Thank You!

Big brother had text's ticking in today with

greetings from you

He told me he wants to say thank you,

but have no credit on his phone...

He appreciated it

Thank you! 

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday to my first born

My georgeous wonderful little baby is

18 years today!

Coffee and gifts 6 am this morning

Laptop, money and Blackberry

If you want to greet him you can sms to his phone:

00 265 99 126 1726

To my Dad

My dad is eager to see our brand new Nissan Patrol

It is 4.2 litre, 6 cylinders engine

I was driving it today

It's like driving a truck

Very heavy 

very noisy

very nice

I said earlier that I was glad we had the small petrol car

while waiting for our new car to arrive

since there was no diesel in town

Look what I found on my way to the petrol station:

QUEUE!

The same day it turned the other way round

No petrol anymore,

only diesel!

It took 4 hours for those who was in the line for petrol

I turned around and drove back home.

We was invited with some friends to the lake,

but had no other choice than just stay in our garden

the whole weekend

(but we enjoyed!)

Husband asked for petrol

no luck

EMPTY!

Guess who was happy when the car company phoned early Monday morning

telling us that our car had arrived!

HAPPINESS

We went straight to the garage and filled

140 litres with diesel.

Next time there is diesel stop -

we will still be on the road!

What do you think dad, do you like it?

We do - a lot

Very happy now

Very happy!

Happy Birthday!!!

To the worlds best middle brother!

Pancakes and presents for breakfast 5:30 am

A very handsome middle brother in his school uniform

and his new watch

School starts 7:15 in the morning

A very proud big brother 10 years ago

He had two of his best friends with families over for cake

after school,

thoughts was sendt to friends in

Norway and Paris

Wish you where here

We ended middle brothers day at our favourite restaurant

(A man came forward and wanted to introduce himself,

he heard we spoke Norwegian.

We invited him to join us at our table, and it turned out he came

from the same town in Norway as us!

We hope to meet home next summer.

He and his family lives in Zambia)

Anyway,

middle brother was happy with his day,

and says THANK YOU for the greetings from Norway and

Paris!

Full Moon

Remember to enjoy the full moon tonight

I know I will

On my hunting for furniture's, guess what I found -

A church bench!

How cool is that!

With the little shelf behind to put your hymn book -

I LOVE IT

I will invite my husband on my church bench

in my garden tonight

to watch the full moon

I will also send a little thought to you

I hope you will notice

All the best to you from me!

How is your day today?

Click on the picture to magnify stress symptoms

Drive the gardener to our old landlord to pick more grass

Done

Buy zippers for the sofa foams

Done

Pick up more curtains from tailor

Done

Buy a new 10 litre bottle with water

Done

Withdraw cash from minibank (closed yesterday with out any reason)

Done

Buy new cell phone units (only scrap cards availiable)

Done

Meet interior architect before lunch (the one who has village people who makes our sofas)

Done

Meet a friend to brainstorm what to do on oldest son 18th birthday coming up next week

Maybe tomorrow

Buy ingredients for middle son's 10th birthday coming up next week

Maybe tomorrow

Cross fingers that our diesel car, which we was promised to have to weeks ago, will still be delayed. We borrow a petrol car which must be a gift from God because there is still NO DIESEL!!!

Drive to the place where they made chairs for the children's bedroom to push them for the 6th time

Tomorrow

Remember to pick up gardener and load the car with the grass

Done

Pep talk with gardeners (To do's and what NOT to do)

Tomorrow

Pep talk with housekeeper (Same)

Tomorrow

Pick up children from school (my alarm is on)

Done (!)

Homework

Done

Drive across the town to buy chicken filets for dinner

No chicken availiable

Make dinner

Beef curry - yum

Laundry

Done

Children to bed

Yes, they are sleeping now!

Me to bed

Very soon

What does your day look like?

Pets

When we lived in Paris
we looked so much forward to
have pets again

Now we are busy spoiling them all

Dad has got a new baby

Big brother takes 5 sec

to cuddle

Look, they have stopped

going inside the house!

Physically anyway

Our pregnant cat sits outside the kitchen window

and waits for us every morning

Hopefully she eats cockroaches, snakes and mice at night time

In a few weeks we will have

kittens and

chickens as well

And just to remind you -

WE take care of the animals

(Not the gardeners or housekeeper)

We feed them 3 times a day

give the dogs a bath

with shampoo every weekend

We train them not to go inside the house

not to steal food from each other

not to chase the cat

(we are still working on that one)

not to chew on our furniture

not to go outside the gate

and to bark at strangers.

