P.O. Box 9010
Nairobi.
27/765
Darling Mom and Dad,
Just a quick not to give you the latest on Andy, who is much better. His leg is still not in plaster, as the wound at the back of his heel (1) has not healed completely, and naturally, a plaster can't go on a half healed wound. He has a half cast, to keep his leg rigid, but it is kept on with crepe bandages and cotton wool. He is very chirpy, and full of energy, even crawls on his hands and knees all over the bed when I am not watching. As I said in my last letter, the bone did not have to be set, as it was in position, it is really more of a crack than a break, I think.
Tomorrow I am going to the hospital again, and we will see if it is possible to put the plaster on yet! I haven't been at school all this week and won't be back till Thursday.
We have altered our plans a little. To and Chris and Phil are going down by car [to Mombassa] on Saturday, as planned, but I will follow on Monday or Tuesday night, with Andy, by train (2). By that time, the leg will be well on the way to healing, and we will avoid the strain of all five of us in the car, what with the tent, the beds, the folding chairs, the cooking equipment and the food, it would be impossible to have a child with a broken leg as well. They would find it too difficult to get comfortable.
Coming up, we will be going in two cars, as we will are joining Vic Humphry, who will be coming back by himself, and so will have room for one or two of the kids. So all is set. The train journey is a pleasant one, it is an overnight trip, simply a matter of going to sleep in Nairobi, and waking up the next morning in Mombasa. Not expensive either, though that is a smaller consideration in this case. The main thing is to put the least possible strain on us all, or the whole point of the holiday will be lost.
Andy has been very good. He is demanding and I have to sit with him most of the time, but at least he is not as active as the other two, and doesn't try to jump around or walk. Imagine if it were Chris I had to keep immobile!
We that's all for now. I don't think I'll be writing again till we get to Mombasa, as I won't really have time. I won't write in Mombasa either, except for a couple of postcards. I hope you don't mind, but I just want to relax with nothing, nothing but sleep and food.! Ah what a gorgeous thought, I can't tell you how bloody tired and overworked I feel at the moment, I have never longed for a holiday quite so much.
In a couple of days, Uncle [Athur Steinhardt] will be with you. We got his letter, and are thrilled that he is coming back this way. To says he will do what he can to get him a visa for a few days, this is not probable, but not totally impossible, we will let you know in good time. Whatever happens, the whole damn family will be at the airport, whether its just to see him in transit or to pick him up. We will be back in Nairobi on the 14th, as felix is leaving on that day, and To will be in charge of AFP for two weeks while he is away.
We managed to get away last night, to have a drink with our friend from SA passing through, and then went on to supper with other people. Very nice, but I just want to sit at home and not move until we go, I can't think of anything else.
Oh, I forgot all about the party. We had a party for the twins' birthday on Saturday - Andy sat on a blanket in the sun, surrounded by a heap of toys and cushions, looking very important. We had 13 kids (one was sick at the last minute) and they came at 3 o'clock. It was a real mixed bag, all colours and all sizes: we had the two Mphalele kids, one Phil's age, one the twins age, the two little girls from our block, one English, one American, two American kids who are at the kids nursery school, the Polish ambassador's son, a little Indian girl, aslo at the kid's nursery school, and Odaoda's two children who are of the same ages.
It was chaotic - for the first two hours, I made them play games, run races, fed them and gave them soap bubbles to blow. After that I just flopped in a chair and let them do what they liked, I was exhausted.
My neighbour upstairs, the American woman, kept on leaning over the balcony and saying "I do think you're brave to do this.", then disappearing before I could say "For God's sake come down and help"! What a swine. The last two kids were only fetched at seven o'clock and I fell into bed and slept right round the clock! Never again!
