Visitors Galore!

The past few weeks have seen us welcome lots of visitors from Plymouth escaping the cold and enjoying the guaranteed Gambian sunshine. Simon and Heather Judge donated much-needed gardening tools last year and came to see them in action. Heather had all the children dancing and Simon added a few more snaps to the 700 he had already taken on their visits around the local area. Tracey Thorn and her daughter Perrie Renzi and friend Keira Wilshaw, Year 9 students at Ridgeway School visited the school and taught the children with some brilliant resources they had prepared back in Plymouth. The children loved it and I think I may have found replacements for me when I go back to the UK in the Spring!
A special visitor who spent two weeks living in a mud hut on our compound was intrepid Herald photographer, Lucy Blake who conquered her fear of monkeys and crocodiles by photographing them up close and personal! Lucy was amazing, the children are still asking for her and I, personally, miss her cheerful nature and "muck-in" approach. She fetched water, lit fires, painted the school door and ably assisted with the children.
I look forward to meeting up with Lucy back in Plymouth in the Spring; she's promised to cook me a meal (in an oven I think, not on an open fire!). I've just dropped a further 3 kilos, having had malaria twice in two months. I think I'm over it now but it's been a long haul getting back to normal (well as normal as I'm likely to get anyway!).
Have had a few blips with the numbers of children attending school as a new nursery school opened in the village and many parents sent their children there to get the free uniform and school lunch, even though they were already registered with our school. I felt disappointed initially and then realised that it is far nicer teaching twenty to twenty-five rather than trying to manage forty-plus. As long as they are all in school, I don't mind where it is.
Till next time,
best wishes
Debbie