The Bricknells' 40th Wedding Anniversary Tour

After a small influx of visitors Matt and I are now getting back into the swing of work and have finally got round to updating the blog.

Mum and Dad arrived in South Africa on the 1^st October at the start of their 3 week holiday. They spent 10 days with us in Lesotho and are now lapping up the sun (hopefully) on the Cape and perhaps enjoying the odd glass of wine?! It was so good to see them here after a month of not knowing whether they were going to be able to make it or not.

After a day of rest and acclimatisation to African life we headed into the mountains for the Ruby anniversary celebrations. We had tried to keep the destination a surprise but when there are only a handful of lodges in the country it can be pretty easy to guess sometimes. We had booked a night at the only 5 star lodge in Lesotho which is in the Ts’ehlanyane National Park (where Jeepy had broken down back in March). We arrived to a warm welcome and 3 course lunch on the deck over-looking the mountains. This was the perfect pre-cursor to a lazy afternoon spent in our thatched chalets soaking up every inch of the luxurious and beautiful surroundings. After the sunset, with glad rags on we headed back to the main lodge for a celebratory dinner and drinks. After a great evening of catching up, mum and dad enjoyed the surprise of returning to their room which had been filled with lit candles (I think dad tried to pretend he has done it!).

The next morning, dad, Matt and I went for a hike. There had unfortunately been a bush fire that spread uncontrollably the weekend before and had totally desecrated the surrounding vegetation. The lodge was luckily untouched but only by sheer luck. As we tramped back after our 3 hour walk we heard a crackling coming from the lodge area and could see in the distance another blaze very close to our chalets. Matt then pointed out that the main lodge thatch was alight, only to discover it was the roof of our apartment. Mum was in the neighbouring one so we were all a bit frightened. Unfortunately at that point we were negotiating our way down a tricky bit of scree slope so we sent Matt (the quick one) on ahead. He ran off (I think more worried about Jeepy than his mother-in-Law!). When dad and I arrived, mum was safe and our roof was being hosed down. All that excitement certainly gave us a thirst for a well-earned beer.

During the week, whilst Matt had to work I took mum and dad to Ramabanta for 2 nights. We were the only visitors and lapped up the relaxing atmosphere, beautiful gardens and stunning scenery. In fact we were all so relaxed we barely made it to 9pm on either night. The sign of a good holiday I think. There was some lovely hiking (dad and I) and leisurely sketching (mum and I) before we had to head back to Maseru to collect Matt and begin our next adventure – the Sani Pass.

Friday was spent driving carefully over mountain passes until we reached Mokhotlong where we stayed for the night at the local hotel. After an early start the next day we set out for the Sani Pass. 3 hours of unpaved road led us to the highest pub in Africa where we enjoyed the views over the Sani Pass as well as a gale force wind! A beer and lunch gave us the confidence to tackle the pass and we enjoyed the 1 hour descent to the South African border where we were greeted by baboons and buck. That night we stayed at a Dairy farm 2 hours from the Sani Pass. The farm was vast and the house very beautiful. We were treated to a 3 course South African meal. The next morning we were invited on a tour of the farm...in the Bakkie. Matt, dad and I jumped at the chance to ride free in the back and were warned to hold on tight. It was a hair-raising drive - we grounded the vehicle beside a dam and a tractor had to pull us free and then we flew across fields at a 45 degree angle with the back flipping out. I haven’t seen dad look so scared before!

Having been a bit shaken up by the Bakkie trip we tenderly journeyed back to Maseru via the Golden Gate National Park for our last night together. A brilliant 10 days and I was sad when I dropped them off in Bloemfontein but great to think they had another 2 whole weeks of holiday ahead of them.

the visitors start to arrive

The weeks at work have settled into a new and more pleasant routine.  The days are still busy, but no longer as intense.  I still feel I am having a positive impact.  I also finished the first draft of a guide for the general practitioner in Lesotho.   If it gets published and distributed it should improve the care for patients with general medical problems and should also have a positive impact on our clinics.  This is however, Lesotho, and change doesn’t happen quickly so I am not going to hold my breath!

Kit’s work continues in the ENT department where she is in phase 2 of the plan to develop the service. Soon they will be able to remove one of the trips into South Africa currently required by patients needing hearing aids as they will be able to do part of the process in the department. Phase 3 (manufacturing earmoulds on-site) is on-going. Organisations have been contacted for assistance but nothing has been forthcoming....yet. It is important to remain positive.    