Tomorrow night we'll be having an American couple for dinner much against my will, but we have been fairly friendly with them, and they are leaving in a week's time, so we have to invite them, I'm really not in the mood at all. Oh well, I'm just going to buy some fillet steak, which I will grill and serve with mushrooms, open some tins of peas, and make a lettuce salad. Then, Strawberries for pudding! Not cheap, but easy, I won't have to do anything but the steak, as Odaoda doesn't do them nicely, he beats them, even if they are fillet steak, and insists that they are better that way, no matter what I say!
I must have given you the impression that I do a lot of cooking - I don't really. I only cook the boys' supper, and a bit of our supper. Tonight, for instance, I'm making cheese soufle. and I can't leave that to Odaoda, but he does all the vegetables, he makes good roasts, lovely cauliflower cheese, hamburgers etc etc. I've even taught him to make moussaka, which To still loves so much. But I do all the baking and I try to bake once a week, as the boys take biscuits or scones to nursery school, and I like to know that they are eating things with whole wheat flour and butter and eggs, not just rubbish.
You may laugh, but I even bake cakes with wholewheat flour, the kids like them, and they are at least healthier - cakes like banana bread, or applesauce cake. Not exactly exotic, but I'm determined to get those boys strong and healthy.
Well this has turned into a long scree again, and I really only meant it to be a few lines. Oh well, I'd better get on with my work now..
All my love, and write soon.
Eve
(1) Peter fetched us home from school on his black bicycle. Chris was sitting on the handlebars, I was sitting on the seat and Andy was sitting on the metal rack that above the wheel at the back. He let his little foot dangle into the whirring spokes at the back and screamed. I quickly banged at Peter's back and he stopped. Then Peter rushed to get Andy home. He was in terrible pain.
(2) The trip to Mombassa was our first real holiday apart from little day excursions to Naivasha and to Nairobi National Game Park. I fell in love with the Indian ocean. We all did. The sea was warm and the sea was shallow and affectionate and beautiful. Putting up the tent and getting everything organised was a hassle though and caused ructions - hardly relaxing.
Nairobi.
27/765
Darling Mom and Dad,
Just a quick not to give you the latest on Andy, who is much better. His leg is still not in plaster, as the wound at the back of his heel (1) has not healed completely, and naturally, a plaster can't go on a half healed wound. He has a half cast, to keep his leg rigid, but it is kept on with crepe bandages and cotton wool. He is very chirpy, and full of energy, even crawls on his hands and knees all over the bed when I am not watching. As I said in my last letter, the bone did not have to be set, as it was in position, it is really more of a crack than a break, I think.
Tomorrow I am going to the hospital again, and we will see if it is possible to put the plaster on yet! I haven't been at school all this week and won't be back till Thursday.
We have altered our plans a little. To and Chris and Phil are going down by car [to Mombassa] on Saturday, as planned, but I will follow on Monday or Tuesday night, with Andy, by train (2). By that time, the leg will be well on the way to healing, and we will avoid the strain of all five of us in the car, what with the tent, the beds, the folding chairs, the cooking equipment and the food, it would be impossible to have a child with a broken leg as well. They would find it too difficult to get comfortable.
Coming up, we will be going in two cars, as we will are joining Vic Humphry, who will be coming back by himself, and so will have room for one or two of the kids. So all is set. The train journey is a pleasant one, it is an overnight trip, simply a matter of going to sleep in Nairobi, and waking up the next morning in Mombasa. Not expensive either, though that is a smaller consideration in this case. The main thing is to put the least possible strain on us all, or the whole point of the holiday will be lost.
Andy has been very good. He is demanding and I have to sit with him most of the time, but at least he is not as active as the other two, and doesn't try to jump around or walk. Imagine if it were Chris I had to keep immobile!
We that's all for now. I don't think I'll be writing again till we get to Mombasa, as I won't really have time. I won't write in Mombasa either, except for a couple of postcards. I hope you don't mind, but I just want to relax with nothing, nothing but sleep and food.! Ah what a gorgeous thought, I can't tell you how bloody tired and overworked I feel at the moment, I have never longed for a holiday quite so much.
