The Shim Family Adventures: Green fingers

Back on an even keel for emotions as we head into the weekend. A lot of brainstorming has gone on the last few days, the most substantial of which was how do we increase our outside time.
This family thrives on the outside world; many a parent will know that if their children come to play at our house they will usually be sent home with grubby knees and the 'dragged through a bush backwards' look. We are missing that here, mainly with the heat, but also with limited 'roaming' space. The girls still understandably don't feel at ease with many eyes looking on and their initial games of football out the front have diminished.
So with great determination, and more than a little help from the hospital gardening team we have tamed the garden behind the house, which to our delight looks all set to provide a shady afternoon play place. Indeed, we reaped the rewards this afternoon with a satisfying round of hide and seek.
Our biggest delight in the midst of all this was Mama Africa's revelation (on requesting some small trees in the 'field' beyond the house to be lopped). Turns out the 'garden' runs down the hill to an area of maize she has planted. We have been vaguely aware of next doors' housegirl disappearing through a gap in the hedge to fetch water from somewhere (mental note; must ask for carrying bucket on head lessons). This morning us shim girls set out to follow the trail down through the wilds of our 'garden' and then onwards through small, carefully kept vegetable patches or farms down to a substantial stream. Suddenly we have an 'easy' area for walking away from the hustle of the town roads. Although we have been advised to be careful of snakes - nothing B likes more than the chance to stomp along banging with a big stick to scare them away. We did also wonder about the likelihood of crocs in the stream...we have yet to establish the whereabouts of the attack on the poor girl M operated on in July.
My 'office' in the hospice has been cleared for me in anticipation and visits lined up for next week. The town is heaving with back to school supplies; R delighted to have purchased new school shoes from a pile on the street (no doubt shipped in from a child labour factory in china) and a mound of exercise books. We did wonder if there would be enough children in the whole of muheza to buy the inordinate number of books on offer.

The hospice car, having gone to Tanga to get new tyres and a jack that works (following our 2nd flat tyre in a week), unfortunately has ended up in the garage after an incident with a boda boda (though I can't help but feel concern for the motorbike which surely will be the worse off for hitting a 4WD).