Jack's new drums Jakub m8má nové bubny

A New Year present from aunt Liz and grandad Pockley. Michael's just brought them back from a rendezvous with the man who made them - a Maasai who managed to get them all in a matatu (that's a minibus and people always have to squash up in those). The plan is to arrange them to make a kit, so Jack can practice in his room. The rule is always to make sure that the baby next door isn't asleep. Jack's been helping a neighbour build a patio, while we've been working (planning). Happy New Year to everyone!
Jakub dostal nové bubny od dědečka Pockley a tety Liz. Michael je koupil od Afričana, který s nimi přijel v mini autobuse. Bubny se dají dohromady tak, aby na nich mohl Jakub hrát, pokud vedle nespí malá. Včera a dneska pomáhal sousedovi Jakub postavit terasu - je moc pěkná. Přejeme všem jen to nejlepší v roce 2012!

Christmas 25.12.2011 Boží Hod Vánoční

This morning, we woke up very early. Jack opened his stocking presents. They may have been a bit of a disappointment but Father Christmas had no choice but to shop in Nairobi. When he saw our stockings were equally unexciting, he felt better. We all watched a traditional Czech fairy tale on DVD, then had a cooked breakfast. A swim in the sunshine was followed by roast chicken. Jack laid the table and made crackers. After lunch we fell asleep. Jack went out to play. A lazy Christmas!

Christmas tree - stromeček

Ráno jsme se probudili brzo. Otevřeli jsme dárky od Ježíška. Nebylo to nic moc ale Ježíšek musel nakupovat v Nairobi. Pak jsme si tradičně pustili Mrazíka. Voda v bazénu byla teplá, krásně jsme si zaplavali. K obědu bylo pečené kuře, potom se spalo a nic nedělalo. Jakub si hrál s dětmi v areálu. Jsou tu skoro všichni. Večer se budeme dívat na posledního Harry Potter.

Christmas Vánoce 23.12.2011

První vánoční akce tady v areálu školy byla u nás. Přišly všichni sousedé na buřty, čili, jelikož se tu neprodávají, na párky. Pustili jsme si koledy a jelikož pražilo slunce, měli jsme léto, podzim a zima hned najednou. Jakub našel dříví, sehnal klacíky a zapálil ohen. Ani Becherovka nechyběla.
A Czech summer/autumn tradition - sausages over the open fire - at Christmas time. We put on Czech Christmas carols and drank lots of Kenyan beer. 

Happy Christmas!

more photos - další fotky

lounging area- pro sezení pod větrákem

upstairs - nahoře

our cottage - naše ubytování



 the reason for our visit - důvod, proč jsme sem jeli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfijrXbEdNo&feature=youtu.be

coconut palm - kokosy nebyly

more photos from our holiday dalsi fotky

the monkey that stole our papaya . opička, která nám ukradla ovoce

return to nairobi - návrat do nairobi

The sea, the main reason for going - Hlavní důvod, proč jsme sem jeli

After a week by the sea we have returned home by train. We stayed in a cottage on Diani beach, south of Mombasa, where the sea is blue, but full of spikey sea urchins, the climate leaves you sweating at all times of day and night, but the monkeys are charming and the water as warm as a bath. Po týdnu u moře jsme zpět doma. Jeli jsme vlakem pres noc. U moře jsme bydleli v domečku nedaleko pláže Diani, hodinu na jih od Mombasy. Tam je moře modré ale plné ostatých koulí, a člověk se potí pořád, ve dne v noci ale opičky jsou kouzelné a voda je teplá jako ve vaně.

start of the holidays - začátek prázdnin

Sunday - the first real day of holidays. Our neighbours held a baptism for their daughter in Kenton grounds on a glorious summer day. We ate, then the children swam in the pool. It was very relaxed. We've just watched an Indiana Jones film AND the internet is working! We'll post some photos of the coast when we get back next week.

Dneska opravdu začaly prázdniny. Sousedi organizovali krtiny pro dcerušku tady v arealu školy. Bylo krásně, horko, 24 stupnů. Jídlo bylo velice dobré. Odpoledne se děti koupali. Večer jsme se dívali na film. Navíc funguje internet. Po návratu z moře, jedeme zítra, dáme sem fotky. 

Christmas Vánoce

 We've just come back from the Carol Concert. Very traditional Carols. The children had mince pies afterwards. I took the photos just at the entrance to the school hall.

Právě jsme se vrátili z Vánočního koncertu. Všechno velice tradičně anglické - písně, jídlo. Jak je vidět z fotky, je teplo. Stromeček je hned u vchodu do hlavní haly ve škole.



A Jakub potvrzuje, že Mikuláš chodí i v Africe!

Michael's update / noviny od Michlem

No news for some time - not that nothing has happened, but simply that it's been a very busy time and, as Vera's already described, whenever one might have time to post something, there's no electricity. In term's of railways, our electric circuits are a branch line at the end of a branch line, so we're the last to be mended when the system breaks down.

Firstly, some good news - my cricket team won their final matches, so ended the season unbeaten - so I guess I can say I've never lost a single match anywhere on the continent!

Yesterday was also an uplifting experience. I've had some involvement with a charity school in Kibera, Nairobi's largest slum. The school provides food and education for children orphaned by AIDS. Yesterday the whole school came to Kenton for a visit as Kenton is one of the school's main sponsors. They had their "Christmas" party - we have extensive, verdant grounds, so this was a wonderful place for a day out for children who live in very cramped (and dirty) conditions. Because of my involvement, I was invited to go back on the bus with the children afterwards. There I was given a tour of the school - you can see photos of the school on their website, here: http://kigulu.webs.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=9011359 I had intended to keep a low profile as a white skin can attract the wrong kind of attention in Kibera. However, I found myself at the tail end of 56 children snaking through the slums wearing Santa hats and blowing vuvuzelas as loud as their little lungs would allow! Fortunately I'd left my watch at home and had taken care to wear worn-out clothing (not hard considering my wardrobe) so nobody thought I was worth robbing.
They were lovely children and the staff were most welcoming. A couple of them had measles (immunity is an issue for some of them) and threw up on the bus, so I'll be keeping watch on my own temperature! If you'd like to help them, there are instructions on how to donate here: http://kigulu.webs.com/howyoucanhelp.htm However, if you have a UK or Czech bank account the best thing is just to stick money in one of my accounts and I'll give them the correct number of Kenyan Shillings without the bank taking a slice off the top. Let me know and I'll give you details.

Promín, nepsál jsem žádne dlouhy čas, ale měl jsem hodně práce a male elektrika!

První, můj kriket manšaft užkončil sezon - a vyhrál 100%. Hurah!

Včera šel jsem do školy pro dětí koho rodiče mají AIDS. Doufám, že budou fotky, ale ted', nevím jak psát co citíl jsem protože moje slovní zasoba je mala. Promín.