House and Garden Staff
Yes, when we were growing up we called the staff servants. This is not to imply they were treated as lesser beings it was just a time when you called things what they were. Today you have house staff, garden staff, and where appropriate, child-caring staff. I suppose that if you live in the realms of the well-to-do then your staff may also include drivers, grooms (for your horses), cooks, askaris...the list is endless. In fact, management of your household staff can rapidly become a full time job!
The upsides of our house staff..... (assuming they are full-time!)
- Your house is cleaned every single day and not by you!
Note that in Africa this is not a luxury it is a necessity, dust appears as if by magic and if you do have animals that roam inside and outside you can guarantee that your home is in need of a deep clean at least once every 24 hours. - Clothing, bedding, in fact anything you wash, (including undies) is immaculately ironed and put away.
Jon and I detest ironing, the cost of house staff is covered by this chore being taken away from us in one fell swoop. - No sooner have you used a kitchen utensil and it is washed up.
Dishwashers are truly redundant here. - In-built cat-sitter
Helen who looks after us also looks after the boys, and don't they know it! All four of them have her running to fulfill their every need. Maisha will even abandon our bed at night, albeit occupied by Kidogo, Rafiki and Boshi as well as us, for the relative tranquility of Helen's bed in the staff quarters.
The downsides....
Every coin has two sides and housestaff don't always work out the way you had hoped.
- There is always someone else in the house, a languorous lie-in? mmmmm - not going to happen.
- It takes time to instill work practices that give you the result that you want, the way you want it.
- The responsibility, you may think you are employing a single person but your responsibility for care may extend to children, parents, and a seemingly unlimited number of other family members
- Electrical implements suddenly develop an extremely limited life span.
Vacuum cleaners are relatively uncommon in most households, this makes sense because carpeting, if any, is probably limited to a few rugs. Our trusty Dyson however found its way into the container and so is here for use. In an attempt to help our then houseman we introduced him to vacuuming the sofa. Ignoring the fact that emptying the machine was clearly needed he would continue to wave the machine around wildly, believing that a magical process would ensure that dust/dirt/cat hair etc. would leap from the tiniest crack or crevice, spirit itself across the room and disappear into the Dyson.
Power cuts continue to haunt us and the staff. The magical machine, Dyson was, in Richard's mind immune to such inconveniences. Regardless of power being present or not, Richard would plug in the hoover and still move it around the room. It was explained on several occasions that the electricity was off. This was greeted with a glazed look and the comment "but it doesn't work", "Richard, the power is off", "Yes, but it doesn't work", Jon, a little irritated now, reminds Richard that the plug, taking it out of the wall is attached by a lead to the machine and that it needs current to operate, response....yes, you've guessed it "Yes, but it doesn't work". Those of you who know Jon can imagine the response! Suffice to say the Dyson is now stored in a locked room. We have reverted to the manual method which, in honesty, is considerably more efficient!
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| Radishes 3.5cms in diameter coming out of our soil! |
The upsides of garden staff...
- No lawn-mowing
- No weeding
- No disposing of half-eaten snakes, lizards, rats, birds or any other living thing the cats have managed to catch, taste and then reject in preference of canned tuna served in a clean bowl
- No need to wash your car
We have just started to harvest our very first veggies from the garden! Woohoo! Salad with fresh radishes on the menu! What makes this all the more remarkable is that it seems like it was only yesterday that Juma planted the seeds. Mealies, carrots, tomatoes, onions, leeks and butternut on their way....
The downsides of garden staff....
There are none. Even the deepest thinking process is unable to bring to the surface anything to put in this section............
Future Plans
Yes, I know planning for the future when we are not even settled where we are seems a tad premature. Kenya though is going through what can only be described as hyperdrive in terms of increasing land and house prices. For many reasons we want to be out of Nairobi as quickly as possible and as the coast is not an option, "up-country" it will have to be. Laikipia is the area we have chosen, situated on the equator, in the Great Rift Valley, our current plan is to live fairly close to one of the two "major" towns, Nanyuki.
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| Nanyuki Market |
No we haven't developed a predilection for cabbages although it is staple of the average Kenyan's diet. In honesty our purchases from this market will be limited to fruit and the more boring veg, potatoes, onions, carrots and tomatoes. Before you shout, I know, tomatoes are fruits not vegetables.
The market is however in the major town of the area in which we are currently searching for a big piece of land. Farmers in development? No, land is significantly cheaper when bought in giant chunks and so the plan is to buy between 10 and 20 acres with a few couples/families all who want a home in Kenya but not in Nairobi. We already have a few takers....if you are interested in owning between 2 and 5 acres in the Nanyuki area on which to build a home or just to have as an investment let us know! Yannick, our long-standing Belgian friend is joining our land hunt next month during which time we will grab the opportunity to visit the nearby chimp sanctuary. The goal is to have identified and bought land within the next six months and to have a home there within two years. If you are the tinniest bit interested have a look at the Laikipia Wildlife Forum for more about the area, http://www.laikipia.org/ - I promise you will be booking your tickets immediately!
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| Grevy's Zebra |
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| Wild Dogs |
Why a safari in the Laikipia area beats national parks in Kenya into second place!
eco4u
Receives its first products, the AirconMisers in a few days and we are exploring every possible opportunity to get up and running are quickly as possible. It seems a no-brainer....for a relatively low investment you can make substantial savings on your electricity bill and help to protect the planet!Let us know if you love it or hate it!
Kwaherini!
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