In a couple of days, Uncle [Athur Steinhardt] will be with you. We got his letter, and are thrilled that he is coming back this way. To says he will do what he can to get him a visa for a few days, this is not probable, but not totally impossible, we will let you know in good time. Whatever happens, the whole damn family will be at the airport, whether its just to see him in transit or to pick him up. We will be back in Nairobi on the 14th, as felix is leaving on that day, and To will be in charge of AFP for two weeks while he is away.
We managed to get away last night, to have a drink with our friend from SA passing through, and then went on to supper with other people. Very nice, but I just want to sit at home and not move until we go, I can't think of anything else.
Oh, I forgot all about the party. We had a party for the twins' birthday on Saturday - Andy sat on a blanket in the sun, surrounded by a heap of toys and cushions, looking very important. We had 13 kids (one was sick at the last minute) and they came at 3 o'clock. It was a real mixed bag, all colours and all sizes: we had the two Mphalele kids, one Phil's age, one the twins age, the two little girls from our block, one English, one American, two American kids who are at the kids nursery school, the Polish ambassador's son, a little Indian girl, aslo at the kid's nursery school, and Odaoda's two children who are of the same ages.
It was chaotic - for the first two hours, I made them play games, run races, fed them and gave them soap bubbles to blow. After that I just flopped in a chair and let them do what they liked, I was exhausted.
My neighbour upstairs, the American woman, kept on leaning over the balcony and saying "I do think you're brave to do this.", then disappearing before I could say "For God's sake come down and help"! What a swine. The last two kids were only fetched at seven o'clock and I fell into bed and slept right round the clock! Never again!
Tomorrow night we'll be having an American couple for dinner much against my will, but we have been fairly friendly with them, and they are leaving in a week's time, so we have to invite them, I'm really not in the mood at all. Oh well, I'm just going to buy some fillet steak, which I will grill and serve with mushrooms, open some tins of peas, and make a lettuce salad. Then, Strawberries for pudding! Not cheap, but easy, I won't have to do anything but the steak, as Odaoda doesn't do them nicely, he beats them, even if they are fillet steak, and insists that they are better that way, no matter what I say!
I must have given you the impression that I do a lot of cooking - I don't really. I only cook the boys' supper, and a bit of our supper. Tonight, for instance, I'm making cheese soufle. and I can't leave that to Odaoda, but he does all the vegetables, he makes good roasts, lovely cauliflower cheese, hamburgers etc etc. I've even taught him to make moussaka, which To still loves so much. But I do all the baking and I try to bake once a week, as the boys take biscuits or scones to nursery school, and I like to know that they are eating things with whole wheat flour and butter and eggs, not just rubbish.
You may laugh, but I even bake cakes with wholewheat flour, the kids like them, and they are at least healthier - cakes like banana bread, or applesauce cake. Not exactly exotic, but I'm determined to get those boys strong and healthy.
Well this has turned into a long scree again, and I really only meant it to be a few lines. Oh well, I'd better get on with my work now..
All my love, and write soon.
Eve
(1) Peter fetched us home from school on his black bicycle. Chris was sitting on the handlebars, I was sitting on the seat and Andy was sitting on the metal rack that above the wheel at the back. He let his little foot dangle into the whirring spokes at the back and screamed. I quickly banged at Peter's back and he stopped. Then Peter rushed to get Andy home. He was in terrible pain.
(2) The trip to Mombassa was our first real holiday apart from little day excursions to Naivasha and to Nairobi National Game Park. I fell in love with the Indian ocean. We all did. The sea was warm and the sea was shallow and affectionate and beautiful. Putting up the tent and getting everything organised was a hassle though and caused ructions - hardly relaxing.
Dear Phil, I am Stan Kantor from Pretoria and have recently come across an anticle about Arthur Lewis Hall. I would like to get more information about this very interesting man and wondered whether I could contact a family member with this in mind, via email.
ReplyDeleteRegards
Stan
Dear Stan, are you a geologist or an historian?
ReplyDelete