Not so sunny NIgeria

We are officially in the rainy season. It is bizarre to be in the rain but it to be so warm. The rain is like a lukewarm shower.

Barbeque

We were invited to a barbeque in the party room today, all the residents got together and we had the most sumptious feast. We are so lucky to live in such a great community. Everyone got on together and shared food and drink. The kids didnt care that it was raining (throwing it down) they stayed in the pool all afternoon. In our compound there are Dutch,Malysian, Chinese, Nigeran, Gambian, American, Omanian, Indian and British and lots more, it makes you realise just how global Shell is.Can't wait for Monday when school starts.

Eid Mubarak

We have two days holiday in Lagos at the moment to celebrate the end of Eid. The streets are amazing - completely free of traffic so we took advantage to go out and look around some new areas on Ikoyi.
We saw a great men's shop above a fancy goods shop so went to have a look- you had to climb the stairs but the shop was very smart, all Italian shoes and suits, but look at the picture - would you have climbed the stairs to go to the shop? We also bought some beer from our local "offy" - a new experience! we paid a deposit on the bottles and crates refundable when you take the back, and the beer is still much less than £1.00 a bottle.

weekend in Lagos

We had no internet yesterday, hadn't realised we relied on the laptops quite so much.
Saturday was Sanitation Saturday.The last Saturday in the month no-one is allowed on the streets until 10:00am. the idea is the streets are cleaned and fumigated without any traffic, and Festus, our driver, said you are supposed to "spring clean" in your house as well. Couldn't wait to go out to see the change in the very messy roads-however there was no change the roads looked exactly the same!!!! when I said this to Festus he replied," think how bad it would be without the Sanitation Saturday!"
We had a good time at the Yacht club - so many people are very keen on racing and sailing - I'm not so keen so don't think we will join as we will have to crew for people each week.
Sunday started as most Sundays have for the last 10 or so years, we lay in bed with a cup of tea and listened to the Archers- thank the Lord for BBC I player.
We went to our wonderful neighbours, Geraldine and Richard to have lunch, they have been in Nigeria for about 18 months  we had a glorious feast with real bread!
Nigerian bread looks great, smells wonderful and has a good texture, but it is all sweetened and has spices included, it is a very distinct and unusual taste which I don't think I will get used to, but like all things there is a positive, Carl and myself have lost weight!

Revenge of the market?

Well, I am fine, I used my trusty hand spray after visiting the market and then washed my hands before I had a drink (that lovely beer in yesterdays post) However, Carl didn't. He has been , to put it mildly, a little bit under the weather today. I went to school to talk to the grounds and building maintenance company and left my poor baby to sleep. He didn't go very far today- and he is now carrying a hand spray! Thank goodness for Imodium. Off to the Yacht Club tomorrow.

Sura Market

We went to the market today. Fantastic fruit and vegetables at a fraction of the supermarket cost, and really interesting... I have never seen so much tripe being carried in huge dishes on people's heads before. They were also selling lots of animal feet I think they were cow but may have been pig. The photos capture the market a bit, but they don't show the men squatting in the road with machetes, quartering a sheep carcass on a piece of cardboard. He offered it us for sale but fussy old me I declined. The pineapples were huge and cost N100 about 30p.

Dawn Chorus- Nigerian style

One of the things I thought I would miss most about living in Monmouth was the silence. All you heard in the morning was the birds- and they could be very loud I woke up very early today, couldn't sleep,and lay there in the dark. At about 6:30 it suddenly became light and the birds were amazing. They sound very different to the blackbirds and thrushes we are used to but they whoop and whistle very well. In our flat we are away from the road and that is all I could hear. Also there is a very very loud cockerel on the waste ground ( or residence?) next to us, boy oh boy was he calling this morning!

