President's Party, Plumbing Problems and Tooting Tudors

It's just me n' the girls this week. Tim is in Dar, dropping Kate off at the airport for her African Overlander Adventure and also picking up our next visitors for their "Life with the Mongers Adventure." While in Dar he is also doing all those "Dar" things like getting the vehicle serviced and his teeth sorted.  Tim's Terrible Teeth Saga just keeps going! He assures me that he is fine and it doesn't bother him, but yesterday he was back in the chair, getting another hole drilled down to where the infection is and getting topped up with dawa (medicine) to clear it all up. He has to go back another three times for more treatment ... and so it goes on!

While he has been away, the girls and I were gearing up for our "Meet the President" occasion. Our church in town (Pentecostal Holiness Mission) is raising funds for a new building and invited the President of Tanzania to a large fundraising event during his visit to Iringa for the finale of the annual tour of the Uhuru Torch (the aim of the tour is "to bring hope where there is despair, love where there is enmity and respect where there is hatred."). It was a grand event, banquet tables elaborately decorated in honour of the Important Guest. He was to visit the church site first (which was also adorned with flags and meticulously swept) and then a reception was to follow at a local university. The church members were all to arrive at the church at 8am in order to be prepared with flags to wave before the President arrived at 9am. The girls and I were there. But then the disappointing news came in. He wasn't coming! Rumours of an attempted attack on the President the previous evening and his quick return to Dar that morning seemed to be the reason. The girls were most disappointed, but as the saying goes, the show must go on! It was actually a very long morning waiting for the Presidential party to arrive (which they did eventually, sometime after noon), but we were kept entertained by plenty of singing and dancing! But at the end of the day, saying I shook hands with the Minister of Land and Housing doesn't have quite the same ring to it!

We are holding the fort though, the girls and I. We have sold a pig (beloved Peppa) and we have kept various plumbing issues under control. Well ... put a bucket under the toilet cistern and a bucket under the bathroom sink and sidestepped the water springing out of the brickwork on the front path). Actually after three days, a plumber did finally arrive today and all problems, including a broken shower as well, are fixed. Amazing!

The other good news is that the Kimande Stoves Group had another 100 stoves ready, so have just done their second firing! Selling is now more of a priority ...

And we are wrapping up the Tudors and starting on the Stuarts at school, so I'll leave you with our Tudor Tongue Twister, courtesy of my dad ...

 

A Tudor Tongue Twister

A Tudor who tooted the flute

Tried to tutor two tooters to toot.

Said the two to the tutor.

“Is it harder to toot, or

To tutor two tooters to toot?”