Moving in

After 3 months of getting to know Nairobi from the comfort of a serviced apartment we took the plunge and moved into our new home last weekend. Having picked up the keys last friday, we stalled moving in to the empty shell by heading off to the Rift Valley for a long Independence day weekend. Although obviously not a public holiday here, the jubilee celebration has had a fair amount of coverage partly because her maj was staying in the Masai Mara when she became queen, so it seemed fine to spend a weekend amongst the Zebra, gazelle and Rhino near Nakuru. It also meant we slept in comfy beds and ate good cooked food rather than camping out in our empty new home for too long. Tim took the boys on a mammoth drive in the national park. Matthew kept a list of their sightings and Katie and I were later talked through each one - black rhinos, lions and some great birds were the highlights but being allowed to "drive" the landrover on the way back to our camp trumped even that.

Batteries recharged, we headed back home and set up camp for the night. Everyone seemed very pleased to be in a bit more of a permanent base. And even more thrilled when our possessions arrived on Monday - I would like to claim credit for such slick organisational planning but the reality is that we were very very lucky! I've been immersed in boxes and cleaning and generally sorting stuff since. We still have a few boxes to go but we are nearly there, our hammocks are hanging in the mango tree, kids toys are scattered across the house, and a major backlog of washing is giving our home the feel of a Chinese laundry. Despite various attempts I have yet to succeed in getting us hooked up to the Internet or satellite tv. Luckily we have very nice neighbours with kids at the same school as ours and so we are able to enjoy Euro 2012, even if it means bilingual match analysis from the comfort of French and Belgian sofas.




Our new home is an old Nairobi house thats just been refurbished so it looks and feels quite shiny and very secure (which matters here) even if the plumbing and wiring are always going to be a bit flakey. The garden has just been replanted after all the building work and needs time, and a bit of love and attention to flourish and to turn the red mud lawn green. But even in a week we can see that the grass has grown and we all have plans for how we will develop it over the coming months. I sense that there will need to be some compromises as a major cricket net/football goal/ rugby posts is not entirely compatible with successful vegie growing or a peaceful, tranquil space away from the hubbub of central Nairobi. I will keep you posted. In the meantime here is Katie's tour for you.