Last weekend we entertained the Welsh medical students who had been in Lesotho for 7 weeks.  We had sun-downers at the Lesotho Sun Hotel followed by their scrumptious buffet on the Friday evening.  With bellies still full the following morning we managed to clamber up Thaba Bosiu, which is the mountain fortress of King Moshoeshoe I.  We had last been up in March when Greg and Elonah last visited.  It was much drier, but also a little cooler which was most welcome.  We dropped the students off at the airport on Sunday and prepared ourselves for the week.

This weekend we had our first visitor from the UK for 6 months.  My uncle Bob came together with Greg and Elonah.  It was a public holiday on Friday so they were able to make it to us by lunch time giving us a long weekend to enjoy together.  Kit and I had been granted an audience with the Queen of Lesotho on Friday morning.  Unfortunately our appointment was delayed from 10 to 11 and then 4 pm.  As our guests had arrived at lunchtime we had to turn her majesty down!! 

After a short afternoon at work, we managed to get onto the road by 4pm for a weekend in Malealea.  The highlight of the trip was undoubtedly our pony trek on the Saturday.  It was the first time for Bob to be on a horse, and last time I was on one I fell off, so we thought we should take it easy!  We rode, with our guides, to a nearby waterfall.  The route took us down into a valley, then back up and round to the top of the waterfall.  On the flat there was a lot of banter between us, the horses interacted with each other and it was quite a giggle.  When we started to go downhill it fell strangely silent!  The steep rocky “paths” we took we a little intimidating, but the horses were impressively surefooted.  I sometimes wondered whether they had suction pads on their hoofs.  I occasionally looked round to see a rather worried look on Bob’s face!  We eventually made it to the top of the waterfall where we all elegantly dismounted.  We then had to walk down to the base of the falls with legs that didn’t feel as though they belonged to us.  There were a few slips but no major incidents.  Once at the bottom we were able to kick off shoes and wet feet, some of us went the whole hog and actually got into swimmers and stood under the falls.  It was a most refreshing experience!!  After the picnic lunch it was time for the trip back.
When we heard that we would be taking a different route back, there was a sigh of relief.  For the first 20 minutes our horses trotted along the top of the gorge and everyone was happy, but then the path suddenly turned downhill.  The most hair raising bit of the trip followed with a 150 metre descent in 15 minutes.  The horses took it in their stride, which is more than can be said for their riders.  After this, the worst was over and the frivolity returned to the group.  As we approached the lodge there was even a bit of cantering!  When we arrived we all posed for a photo after which we gladly returned the horses to their owners.  There was a mixed sense of relief and achievement as we supped our cool drinks in the afternoon sun and reflected.  We all ached in the most unusual places, and some of us still do!  Eventually the weekend came to an end, it was so good to have seen them and to have caught up with news and relaxed together.  We said our goodbyes and waved as Bob, Greg and Elonah went off to join the rest of South Africa at the Lesotho border.

We now have a week to prepare for the next arrivals on Friday... Kit’s parents, Peter and Sheila.  Kit and I are very excited about their trip particularly as it was a little uncertain whether they would make it for a while.  They are with us for 10 days before they continue their trip through South Africa to Cape Town.  We have a few trips planned, but the underpant-staining pony treks may have to be kept on hold.

The other very exciting news is that 235 days after starting work and after two interviews, visits to 5 ministries, and the filling in of countless forms I was finally paid on Friday.  The party is really going to get started now!!!!

Changes at work and good times away

Things have changed quite a bit in the last week, driven mainly by an improvement in my mood!  I found myself getting increasingly frustrated at work which culminated a week ago in me leaving the ward half way through a ward round!  There were numerous things frustrating me, but essentially I found myself doing too much on the frontline and therefore coming into direct contact with the inefficiencies of the system far too frequently.  I decided that something had to change.   I had a constructive discussion with the head of department after which we agreed that I would do a ward round twice a week and be available at other times but be not on the ward.  I have worked the new schedule this past week, and Kit can testify that I am feeling a great deal better!  I am still busy.  I am currently running the TB clinic three mornings a week as the usual doctor is on leave, prior to going there I go to the medical clinic for 1 ½ hours and see 40-odd patients, and in the afternoons I do a ward round on the TB ward.  I have also started doing the occasional bronchoscopy which has been enjoyable.

