FLYING TOGETHER!

At airport on way to Uk for 5 week holiday - and David is with me! Usually for various reasons, usually to do with work, we fly separately but as neither of us is working we have this holiday together - wish us luck!
Went upcountry after David finished 10 days ago and caught up with friends. Last week absolutely manic trying to see loads of folk and getting prezzies sorted, as well as partly packing flat back up to creat space for friends coming to stay while we are away! All good stuff!
Staying with friend in London tonight and then off to Ramsgate to see Kim and Simon for 3 days before seeing Mum and Dad. WIll send pics of our travels. Fly in an hour - and we got exit seats so will have happy legs!xxxxxxx

AINT LIFE TOUGH!

Just thought I would share these photos - just sat out in garden for first time to have lunch. Not bad considering we are in the centre of Nairobi - who would know!

Path up to our front door

Yep, as always we are being smiled upon.
Also wanted to show you this little gem that we found when we were sorting through the stuff at Davids Dads house - a wonderful old Singer sewing machine! It had an electric motor attached so we have had that removed as it was not attractive and now it sews perfectly just by turning the handle and smooth as silk! Amazing!

The other thing we found was an old 16 something cine projector - now all packaged up and in storage for uk. No idea what we will do with it but it is a great little thing. David has an old reel of cine film - don't know what is on there - so need to find somewhere that can convert it into a more useable medium. Hoping that it is some home cine film of David when a boy - all together now - AAAAHHHHHH!!

THE START OF SOMETHING NEW!

Phew! Able to take a breath! We have finally moved into the flat, David finished work yesterday -we just have the dreaded lunch and speeches with the Directors on Monday and then we are free as birds - penniless, hopefully not for long,  but free as birds!
The packers came and went and did a great job packing up our stuff but boy, for people who thought they didn't have much xxxx

This is them getting ready to move it all out!

 The flat has proved to be fantastic and all of the dogs have adapted to all of the steps - even poor old Elsa, the lab, whose back legs are beginning to go. She has developed a great kind of froggy hop! Anyway here are a few views of the flat - not many needed as small but we love it - and so central!

The front door - yes, we know it looks more Spanish than anything but there it is - a gem amongst a whole load of tat in Nairobi!

Lovely big main bedroom with loads of cupboard space.

View from bedroom corridor towards living area and door into kitchen.

View into living area

Looking from sitting room balcony towards garden - lovely.

Tiny but perfectly formed!

What will be spare room with two roomy single beds in - not quite finished unpacking!

So there we are - don't know where pic of kitchen is but is a small space with everything to hand. So, everything going fine.

Off to vets with Fleck and Pandy tomorrow as need to start getting them micro-chipped and then rabies injections etc in readiness to be brought over as there is a 3 month wait between injections and testing for rabies, which ahs then to be sent to either Uk or SA so all go.
Rest of money for house due with lawyers on Tuesday so keep fingers crossed though we don't hold out too much hope!!! mThat would be far too organised for Kenya.
On Wed going upcountry to stay at Kembu campsite just beyond Gilgil and then going to see friends in Naivasha for a few days. Then a week and we fly over to Uk -if money comes through!! So lookign forward to it as will be the first time that David and I ahve flwon over together and spent time in Uk. Have had to make itinerary as going to be usual mad dash but should be fun. We are both over there for our birthdays, spending them with friends so that should be nice.
Anyway, that's me up to date. Catch back soon when back from upcountry. Have a good one x

LONGTIME NO BLOG!

Can't believe it has been 2 months since I last blogged. However dates don't lie so here is a quick update.
The packers came in today to sort stuff for Uk move and we have been frantically sorting through everything for the past month seeing what is going to flat, what to Uk, what to sell here and what to throw - how on earth does one couple accumulate so much rubbish in such a short period of time! However, getting ahead of myself. Here are a few pics to show what I have been up to - pictures are worth a thousane words or whatever the saying is! Have managed to do a few bits of crafty stuff to keep my sanity! Been putting together a new blog to go with what may or may not become a little business when I get the hang of it - will let you know when it goes online.

Take one plain lampshade.

  Use a glue gun and some calico..

Make rosettes - easy and fun!

Make a lampshade with a lining so that you can take it off and swop it for another..

 

Et voila!

Okay so needs some work but not too bad.

Christmas a bit of a non-event as so busy sorting flat out etc but was lovely actually that whole week - we ahd a Mrs Bouquet candlelit dinner which was the best yet, christmas and New Years day meals out under the trees in glorious weather and we also did what the residents called a 'Fortnum and Mason ' afternoon tea in our garden. I did baking from hell but was really lovely. New Years eve we went to stay across at Morag and Justins and the godchildrens and had a lovely quite quiet but nice way to start the year.

Made at least 400 of these - the residents loved them!!

Christmas muesli

Ok, so I'm not the neatest of workers!!

Drunken fruit having been soaked overnight in copious amounts of brandy - made 5 christmas cakes - 3 for David as he kept eating them! and 2 for residents - 1 for christmas and one for New Year.

Christmas carol service - lovely Anita presiding.

Advent wreath

Mrs Bucket candlelit supper - wonderful!

David at his happiest!

Pandy in seventh heaven!

Aahh!!!

Pretty!

Christmas day lunch.

A good time was had by all!

The staff singing and bringing in Bar's birthday cake on christmas day.

97 today!

Happy days

Fortnum and Mason tea party in our garden - a wonderful afternoon - very civilised!

David's farewell party that the residents put on - they gave us a huge voucher to go  on safari and this wonderful old Zanzibar chest in the foreground, made in the 1940's. It was a really lovely evening, quite emotional.

Ok - well done if you have made it this far - just a few more pics to show you what is going on chez nous today and the next 2 days ..

Waiting to be sorted!

Parquet floor from Dads and Davids bedrooms in old house.

Wish there was smellavision as these are pure cedar and the smell is delightful - can I hear Bryan groaning at the thought of sorting this lot out to make a parquet floor!!! You can do it!

Ready and waiting

And yet more stuff!!!

Packers have arrived with a ton of packing materials and doing a great job! Looks like we may need 40 not 20ft container!!

Yup there is a lot of stuff!!

The sitting room mid pack!

So if you thought your New YEar was off to a manic start just chill - it can't be worse than this!! Can't leave house while they are here so catching up on sorting photos etc over next few days - oh and knitting - more of that later.xxxxxxxxxxxx