinner with Lindsay's family which was across the other side of town. We decided to avoid Cape Town (and the traffic) and drive along the coast and then through the rural areas outside of town. Looking at our map we navigated a journey and after driving along the coast for some time we headed inland. It wasn't long after we had turned off we noticed discarded rubbish covering the landscape, as we drove further we noticed some of the settlers homes (slums) that we'd seen on the way out of the airport. It was fascinating to drive past and thinking they would pass quickly we continued on. This wasn't the case though and we found ourselves getting deeper and deeper into the slum. We stood out like a sore thumb as we were not only driving a much nicer car than those on the streets, but we were the only white people. We dared not take a photograph and tried to find our way out using our very basic map. After about 20 minutes, having driven through kilometre after kilometre of makeshift housing, shops and roadside stalls we found our way out and back onto the major highway. By now it was dark.

When we arrived at Lindsay's house we told him of our detour and he and his family were astounded that we'd made it out without being carjacked, recommending we don't get creative with our driving again and stick only to the roads we know.

what they do for a crust

One of the initiatives that the Kenya Children's Home have taken on is to be a self sufficient children's home. In order to do this they operate various businesses out of the home, one of them being a professional bakery. The bread is cooked on the premises where it is then used for the home and is also sold locally as a source of income.

the first african sunset

chapman's peak

on the road

south african landscape

the beach

day two

This morning was Lindsay and Delilah’s wedding, the reason for our visit to South Africa. They had planned the ceremony to be held on the deck of a hotel on the beach, where those attending the wedding would look upon the couple with Table Mountain as the backdrop. What they didn’t count on was an almost unbelievable covering of mist which effectively left the wedding in a white out. Not only was Table Mountain invisible but so was the beach. We could hear the waves but couldn’t see them. Of course the wedding went ahead despite the weather and it was equally magical.

By mid morning after a lavish breakfast, the sun had come out and the fog cleared revealing the beautiful landscape. We joined all the guests in a brief frolick on the beach before returning inside to see the Bride and Groom cut the cake.

Only an hour or so later with the wedding guests now mostly gone Woz and I thought we’d spend the rest of the afternoon on the beach and returned outside only to find it had disappeared once again in the mist.

With that in mind we decided we’d go for a drive to escape the mist and headed towards Table Mountain, finding our way to Chapmans Peak.

On our way home we received a call from Lindsay and Delilah with an invitation to go for dinner with them to Lindsay’s favourite seafood restaurant. We had a great night with them and some precious time given all the people they had to catch up with while in Capetown.

spray painting ships in the harbour

day one

We arrived in Cape Town at 6.30am. After a 12 hour overnight flight we felt quite rested, having managed to get some broken sleep on the plane. We were fortunate enough to have as many rows of seats to sleep on as we wanted as the plane was barely scattered with passengers, around 30 in all.

My first introduction to South Africa was in the car on the way out of the airport as we drove past hundreds of makeshift houses, making up communities with no borders as they were built one on top of another, and another, and another, the members of which were streaming out in a steady flow to stand on the side of the motorway waiting to be picked up.

They were picked up in vans and utes, and as we sat in traffic we watched countless cars driving past, their passengers on their way to work, the open back tray of the ute heaving with people, cramped and sitting on top of each other. All of the passengers were black, with either a lone black person driving or occasionally a white person.

Normally I wouldn’t refer to the skin colour or race of those I write about, purely because it is irrelevant. However in South Africa, colour is everything, not just black and white but ‘coloured’ as well. You are acutely aware that you are ‘white’, and that others around you are not, that those who live in the settler towns are ‘black’, that those who stand by the road selling wares are ‘black’, and that those who are ‘coloured’ (the term they use for mixed race) fit somewhere in between. There is a social order which is a hang-up from the days of apartheid, and it is very clear that it has left a very distinct scar on it’s people.

As we sat watching the equivalent of cattle trucks driving past, ferrying ‘black’ people to work I was horrified and dumbfounded that they would not be afforded seat belts and seats in a covered van like all the ‘white’ people around them.

"That’s Africa baby" remarked Woz, a seasoned traveller in Africa … and so my education began.
After unpacking our bags we drove in to the city centre and down to the waterfront for fish and chips. After lunch we spent at least an hour watching traditional African dancers and singers in an amphitheatre on the waterfront. Nate loved the music and dancing and joined in at every opportunity, kicking his legs in his buggy and clapping his hands. For years I’ve loved the sound of African voices singing in harmony and I sat there I was pinching myself to think that I was sitting there listening to them in the flesh, in Africa. It was sitting there that I realised what an incredible education this is to Nate, although probably too young to really understand most of it at his age.

In the afternoon we met up with Lindsay and Delilah and went with them to their official wedding ceremony along with their immediate family. In South Africa a marriage is only legal if it is performed in an approved venue, and as they wanted to be married on the beach they had to have the official ceremony the day before.

After the ceremony we met up with loads of their family and friends where we had a braai (BBQ) to celebrate the occasion. Woz, Nate and I were made to feel so welcome by their family and felt immediately at home.

we're back!

