A Long Way home

It is a month since I last posted – I have been away in England, folks, getting the dentistry I deserve (because I am worth it) and seeing as many of my family and friends as I could in 15 days, and swimming, and eating too much cheese, and shopping, and generally stocking all my physical, emotional and spiritual needs which have not been fed here in Burkina Faso.  I am so shallow the needs were mostly physical and on the luxury end of the spectrum, I confess.  Re-acquainting myself with a washing machine and cheese ranked very high …. 

Spiritually, a trip to one film and two theatre performances in English  – the language of Shakespeare -  great stuff!  And I got to be on a moor.  I am SOOOOO retiring to Ilkley which has a moor and a lido and a Betty’s Tearoom.

Emotionally I am restored to a whole human being again.  Daughters, step-children, all hugged.  One sister had to do service for the whole sibling contingent – well-covered, Jan!  Who knew you could pretend to be six people, their partners, offspring and their offspring’s offsprung?  Friends were gossiped with; lunches and dinners shared; even a Footballers’ Wives trip to Westfield Stratford with the Mapledene Coven. I am sorry if I didn't see you - or didn't see you for long enough - or you felt fitted in.  I did my best.

I also spent time thinking about Burkina Faso, and the people here, and coming back to finish what I have started.  No regrets getting on the plane.  I am glad to be back in my house, with my simply enormous agave (it is an agave after all) and my frogs and my mosquitoes.  No;  delete the mosquitoes.  What is the use of them?

So:  I brought back a hammock for Yéri, Farida, Réné and Awa.  And here they are in it.  Awa is too savvy to look into a camera.