Marg: Our time in Botswana comes to an end next week (17th Dec) when we depart for our annual leave in the UK prior to terminating our contract on Jan 6th. Andy feels he has done all he could for the company and has resigned in order to encourage the Board to find someone else with greater financial and business expertise (or maybe it’s magic that’s needed in this case).
So we’re quite busy at the moment finalising everything both at the hangar and in the house. Much to my surprise the ‘items for sale’ list we put out on Tuesday last week was almost completely spoken for within 2 days. The reason I think, is that we have many friends and contacts on the compound here due to the exercise sessions that have been running 3 times each week. And most people enjoy a bargain, so….. It was just a minor misjudgement that led to me selling the tin-opener two weeks too soon.
Now, of course, we have let go as much stuff as possible and are living with the bare minimum, which means washing up the two remaining knives and forks at every meal and often using paper plates. The only things left to sell now are the car, and a couple of electric heaters that are naturally not being considered when the temperatures are 36 deg C in the shade.
Now I have just returned from the most amazing tea party, organised by the exercising ladies, who wanted to say ‘thank you’ for the sessions, and loaded me with gifts that will seriously complicate our packing. They variously claim that dietary advice and focussed exercises are changing their life, appearance, back pain and joint health, not to mention their families’ appreciation of the newly toned figures! Most of all, though, they seem to appreciate the way the sessions have brought people together. Several of the ladies said they have lived on this compound for a year and hardly spoken to anyone else here in all that time apart from a vague hello. But now having joined these sessions they have discovered new friends and people to visit, and for the first-time Mums of small babies, support from the older experienced ones.
The group are a good mix of expats from about 8 different African countries plus a few Batswana (plus me). Maximum ever attendance has been 16, and the regulars are all determined to keep up with the exercise regime after we’ve left. So I’m teaching them all I can about keeping themselves safe from ill-considered movement enthusiasms. And they are taking it in turns to try leading the group, thinking on their feet (or whatever part happens to be down) in front of a group who are poised for your every next word. Fortunately I have a number of programmes written out for previous groups (in previous lives and countries) so have been able to photocopy most of what they need to carry on.
Currently we have no plans for the future except to stay in the UK and recover, attend numerous celebrations of Christmas and a family wedding that happened in our absence, then chill for a while (probably too literally) until something else presents itself. Many thanks for your interest, concern, and (you know who you are) prayers.
