Oh my goodness!

 

Why do so many things seem to go wrong at once?  Today, the little white van that Trevor Anderson lends me to rattle about in, collecting all the donations for the container, conked out (again!!). Rescued from a particularly inconvenient place where it seems to like stopping, it was towed off for a well-earned rest and I returned home to console myself with a packet of Starburst.  An almighty crunch later (Starburst are not by nature crunchy!!), I spat out a mouthful of multi-coloured chews containing my gold crown and quite a significant part of a tooth. Having given away all my worldly goods, even my sole claim to having once been financially stable enough to invest in a gold crown has now disappeared!  Now looking like something fallen from a broomstick at Halloween, I think I may instil fear into the children at Combe Pafford school where I am due to talk tomorrow morning! Children, I apologise in advance, I do not normally ressemble a character from a Roald Dahl book and I promise I will try not to cackle. 

 

In the afternoon I am judging a primary school Ready, Steady, Cook competition and the dark side of my nature is toying with the idea of pretending to lose the tooth in the middle of the food-tasting, highly dramatic but maybe a bit mean!!  Now if they were secondary pupils ………..!!

 

I have to let you know that I am missing The Gambia, the people, the children and the sun so so much.  It is great to be here in Plymouth among family and friends and to be able to raid a fridge, eat fastfood and have a choice of snacks and drinks etc, but I so miss my simple, down-to-earth life in Africa.  I feel a bit like an alien here (actually probably look a bit like one now with the missing tooth!) and no longer feel that England is my home, a strange situation to be in.  I am hoping my Dad (who has been in Derriford for many weeks) will make a speedy recovery so I can get back to where I should be, doing what I should be doing, instead of comfort eating children's sweets to cheer myself up. 

 

Special thanks to my dear friend Catherine this week for giving me a bottle of Kalms and several doses of Bachs Rescue Remedy.  When close friends are taking steps like that, maybe it's time to go online and look at flights back to The Gambia!!  Okay, I admit it, life here is stressful, I am stressed and I want to go home!!!!!!