It's only been a little over two weeks and yet it feels as though we've been gone months - Africa has a way of enveloping you. We've taken so many photos and have so much to write, about what we've seen and experienced. So much it is likely to take some time, so updating our blog may take several days.

We'll fill you all in soon.
x

some time in the sun

A while ago we mentioned that we intended to travel to Africa this year. Well the time has come and we fly out next week. The reason for our travel is to attend the wedding of Lindsay and Delilah, two South African friends of ours who now live in London. From there we travel to Kenya, to visit some children we sponsor in two villages outside of Nairobi. The organisation have agreed to meet us at our accommodation and will escort us to the homes of the children, the school and the project. We then travel to a local orphanage, Thomas Barnardo's House, the organisers of which will also pick us up from our accommodation and escort us. All up we will spend a week at the orphanage where we plan to help out at the various projects they run. My input will depend entirely on Nate and how he copes with the culture change. It is likely that I will spend the whole time in the nursery with him, helping out with the younger children. Woz plans to get involved with everything and anything they need whether it be practically working on projects or helping out in the school. All in all it's going to be a life changing experience for both of us.

We made our plans to travel to Kenya not long before the trouble broke out early this year. We seriously considered not going, and even now, will cancel our plans the day before we fly if we fear our safety. If need be, if we find ourselves in Nairobi and feel unsafe, we are prepared to camp out at the airport until we are able to get a flight back to London. What we do know though is that we've longed for years to travel to Africa (for Woz it will be a return visit), to visit the children we've been sponsoring and writing letters to for years, and to learn from what we see and experience. Although Nate may be too young to remember this trip we hope it will birth in him a thirst for adventure and a heart to make a difference in the lives of others.

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas

This week we've had some lovely warm spring weather. With temperatures as warm as 16 degrees (I realise how silly that sounds but it's all relative), we've been prancing about in the sun in t-shirts, daring to venture out without our coats and only a light jacket at hand. Coupled with the start of British Summer Time it has meant that the British people at large have breathed a sigh of relief and have become altogether happier and much nicer to be around. Us included. Only two days ago I commented to Woz that we seemed to have passed the worst of the weather and it was likely we'd not need to turn our heaters on again. Not so.

This morning when we woke up it was unusually cold but with spring upon us we certainly didn't expect what we saw when we looked out the window - magical, fluffy snow falling heavily, leaving a lovely cover of white on almost everything it touched. The shared courtyard below looked beautiful and as we ventured out it only got more spectacular.

home sweet home

Ok so I have finally got around to taking some photos of the loft.

A very strange thing has transpired since selling our boat. When we lived on the boat we were so house proud. We were constantly making sure it was presentable, neat and tidy and able to slot right into an interior design magazine should they come knocking. When we moved into the loft we assumed that this trait would follow and so with four days off at Easter Woz and I expected to be working dawn til dusk, transforming the loft into a home and something we could be proud of.

What has happened is just the opposite. It is so strange but the move from owning our own home to renting has given us a complacency about home life. We come home and treat it as a hotel. Our things are unpacked but not really for good. We've managed to look past the yellow sponge painting on the kitchen wall, the horrible laminate kitchen work top and the crooked toilet seat. It's as if they're no longer there. I am convinced that if the loft was ours we'd have gone crazy painting and ripping things out by now, but given that it's not we haven't even been able to muster the motivation to put photos up on the wall or make it ours in any way.

We're still looking to buy a flat in this area but with crazy prices which don't seem to be affected by what is apparently a falling market we've not been able to find something we think will not only be a home for us but also an investment.

So here it is, a beautiful building with lots of potential, furnished with nothing but stock standard Ikea furniture and a touch of imagination but still a long way to go.

It's essentially a studio flat, large living area downstairs and two mezzanine areas above, one (pictured) we use as the bedroom and the other which is above the kitchen and bathroom, we use for storage.

blog roll

Dear readers,
I've decided to include some links on our blog and thought I'd introduce each of them to you.

What strikes me with the personal blogs is that Woz or I have grown up with most of these people and yet if we look at their lives now they barely show a resemblance.

In alphabetical order ...

Doctor Benny's Rural Adventures - My not so baby brother's adventures in rural Victoria as he studies to become a Doctor. This boy leaves nothing unblogged!

Kiwis on Top - Friends and fellow Londoners, Andrew & Vicki are Kiwis who flew the nest to spend 5 years in Melbourne and are now living in London. Enviable photography.

Live the Dream - a site set up when we were selling our boat. Photos and some commonly asked questions if you want to get up to speed with our life on the water without reading the last three years posts on this site!

Oh Paky Day - A blog set up by our dear friend Claire to keep us informed of the goings on in Pakenham. Guaranteed to make us truly homesick with every post. (No doubt this blog is financed by my parents).

Top End Time - Probably the strongest contrast to our life so far, (and her own growing up), Woz's sister Michelle's adventures in Northern Australia. A constant source of inspiration to us to reinvent our life.

Right here, right now - The great British weather.

Weatherheads Online - Written by my Mum this blog gives the Irwins a run for their money and provides me with daily reminders of what my life was like growing up. Look out for the snakes (killed by Mum with her bare hands), goannas, echidnas, steam engines and sawmillers and join them on their caravaning escapades in the Australian bush.