Mixed Bag

Kenyan Politics on the International Stands

For all the wrong reasons!  This time an MP has been ousted from parliament because of his dress, specifically his earrings!  Admittedly had I bumped into Mbuvi in the street the last thing I would have considered him to be would be an MP but this is the way that a "sonko" (rich, although I would prefer the term flamboyant, person) presents himself.  It's probably best not to ask too many questions....

The Kenyan parliament in Nairobi, as children we used to play in the grounds and paddle in the fishponds on one side of it; mmmmm, not entirely sure that we would be able to do that today:-(
 

Trying to make the house a home

Painfully slowly we are turning our campsite, albeit made of brick and tile, into a proper home!  This week is curtain-making week, which should be straightforward.  

First buy the fabric!  

A tortuous three hours last Saturday resulted in us returning home triumphant, we had some material that we both liked!  Triumph turned to frustration when our curtain-making "fundi"(specialist) found that hidden within the roll a host of problems ranging from dye smears to fabric joins.  Back to the shop, a marathon in itself on a Monday morning.  A further three hours of trying, and failing, to find an alternative fabric and refusing the bizarre offer of the shop owners to reduce the cost of the faulty fabric by Ksh50/metre (about 35p/48 Euro cents).  The specialists in selling material were of the opinion that once hanging over the 4 metre wide window you would never notice the faults!  After a morning wasted on one shop, this forced an afternoon of fabric shopping on Biashara Street, bang in the middle of the city.  Those of you who know Jon well will understand the joy with which he confronted this task.

Fabric in hand, make curtains!

Kimani hard at work on a sewing machine
that could have come from the ark

David hemming in situ

Again, not quite what you would expect.  The fundi and his assistant, complete with state of the art sewing facilities, move into the house and make the curtains in situ.  Suffice to say that the dining area, which is where they are working resembles a turn of the century haberdashery store that Edward Scissorhands has taken a disliking to.  The end result however is remarkable, the ultimate made to measure service:-)

Furniture is being acquired at a snail's pace.  In the main we have returned to roadside shopping, which can be fractious.  Garden furniture is sorted with an absurd predominance of rough olive wood littering our stoop.  

Roadside furniture showroom,
sometimes it takes a leap of imagination

Indoors....not quite so sorted.  An example....

Ordered:  

Two simple, dark wood stained shelving units to house DVDs and two simple three drawer bedside cabinets in natural pine to be delivered on 19th March 2011, in terms of manufacture the shelving units being the priority

Result:

Call from supplier on Monday morning, "The bedside cabinets are ready!"; "What about the shelving units that we asked you to prioritize?"; "I know, I am not quite sure what happened"; "When will they be ready given that we asked you to make them first?  You promised us we would have them over a week ago"; "Today, we will make them urgently"; "Today?, Are you serious?"; "Yes. It's not a problem (Hakuna matata)"; "OK, at what time will you deliver?"; "Around four".

Delivery at 19.10pm on  Monday 28th February

Bedside cabinets provided in dark stained "wood" not natural pine, drawers eventually opened after serious man-handling.  Shelving was so bad I cannot begin to describe it. It was a comedy of errors!

You just have to laugh, find another fundi and start all over again!  Perhaps we should produce another "The Money Pit" as a documentary.  Believe me it would be funnier than the original.

Roadside Garden Centres

Early evening at a garden centre. 
The road, incidentally is Langata Road,
a major arterial road - obviously

 Lining the roads in the more affluent (read, large mzungu population) suburbs are what can broadly be termed impromptu garden centres.  Given that there is little or no access to water, shade or any of the accoutrements commonly associated with plants it is remarkable is what they manage to produce.  The price of these plants though is simply unbelievable, what we would pay €50 for in Austria sells for the equivalent of €1 here!   Woohoo!! 

Tonight's purchases which included 7 bouganvillia, 2 oleanders, 3 yesterday/today/tomorrow and 3 golden showers cost less than £15 - bargain time:-)


and finally, News of the Day...
Hongera sana (Many Congratulations)!

to my brother David and his wife Jane on the safe arrival of baby Thomas today at 11.43 GMT.  Our love and congratulations to the Wilsons to whom we also wish at least some hours of rest over the early weeks of Thomas's life.