trying times

We had a tiring week last week. Over the weekend, Benjy had had vomiting, diarrhoea and a high temperature. A visit to our local clinic on Monday for some tests revealed that he had a bacterial infection. Antibiotics soon had him recovering, but after four very turbulent nights his parents needed to recuperate too!

Just as Benjy was on the mend, our fridge broke down. Everything in the freezer de-frosted and had to be thrown away or eaten, and we had to chuck a few things from the fridge too. Thankfully we found a fridge repair man who was able to get it up and running again. He warned us though that conditions here – the heat plus the unreliable electricity supply – aren't great for fridges, and ours isn't the best model either.

However, stressful and exhausting as our week may have been, it is nothing compared to the suffering of others in this country. We and our neighbours at least have not been hit by the floods affecting many people in Benin – see here.

The farmers around us are worried though, as the rains are continuing longer than usual, and crops are rotting in the fields. And “farmers” applies to most of the people in the village so it is a hard time for all.