Malaria, rain and proposals!

Well, firstly, yes - I had malaria again. Rubbish. Third time now, so I felt it coming and caught it pretty quick. I started feeling a bit odd on Wednesday afternoon (sadly meaning I couldn't make the most of the cake and wine party that I had been extremely excited about!) and almost immediately had a flash of 'this feels like malaria'. So I got tested on Thursday and took the medication straight away. It was worse than the first time but definitely better than the second, and I am fine now. Must be horrible if you are a child, have a weak / low immune system, or if you can't afford the medication. Thankfully I was able to get the tablets, and this time round it was a bit like having a horrible dose of 'proper' flu - definitely not 'man flu'!

One disappointing thing is that I was mostly ill over the weekend and couldn't join in with Ellie's leaving parties with quite as much energy as I wanted to! She has left to take a new job in Sierra Leone, and I will really miss her. She did, however, have a rather special exit from the country! Her Sierra Leonian partner proposed to her during the half time interval of the world cup final - in front of the big screen in Safari Garden, in front of a big crowd of people! Happily she said yes! We had chance to celebrate with her, and now have a wedding in Sierra Leone to look forward to! 

Congratulations and goodbye!

And lastly, we've seen a little bit more rain now - still not loads but hopefully enough to make a difference to the farmers. This morning it poured down, with a force that prevented me from getting to work. But once the rain stopped and the sun came out I set off, the road drying in front of my eyes and the puddles / rivers of water steaming in the heat as I cycled past them!