7 quick takes...

I needed a profile picture for a contribution to a really cool new magazine and I think Hartmut did a great job ;-)

1. Good morning! I actually need to make some breakfast for myself but I don’t know what I want to make so I decided to first write a little bit; maybe inspiration will come. The girls are both eating their favourites (toast for Sophie and oat porridge for Doris) and Hartmut has left a while ago so I don’t need to take care of him.  I would love to eat breakfast together but Hartmut always goes very early and quickly eats something while the girls need to get food as soon as they wake up or else they get very ‘hangry’. It’s only in the weekends that we have nice family breakfasts. It’s one of my favourite traditions, Hartmut always cooks it and we all enjoy it very much.
2. This past week was remarkably unremarkable. I am failing to come up with anything that happened that’s worth writing about. That doesn’t mean that it was a bad week; far from that. I even dare to say that those very normal weeks are among the best. We played, we learned, we laughed and we had a very good time. Just no crazy adventures which is actually good.
3. Actually; the most remarkable thing that has happened is the heat. It is so hot that you wonder why you put clothes on or even bother to shower because 3 minutes after getting out of the shower you are dripping with sweat again. What doesn’t help is that a cold shower is only possible in the morning. Because of the heat, the pipes get so hot that you wish that you could add some cold water, to the cold water. The weather forecast tells us that we should see loads of rain this week and we really hope that it’s true because the plants, the soil, the animals and the human beings all need it.
4. While I am typing the girls are playing.  Their ability to play always amazes me and I am so grateful that we got two girls whose temperaments work so well together, close to each other. Because they always play with the two of them their worlds of imagination seem so well aligned that they don’t need to discuss where their game is going. It just happens and it’s beautiful to watch. I think our time in Malawi would have bene very different if our family would have looked different because we also kind of need them t get on and play well; there is no real other option.
5. I am also grateful that the strike at SAA has ended after 8 days. I still think that liquidation is inevitable and it’s probably for the better, but I have some hope that that will not happen in the next month which means that we will be able to fly to Namibia for the holidays. It was constantly on mind and Hartmut and I googled all the alternative options that were all either ridiculous (flying via Nairobi to Johannesburg and then to Windhoek), crazy expensive (over 1000 dollars for four hours of flying), or very long (overlanding with a bus or a car). Now we can put all those dreams on the shelf and hopefully we don’t have to pull them out last minute. If all goes well, the girls and I will be flying in 3,5 weeks and we are starting to get very excited.
6. Before it’s Christmas time we still have many other things to look forward to. First we have a three year old turning four sometime in the next weekend. It’s officially on the 3th but since she won’t know we are free to decide when it it will be. She told me this morning that she doesn’t need presents from Hartmut and me because Sophie has prepared so many presents that she will already be spoiled enough. Too bad that I have made a really nice present for her ;-) The week after that will all be about Sinterklaas. Hopefully he will drop some presents at our house on the 5^th. On the 6^th we will go to a Sinterklaas party in Lilongwe, organised by the consulate, which I think is amazing.
7. Time to get some work done. First I want to cook food for today and tomorrow so that is out of the way. After that I need to do my job for Nkwichi and then it’s time for the girls. I do it in that order because we have power now when it goes, it’s usually gone for a long period of time. If we wake up to no power it’s usually back by ten, but if it goes at ten it’s only back at three. When it goes at three it’s only back at nine or ten. That’s why it’s best to cook and do the work on the laptop when you can. We do have a generator now which helps but I still think it’s better to use electricity when it’s available. Anyway, have a great week!  

How to get the mangoes you want...

I made new play dough this week so guess what they are playing with all day...

These bugs (cicadas) are bugging us a lot. They are so loud and their noise keeps buzzing in our head long after they have gone asleep. At least they provided us with a new learning opportunity.