7 quick takes

26 October

7 quick takes

Who could have guessed that our duck pool made such a good bubble bath?

Good morning! Sorry not sorry for the week I skipped. I was on Likoma Island with the girls. Getting out my laptop to write a blog was the last thing that I wanted to do. We had a great time relaxing, playing on the beach and in the lake, watching birds, a great time with friends and going for walks. We came back home on Wednesday and although it was nice to see Hartmut again, we all wished that we could have stayed a little longer.
That we couldn’t stay longer is because of the ferry. It only comes once a week which means that you have very little choice in how long you make your stay last. It’s probably the only downside to it though, because we really love travelling on the ferry. All the staff knows us and especially the girls get treated like queens. The bar on the top deck must be the best bar in the country, not because of what you can order (they frequently run out of essentials) but because the ever-changing views and interesting people. We had booked a cabin and there is something very special about having your own room on a ship.
Her face lit up with one of the biggest smiles I had ever seen, and she jumped up and down with joy. ‘I have always wanted to see this and now I finally did! This is the best day of my life!’ I love how Sophie always experiences the world in superlatives which makes that pleasing her brings a contagious joy. This time the joy was caused by an African paradise fly-catcher. It’s a pretty bird with a striking long orange-brown tail and I have to say that I was excited too to see it too. When my little ornithologist had heard that that bird has a nest on Likoma, she made seeing one the purpose of her trip. On our last day, just before we went on the ferry, her wish was granted and the entire trip was deemed successful. Next on her list is an African purple swamp hen, so if anybody knows where I can find one, let me know.
While we were away, Hartmut took one of his South African colleagues out to a beach lodge where we have been a few times. This particular colleague is of Indian descent, which is important to know for the story. The lodge is Indian owned but that’s not very obvious when you see the menu as you can order the usual; fish and chips, burgers, pasta etc. However, we found out that they make a mean butter chicken that’s not on the menu so that’s what we always order. When Hartmut and his colleague sat down, Hartmut got the usual menu that we always get but his colleague got a different looking one. It turns out that they have an entire menu with great Indian food that they have kept secret for us all along! I am not sure how I feel about that but I do know that I’ll ask for that menu the next time we’ll go.
You don’t need to go far or spend a lot of money to have a really fun and memorable experience. Often it’s just about small diversions from your usual routine, or looking at the things you do with fresh eyes. We were cleaning the duck pool and the girls were having fun with brushes and water when I wondered if we couldn’t turn it into a temporary bubble bath. I got the soap, we vigorously stirred the water with the brooms and five minutes later the girls were playing in the most amazing foam . The water was cold but that didn’t matter because it was hot outside anyway, and the girls had a great time making bubble-beards, foam-snow and bubble soup. And we had a great time watching them as their joy was contagious.
Our rooster has disappeared. He usually left our garden in the morning but always came back in the evening. But after we came back from Likoma, he was gone. Tryson suggested that he and the girls would ask around in the neighbourhood to find out if anyone had found him but the girls declined. ‘Maybe he just wanted to go. Maybe he is happier now. He has a mind of his own, and we cannot keep him here if he doesn’t want to. He is not our prisoner.’ They said. Truth is that we all, deep down, know that he is probably dead. Our big male duck and our rooster often had fights and as the duck became stronger, the rooster became weaker. The fights were pretty bloody and although we really tried, it became almost impossible to stop them. I think that the big duck won the final fight and a weak rooster is an easy prey for the many predators that live around here.
Sophie has asked me to play Monopoly Deal with her and Doris is next in line because after that she wants to play quartets. It looks like my agenda for the next hour is sorted. ;-) I wish you all a happy new week. Stay warm or cool (depending on where you are), wash your hands and stay sane!