Kenya Adventure - Day 17

A bit of trip down memory lane today, well this afternoon anyway. This morning Alan and Pete have a job to do - to calibrate Mo’s camera lens. Alan has brought all the bits needed to do this as it was planned before we came (to do all the lenses, not just Mo’s). With tripods set up the menfolk set to work, taking the necessary photos and checking them on the software before making any changes. There was one problem, the camera was a bit confused with the background so a black sheet was found and Pete was put in position to model it.

Mo and I left them to it and went to do the food shopping ready for heading out tomorrow on another 4 day trip. Wonderful shopping trip - supermarket stuff, just the most enjoyable experience - NOT. Now I must admit there is more variety on the shelves than when I was last here but the experience was pretty similar - walk round the shop and all the lights go off - power cut. When that used to happen to me it was tough luck, learn to shop in the dark or go without. Progress now, a generator at hand which kicked in very quickly. 15 minutes later another power cut - fun stuff and a smile on my face, lovely to see some things never change and worth tagging along with Mo really :).

Shopping done, back home for ham and french bread sandwiches - yummy, yummy, yummy.

In the afternoon it was a trip down memory lane, back to St. Francis Church where Alan and I were married on June 28th 1980.

St. Francis Church in 1980

and now, in Nov, 2013 - how wonderful to see not to much change here either, the red murrum ground now had stone chips down and there is a new building to the right, lots of the trees have been chopped down but apart from the - still recognisable as where we became one.

Alan and I being blessed.

Pete on the left, Alan in the middle and has to be me on the right.

Signing the register. Married now, all legal hahhaha and time to get on with our lives together, share the laughter, share the tears, be there for each other through thick and thin - soul mates then and still soul mates now.

Left to right - Fiona (Pete’s daughter), Alan, me and my bridesmaid Carolyn.

Family group - left to right - Carolyn, Pete, Fiona, Alan, Jane, my Mum, my Dad, Ruth and Alan’s dad.

Afterwards, with everybody outside chatting and doing the photo stuff wee Fiona came over to me to tell me her nose was itchy, I told her to scratch it and did the action - caught on camera, I still smile so much at this photo when I look at it.

You can guess who this is I am sure :)

Later on at the reception this photo was take of Fiona and me, another cracker in my book :)

And now today, outside the church where my best friend and I stepped back in time.

Not only did we get married in this pretty wee church but Natasha was Christened her too - can’t leave her out so here she is with Rev. Amimo who married us :) - I am obviously still in shock about being mum lol

The cake I made for Natasha’s Christening was a nightmare, the cake bit was fine, my Gran’s Christmas cake recipe (I don’t cook regular food but I used to be able to make a great cakes lol). I lovingly iced the cake with the local icing sugar, even made the marzipan myself. Come the time to decorate I hand painted the cake with food die, lots of flowers and leaves, it looked great, I was well cuffed. I put the cake away ready for the big day. It is just as well I had a peek before hand because all my flower painting had vanished, it was just as if the fairies had come along during the night with a big rubber and rubbed everything off. Only one thing to do, repaint :). To this day I can’t figure out how it happened.

