For Barbara

This blog is dedicated to our Barbara who as of a couple of short weeks ago is in a tough fight against a sudden diagnosis of the big C. Barbara is David’s dad’s better half and an important part of our family. We hope you’re healed soon and feeling better, and we wish we could be there! We love you, Miles, Eliza, Kate and David

I’m typing as Miles is lying feverish next to me. Just a fever. Nothing like that ugly thing he had the second week after we arrived here. Poor Miles. I have a theory that his growth spurt is so taxing on the body it is making him more vulnerable to the attack of the flu bug. It’s just one week since school started, and things have been looking much better than on Day 1.

Briefly to follow up that blog: the teacher – parent – student counselor meeting three days after school started was…well, I almost want to say sublime. Suffice to say, after a thorough unrushed hour-long discussion, I had to hold back tears of appreciation. Granted, I usually start off giving people the benefit of the doubt. But it is certainly evident that we are dealing with a much better prepared school that I believe will be a much better learning environment for our children than we’ve seen before. Hooray.

I am revamping efforts to weasel my way into enrolling Eliza at HIS. Long story short, there’s no room for her in EC1. However, they are just about to open another EC2 (like pre-K 4). Eliza misses the EC2 age cut off by 11 days. I’ve proposed putting her into that new EC2 class until the “summer” break, then just letting her repeat EC2. Cross your fingers!...(the Montessori school I’ve enrolled her in is not all I’d hoped for…) (Update: she was refused. Back to the drawing board.)

Back to where Miles and I are…on the floor, as per the norm this last month. The kids are using air mattresses now. We got rid of the other mattresses we bought here that may not may not have been part of the flea problem. (BTW, the fleas sustained a major blow to their colony with a second visit from the exterminator, but the war isn’t over.) The shipment has not arrived with our things from the States. Apparently, it’s on the Mozambican border. Our accommodations inside the house include: 1) mattresses on floor, 2) bar stools at the bar and 3) children’s stolke high-chairs. Outside, we have the much decayed and frayed wicker lounge set left behind by the previous renters. (If we forget to remove the cushions at night, the dog sleeps there. Nothing like bringing the breakfast out to the ONLY place we can sit and seeing it newly shedded upon and possibly re-infested with fleas. Doh!!)

That said, today is another glorious day in Harare. The air was cool this morning and a coolish breeze has kept up all day to balance out the heat of the bright sun. The birds are twittering and everywhere the tall trees are moving magnificently in the breeze.

Don't worry, everyone...once we get our living situation sorted...you're going to love it here!