Will someone posh kindly tell me how to use this?

Yes, it's a tea-strainer with a swinging filter, but does one angle it at 45' to flow off the tray, pour it one tray-full at a time and tip it into the cup, or hold the tray at right-angles to the flow so that it doesn't get involved? Life is full of these dilemmas. See the whole table below at Satemwa tea farm.

Why is this garden bird like the River Thames?

When the Thames rises in the Cotswolds, it is called the Thames, and when it gets to the home counties, it is called the Thames, but when in Oxford it is called the Isis. (At least by some people).

Birding can be complicated. I knew this bird in Kenya and Tanzania (or some of its relatives anyway) as the White-browed Robin-Chat. My Southern African bird books (two, lots of nice pictures, cover several countries but not Malawi) call it the same. My Malawian bird books (no pictures but a lot of distribution maps) call it a Heuglin's Robin. They do something similar for other Robin-Chats too. Wikipedia can't tell me why there is a difference so I guess no-one knows,   probably including the bird.

PS for the geeks: Heuglin was a 19th century explorer/administrator in NE Africa best known for his ornithology. Several birds are named after him. The Latin name is C. heuglini and the Afrikaans name is janfrederiks.

Oops - 2 (costly)

Internet is a bit expensive and intermittent here. I accidentally deleted my email files (letters and addresses) and when I checked my back-ups I found the system hadn't backed up since I arrived, because of the intermittent connections. It took me 2 days to retrieve most things from other files.

It got me thinking; even if it worked properly, backing up just my email file to the cloud (which I do at home without thinking about it) would cost about £5 in internet charges. That's bad enough for me, but this is a poor country and about 70% of the population have less than that to survive on for 6 days.

Oops -1

This is what I saw at about 12.30 when I drove down my road. How it even got there is a mystery to me, let alone how it overturned. It hadn't been there at 11am but then it wasn't there when I returned at 5pm. I guess they got a lot of blokes to clear the soil and then push it back on its wheels.

Pharmacy department

I don't have a picture of the pharmacy department, but the library looks great!

I will post more stuff when I arrive but the department web page is at http://www.medcol.mw/?s=pharmacy

I will have a month to agree my teaching subjects and prepare for the new term. I have several hundred pounds worth of textbooks in my suitcase and hope I bought the right ones!

Malawi

On 27th July I fly to Malawi, via Johannesburg, to teach pharmacy in the University of Malawi's College of Medicine in the southern city of Blantyre. The post is sponsored by the German Government's development agency and lasts for 2 years.

Malawi is a small country with an enormous lake in which there are many species of fish that end up in tropical fish tanks in UK (including my own).

Do consider a visit and follow in the footsteps of David Livingstone!

Cape Town

A few days to rest in Cape Town (which I keep thinking is in New Zealand, perhaps I need more rest) after Botswana. The tour went well in that we saw plenty of animals and birds and had an excellent group. The guide really knew his stuff but didn't communicate very well so that was a disappointment. My East African knowledge helped to identify quite a lot, and keep the group informed, but I was pleased to see new stuff too.
I'll paste a couple of pictures below and see if the net is fast enough to send more to Picassa too.
I was supposed to be in Mozambique by now but a problem arose and I'll not be going. That has given me more time in CT, which is a very pleasant spot. I came down by train, over 1000 miles and 28 hours on a comfy sleeper. I should be joined tomorrow by two UK folk for a longer look at SA.

Moving on

My two years are now up and I am leaving the university. On 23rd September I start travelling in southern Africa, a mixture of an organised tour in Botswana, visiting friends in Mozambique, touring South Africa with friends and travelling on my own back to Nairobi by buses etc through Malawi and Tanzania. I expect to be back in Kenya in early December and then fly to UK around 10th December.
I will try to make postings to keep in touch, but they may not be frequent or highly illustrated.
None the less, I would appreciate hearing from you. My email address will still be active, my phone number will work in Malawi and Tanzania but not sure where else. You can try leaving messages as comments on this blog too, if desperate!

Hippo delight

Here are a few of one of my favourite animals. These are in the lower pool at Mzima Springs in Tsavo West park: the source of much of the drinking water for Mombasa.
The blue Barbel have a friendly relationship with the hippos.

Nairobi Star

There being none of the better newspapers, I purchased the Star today. Here are a few snippets:

[After police shot some motorists suspected of robbery and fleeing arrest]
Their bodies were riddled with bullets. Police said after getting shot, the suspects lost control of their car......
A witness said he saw a speeding car being chased by police and did not know what was happening. " I saw a speeding vehicle that was being followed by police in a car and I wondered what was going on", the witness said.

Referring to a new surgical instrument:
For the first time in surgical history this enables [operations] to be performed just as septically at home, on the roadsides or out there in the bush as in an operating theatre"

The gossip column reported that one govt minister was seen driving around a certain roundabout, another had six eggs in his shopping basket on Saturday and yet another was filling up a car with petrol on Friday. Just thought you needed to know that.

No title for this one

Ingenious

Knife grinders often carry around a frame and wheel but this ingenious person has adapted their bike so that they can drive the grinding wheel from the back wheel while propping up the bike on its rear stand.

Hotel de Leopol

This is a nice hotel in Addis Ababa, close to the airport. Their brochure, however, has some fascinating advertising statements:

"The clean bathroom with it toiletries and the harmonizing towel, makes you want not to leave that room."

"The studio rooms provide the added advantage of haring a room for sole but at the same time keep to your cozy way of sleeping in a solitary but relaxed bed."

"[The restaurant] is the perfect place for romantic dinner with your family. Enjoy with our set meal family pack.
Please note. Every Friday and Saturday special candle light dinner for newly couples."

Hospital with a view

The Kenyatta National Hospital is the grey building with turrets, easily in view of the Nairobi National Park and the giraffes. I guess it is about 2 miles away, perhaps less. One can see the park from the wards but not closely enough to see the animals. Wilson Airport is the nearest human edifice in this picture.

Sound advice

Pantomime?

I know it is Christmas but this is academic dress for staff. Who chose the colours?

Students celebrate with all sorts of garlands, badges and decorations. These are undergraduates.
And these are some of my postgrads.

Donkey racing

The Lamu Cultural Festival has much artistic content but what really excites the crowd is the donkey racing along the sea-front. The donkeys are raced between lines of spectators, with no barriers and not much warning they are coming.
There seemed to be complaints about the rider on the left; I think he used his stick on the other donkey or perhaps on the rider.




Spectators tried every vantage point possible; the finish line is somewhere down there.

Moon and planets

Jupiter, Venus and the Moon all in a line on December 1st., but not necessarily in that order, just above the trees at the edge of my compound.

Magadi golf course

Magadi Soda is a town which exists to mine soda for export, largely to Japan for glass manufacture. It's the hottest part of Kenya, about 2 hours from Nairobi in the Rift Valley. Their "golf course" is renowned for it's quirky nature, very stoney and no grass. Here is a curious notice and the general scene. What's the problem with cycling?

50 years mug shots

Nairobi Baptist Church was founded 50 years ago today and we had a big celebration. From 20 people of 4 nationalities (mostly Brits) it has grown to 3-4,000 with over 40 nationalities and mostly Kenyan. In addition, a number of daughter churches have been created in various parts of Nairobi. A few of the original members are still around or came back to visit.

I eventually succumbed and bought a souvenir mug. I was surprised and fascinated by the great change in colour when I add hot water; I have seen these things before but never such a startling change. (White is hot but the really curious effect is when I run cold water over a hot mug; the fleeting green pattern is really odd!) The flash photo tends to show the green as lighter than it really is.

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