Last weekend (after the Friday when it all came to a head) Kit and I did some exploring near Maseru.  We went up for a relaxing time at our favourite sunset spot on the Friday evening, followed by a meal out.  On Saturday we walked on the Qeme Plateau.  This involved a 20 minute drive south of Maseru, an hour’s hike up onto the plateau and then 3 hours walking on top of it.  We managed to see about a third of it to give you a sense of scale.  We had a lovely time, getting out, doing some exercise and all so near the city.

This week has been very sociable.  We have had evenings out with various friends almost every night of the week.  We’ve had a braai, movie nights, dinner out, and sundowners at the Lesotho Sun.  Friday was Eid, which meant more socialising.  We had lunch at our neighbour’s, Dr Rahman, who is a Bangladeshi radiologist.  In the evening we were invited to another Bangladeshi colleague’s place.  On finishing there we were spotted by yet another Bangladeshi colleague, who invited us in to his as well.  All our hosts were very hospitable and we enjoyed ourselves a great deal... perhaps a little too much.  It was so hard to resist all the great food including the “mishti” (Bangladeshi sweets)!

After all the eating, we decided to have an active weekend away!  We went to the Ts’ehlanyane National Park which is about 2 hours north of Maseru.  We took a detour to the Maluti Adventists Hospital where three medical students from Cardiff (Neil, Hannah and Louise) are spending some of their elective.  We picked them up for a weekend of hiking, braaiing and general frivolity!

The park was new to me, but Kit had been there in the rain earlier in the year.  This was the trip that was marred by Jeepy’s battery failing whilst I was at home with man flu!  No problems with our health or Jeepy this time.  Needless to say there was also no rain.  We have had one slight spatter in the week, but no meaningful rain since April or May.  I digress... the drive to the park was pretty as we drove next to a very dry Ts’ehlanyane river.  The landscape is all different shades of red and brown but there were hints of green, and plenty of pink peach blossom.  On arriving we headed to the Maliba Lodge for a drink.  This is an amazing lodge nestled in the mountainside, and is the only 5 star lodge in Lesotho.  After drinks we went on a short (2 hour) hike for lunch at a rock pool.  We returned to the park gate to find our accommodation was ready (there had been a hiccup with the booking).  We were in rooms sharing bathrooms and kitchen with a large group of Basotho teenagers who were on an education weekend.  I was a little concerned as there was no sound proofing to the rooms!  Once we settled in when went up onto the hillside for sunset and a braai.  

There was another large group of Basotho there who had been partying since lunchtime.  It was quite a sight and sound for that matter!  Although they were very entertaining, it was fortunately not that long before they left the five of us with our fire and the starlit sky.  We returned to our rooms after the braai to find very excitable teenagers running around... this didn’t bode well.  Unfortunately my night’s sleep was limited to 2.30 until 6 am due to the racket. 

Despite the lack of sleep we managed to set off early after breakfast for another hike.  This time we split up.  Neil and I left the girls on the trail whilst we headed to the top of a “nearby” peak.  It was a most exhausting yet exhilarating experience!  We scrambled up the mountainside to a ridge at over 2500 metres.  The walk up was physically tiring, but the walk down was mentally so.  We had to find our way through high grass with uneasy footing and then thicket causing cuts to our arms and legs.  Eventually we made it back down to find the girls sipping hot chocolates at the five star lodge!  It had been 4 hours since we’d left them.  They had apparently also had a taxing walk, but I have yet to see the cuts on Kit’s legs!!!

We are now preparing ourselves for another week at work.  Kit and Jeepy are heading to Bloemfontein early tomorrow as she needs new breaks... Jeepy that is!  We thought it would be wise to replace them before our visitors come.  We’re expecting our first guests of the spring (Greg, Elonah and Bob) in two weeks time.

That’s all from the Mountain Kingdom for now... more news when we have some.

Our first trip south

I notice that Kit has already shared the fact that I caved and purchased a GPS when we were in Pretoria last!  I was always against the idea of one, as I thought it took the fun out of exploring somewhere new.  That may still be the case, but when we arrived in Pretoria at night last week, I was very happy to have a GPS device to guide us through unchartered areas of the city.  Since then we have put our new TomTom to good use as Kit and I went on a trip south for the first time.  Since we arrived in Lesotho there have been road works on the main road south and this has put us off travelling in that direction.  The time had come, however, to take our first step into these new lands.  Two doctors who had worked with me at the QEII Hospital had been moved, one to Mohale’s Hoek and the other to Qacha’s Nek.  I had promised to visit them for some time, so plans were made.

