California Dreams

Hello everyone

When Mike was late home from a work trip to New York in May last year, Louise suspected immediately it was because he had met someone special. But none of us expected back then that we would be flying in from all over the world to see him get married to Julie 10 months later.

We decided that we should all go to California to the wedding, despite the very long journey and the cost as it was going to be a once in a lifetime occasion – and boy were we right. We set off from Malawi on the 14^th of March and after 30 or so hours of flying arrived in LA with Joshi grinning at Melissa and Nick, our hosts, covered in melted chocolate chip cookies. We spent the weekend in LA chilling out with old family and friends – the Traub family who are  amongst the Dreyer family’s oldest  and closest friends from South Africa and whom have mostly relocated from London to the West Coast (with the exception of Jason). It was fabulous to see them and spend the weekend hanging out, although it was too cold and rainy (!) to go to Venice beach and we were too jetlagged to do anything else touristy like seeing the Hollywood sights/go to Disneyland/Universal studies etc.

It didn't look like this on 90210!

Mez Gav Joshi and Jill

 We also managed to catch up with my cousin Jane, who is an actress and her gorgeous family, although we sadly missed my other cousin Akure who was away. I tackled the challenge of what to wear to a posh California wedding after 18 months of pregnancy/breast feeding by booking a personal shopper at a local upmarket department store, which was so much fun and I came away with some fabulous clothes- although I didn’t buy the size 10 Jimmy Choo’s (anyone who knows how much I love shoes and how many problems I have buying them will understand how excited I was to try them on!) I was seriously tempted. I think we were the easiest guests Nick and Mez had ever had, as we were excited by the hot water pressure in their shower and the bagels in the kitchen. Thanks so much guys for such a restorative weekend.

Joshi checks himself out in the 4 way mirror at Nordstrom

Cousins! Emma with Jane plus Joshi Jack and Freya

Joshi, Gav, Jill and Melissa chat to granny Louise on skype

When we were over our jet lag we set off for our road trip up the coast from LA eventually ending up in Calistoga in the Napa Valley for the wedding. We took 3 days to drive from LA to SF along highway one which was totally stunning. We managed to see elephant seals, whales and a sea otter from the car, ate a LOT of seafood, walked on the beach, admired Hearst castle from a distance (sadly we missed the tour), had lunch in a winery near Santa Barbara, drove through cattle ranching land with spectacular scenery and circling condors and soaked up a lot of scenery- I had no idea California was so beautiful, and so cold! We loved Monterey town, but arrived too late to get to the famous aquarium as we had stopped too many times on the way to admire the beautiful views along the coast, especially around Big Sur.

Mountains near Santa Barbara

Fabulous views

Joshi and Gav check out the US relatives

sunset from our hotel room on Pismo beach

San Simeon on highway 1

Giant slugs or comatose elephant seals?

Stunning scenery and whale watching on the Big Sur coastline

We had lunch in San Fransisco admiring the golden gate bridge from Crissy Fields and then had a terrible lunch at Fisherman’s Wharf in town (huge tourist trap a bit like Leicester sq by the sea), where Gav tried to find a fabulous place he had been to on a conference 5 years before and we ended up in a hot crowded dingey overpriced fish restaurant. It was however the only bad meal we ate on the entire trip, so we can hardly complain. We spent the night with an old University friend of mine from Bristol, Matt, who is a SF native and his wife Lonnie and their two beautiful girls(3 years and 2 weeks old) and had a lovely evening catching up and hearing about life in the US under Obama – thanks again guys for having us with a newborn in the house.

Downtown San Fransisco from the Golden Gate bridge

Golden Gate bridge from Crissy fields park - sunny and gorgeous!

Matt, Lonnie, Leiyali and baby Nyiali

plus Joshi

We drove onto Napa the next day and managed to meet up with Stephen and Louise who had flown in the night before at a deli outside of the main town. It was really lovely to see them and for them to see Joshi whom they last saw when he was 4 months old. We managed to catch up before the wedding whirlwind started. To get to Calistoga in the Napa Valley where the wedding was being held, we drove up the Silverado trail through the wine country. It was another stunning drive of winding roads, canyons and snow capped peaks, with beautiful wine estates dotted on the slopes.

One of the many vineyards on the Silverado Trail

The wedding was being held at a spa resort ‘The Solage’ outside the town of Calistoga – a large complex of small wooden chalets connected by paths and a giant heated swimming pool. We spent the next 48 hours before the wedding meeting Julie (Joshi and I for the first time) and getting to know her warm and welcoming family, as well as catching up with old friends and family, and relaxing in the gorgeous spa (me!). We were so grateful to Mez for giving us some of her son Dash’s old warm clothes for Joshi as it was much colder than we expected – somehow I expected California in March to be just like I had seen on TV where everyone is permanently tanned and wearing shorts – the reality is that Napa felt like England in March (weather wise only) cool and chilly even with the sun out.

