First six months in Kenya

The 27th of July marked our first six month anniversary in Kenya. And what a glorious half-year it's been.

I celebrated my 58th birthday and three days later Grant turned 60 here in Keirio Valley, Kimwarer, Kenya! We also celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary here. BTW, I realise I have Grant's cake next to my photo and vice versa. But I also know that my kind and intelligent followers will make sense of the collage!

Our cats: Ginger, bottom two photos, whom we inherited as we moved into our house; middle: Shadow, a cat we had in the Sudan, took back to South Africa and subsequently brought up to Kenya in May. Top: the latest addition: a bedragggled kitten - now a sleek, fat little guy called Ambrose -  brought to my door a month ago

For our monthly shopping, we drive up a steep, winding mountain road to Eldoret. On the 24kms of dirt road, there are 24 hairpin bends. (I counted them) We always manage to see Colobus monkeys (top left photo), Blue monkeys, (not pictured here but later in post) many different species of birds (also pictured later) and a view across the valley below when we reach the escarpment. I've also added the loaded motorcycles and bicycles as well as Eldoret traffic

We [three] women on camp, do a great deal of our shopping locally in the village trading store (flour, baking powder, sugar, dried beans and lentils, raw groundnuts, cooking oil, soap powder, hair gel, toothpaste, toilet soap and more) and fresh produce (tomatoes, onions, spring onions, spinach, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, oranges, bananas, mangoes, paw-paws, melons and avocado pears) at the open-air market. (Top and bottom right photos) We also regularly visit the Company-sponsored primary school and assist with the school clubs, plays, debates and sports events (Top and bottom left photos)

A hodge-podge collage shows the road we travel from Nairobi to the valley,  after turning off onto the dirt;  a Blue monkey on the mountain road to Eldoret; a Red-chested Cuckoo being fed by a White-browed Robin-chat below a dam on the mine; a Cape Robin-chat on the road to Eldoret; hybridised Lovebirds on the exit mine road;  and a Crowned Hornbill in the lane behind our house

Two of my favourite people here on camp, are Stanley and Naomi. Stanley is my gardener three times a week, (he works for my neighbour, Borries on in-between days) and has turned my garden into an indigenous paradise. Naomi, my house-lady, does everything except the cooking in my home. (In the photo above Naomi is seated in her parents' home in Kimwarer village) They are two wonderful young people with kind hearts and humble natures

 We've had some great trips to Eldoret  for shopping and to Nairobi for business. The top left photo is me and Grant standing on the equator . We live about 60kmm north of this line. The bottom left photo is of signs in Eldoret showing the way to cities all over the world! In between we've been birding, I've picknicked with the other ladies on camp, helped cater for meals, trained cats (!) and generally had a wonderful time in the African outdoors

For more of other worlds, click here (Thanks to Klaus*, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy and Sylvia for this meme)

Note: * When I wrote my post last night and thanked the My World Tuesday team for the meme, I'd not heard about the passing of Klaus who was founder of Skywatch Friday and hosted this meme. I dedicate this post to him and send my sincere condolences to his family and friends. Please click on link (here) and visit the meme tributed to him today. You can see Klaus' beautiful photography on his blog here

Rest in peace, Klaus.