The last one is a difficult one...

Husband have tried to run to the gate and bark

when we have visitors

HAHAHA -

but we all think it's funny

Even the dogs!

They sleep outside (it is warm outside) every night

and choose to sleep in the same bed.

They couldn't care less if there

is someones lurking around or not

Husband says they are the lousiest guard dogs in the world

I give them a few more months

before I give up on that one.

I wish you a

Happy Wednesday! 

Welcome new week

The two youngest chill in the wheelborrows

As you can see, there is still no grass in our garden

But

I'm driving one of our gardeners to our old landlords house

again and again

to pick grass!

Yepp you heard correct.

They pick the grass with it's roots to plant it

in it's new place - 

one by one!

I bought our gardeners a hat to protect them from the sun

It's getting warmer day by day now

They look very nice in their little hats

I think they like them

 

This is where i buy my fabrics.

Fabrics for curtains,

sofafoams etc.

The tailors sits outside the shop

ready to make whatever you like

Anyone care for a banana?

I had to wait (of course)

and took some photos outside the shop

to share with you

Next time you carry like your arms are falling off -

put your bags on your head!

The market

it's actually huge

and you can get everything

IF

you feel like walking around

and

everybody is starring at you

follows you

and ask if you want to buy

from them

that is if you are azungu -

white people!

I am indeed VERY white

and I never walk alone!

My thoughts goes to famous people  -

they live like this every day

being folowed around.

OMG they must be strong

Bless their souls!

The local busstation just down our street

It's always good to be back home.

Peace and privacy

This three friends knows how to enjoy life

I hope you do to to!

Cobra

We was invited to our Norwegian neighbours today

She told us she found a Cobra inside her house yesterday

Between som clothes on the floor

She manage to get out

BUT

I have said it before

and I say it again

I do not like snakes!

Especially not inside the house

and especially not

spitting cobras or

black mambas

Tomorrow I will buy chickens

They took a spitting cobra in our garden

last time we lived here

chicken do that -

chase snakes

I hope the dogs don't eat the chickens -

they try to eat the cat

But the cat is smarter!

Luwawa

This week middleson's class was going on a fieldtrip FOR THREE DAYS

You know -
sending your child away in your own country is a little concerning first time
but

Imagine to send your 9 year old away alone for three days out in the bush
IN AFRICA!

This was one of the things that worried me already back in Paris

I knew I had to send my children out in the wilderness if we moved back to Malawi

4,5 hours one way in the schoolbus

Our child is sleepwalking

He actually tries to go out in his sleep

In Luwawa there are HYENAS
and LEOPARDS

Peptalk before departure, teacher to the right

The night before his fieldtrip middleson was concerned

"What if something happens to you when I am away - who will pick me up at school?"

"Who will know that I am back from the wilderness?"

Well, the embassy knows that we are here, and if something happens to us they will pick you up...

(How comforting was that!) 

"What if I am sleepwalking and manage to get out of the lodge,

what with the hyenas and leopards?"

I am sure the nightguards will watch your door all night.

"But we know the nightguards are sleeping"

I am sure in Luwawa the nightguards do not sleep

(I hope!!!)

Good bye mummy, take care while I'm away
take good care of the family
don't drive after dark

 I did not get much sleep that night either...

My baby alone in the wilderness with only two teachers

Off they go
drive safe

I mention to the teacher if I could come as an volounter

- but you know -

labour is VERY cheap in Africa

They had 6 guides to help them in Luwawa

in addition to the ordinary staff

Entrance Luwawa

Day one, day two and finally day three

Husband and I went together to pick up all our three children

But they where not in their classroom as the teacher told me before they left

And they where not at the busstop in the back of the schoolyard...

Finally husband found them

You see

there is no diesel in this country at the moment

and the bus had to wait in a line to fuel enough to get back to school

That took 1 hour extra -
in a line -

to fuel!

Think about that next time you are fueling

Be grateful if there is enough fuel,

if any at all!

Luwawa garden

The trip was a huge success!

No sleepwalking

Made new friends

Found leopard poop

and

hyena poop!

But did not see them

(Thank God I say!)

Luwawa river

Middelson wants to go back

Clean, quiet, honest, pure and rich african nature

Just like him self!

Luwawa wiew

I am so grateful and proud of my child

 My little hero

my BIG hero

I am pretty sure there is some relieved and proud grandparents back in Norway as well

Well done -

to all of us!