Dreyer family reunion at Solage

The traditional pre wedding dinner on the Friday night was held at the Clos Pegase wine estate, and we ate in the cellar next to the wine barrels. It was a stunning dinner, and Joshi who, after coming to the drinks reception, bedded down in his cot in the (heated) winery laboratory. Louise and Gav both made fabulous speeches that night, along with Avivith the mother of the bride and the maid of honour.

Joshi gets ready for bed in his strangest bedroom yet - the wine laboratory at Clos Pegase

Dinner for 140 by candlelight at Clos Pegase

Louise gives her lovely and moving speech to Mike and Julie

We spent the day of the wedding socializing, preparing and organizing as the seven wedding planners had Louise, Stephen and Gav on a strict schedule, and my job was to make sure Joshi had some semblance of a routine in the build up. He was unbelievably good throughout the trip, snoozing in the back of the car, putting up with all the schlepping around, and loving meeting all our friends and family along the way. Mike and Julie posed for photos before the wedding and still managed to have the outdoor ceremony they planned thanks to the transparent marquee and the hired heating and we waited inside for our turn to pose with the happy couple.

It's official - we travelled the furthest to come to the wedding

Stephen and Louise keep warm waiting for the ceremony and looking v glamorous

Joshi and Gav model their matching African waistcoats

The ceremony under the Chuppah was simple, beautiful and traditional and despite the cold the couple were glowing with happiness. Joshi was brilliant during the ceremony and looked adorable in his smart African get up. Once he was in bed we could all let our hair down and enjoy the fabulous party that followed the wedding, with everyone dancing and both the bride and groom’s parents being lifted up onto the chairs in the traditional Jewish wedding dance – something I don’t think Louise and Stephen expected or had done since their wedding in 1970! Julie and Mike did a hilarious and totally original wedding dance and it was wonderful to see Mike dancing in public looking so happy.

The groomsmen walk down the aisle

Julie walks down the aisle with Bill and Avivith

Julie circles Mike 7 times

and they are married!

The gorgeous cake even matches Julie's dress - magical

Sunday brunch the next day was lovely, catching up properly with all the friends and family who had travelled so far and who we see far too infrequently at the moment- along with the opportunity to eat nearly Joshi’s weight in smoked salmon between us J. After such a wonderful trip it seemed all too soon that we were driving back to SF to get on a plane for another 3 day flight back across the world, stopping for a night in a vile New York airport hotel, the absolute antithesis of the Solage. Joshi saved his fed up screaming for a perfectly timed customs inspection back at Blantyre airport when he yelled so loudly he put off the customs man from rifling through our bags of shopping and waved us through- back to the Malawian sunshine, chaos, diesel queues and our lovely house with a bump.

Mike and Louise at brunch

Family and friends at brunch

The new Mrs Dreyer/Drufe/Juyer with her new family

Thank you so much to Louise and Stephen who made our trip possible and to the Oppenheim family who made us so welcome, along with Mez and Nick and Matt and Lonnie who put us up along the way – we had a fabulous time and will definitely be back to California one day. This month coming up is Joshi’s 1^st birthday on the 11^th and Stephen and Louise will be here for it which will be wonderful.

Proper Malawian news in the next update

Lots of love to all

Emma Gav and Joshi J

Joshi and Gav contemplate the child size pizza we ordered him at Solage

Feb whizzes by

Hello!

This last month has been busy with work and visitors but not much new to report. Gavin continues to work hard to keep the dialysis unit going which is an uphill task at which he is brilliant and never seems to get too frustrated by the daily frustrations that seem to occur with the various technical and staffing issues. My study is now going smoothly and my staff have all passed their appraisals for 3 months in the job, which is a relief and they are all reporting that I am a good boss and they are enjoying their work so I must be doing something right.  The hospital is full permanently at the moment with the malaria season and the poor medical student from the UK on my ward round this week had to sit down looking pale and sweaty and overwhelmed – it seems a very long time ago that I was like that!

This Feb Gav and I celebrated 13 years together and it will be our 5 year wedding anniversary in May already. We celebrated by going to Huntingdon house in Satemwa for a long relaxing weekend doing nothing but eating, sleeping and walking in the gorgeous tea plantations.

Joshi and Gav eat breakfast in luxury

 

Kate Jones, a work friend from Liverpool came to stay for a week working at MLW, it was lovely to have her and thanks Kate for all the cheese. We went on a sneaky half day safari before she left to Majete park, about an hour away which was lovely, but scary as we got stuck twice in a giant herd of elephants with small babies who didn’t like us being around – we were very glad we had a guide in the car, especially when we had to drive off road to get around one big bull in the road - all the elephants here have come from other parks where they have been poached, so are very nervy around humans, and a man was killed last year by one when he got out of the car to take a close up of a mother and baby (a total safari no-no).

