Slip n slide......

The rain today has been crazy heavy, at one point before the storm hit the clouds came so low you could touch them, this is mainly to do with the fact that we're so high above sea level, but still today was the first day I've experienced this since arriving. It looked a bit like when you're in an airplane coming in to land and you pass through the clouds (almost like steam) anyway that's the best way I could describe it!

It rained for about 4 hours and subsequently the roads became like mud slides, even walking without falling has been a chore and everything is covered in red mud. It's been carnage watching the Piki pikis (motto bike taxis) trying to stay upright and I've seen a fair few go over today. Walking to work after lunch a Piki carrying an elderly woman and a child slide and all the passengers landed in a muddy puddle! I felt awful (mostly because my first reaction was to laugh as they were going really slowly and it looked like a comedy sketch!) but fortunately nobody was hurt and Mkaile was near by seeing to the goats and after me convincing her to help to wash the child off in a cleaner puddle and me helping the 'grandma' to change her Kanga (shawl), all got back on the bike and carried on as if nothing had happened! It's bizzare as here in TZ it seems that people falling off motorbikes is the height of free comedy as everyone I've told this story to today has been in stitches!

I'm still having major issues with my laptop : ( I'm praying that when I visit Dar next week I will find someone who can fix it..... If not I'm not sure what I'll do as I'm up to series 3 of peep show and need to see what happens.

In other news I've started my advent Calendar and it feels surreal and bizzare to be 3 weeks off Christmas and in 30 degree heat and not being subjected to a single sound of Marriah Carey, all I want for Christmas or Slade blasting in my ears! I'm really curious as to what we will eat Christmas Day as the diet is so same same here, beans, rice, banana etc

As I'm typing this a woman has just arrived with 3 hens which have just been carted through the house by Mkile making an awful noise I've never heard before, squawking and shrieking as if they were being strangled! At least I've just cleared up that they're not going to be killed for our dinner, they're just going to take up residence in our coop as their sisters have been stolen from where they have been living- so lucky me!! More animal noises to wake me up at 5-6am.

I think I forgot to mention that our new house helper has now arrived, seems Samia isn't going to come back which is sad cos I really liked her. Anyways the new girl is called Anita and she has a daughter who's around 15 months old called Diness. She's so cute but I'm sad because I can't go within 10 steps of her without her dreaming blue murder and bursting into tears. I'm hoping that in time shell become used to me and will let me take a picture of her so I can show you all how adorable she is....