Today (Tuesday 16th June) seemed a good example of a typical day, so I thought I would describe it for you.
By 7.30 we were all awake, so got up and had breakfast at about 8. At 8.30, Esther (our home help) arrived, and got on with washing clothes and nappies. It all has to be done by hand, so her work is precious! At 8.45 I was just feeding Benjy and Marc was having his shower when Esther called that we had visitors. It was a missionary couple who had just been in Parakou for the night, dropping their teenage sons off to stay with our neighbours', and they were calling round to greet us and to pass on some things, notably some toys for Simon. Simon was extremely taken by the tractors and other farm machinery in the big box they handed over!
We had arranged to meet the SIM Benin-Togo Director, Clara, this morning, but hadn't been given an exact time. So we went to coffee-and-pancakes at the South Station (where the guesthouse and offices are) and were able to greet some of the leaders of UEEB (the Union of Evangelical Churches of Benin). We went on to spend time with Clara – helpfully Benjy slept through the entire meeting, and we sat Simon in front of a DVD which absorbed him completely.
We came home for lunch, and while we were eating it Esther came back (she cooks the midday meal for another missionary) and took Benjy on her back while she worked so that I could get some rest during siesta time.
At 2.45 Marc set off back to the South Station, where he was spending the afternoon working alongside Walter, who does a lot of maintenance work there. I spent most of the afternoon in our kitchen, cooking up chicken stock from yesterday's chicken, squeezing orange juice and preparing the evening meal. When Simon and Benjy woke up, Benjy joined me in the kitchen (since he can't get in my way yet!) and Simon played either in his bedroom in or between the living room and the kitchen.
Miriam, our Swiss neighbour, called round at one point to arrange times to go shopping together – part of my unofficial orientation! – and at 5ish her girls came round to play with my boys. They left again at 6, just after Marc got home, and we ate our evening meal. Beef curry with potatoes, carrots and green beans, with small bananas for dessert.
Then as usual it was bath- and bedtime for the boys. I transferred my cooled chicken stock into the freezer and went out onto the verandah to take down all the dry washing – almost everything except the nappies. Then I just had some time for blogging before getting ready for bed … early, as the nights are very broken at the moment! (Benjy has been waking every hour or so – things are just starting to improve a little since we stopped giving him the anti-malarial treatment.)
By 7.30 we were all awake, so got up and had breakfast at about 8. At 8.30, Esther (our home help) arrived, and got on with washing clothes and nappies. It all has to be done by hand, so her work is precious! At 8.45 I was just feeding Benjy and Marc was having his shower when Esther called that we had visitors. It was a missionary couple who had just been in Parakou for the night, dropping their teenage sons off to stay with our neighbours', and they were calling round to greet us and to pass on some things, notably some toys for Simon. Simon was extremely taken by the tractors and other farm machinery in the big box they handed over!
We had arranged to meet the SIM Benin-Togo Director, Clara, this morning, but hadn't been given an exact time. So we went to coffee-and-pancakes at the South Station (where the guesthouse and offices are) and were able to greet some of the leaders of UEEB (the Union of Evangelical Churches of Benin). We went on to spend time with Clara – helpfully Benjy slept through the entire meeting, and we sat Simon in front of a DVD which absorbed him completely.
We came home for lunch, and while we were eating it Esther came back (she cooks the midday meal for another missionary) and took Benjy on her back while she worked so that I could get some rest during siesta time.
At 2.45 Marc set off back to the South Station, where he was spending the afternoon working alongside Walter, who does a lot of maintenance work there. I spent most of the afternoon in our kitchen, cooking up chicken stock from yesterday's chicken, squeezing orange juice and preparing the evening meal. When Simon and Benjy woke up, Benjy joined me in the kitchen (since he can't get in my way yet!) and Simon played either in his bedroom in or between the living room and the kitchen.
Miriam, our Swiss neighbour, called round at one point to arrange times to go shopping together – part of my unofficial orientation! – and at 5ish her girls came round to play with my boys. They left again at 6, just after Marc got home, and we ate our evening meal. Beef curry with potatoes, carrots and green beans, with small bananas for dessert.
Then as usual it was bath- and bedtime for the boys. I transferred my cooled chicken stock into the freezer and went out onto the verandah to take down all the dry washing – almost everything except the nappies. Then I just had some time for blogging before getting ready for bed … early, as the nights are very broken at the moment! (Benjy has been waking every hour or so – things are just starting to improve a little since we stopped giving him the anti-malarial treatment.)
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