Myth number 2 – McDonalds is a global brand

Not long after I arrived in Malawi, I realised that I’d not seen a McDonald’s. I’m not a great fan but I was surprised that the golden arches were nowhere to be seen. My curiosity got the better of me and one day  in the office I asked if there was a McDonald’s nearby. The answer came back “what is McDonald’s?”. Sorry Ronald, you’ve no fans in Malawi!

On the other hand, the famous red logo of Coca Cola is here although, not as obvious as I have seen it in other countries. What makes me chuckle is that one of the mobile provides – Airtel – uses the same red colour in its logo and can be seen on every street corner. People selling the pre-paid vouchers are usually sitting under a big red umbrella or the shops selling vouchers have big red painted signs over them advertising Airtel. In some areas it feels as if every shop is painted red.

There is no denying that the many of the English football teams are known and loved in Malawi. Ask any of the chaps in the office what they were doing over the weekend and watching football is bound to feature. Again, lots of the colour red and many many people supporting Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal then the blue of Chelsea but , sorry Adam, I’ve never heard any talk about your beloved West Brom so I've added the link to keep you happy and to make others check out The Baggies!  The national football team in Malawi is known as The Flames and they play in … you’ve guessed it ….red. The local team is the Silver Strikers and their home strip is very similar to WBA's - who'd have believed that! If you're a real football fan and are fed up with the Premier League, check out Football Association of Malawi. (I can't believe I have just written a whole paragraph on football. That's what having nephews and Godsons does to you!!)

While we’re talking about colours, the Carlsberg green is popular here and when you’re ordering a drink if you simply ask for a Green everyone knows what you want as Dad found out when he and Mum were here on their African adventure recently. If you like your lager a bit stronger then ask for a Gold.

Sunrise on my 50s

Ok – I confess, I wasn’t up to see the sunrise on my birthday but one of the girls was so here is what the dawn of the new decade looked like.

I do typically wake up much earlier these days (please no comments about “don’t all old people”!) but not early enough to see the sunrise that day.

It was weird to wake up on my birthday to hear monkeys jumping on the roof. Thankfully they were just nosing around and  then went off on their own merry way.   It’s fair to say I had a very very lazy birthday. The agenda went along the lines of – open pressies, eat, drink, read, sunbathe, chat on skype, read, eat, chat on skype, drink, …..blow out candles on birthday cake, go  to bed! An excellent birthday.

As you can see from the badge, there was no denying my age! 

The day after my birthday we went on to Pumulani which very aptly means place of rest. We had another day of rest and relaxation and took a speedboat around the Lake. The boat driver bought some fish from a fisherman on the Lake to entice the fish eagles out of the trees. Their eyesight must be amazing! Then a few crumbs of bread to tempt the cyclids in the water. They almost come to the surface of the water. They’re very easy to spot as the water is so clear. The day ended with a sun downer sailing slowly round the Lake when we were lucky enough to spot hippos. 

The fish eagle was too quick for me to photograph. Here's the fisherman in his traditional wooden boat.

Sunset on my 40s

When I came to Malawi I was hoping/planning that my 50^th birthday would just be another day in the calendar, no big fuss, no public announcements of this mammoth event in my life. My colleagues here in Malawi had other ideas and especially those who had already passed the milestone. There was also collusion between colleagues here and friends at home (thank you Audrey and Linda!) to make sure the day did not pass by quietly!

We went away to Lake Malawi for a long weekend – Friday 10^th through to Monday 13^th. For the first two nights we stayed at  Madzi Kumala which means light water (or something very similar). As you can see, it is a beautiful house. It was an ideal spot to say goodbye to my 40s. Or, as I prefer to say, to see the sunset on my 40s.

Pictures of me at 50 to follow another day!

I'm back!

I seem to start each post with an apology for being so behind with the blog. Today will be no different! The months are zooming by and yesterday it was a year since I went for the interview for this job. How time flies. In September I will be half way through my contract and wondering what to do next.