So after that wee trip down memory lane Mo and I went off the the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s Orphan Project. Daphne, his wife has spent many, many years trying to save the orphaned babies. I remember reading of her struggles in trying to find a milk formula which which would keep the babies alive. Now these babies are not all natural orphans, the vast majority are in this position due to poaching - can you imagine watching you mother being shot and then having her tusks hacked out even if she is not dead - to me it is to horrific to think about, just for a bit of ivory which has no use other than to make carvings - disgusting. Maybe the people who are caught, be it the ones who supply the arms, the poachers, the transporters, the ones who turn a blind eye or accept a bribe to get the ivory across borders, the ones who turn a blind eye or a bribe in the county where the ivory ends up, the stupid evil people who buy the end product - should be shot but not killed, then have all their teeth removed in front of their families, no painkillers given just fear to accompany their agony. Ah and when it comes to that big molar at the back of the mouth that won’t come out with the twist and turns but needs the knife to slice the gum area open to help release it - that can be done with no pain relief either, most folks have four of them - yes that will hurt. Teeth removed the person can then see them being made into an pretty necklace or carved etc. while he/she is left to rot with no pain killers, no antibiotic, let the infection set in, the more pain for these people the better. I hate guns, I hate killing, I can’t even kill a fly without feeling guilty but yes I could do this and I would feel no compassion or guilt. In the last two weeks 17 baby elephants have been brought into the ‘Orphans’ Project - not all have survived. I saw one today who arrived two days ago. In the end I had to walk away, I could not say sorry to all the babies for this disgusting human action, anger inside, fit to burst. An elephant never forgets, can you imagine the nightmare these babies are living, trying to comes to terms with their loss - I can’t, of having watched what happened to their mother. Thank goodness for Daphne, her daughter and all the wonderful staff, the guys who sleep and live with their allocated baby, who become a new temporary mum, who give their time so selflessly, who give the orphaned elephants a chance of some happy memories and help them through the trauma. If you get a chance when reading this to pop on over to the:- 

David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s Orphan Project 

Orphan Project  

then please do, they do such fabulous work.  Did you know, at the rate elephants are being killed for their ivory (about 35,000 this year in Africa), with approximately only 350,000 still in existence, elephants could well be extinct in 10 years!!!!! - what a legacy we leave our children!!!!!!

At the orphanage there is a blind rhino called Max, he was born blind and abandoned by his mum at 3 months old, he is now 7 years old. He has a home here, where he is safe to live out his life, approximately another 39 years. Max has a friend, another rhino, a female. She is now half tame half wild and is free to come and go as she pleases between the orphanage and Nairobi Park which neighbours it. No promise is made as to if we will see her or not. If she chooses to come she either goes to meet Max or goes to her ‘home’ - a lovely story.

One of the trucks used to transport the elephants either to the orphanage or, when they are ready, to a protected area in Tsavo where they can have more freedom but still be safe.

The ellies run into the camp in groups, ready for their tea. Boy, do they run fast lol.

I was just about to get a picture of the next group coming in but caught this two legged creature instead. Grrrrrrrrrr - Jane is peeved - so hate it when somebody just walks in front of you like this without a glance behind.

The next group arrive, so well behaved :)

Then another group lol

Now at the orphanage you can adopt an ellie for $50. I never know what to buy my Mum for a special gift but think I may have found something she will love. Most folk choose their ellie by personality, but sorry, how can you work out personality in such a short meeting.

I took a different route, to adopt an ellie which had meaning. Nanyuki, where I lived is in Laikipia District and my Mums birthday is July 4th - perfect - they are both Cancerians :) - Lentili you are perfect. It really does not matter in the least which ellie you adopt, they all share the proceeds, all equal, no favourites :)

Here is Lentili - the elephant I have adopted for my Mum. If you find out about this Mum before I get a chance to surprise you I hope you approve :) :) :) - Here is Lentili’s story  which I have just found on the Sheldrick website - chuffed to bits :)

Lentili

I also bought the book ‘An Africian Love Story’ by Daphne Sheldrick, an autographed copy too :) Part of the adoption package includes a watercolour of the elephant painted by David and Daphne’s daughter - Angela Sheldrick. Angela was there today so I asked her if she would sign her painting :) which she did. I just so hope now my Mum loves this gift.

Home again, anger subsiding, tummy full and time to sign off now I have this blog post prepared. Tomorrow we head off to Nanyuki by vehicle, no more flying now, for another trip down memory lane. We are staying at Pete’s son’s house with him and his wife Michelle for one night then off on another safari for 3 days in the Abedares, just the four of us, Pete, Mo, Alan and me, self catering. Night folks xx