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Monday, March 30, 2009

Puzzling?

My husband's new form of recreation

Friday is day-off in Khartoum. I don’t know whether it counts as a Sunday; all I know is that by Sunday, when we in South Africa enjoy a day of rest, my husband’s work week begins again.

Life as an expat is very different this time for my hubby. Firstly, he is not involved in mining at all. He is in the Plant Hire [heavy earthmoving] business. Another thing, wherever he has worked before, there have always been other South Africans, English citizens, Australians, New Zealanders, Frenchmen and Dutchmen. This time he is the ONLY person he knows in Khartoum (if that makes sense-ha!) He alone runs the Sudanese company; his superiors live in the UK and travel between there, the US and the Sudan. He also lives alone in a penthouse apartment in Omdurman, one of the three cities which form Khartoum.

Not being one to sit around and mope during his off-time, he goes into the city to shop for food; comes home and cooks his meals and spends hours on the roof of the apartment feeding the birds and watching the many feral cats.

This weekend he told me the previous guy had left him a few puzzles and he was about to build one. To my amusement he took a photo of it which he e-mailed to me this morning.


It is railway station scene during the Wild West period. The consisted of 500 pieces and he had great fun building it.

6 comments:

  1. Oh Jo, I can't imagine how difficult it must be to be apart from one another this way. Do you have any chance to go and visit him, if so just for a week or two?

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  2. Yes, it is very difficult. I should be able to go and see him for a few weeks later this year. I wish I could go and live in Africa again, but it's just not practical at this stage. Thanks for popping in. Hugs Jo

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  3. It must be hard for you to be seperated like this, Jo. I love the puzzle, hubby can buy special fixing glue to keep it together, it can be then framed and hung on the wall a memento of Khartoum?!

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  4. It is Peggy, especially after having him home for the past 8 months. Everyone misses him: yesterday my 2yo grandson suddenly said, "Where's Granddad, Granddad's gone to work" Wonderful idea to make the puzzle into a wall hanging. I'll ask him to do this. Thanks for popping in. Hugs Jo

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  5. When we lived in remote bush camps here with no telephones, tv or internet access, I also used to do puzzles to fill up my free time. They're great fun & quite addictive. Good for your hubby ! You'll have to go & visit him soon, Jo :)

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  6. Absolutely, Lynda, I remember the first time I went to Guinea, I also made puzzles! Oh Lynda, you know how desperately I want to get up to hubby but the time will later this year. Hugs Jo

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