Kate enjoys her first safari by the Shire river

Mother and baby elephant in the road

View of the Shire river going towards Mozambique at sunset from the drive up the escarpment from Majete to Blantyre

Joshi is doing really well, as always. He is 11 months next week, we can’t believe he is nearly one, this year has really flown.  He is now an expert crawler and can move around in a flash, pull himself up on nearly everything and cruise along the furniture and is trying out new sounds all the time. He loves to point at things, clap hands and we are still waiting for a wave.

Joshi enjoys fingerpainting himself, the plate, the paper, the khondi, his parents

the best way to wash off the paint in the sunshine!

He laughs all the time and is still eating everything in sight. We had a finger painting session this weekend which got smeared all over the khondi and spent lots of time swimming in friends pools (thanks Naor and Ellie!) – such special times for us to treasure, especially when we never thought we would get this lucky or could be this happy.

There is lots of baby love going on with our friends right now, and we are so happy for all the new arrivals and bumps on the way, and can’t wait to meet all Joshi’s new friends when we are back in the UK in August/September………..

Our crazy California trip for Mike and Julie’s wedding starts next week – all tips on how to survive a ridiculously long journey on several planes with a baby would be really welcome – thanks everyone who has helped so far. Family, friends, seafood, shopping, beach and of course the wedding beckons – we will be back with an update after the trip!

Lots of love to all

Emma Gav and Joshi J

January 2012 hellos and goodbyes

January started with us all saying goodbye sadly to Ros, Mum and Dad, the latter after they spent a couple of nights in the Satemwa tea plantations hiking and looking at birds.

Joshi in his christmas baby bouncer

We got back to work and my study started proper recruitment, so I hit the ground in a whirlwind of problem solving and team management. My team are fabulous and so hard working – they actually look depressed at the end of the day if they have not managed to recruit a patient! It is peak malaria season now the rains are set in, and every day the corridors of the hospital echo with the incredibly beautiful and moving sounds of singing as people accompany bodies of dead relatives to the mortuary. I had to buy quinine for a patient this week as there is none in the hospital (along with a chronic shortage of other essential drugs), a situation a Malawian colleague described as ‘shameful’.

January has been a month of hello’s and goodbyes – sadly we said goodbye to our friends Ruth and Steve McKew who have gone back to Cheshire with their daughters after 3 years in Malawi. Zoe their youngest had to double check there were no crocodiles in the river in the UK as she has lived all her life so far here J. Ruth had several leaving parties including 30 odd women invading the Bombay Palace to play games and eat curry, and a Burn’s night dinner which ended with several people in the swimming pool!

Escorting the haggis

From the left: Nic, Helena, Ruth, Emma and Roshina drink wine and giggle

35 women descend on the Bombay palace to say good bye to Ruth



The Burn’s night dinner was memorable for that, and the fact everyone had a good, but surreal time paying homage to the haggis, listening to bagpipes, drinking whiskey and dancing a ceidlh, with the Malawian staff (and Gav and I!) looking on in good natured bemusement. We are also shortly saying bye to Jacqui who has been in Malawi from Australia for 10 years and we will miss them all.
Gav Joshi and I have loved spending time together as a family in Malawi -see pics below.

Joshi learns to sing with Gavin

Home haircut Malawi-style

Hanging out in the hammock in the garden

Joshi hangs out with mum and dad on the khondi



Sarah with Amos (3) and Arava (12 weeks)

We have also said hello again to Sarah and Naor Bar-Zeev, the lovely Australians who rented our house here while we went home to have Joshi, and then went home themselves to have a lovely daughter Arava (sister to Yona and Amos). They are living up the road and are settling back into being a large family here and it is fab having them so close.


We also have been on a day safari to Nyala park, which is only an hour's drive away and is a private reserve so you are guaranteed to see animals. We are pleased we went when we did as the road has now been washed away in the recent floods.



Giraffe and baby in Nyala park

Joshi continues to thrive, he has gained a whopping 600g in one month and is now 10.6 kg at 10 months. He is an adept crawler now, eats with his hands making an enormous mess, and Is starting to pull himself to standing. He chats away in baby language, can clap hands and loves to play football in his baby bouncer and read books with daddy. and mummy. He is developing into an adorable relaxed friendly little person and we are so lucky to have the wonderful childcare here to support us. We hosted baby group for the first time this month and had a fabulous afternoon, especially Joshi hanging out with his posse of baby boy mates.



Our lounge is overtaken by mums and babies!

Joshi shares his baby bouncer with Eidlih (13 months)



Joshi hangs out with his posse of baby mates Seb, Caleb and Max

Time is flying away with us – I meant to post this at the end of Jan, but I hope everyone is well and enjoyed Valentines this year (I got a bunch of flowers picked from the garden!) and I hope in the next post we will be able to announce the arrival of some chickens – it turns out buying chickens in Malawi in a recession is harder than we thought.

Lots of love to all

Emma Gavin and Joshi xxJ



Mystery giant antelope in Nyala park - can you identify it??