Margaret and Gill visit Malawi and Zambia

OR Joshua and the leopard

Hello from Malawi

Time here seems to be flying past. Joshua is now 6 months old and is weighing in at 8.7kg! He is thriving in Malawi and is now rolling over, sitting and trying to wave, as well as turning the pages of books, laughing and enjoying lots of games. He is eating solids and so far enjoying all the tropical fruits and vegetables, especially pawpaw from the garden. It is nearly the end of my maternity leave, I am going back to work on the 1^st of November.

September and October have been beautiful months in Blantyre as all the Jacaranda trees are in bloom, and the most ugly roads are transformed into purple avenues. Our diesel issues continue as ever as the chronic lack of forex continues, but the president’s brother is in the UK this week mending fences so we all hope the aid restarts and the economy picks up. The president remains unpopular but there so far is no more talk of demonstrations, although that is probably only a matter of time as none of the issues that prompted the upset in July have been resolved. Gavin is very close to starting haemodialysis in Blantyre at last (!) and also has been given 2 grants to help investigate kidney disease here, which is brilliant.

We have also acquired 2 cats (Mphatso and Miskey) from a leaving friend who have sorted out our mouse problem and are a very welcome addition to our household.

 Goats and chickens are next………….

We had a fabulous 2 and a half weeks where my mum Margaret and her friend Gill came to visit. We travelled around Malawi including day trips to the tea plantations at Satemwa and the Zomba plateau, where both Margaret and Gill both especially enjoyed the botanical gardens. Gill and Margaret also put their gardening skills to use in our garden, and we now have planted passion fruit vines along with morning glories and various other gorgeous plants. Gill is also an amazing seamstress and made Joshi a variety of African outfits using Jill Traub’s old sewing machine, including a unique African Kippa.

Jacaranda trees in the garden in Blantyre

Joshi showing off his African handmade Kippa

Gill, Margaret and Joshi in Thyolo mountain

We went back to Norman Carr cottage on the lake for a weekend of sun and relaxation during the Lake of stars festival, although we did not in the end make it to the festival – working out how to get there with Joshi’s routine and breast feeding became too complicated. However there is always next year, and we would love to hire a cottage and have lots of visitors………………

The highlight of our trip with Margaret and Gill was 5 days in the South Luwangwa National park in Zambia. We stayed at the fabulous Mfuwe lodge which overlooks a watering hole, where you can sit in the infinity pool and watch all the animals come to drink. All the animals had babies and we got so close it was amazing. Joshi came on all the drives and loved bouncing around on the back of a land rover  and did not cry or make a fuss, even when confronted with elephants and hippos. He just took it all in his stride, and made friends with everyone in the lodge (he was by far the most popular guest!). We had an amazing guide, Patson, who had been trained by the late, great Norman Carr himself and we failed to find a question about the bush he couldn't answer, and he loved having Joshi in the car on the drives.

Joshi enjoys his game viewing spot, and Margaret and Gavin do the same from the pool!

The scariest moment of the trip came on one evening drive where dusk had fallen and we were using the spot light to see the animals, Joshi was dozing in his car seat under his mosquito net. We heard from another car from our lodge that there was a leopard in the bush, so we drove up, and we could just see it hidden in the bushes up front. Joshi chose this moment to wake up and start to baby chat. The leopard instantly pricked up its ears and came towards the car – you could see it thinking ‘that is a baby something and I am going to check it out’. Fortunately it was distracted by an impala and started to hunt instead, and my adrenaline levels came down a bit. I then had the challenge of breast feeding Joshi, under a mosquito net as we drove along bumpy roads in the dark- so African and nothing the NCT can prepare you for! The leopard was the most magnificent animal, and the first one that either Margaret or Gill had seen.

Coming back to Blantyre after that was a good way to wind down and now we are getting into a work routine here. I am excited to get back to work and do my research that I came to Malawi to do, but I am sad that mat leave is coming to an end as this time has been magical and some of the happiest of our lives.

Lots of love

Emma, Gavin and Joshi

ps some more safari pics to entice you to come and visit..........

Bush sundowners & Joshi with Patson overlooking the Luwangwa river