With the assistance of TomTom we set off last Friday afternoon and successfully found a detour around the last of the road works.  We managed to get to Mohale’s Hoek within 2 hours and in time for dinner with Dr Richard and his colleagues from the district hospital.  Kit and I were given a tour around the hospital, I even gave an opinion on one of the patients.  I was most impressed with the set up.  The building was sound, the wards clean and not overcrowded.  Although QEII has more in the way of equipment to do tests, there was something very appealing about the working environment in the hospital.  I’m not sure what life would be like outside of work though.  After dinner and the tour, Kit and I headed to bed in preparation for our long drive on Saturday.

We picked Dr Richard up after breakfast and headed off further south.  Our destination was Qacha’s Nek (“Q” is pronounced with a click) a town in the far south-west of Lesotho, which until recent years was only accessible by plane, on horseback or with a long detour via South Africa.  The road was long and windy as we drove over mountains, then along the Senqu (or Orange) River, and over more mountains.  We filled up at the last garage selling unleaded petrol and continued on.  The drive was quite beautiful, with scenery unique to this part of Lesotho.  We could easily have been driving through Arizona given the numerous cacti along the roadside.  We took a detour up into the mountains to a lake (Letseng-la-Letsie) for a picnic lunch.  During the drive to the lake, we did not see single other car, and during our picnic we did not see another person.  It was a remote and beautiful spot.  We may have to go back in the spring or summer, when I hear there are some unique flowers in bloom.

We arrived in Qacha’s Nek late in the afternoon.  Our first stop was the district hospital where my other ex-colleague, Dr Patrick, works.  Even though it was Saturday he was busy on the wards as he was going to be on his own in the week.  One doctor for the whole district!  The hospital had a similar feel to the one in Mohale’s Hoek, a well maintained building with warm wards and with some empty beds.  We spent some time catching up with Dr Patrick before calling it a night.  On the Sunday, we made a trip to Lesotho’s only snake park before we headed back to Maseru.  We left at 11am and eventually got back to Maseru at 6pm, a journey which by plane, we found out, takes little more than 30 minutes!

This last week at work has been quite tough.  I have continued to look after the male medical ward, the TB ward, go to the TB clinic as well as the general medical clinics despite my colleague being at a workshops all week.  I did have the help of two new doctors from the DRC (Congo) but at this stage they feel more of a hindrance than a help.  I tried my best to teach as I went along, but the pressure and volume of work prevented me from achieving a great deal.  By Thursday I got myself quite wound up by it all and was really looking forward to the break of the weekend.

And it has been a great break.  Kit and I celebrated 5 years of married life on Friday by going out for a meal; actually we went out for lunch as well as dinner, how decadent!  I had a truly fabulous time reminiscing and planning for the future.  On Saturday, we had planned a hike on a nearby plateau but due to some of the excesses of the night before, we didn’t get out of the house until after lunch.  We went on a drive just to the east of the city in search of the Metolong Dam, only to uncover that it is yet to built!  We carried on along the road and back round in a loop to Maseru.  It proved to be a great little jaunt out, and a potential for an afternoon for some of our visitors.  Today we have played tennis (I won!!), tried to fix the dripping tap in the bathroom (my nemesis) and have caught up with some correspondence.

The weather is definitely warming up.  I have managed to wear flip-flops during the day, but still need the slippers at night... so weird!  We are expecting a quiet few weeks, with no plans to travel out of Maseru until our first visitors of the spring arrive at the end of next month.  I’m looking forward to it already!

Matt's Birthday Weekend - Celebration & Surprises in Pretoria

Last Friday we set off on a road trip to Pretoria. We were giving a lift to our neighbour Dr Soe who was off to visit his son, and our friend Chris who was heading up North for a job interview. We travelled a new route to Jo’Burg using Dr Soe’s SatNav. Vast expanses of farm land with the occasional settlement dotted the way. It was a hot afternoon and made hotter by the fires that burnt on the verges next to the road – I think it is to get rid of pests and to clear the ground quickly but when everything is so dry the fires spread fast. We stopped for petrol and a late lunch with the only food on offer being a fat cake filled with minced beef! A fat cake is a deep-fried doughnut batter and is a traditional food over here. This was my first taste of this slimming delicacy and was pleasantly surprised although I am sure my arteries couldn’t take them too often!