Neighbours

We are so lucky, we have met a few of our neighbours and they are lovely. Mohammed and Hadija from Oman just sent, via their children, a huge dish of rice and meat as a welcome to Nigeria. Next door to us are Geraldine ad Richard and their ;little boy Sean- so so helpful and kind. But it is not just limited to neighbours, everywhere you go people are helpful and kind. I am still limping a bit with my leg, and strangers will come up to me to ask if they can help and to say how sorry they are for my pain!
Definately one huge positive about Nigeria is the kindness and warmth of the people. (except the check out girl in Park and Shop - they are obviously trained by British supermarkets to be vile).
Carl has been to one supermarket so many times that the security guys now know him and salute as he pulls in to the car park.
The security at the gates know us and don't stop us anymore and are really friendly and helpful
Andrew , the estate manager is a gem and has helped no end in putting the little niggles right but one thing that he can't do is get the shops to stock fresh milk--there is currently none to be had in Lagos.

Out and about

We are fast becoming Lagoatians. We went to the same supermarket 4 times this week. We have now learnt that when you see something you want you buy it (in bulk) because next time you go it won't be there!!

We went out to Banana Island today. the houses are amazing multi, multi millions, and stopped to look at Cowrie Creek that runs around there. I( am still amazed that next to splendour there is so much rubbish and deprivation- I suppose I will get used to it. We chatted to some of the boatmen who dredge sand up from the Creek to use for building. They dredge this sand by hand with buckets they drop over the side and then pull up. Hard work!

Shopping

All the ICT was fitted today, but we need to buy a wireless router and so far no joy there.Well, we went shopping Nigerian style today. Very friendly staff in all the stores, but Waitrose it isn't!!! I knew we should have bought a rug before we came out here, you can buy nearly everything you need, but there is not much choice. However we now have some food in the cupboards (We have never been without so many things- we do not even have the basics. Not since we were first married have we no had anything in the kitchen!!)
Tomorrow we are moving in properly- I can't wait.- more photos tomorrow

The apartment

We went to our apartment today, the company have furnished it with "pool" furniture but it is not too bad.
the apartment is fantastic and we made our first purchase today- a water cooler.

We are here!!

After a hectic and stressful couple of days, the house has changed hands and Hanna and Tony are now ensconced in Monmouth.
We left for the airport leaving our fantastic friends drinking champagne and loaded 6 huge suitcases into the bus.
the flight was excelent and we landed at about 5:30am. The shell guys were there to meet us and we eventually got to the Eko Hotel at about 9:00. We had to be at the Shell headquarters for 11:00 and then spent the whole day signing for things, seeing medical staff and getting our badges and laptops.
 I still can't believe we hare here. But we have been made so welcome and everyone is so great that it felt like we were coming home almost this morning.
WE are both shattered and tomorrow we are going to the flat to change the locks and see what needs doing.

Sunday

HANNA and Tony are now in the house and have already made somegeat changes. Some oftheir boxes have,we think, gone to Africa with ours!

It is really strange to go to the cupboard and not see glasses but cookware. We are off to Nigeria at 2:00 tomorrow.

The adventure really begins....

Carry on Packing

We have only lived n Monmouth for 14 years so how do we  have 100 years worth of kit?
5 packers from PIckfords today - I went to Cardiff shopping with Hanna and Aphra - spent over £300.00 in Boots on "essentials" and still forgot the Milton for sterilising water!!!!!
Bed and TV go tomorrow ad the last thing to pack willbe the teapot (of Course!!)

Packing day

The packers from Pickfords are here. They are the three most amazng, fast, efficient lot you can imagine. Ron packed my kitchen in about 20 minutes and John and John tackled the air freight items equally well. The airfreight is now on the van going to the depot in Enfield and will probably be in Lagos before us.
I still haven't done my clothes and shoes - the deadline s tomorrow John has said sea freight clothes must be on the spare bed by lunchtime tomorrow or they won't be packed. We have such a huge baggage allowance from Virgin ( 3 x32 kg) each that packing clothes etc is no problem. ( well as long as I have 2 of Carl's suitcases!)
HANNA seems to be very keen to sort my Wnter clothes out for me I suspect she will be wearing most of them and I I'll hide my boots! So if you see a very blonde person wearing my favourite jackets and furs ( and jewellery) it will probably be my lovely daughter kindly looking after my things for me.

One week and counting

Well the house looks like a tip! We have stuff piled everywhere waiting forthe packers to come on Tuesday, and we have boxes of Hanna's things waiting for them to move in.