All sorts of things have happened since I last wrote

1. I’ve reached the half century mark. Thank you for all cards, emails and pressies. I had a very relaxing time celebrating this milestone. More news will follow. Wonder who will be on the throne when I receive my telegram from Buckingham Palace in fifty years’ time? Will there still be telegrams?
2. A new farmers’ market has opened in Lilongwe and is held on the last Saturday of the month. Lots of interesting food, crafts and even a lady doing reflexology! Everything is made in Malawi by Malawians. Some goodies are made by small village groups and sold through this cooperative.
   
   http://www.ovop.org.mw/
   
   OVOP has a shop in Lilongwe so guess where I’ll be buying some of my Christmas pressies?
   
3. The first batch of vegetables from the garden have been enjoyed. With all this sunshine, carrots, lettuce, beans and peas seem grow all by themselves with just a bit of watering.
   
4. Winter has arrived and although the temperature is still good during the day, it can be very chilly at night. I now have a duvet and a blanket on my bed, wear socks all day, and am back in cardigans/jackets in the office.
   
5. The biggest news of all is that Mum and Dad have been over for their first trip to Africa and what an adventure it was!

Hopefully, I;ve now restored all  the photos in earlier and more will follow very soon.

Anyone know what's gone wrong?

Hum! I've been wondering why none of you have guessed at what the picture is in challenge 3. Now I see that all the photos on the blog have a big no entry sign on them.

Anyone have any ideas how that has happened?  What button have I pressed without realising it?!

Help!

For now I've reloaded the picture in challenge 3 and will come back tomorrow to see if it is still there! Any techies out there, please let me know what you think has gone wrong with all the other pictures.

Challenge 3

This post is to make you do some work for a change! On a TV quiz they would call this the picture round!

What do you think the wooden boxes in the picture are? I'm tempted to say, as they used to in the days of Blue Peter, ..."answers on a post card, please" but in this day and age with all the technology we have, just post your answer in the comments box. As yet, I've not decided what the prize for the first right answer will be. What I do know is that I am looking forward to all the wrong answers which are bound to make me giggle.

All creatures great and small

This post has been a long time coming and there is lots to tell and lots of photos so that should keep you all very happy. The list of creatures I’ve seen and which I am now getting used to is a pretty long list!

1. Cockroaches – it goes without saying! The first time I tried to spray one with good, old faithful Doom, in my panic I held the can the wrong way round and managed to spray myself on the face. Boy, was I glad I wear glasses. The cheekiest roach was hiding in the bathroom sink overflow hole (sorry there must be a technical term but I don’t know it). I was busy cleaning my teeth and thinking of nothing special when I spotted the antennae peeping out!   On that occasion the roach lived to tell the tale.
2. Spiders – (Laura – look away now!) not many to report but I did jump back in shock when I spotted this fella first thing one morning next to the washing up. Luckily, it was a day when Felix was around so he sorted out him out.
   
   
   
3. Ghekos – these little creatures are good news as apparently they eat mosquitoes. There is often one little chap on the walls at home. The very tiny ones are almost seethrough. When I went up to Salima recently  there were lots of blue tailed ones. They rush around so are not easy to photograph. (Bonnie – I’m sure you’ll love this photo)
   
   
   
4. Frogs – the funniest one was hiding under the washing machine which was in the patio at Joseph’s house. I’m not sure who was more shocked when he croacked and hopped out – me or him! Yes – you did read correctly, the washing machine was on the patio! (Ok - I admit the frog isn't in this picture but at least you can see the patio)
   
   
   
5. Monkeys – I had a wonderful weekend up in Salima Bay and couldn’t believe how many monkeys were living in the trees right next to the beach. (The joy of zooming in. I wasn't quite as face to face as this picture suggests)
   
   
6. Dogs – lots and they wander around the road at night which I’m not too keen on. Thank goodness I’m the car.
7. Chickens – one of the neighbours keeps chickens and they are often walking in the road as I’m driving to work
8. Hedgehogs – just like at home they are slow creatures who don’t seem to notice or hurry away from cars at night. One had a very lucky escape a couple of weeks ago.
9. Grasshoppers – big green grass hoppers! Somehow they have been finding their way into the kitchen in the last week or so but can’t find their way back out so I come home to find them on the kitchen floor exhausted from los of flapping. Poor things.