We arrived at night and were thankful for the SatNav as we negotiated our way to Greg and Elonah’s NEW house! It was great to see it and to hear about all their exciting renovation plans. We had a cosy night catching up and watching a film before heading to our bed, which they had only purchased that evening. Next morning was their house warming breakfast and it was a scorcher of a day. Everyone headed out to their front garden enjoying pancakes, coffee and chats. It was great to meet so many of their friends who we will be seeing again at their wedding in Cape Town in December.

After a fabulous morning the afternoon took a little turn when Elonah’s sister came down stairs reporting that the two bathrooms were starting to flood. 4 hours later after a cast-iron bath was removed, an emergency plumber called-out and some frantic mopping, things settled down. A burst pipe has meant that reverb plans are to now start with the bathrooms! Such a shame.

After showers (back at Elonahs) we headed off for the second (and more pleasant) surprise of the day – Matt’s birthday meal. We were taken to a Lebanese restaurant where we sat on a rug and ate amazing meze, drank lots of red wine and Matt enjoyed the odd belly dance or two! Happy times!

Our week back at work has been fairly uneventful. Matt has finally signed his work contract this morning and he should be paid at the end of next month. Yippeeee! The weather is warming up and patients are attending hospital again in large numbers. I am still trying to work out how and who can assist with the next step in setting up a sustainable hearing aid service. My first round of emails to hearing aid companies has not led to anything yet. But I have some other thoughts so will try to remain optimistic. Matt and I are finding that we go through phases of being very driven and motivated to get things moving and then when results are minimal and the system is so resistant to change we hit a slump. We seem to be taking it in turns so at least when one of us is feeling frustrated the other one can push you on and vice versa. Matt’s days are certainly fuller than mine and the strain of working in the system is showing itself more and more. But all in all, despite the challenges, the experience is invaluable.

We are off this afternoon to explore the South of Lesotho – new territory for us! Very excited. If possible I think Matt is even more excited about this road trip because not only is it with his beloved Jeepy but he will be using his brand new TomTom GPS device which was purchased last weekend after Matt discovered travelling with a SatNav makes for a happier marriage!! More news soon.

Bridge weekend

I know you have all been patiently waiting to hear all about the inaugural Maseru Bridge Club weekend away!  Well here it goes... on Friday afternoon we all met at our place, that is to say Kathy, Hesse, Sthe (Hesse’s girlfriend) Kit and I.  We loaded up Jeepy with a remarkable amount of luggage for a weekend away and headed off into the “traffic” of Maseru.  We had to make a quick dash back home for a handbag but spirits remained high.  There was chatter, singing along to our recently acquired compilation CDs and general amusement.  Traffic was acceptable and we made reasonable time.  Just under one and half hours south east of Maseru we turned off the main road (gravel and quite bumpy) onto a side road (gravel and super bumpy) but shortly after arrived at the gates to our lodge at Ha Ramabanta.  We arrived just in time to drop our stuff off in our rooms before heading in for supper.  By this time it was dark, but we had packed torches for the walk to the main building.  Our hosts were charming, the cook very enthusiastic (perhaps a little too), and dinner was lovely.  We opened wine and relaxed.  As soon as dinner was over, we took over the bar, re-arranged the furniture and sat down for our first session of bridge.  Fortunately there were only two other guests staying, a pair of bikers, who headed off to bed relatively early.  The bridge was great, and the wine flowed very nicely indeed.  Before we knew it, Kathy and I were up over 2000 points, everyone else had gone to bed and the lights went out.  None of this stopped us, we lit candles and carried on.  Perhaps it was the light, or perhaps the wine, but errors seemed to enter the game, with 5th suits appearing everywhere.  Eventually we decided to call it a night... a super night.

We woke up to a glorious morning.  There was a touch of mist in the air, very little in the way of cloud and a truly spectacular view.  We had obviously seen nothing the night before as we’d arrived after dark.  We sipped our teas, said hello to the lodge dogs and took it all in.  When all were up we sat down for breakfast and chatted about the previous evening’s play.  Hesse and Kit didn’t feel too sore, and vowed to carry on together and try and claw back the points deficit over the rest of the weekend.  After breakfast we had a lovely hike around the lodge, with more brilliant views.  We made it back for lunch, a short rest and then settled down for more bridge.  We set up a table in the ground overlooking the valley and Maluti mountain range beyond.  A most unusual but beautiful setting for a game.  We played all afternoon, moved inside when the sun set, stopped for dinner, and carried on after.  Once again bridge carried on beyond the 10 o’clock power cut and was illuminated by candlelight.  The second days play was a much closer affair and enjoyed by all.  There also appeared to be less wine consumed, so the errors were fewer!!

