It's been a busy four weeks. The household has expanded rapidly since my arrival. It now consists of two puppies (Harry and Ginny); a gardener (Joseph); an ambitiously titled 'estate manager' (Nepear); and four guards (Patrick, Piliran, Noah, and Khalani), who are charged with protecting my life at all costs - as I sit typing this on the veranda at 1am, Piliran is asleep on the chair opposite and Patrick is napping in the hammock.
More are on the way. Needing a job, Nepear moved from his village to Lilongwe (Malawi's capital), to work for me, while his wife, Melifa, stayed behind to prepare the family field for planting - which will commence at the start of the rainy season in early December. She's now ready to join him in Lilongwe and will be bringing their two small boys (Patience and Robert) with her. They will all live in the 'staff quarters' - a small brick building at the back of my house.
We are also expecting the imminent arrival of a number of chickens. I spent this afternoon with Nepear, at the Indian-run hardware stores in Lilongwe Old Town, purchasing chicken wire; corrugated iron sheets; nails; a hammer; and large quantities of wood - with which we plan to construct a luxury chicken pen and house, suitable for a number of locally sourced chickens. The first vegetables have also been planted and are being diligently watered. In time, perhaps we will manage to generate enough produce to justify a stall at the Lilongwe Farmer's Market...
 |
| Nepear preparing the vegetable patch |
No comments:
Post a Comment