I’ll keep my eyes peeled and let you know what else I spot

PS - how funny! As if to say "what about me?" an enormous ant ran across the kitchen floor as I press the "publish" button! Then two minutes later a very long millipede slithered across the floor

PPS - I can believe  forgot these creatures when I wrote this yesterday - maggots! That has to be my worst experience to date. As I cut open a butternut squash I thought the seeds looked a bit strange and before I had time to work out why, they started jumping out of the squash. The inside was full of maggots which started hopping skipping and jumping at great height and great speed out of the squash. I suppose they were glad to see daylight. Thankfully my emergency brain kicked in, I threw the squash into the kitchen bin, put the bin outside, sprayed it with Doom, then sprayed the floor and the worktop to zap the escapees. Then out came the bleach and any other cleaning chemicals I had to wash down the whole worktop. Thankfully there was no uncovered food on the top at the time. To say I felt sick is an understatement and dinner was just a good strong cup of tea for me that night. This is a Malawian experience I do not want to repeat.       

  

Where did January go?

Oh dear ! What a month January was! I’ve been knee deep in year-end but the end is finally in sight and the dreaded auditors arrive next week. The theory is that I will then be year-end free and I can let my hair down. The truth is that we will then be preparing the first budget revision and so the cycle goes on.  My new year’s resolution was to get out and about more. I’ve not been very successful but I’m working at it and have certainly been out and about more than I did before Christmas.  

January started with  a karaoke evening. Imagine approx. 25 ladies aged between 35 and 55 on a Friday evening in early January sitting in someone’s lounge with two microphones, a tv screen and five cds worth of music. Thankfully the lights were low and before very long, the evening had turned into a general sing and boogie along!  I must have been enjoying myself as when I looked at my watch it was already 11pm. A very late night in Malawi!

A new bar opened just before Christmas. The various settees and comfy chairs make its name “The Living Room” seem very appropriate. So far this year they have hosted a quiz night and there is now a film show every Monday. Sitting on a veranda, watching a film in the  dark of night in a short sleeve top is not something I expected to do when I signed up for this job.

January also saw the usual round of eating out and eating at other people’s home. I hosted my first, and last, dinner party at Joseph’s house. Thankfully the power behaved itself although I not realised just how the cooking speed slows down for each extra ring of the hob you put. I want for an old faithful Delia which those of you who were at my summer soiree enjoyed – chicken and chorizo sausage bake. Ok, I lie, not chorizo but a good substitute from one of my favourite supermarkets which underwent a facelift and extension just before Christmas.    The range and choice of foods has increased in the new layout although, as you may have guessed, most of the new foods are from …..South Africa.

The rains were here in earnest in January and   an umbrella was a must. Not much different from an English January in that respect. 

Alive and kicking!

If you have been wondering where I am and what I’m doing, apologies. All is well although my UK  mobile has decided to misbehave and so for all of February I’ve been out of touch.  Work is busy, busy, busy and when I arrive home sitting in front of laptop feels like a busman’s holiday. So, sorry there have been no blog updates and no personal emails. 

Response to Challenge 1

Before I start to cook Audrey's challenge, I thought I'd better finally post my response to Lesley's challenge. It was a challenge! I had to visit three supermarkets, substitute a few items and left a couple of others out.

Cheese is available here but does not seem to be a great favourite. It’s usually pre-packed and the type of very orange looking processed cheese I usually avoid with a barge pole. One shop has a deli counter where the cheese/meat is already cut and you choose the piece you’d like.

