times are a changing!

I confess that I have made a shift from posting on the blog to posting on facebook - somehow time is not always in abundance  to do both but I think I should try again. It was not so long ago I did not know what facebook was!

Our last post was nine months ago!   To summarize, Ron and I returned from Malawi in June. We were very privileged to serve there and it was hard to say goodbye to new friends and coworkers. On a personal note we went to Zambia on Easter weekend and had a wonderful safari experience. We had to leave Malawi for a few days to renew our visas so the combination worked well.

Eventually, the project was finished, reports were complete, and Vancouver Island was calling!!

Since our return home we

• have reconnected with Casey, Jo-Lynn and family, 
• had a month long visit with Jen, Caleb and the 2 little ones form Australia, 
• have been kayaking (day trips from Hornby Island), 
• took a road trip to Alberta for a CRWRC workshop, 
• visited family (Clayton and Bill and Bill's family and and friends in the Edmonton area and spent some time with cousins Bonnie and John in Windermere BC, 
• and most recently, we went to New York for 2 1/2 weeks to meet up with Marty and Annika. 

No wonder I was not thinking much about blogging! This list does not include our visit to Cambridge in January, and Marty and Annika's visit to Nanaimo this fall!!

Perhaps a few pictures are the best way to paint a picture of our experiences .....

Malawi

 a sign that there will be dancing today!

 always curious

One of our favourite views in Malawi

checkers anyone? What a  great use for bottle caps.

.... now about those dancers! 

Zambia - Easter long weekend was our only 'time off' and leaving the country was mandatory - here are a few snaps of the adventure .... 

 lilac breasted roller

 baboons

Vancouver Island

 Jen with Thomas and Jonny

 Casey, Jo, Rudy and Cassidy

 camping at Rathtrevor

Caleb, Jen and the boys at Lantzville Beach

Hornby Island

 Hornby Island

 Eagle

Heron

Well this post is long enough ..... more pictures to come another day! 

Uniform Kindness

We were ‘out and about’ in Lilongwe today when we were pulled over by the Malawi police. This happens often. The officer saluted smartly and asked Ron for his driver’s license. No problem! Ron always has it in his pocket!

Mmmmm ….. problem. It had been soaked in rain yesterday and was laying on our bedside table drying out! 

‘So sorry sir – it is at our house just around the corner. We will go back and get it.’

‘What kind of driver’s license is it? It is an offence in Malawi not to carry your license.’

‘We appreciate that and we are very sorry sir. We both have international driving licenses. Can Lauris show you her license?’

Surprisingly, he agreed. She pulled a photocopy of both of our licenses.

We asked  ‘Would you like us to pay a fine?’

The officer reiterated – ‘It is my his job to enforce the law.’

And then he smiled broadly saying  ‘Since you are so organized and wise to carry the copies, you may continue your journey.’

One more big warm Malawian smile and we were on our way.  

Malawian kindness in uniform.

We did not ‘push our luck’ by asking him if we could take his photo!

The Shortcut Home

According to our friend Larry, it’s always a good idea to check if there are tire tracks on the road less travelled… sometimes there is a good reason that you have the road to yourself!

Take Friday for example! We were on a shortcut in a remote area when we found the reason!  There was a bit of a gap on the roadway…. only about 10 feet wide and 4 feet deep but enough to slow us down!

Backtracking was an option but it was not our choice. There was a ‘guy gang’ with hand tools attacking the cave-in…… not that they could possibly repair the hole any time soon but they were anxious to help us. 

We analyzed the best was forward.  The trail going of to our right seemed like a good start. Then it was a left turn through the bush .. then the challenging bit …  how to get down the bank. This is where the work crew came in -  they threw their energy into digging a ramp and throwing rocks in the ditch.  

 Through Ron’s  masterful aiming, the Hilux slid down the bank and onto the road “on the other side” …  no problem. Some cash for the workers was in order. Larry had them all laughing by offering to divide the bills by the rip and tear method.  We left them to decide how to share the bounty.

 $9 well spent!

More Snaps

drying racks for sardines 

the setting sun at Senga Bay

not exactly the big five but wildlife none the same 

Mr Lizard in the sunshine!

Squirrel frozen hoping he could be invisible

fishing nets - Ron's wonderful photo.

good advice

the restaurant at the Red Zebra Guest House

Next to the Red Zebra is a tropical fish  

business which sends fish from Lake Malawi all around the globe.

A large shipment had just been sent to China. 

We hope to re-visit this spot when there see more varieties of stock.

Snaps of Malawi

We have learned that pictures are called snaps by the locals. So here are some snaps of Malawi.

Our house is a very very fine house! We love it! 

