Crazy Eights

We had some crazy fun in our first week of this eighth month! (Yes, sorry, I am getting a bit behind as things are rather busy with bees at the moment!) We arrived back from our holiday in Kigoma just in time to meet our friends, Arron and Kathryn Townsend at the airport! It was wonderful to have them here! With them we celebrated "eight-eight" or "Nane-Nane" as it called in Swahili here. Every year, the eighth day of the eighth month is a National Agricultural Holiday in Tanzania.

Fun with friends!

Nane Nane

Lots to see at the Agricultural Fair! Coffee tasters from local coffee growers, milking goats (yes... we're looking for one!), all kinds of plants and crops, techniques and tools. We came away with passion plants, grape vines, marigolds, rosella, coffee, khangas .... !

Then, stocked up with some chapatis and maadaazi, we carried on to the Kisesa Farm. All is looking good there in preparation for planting and the hives are looking good (from the outside)! And then we were on our way again to Kayenze to check things out there. Amos has started up the tree seedling nursery and has over 80 now, with plans to get to 5000 soon. We went to see how his farm was doing and were well impressed with all his mulching!

Tree seedling nursery off to a good start!

Moringa, lucena and other tree seedlings

Lovely mulching here!

Saanane

In keeping with the "nane" theme, on Wednesday, we went to Saanane Island. "saa nane" is Swahili for the eighth hour (which we would know in English as 2 o'clock, given that the first hour is at 7 o'clock). But this island is actually named after its former owener, Saanane Chawandi, a farmer and fisherman.

On our way!

It is the smallest gamepark in Tanzania, only 2.18sq km and is home to Impala, Rock Hyrax, Velvet Monkeys and Wild Cats.  Roaming reptiles are crocodiles, Monitor Lizards, Agama Lizards,  Leopard Tortoises, and snakes. And the birds are amazing; such a wonderful variety! We were just so glad to see some zebras again ... and had a picnic with them.

Wildlife spotting

Jumping Rock at Saanane Island

Other early nane fun with Arron and Kathryn included sodas at Tunza to watch the sun set over the lake.

Amisadai

Louisa

Rachel

 And on Sunday, it was an early morning ferry ride to get to church in Nyamililio village. This is where we are about to start a new agricultural group and it was good for us all to be with the church for our first service together. We had rather a lot of languages going on simultaneously for the sermon! Tim was preaching in Swahili, the pastor was translating into Kisukuma (the local tribal language) and I translated to the left side in English while Amisadai translated to right side!

Nyamililio Church