Herbs and spices also seem to be limited and despite scrutinising the shelves very closely, mace was nowhere to be seen.

As you can see most packaged food is not made in Malawi while the fresh produce is.

The key challenges during preparation were that I do not have any weighing scales, no steamer and no food processor. All are available to buy in the bigger stores. Think I’ll invest in some scales but will try to survive without a steamer. I never use a food processor at home anyway!

There was enough for five portions so I had left overs to enjoy once my guest had left. We both agreed it was a tasty meal. 

Cooking the beans, the lentils etc meant it took a fair chunk of my Sunday to cook this but I enjoyed. It also introduced me new ingredients which I never use at home. I'll be making this, or a variation on theme again so thanks for the challenge, Lesley

Ingredients	Available or alternative used	Country of origin	Price  - per pack/total purchased
dried black-eyed beans	pack of 5 mixed beans	Canada, Holland, India, South Africa, Malawi	2.00
green split peas	Yes	South Africa	1.50
green lentils	Yes	Canada	1.50
peeled carrots	Yes	Assumed Malawi	1.00
peeled swede	Butternut squash	Assumed Malawi	0.50
peeled celeriac	Extra butternut
large onion	Yes	Assumed Malawi	0.10
small green pepper	Yes	Assumed Malawi	0.75
butter	Yes	South Africa	3.50
tomatoes	Yes - fresh	Assumed Malawi	0.25
chopped mixed fresh herbs	Dried mixed herbs	South Africa
ground mace	No idea! Left out
ground cayenne pepper	Yes	South Africa	2.00
salt and freshly milled black pepper	Not freshly milled!	South Africa
soft goats’ cheese	Cheddar	Not shown on the label	2.00
potatoes	Yes	Ireland	1.00
2 tablespoons milk	UHT	Zambia	0.25
Pecorino cheese	Mozarella	Not shown on the label	0.50

Challenge 2

Ok,so I confess I have not given you the results of Challenge 1 yet. In my usual style of procrastinating, the blog item is three quarters finished. I promise to look up the last few prices before the end of this week.

Audrey has agreed to provide us with a recipe for January so please check in later in the month to see what it is. I'm planning to cook this on Sunday 20th and will no doubt inflict my culinary skills on some colleagues! Hope you'll join me.

To misquote a famous TV programme ..... keeeeeeeep cooking!
  

Belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Well, if I upload this quickly it will still be the Christmas season as today is the feast of the Epiphany.

Hope you all enjoyed the festivities and didn’t put on too many extra pounds over the holidays.

I was lucky enough to be with my family over Christmas and New Year which was an unexpected surprise for us all. The two weeks at home flew by and now I’m back in Malawi and in the throes of year end. Oh joy!

Christmas is celebrated in Malawi and usually people just have Christmas Day off work. This year, just a few days before Christmas an extra bank holiday on 26^th December was announced. Our office had a planned closure from 21^st December to 2^nd January and we are all required to hold back holiday to cover this.

All the usual Christmas goodies of cards, trees and presents are in the shops from early October although overall it felt as if Christmas was more low key. That’s hardly surprising as Christmas in the UK feels like overkill. There are very few Christmas decorations or lights in the shops, streets and we had no decorations up in the office. 

I’m not sure how colleagues in the   office will have celebrated at home. Many will enjoyed a special meal with family and friends. Those whose family live outside of Lilongwe will probably have travelled across the country to spend time together. As these journeys can be time consuming and expensive, it is not easy for people to meet up regularly and so Christmas is the ideal time to be together. Most people will have been to church to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

These photos were taken at a local hotel where there is a lovely café that I often visit on a Sunday. Interestingly, the tree is made from old water bottles. I’ve not seen much recycling of plastic, paper or anything else for that matter whilst I’ve been in Malawi so this seemed an unusual choice.

Here’s to a very happy and healthy 2013 for us all!