My lack of postings has evidently led to some of you, my lovely readers, to wonder what has been happening? Am I even okay?

I am fine. Thank you for wondering or asking.

I am in UK for approx. 12 days to attend an assessment day for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, tomorrow the 12th.

There are five “wholetime” jobs going in Plymouth.

I need one of those jobs...

Off to Plymouth this afternoon.

Made a flying visit to my parents in Norley over the weekend.

May indulge in a little real house hunting after the assessments done since  both Hannah and I have been looking at estate agents around the Buckfastleigh area on the internet in Africa !

Will keep you posted.

The house in Kolwezi is progressing. Will the builders have left by the time I get back? What will they not have done properly if that is the case?

After my return on 17th I will only have about six weeks to do before my flight out of Lusaka on the 2nd August...  

In case anyone is wondering what the photograph at the top of the page is of....

This is the rubbish that I brought out of the Congo with me.

Following a practice introduced to me by Paul Deegan in 1999, I brought out all the waste of a non biodegradable nature, batteries, dental floss, razors, plastics, that I had taken in to the country at the beginning of my stay. The idea being that you do not add to the problems of waste disposal that the host country may already have. Total weight, 1 Lb 8 & 3/4 oz according to my belle mere’s kitchen scales.

I commend Paul’s book The Mountain Traveller’s Handbook  published by the BMC in 2002. If you look closely you might find a couple of photographs of yours truly in there.

Off to buy some polish to work on my Fire Brigade uniform which I will have to ware for the first time in 10 months, tomorrow.