To Be Continued.....

On June 3, after two years working at Rosslyn Academy,  we left Nairobi, Kenya for our next adventure.  Our life fit into these 13 Action Packers and piled onto a plane bound for Nova Scotia.  

The flight went well and we all slept a little bit along the way.  The boys were especially excited to have 'on-demand' movies!  A short layover in London and then on to Halifax.  After clearing Customs and greeting our familes, our first stop was Tim Hortons!  A Canadian institution that we have missed!

So what now?  Not sure....... we will vacation for a month and then start to think about getting a job.... somewhere!  This blog is to be continued....... somewhere!  Chutes in Canada?  Chute in RV park?  Chutes in Antarctica?  Only God knows...........

Yes! We have no Bananas

Do you remember my story of the banana plant next to our house?  It was given to me by the Kenyan gardeners on staff at Rosslyn in February 2009.  Shortly thereafter it started to die and the mole responsible was removed.  The plant has survived and grown surprisingly strong.  Banana plants can grow up to 7 metres tall and each leaf can be 2 metres long.

 Early this April we discovered a new growth on the banana tree.  This pod-like cluster of leaves is called a "flower bract".   One leaf on the bract rolled back almost daily to reveal a new "hand" of bananas.  

When first exposed, the hand of tiny bananas grows downward.  Gradually the "fingers" turn toward the sun and appear to be growing upside down.  The large pod (bract) is the life source of the banana -- it contains a syrupy milk that feeds the young bananas as they grow.  Sometimes the syrup drips out the bottom of the pod while the bananas hang above.  Simon has counted 19 hands of bananas on this one stalk.  The bananas continue to grow and turn yellow over a period many weeks.

I have read that Kenyans consume 45 kg of bananas per person each year.  We have several varieties of bananas here which are cooked in stew or eaten raw.  The leaves of the banana plant are used to make placemats, boxes, nativity sets, hats, rugs, etc, etc.

We have been told that it takes about 3 months for a bunch of bananas to ripen.... hence the title of this blog.  We do have bananas on our tree and they will be ready to pick in July or August.  But we will not be the ones to harvest this crop.  

We fly to Nova Scotia today and will not be returning to Kenya.  We are looking forward to a few months of rest and being with family and friends.  We are not sure what the Fall will bring!  Sadly, we will not be eating our bananas.

Elephant Orphanage

One of the things that Simon has been wishing to do here in Nairobi, is go to the Elephant Orphanage attached to the Nairobi National Park.  This past weekend we made the trek across town and were not disappointed!

The orphanage takes in baby elephants that have been left alone for a variety of reasons.  Sometimes the mother is sick or wounded and unable to care for the elephant.  Sometimes pouchers have killed the mother for her ivory tusks (illegal in Kenya since 1989).  There are currently 17 baby elephants at the orphanage -- the youngest is 4 months and the oldest almost 2 years old.

The baby elephants are cared for by individual keepers 24 hours a day.  They roam free in an area of Nairobi National Park from 6 am to 6 pm while the keeper watches.  At sunset the elephant returns to the orphanage and sleeps in a small shelter with a keeper -- they are fed SMA every 3 hours through the night and the keeper makes sure that the elephant stays warm with blankets.  The elephants stay at the orphanage until they reach 2 years old.  Then they are transfered to Tsavo National Park (5 hours from Nairobi) where they are transitioned back to a family in the wild.

The elephants were so cute to watch and they loved to be touched.  Lisa had a great time shaking trunks!  However, though small, these are very strong animals!  They are also very wrinkly and rough feeling.  Max thought it would be cool to be a keeper!.

Recital

During this school year, Simon, Max, and Lisa have been taking piano and guitar lessons.  This week was the year end Recital Concert at Rosslyn.



 

Simon has been taking guitar lessons from Mr. Sanna.    This was Simon's first year playing guitar and his instructor is impressed with how quickly he has learned the instrument.  Simon has a real love of the classical style.  Mr. Sanna is an exceptional guitarist so attending lessons was like a mini concert every week, as Simon played and Mr. Sanna accompanied.  Simon's recital piece was plucking the melody for Jesus Loves Me.  He had a beautiful sound and perfect beat.  In the large auditorium it was a very impressive sound.

Max and Lisa played a duet for their Recital piece:  Rondo in A Major by Schubert.  Lisa has not taken lessons for decades.  It was fun to relearn how to play and begin again to enjoy the stress relief that music can bring.  However, to perform in front of people for the first time in 36 years was nether fun nor a stress reliever!  In fact, Lisa has no recollection of the event -- Max says she played well.