|
| Another Day Older |
|
|
| More Adventurous |
| Matthew William Priest |
|
|
| 6 days old |
We are now grandparents! As
previously reported, Matthew William Priest arrived 1 week early on April 8th 2008; his mass was 3.23kg (7lb 2oz) and he was 50cm long.
We were absolutely thrilled,
but a little disappointed that he chose to arrive early and that we could not see him immediately. We left Patandi as planned,
on 11th April, and flew to Manchester complete with luggage which included 2 large wooden giraffes and baby presents. Helen
and Mike were wonderfully happy but looked very tired. We spent nearly 3 weeks with them, helping where we could - we had
forgotten how chaotic it could be in those early days. Matthew, from the first time we saw him, was so beautiful; when awake
he was very alert right from the start, and enjoyed being amused.
| Happy Birthday, Dad! |
|
|
| Matthew with Mike on his 30th Birthday |
| Our Grandson |
|
|
| Matthew with Babu John & Nana Babs |
While in Manchester, John
had spent a great deal of time investigating free resources to take back to the College. It was fortunate that KLM have a
generous baggage allowance! We managed a very brief visit to Darlington, and then, all too soon, it was time to return to
Tanzania and back to work. Goodbyes on this occasion were particularly difficult. However we had already begun to think about
another visit home. Eve was due to be bridesmaid for a school friend, Helen, in June and, as this would perhaps be the last
time we could all be together for quite a while, the wheels began to turn and some planning started. We knew of Eve and Mark’s
travel details from Australia, but didn’t want to say anything too soon in case our visit didn’t happen. We already
felt guilty about asking for more time away from the College; however, we knew that, during June, the students and staff would
be on holiday. So... perhaps.
We had a good flight back
to Tanzania, during which we met a group of Dutch people all wearing bright yellow T-shirts carrying the logo ‘Walk
for Development’. They were due to tour Tanzania and, after chatting, it emerged that they were due to visit Patandi
College the following week and so we looked forward to meeting them again. On our arrival back at Kilimanjaro Airport, we
were met by the Principal with transport for our rather large amount of luggage! Sadly, one box load did not make it onto
that flight and was delivered the next day. And so it was back to work.
|