We have plumbing and hot water in the shower 

which we carry to the kitchen to do dishes. 

Correction - Ron carries it! 

Senga Bay Beach

A typical boat which carries lanterns for night fishing 

to direct the larger boats in finding sardines. 

These boats go out again in the daylight to catch larger fish.

The Senga Bay Fishing Fleet.

Mr Ron

Sardines for eating and for bait.

local acrobat!

Beach football -  the dust bowl?

The river at Mua is a busy place for locals to bath and do laundry.

women at work

There are lots of granite  'mountains' like this one - stunning,

enormous root systems 

This fascinating tree loses leaves in the rainy season and  

regains them in the dry season 

offering protection from the harsh sun. 

The trees also add nitrogen to the soil.

 It is called a faidherbia albide or Msangu tree. 

Once a tree is three years old it gives enough nitrogen to the soil that fertilizer is not needed for the crops. 

 

A maize field using conservation farming - holding in moisture and keeping weeds at bay. 

These fellows led the way  to the highway!  

Amazing balancing act!

Their bikes are not substantial and most have no brakes! 

Do not try this at home!

Our silence from blogging is simply because we are busy!

 We hope to write more soon!

Malawi for the Very First Time!

We have arrived in the rainy season so everything is lush and green in the city of Lilongwe. We flew with Ethiopian Airlines which delivered us to Malawi uneventfully (just the way we like it). We passed through Addis Ababa airport where we chatted a couple of men bound for Cameroon - one from Egypt and the other from Thailand. We always enjoy the gathering of nations as we travel!

We have been impressed by the friendliness of Malawians, the peaceful streets, the wonderful CRWRC folks and their warm welcome, and the comforts of our accommodation.  Lilongwe has an orderliness to it and groceries are easy to find as long as you are not too fussy. Best of all – fresh produce!

In a few first days we experienced, hot sun, draining high humidity, incredible downpours, a ‘pet’ lizard, cockroaches of all sizes, centipedes and millipedes and lots of mosquitoes. But it is all good – after all, everyone and everything has to be somewhere! We do like Malawi very much

We went to a church where we heard an excellent message and were made to feel welcome. We will also visit some other churches and are thankful for the opportunities.

Malawi is called Africa for Beginners according to The Lonely Planet. It is also called the Warm Heart of Africa.  20% of the area of Malawi is Lake Malawi which is  roughly half in Mozambique as well. We live in the capital City – Lilongwe.

The 2 main languages are English and Chichewa. We drive on the left side of the road. One negotiates the prices for many things.

CRWRC is working through local partners in 5 centres responding to a drought with food, seeds and tools and with the teaching and implementation of conservation farming techniques.  3000 households (18,000 people) are involved. Long term solutions are thus incorporated in addressing the immediate needs.

The problem of weather is a tough here one because after months of drought, sudden heavy rain can wash away the seeds and plants and quickly destroy what progress was made. We have heard someone call these weather shocks – good term. Conservation farming techniques are more drought resistant. We personally have a lot to learn about the topic. Some centers are situated in rain shadows so relief from drought is more challenging there.

We have done a fair bit of travelling in the countryside and we are hoping we will be able to find our way on our own for the next distributions!! 

One of the beach areas on Lake Malawi is called Senga Bay. We walked among the fishermen who had returned form the nights fishing and learned a little about how they fish etc. Real life in Malawi! We are thankful we have been given this opportunity!

Four Short Days

Four Short Days of Great Things. Cambridge revisited. Jan 23 to 27, 2011

This was our second visit to Cambridge where it is impossible to miss the depth of history, the greatness of innovative thought, the roots of faith and the amazing scientific discoveries. 

Grand colleges and chapels abound and the city bustles with locals and students – mostly on foot and on bicycles.

Better than all of that was spending time with Marty and Annika who were their usual amazing selves. The time flew past so quickly but we were grateful to be there together.  They have a great little (big on little – maybe 16 sq metres) cottage behind a row house in an area of town where the railway workers lived. Just up the street, the sign for the public bath is still on the building although it is no longer functioning as a bath building.  If you have ever been to a public bath in Britain, I expect you may be smiling. My experience was back in the 70’s – an enormous tub in the centre of a small room with plenty of hot water and a clean towel – bliss as I recall! 

It feels rather odd to be writing this while watching a small lizard try to come inside the window in Malawi but that is another post! It is quite a  contrast to sitting in Kings College for an amazing evening song!

Marty is working toward a PhD at Cambridge and Annika spends part of her time in Berlin continuing with her entrepreneurial ways and exhibitions.   Marty has some work speaking and leading seminars in addition to his studies. The work load sounds heavy to me! They are great encouragers for each other and to those around them.

No luck posting photos yet! Sorry.