The history of Valentine's Day

No, I'm not going to tell you so feel free to Wikipedia it if you like. Kitty's class presented a play about it in their Assembly today and also read out the poems about love they had written. Kitty's was a song so she sang it. She's quite happy to be different.

People in dresses...

The frocks at the front (M on right!)

Sunday morning we were treated to a wonderful Tanzanian experience when friends of ours were officially and ceremonially made directors of a nearby Anglican Bible college. The event was due to kick off at 9am, and we were only fractionally late so some of the first to arrive. After a while the main guests and many men in frocks arrived (and a few women too). We left after at lunch time after the first event of the day, with the schedule only running 1 1/2hrs late (the official lunch was scheduled for 2.30, plus delays I think we were wise to skip off!) - not bad at all really! Lots of enthusiastic singing and music kept causing the generators to fail, and kids were happy making nests and playing in the dust outside. K amd M finally got home just before 7, I understand, throughly installed in their new positions.

The kids out the back

Massed frocks and kids!

It was a bit dusty...

 

Kitty too had her moments in a dress on Wednesday at the latest ballet event. The Mancup didn't have any activity books with him so started by working Mama's mobile to send me texts (very impressive), then practiced with the camera, so photos of this dress thanks to the Mancub today.

Meanwhile, the event everyone has been waiting for (or not) has finally come to pass. We have residents permits and research permits! Amazing... Just need the stamp in our passports and we'll be done, though we're official at this stage now. Only taken 2 and a bit years...

Social time

Thought I'd post a picture or two from our weekend, which was highly sociable. A relaxed start on saturday saw playing at home before heading off to meet friends at a lodge for lunch, swimming and playing. We headed off mid afernoon for a 2 year birthday party in a beautiful garden with lots guests big and small, plenty of wine and water balloons, paddling pools and potato crisps and other alliterative attractions. Sunday saw me surrounding with small people in church creche and then off to a friend's house for lunch with owls in the garden, getting home just in time to wash the dust off the children, feed them waffles and get them into bed. Lovely!

Ballet dress

It's amazing what you can find at Arusha's second hand textiles market if you are persistent. All set for ballet class 3 tomorrow (well, apart from shoes anyway...)

Christmas deliveries!

Unwrapping...

Mama B managed to collect our post today, and we were pleased to find a range of presents, Christmas and even (for Mr B) rather late birthday cards! The last couple of years we've managed a seond Christmas thanks to visitors arriving in the New Year, this time it had to be the usualy delayed post. But at least it things arrived! Thanks to all for sending things...

What a haul!

Talking of visitors, it's occurred to me that we've made no official announcement of our current plans the 2012 yet, so (just in case you're not aware anyway) we're currently planning to head back to UK at the end of June/early July when the school year ends here - and once I'll hopefully have been able to burn a bit of Serengeti. So, if you've been thinking it would be good to visit, or simply want one last return visit before we aren't here, you'd better try and come before June... There's lots of fun still to be had for anyone who wants to come, and we'd love to see you! No-one is currently booked in for a visits at all... Karibu Tanzania!