We had another stroll after breakfast on Sunday morning.  This time stayed we were accompanied by two of the lodge’s dogs.  We walked through the valley, beside a river, then over it and then through it.  We had come to a dead end and rather than turn back we took off our shoes and waded through ice cold water.  Sensibly Sthe insisted she be carried across by her man, which he dutifully did!  When we got back, we freshened up and sat down for our final bridge session.  We camped out even closer to the edge of the lodge’s grounds, overlooking the river and valley below.  It was the first time this winter I actually felt hot... lush!  The bridge was serious, Hesse and Kit, got some great cards and used them well.  When the time came to stop and head back to Maseru we all knew it would be close.  I did the sums and Hesse and Kit managed to come out 200 points ahead.  Amazingly close for a whole weekend of playing!!  On the way home we talked about the next weekend away and all hope it will be soon!!!

A week of surprises

Last Friday, having settled on having a quiet weekend in Maseru we decided to head to Clarens and the Golden Gate Highlands Park in the South African Free State for a bit more exploring and potentially some hiking. The weekend was glorious weather – sunny bright blue skies and not too cold. Since the world cup has finished the jams at the border crossings seems to have eased which makes trips like this a bit easier. Clarens itself is a bit of a unique place. A central grass square lined on all sides with cafes, deli’s, antique shops and art galleries. People are walking around and sitting at the roadsides drinking a beer or having a cup of tea (not really seen this in any other place in SA). It sits amid a range of hills so the scenery is lovely but it did feel more like a village you would find in the Canadian Rockies rather than in Africa. On the Saturday we relaxed and explored Clarens itself and then on Sunday we put on our hiking gear and headed to the nearby Golden Gate Highlands Park which is at the beginning of the Drakensburg Mountain range. Impressive though it was, the scale and beauty of Lesotho has certainly spoiled us and we felt a little uninspired and ended up driving through the park and out the other side to see what else we could find. At least we looked the part sitting in the Jeep wearing out outdoor wear!

We decided to enter back into Lesotho via a new border crossing which was a bit like a mini ‘sani-pass’. The dirt track then led us alongside the Caledon River (the river that marks the border between Lesotho and South Africa). At points you could easily have one foot in each country. Our 2 hour journey led us through the mountains and through village after village. The grass had turned a rusty red in the winter and most of the streams had dried up. It was beautiful and new territory for us. We ended up picking up some hitch-hikers along the way, a couple of young footballers who were off to play their weekly game of soccer on the only flat football pitch for miles around. They said it takes them 2 hours to walk there and 2 back – that’s dedication! They were lovely guys and obviously enjoyed the experience of going by Jeep as they waved and hooted at their friends. We then picked up a miner who had come home to see his family for ‘month’s end’ and was starting the long journey back to North of Jo’Burg to the Gold mines for his next month of work. He had a hacking cough and I could tell Matt was just itching to get his doctor’s hat on and investigate this miner’s lung, but instead we let the guy rest and enjoy the journey.

After a lovely weekend the working week has been varied. Matt had his meeting with the Public Service Commission, after which they decide whether to give him an employment contract and pay him. An interesting way round to do things considering Matt has been working here for 6 months already. But at least it has happened. The ENT department had some excitement yesterday morning as we closed the waiting room so that a bullet could be extracted from a patient’s neck! It took a while as the bullet kept moving but the patient was up and about after so all went well. I saw my oldest patient and youngest patients so far yesterday, a lady of 76 years and a 11 month old baby. Certainly keeps you on your toes.

We had a surprise guest staying this week with us in the flat. Yesterday morning I opened the boiler cupboard to find a bemused pigeon staring back at me. I was late for work so decided to free him when I came home for lunch. The pigeon obviously had other ideas – when I got home it was downstairs settled in a blanket on the sofa with playing cards out on the table and the radio on the floor. Perhaps it had been doing this all week and I only just caught him in the act!

Today, we are off for a....drum roll....Bridge weekend! We are heading to Ramabanta lodge which is 1 half hours from Maseru for a weekend of Bridge and walking with Hesse and Kathy. Matt is super-excited as it is combining both a trip in Jeepy and 2 whole days of Bridge, his idea of perfection I think.