Swine Flu creating social tensions

Poor Piglet. Such a faithful friend in normal times, but this Swine Flu is a threat to even old friendships. Eeyore started it by insisting on wearing that silly mask - he would - and soon enough Tiger followed. Before long, they were all ganging up against their little pink friend.

Travelling this weekend

View Directions to Radnalls farm, Green Lane, Chieveley, Newbury, RG20 8XF in a larger map

Pat & Michelle Luffman

Pat & Michelle Luffman, yesterday, after supper with me, at the Ocean Basket in Gordon's Bay

Pat and I go way back to the early 70's, and living in Strand, which is just a few kilometers from where I am staying in Gordon's Bay this week. Pat is in the middle of a further round of chemo for a blood cancer that has badly affected his kidneys. He also currently has some stents in his kidneys, and is not too well. We had a wonderful time or catching up with our lives and families. It was a very special time for me, because Pat was influential in my life as a young Christian, and a great encouragement to me as a new pastor.

Here Comes Erin

This is four-month-old Erin, part Boxer, part Staffordshire Bull Terrier, heading straight for my ear, which she neraly pierced a second or two later. Erin belongs to Julie, ex Zimbo from Gweru. She and brother Robert, attend Grace Community Church, and we invited them back for an impromptu braai after the Easter Sunday service.

It really was impromptu - I needed to quickly clean the old Weber, clean the house up (a lot, really, because Ashleigh is down from Oxford for the weekend!) get the large umbrella unwrapped and up, remind the neighbours to take their washing off the lines, and get the fire going. We did not have any suitable meat for a braai, and Rose struggled to find a store open on Easter Day .. which I actually really was happy about because EVERYTHING being open for business as usual in Johannesburg over the Easter weekend used to really make me cross. She did find some steak and juicy turkey breasts which cooked well and went down even better. Not quite half a cow and twenty five friends and family around the pool, anymore, but it was nice to be eating and laughing and playing with a dog outside again. Rob and Julie have been here for 6 and 5 years respectively, and Julie has recently become a British citizen. Their parents still live in Zimbabwe.

A Kariba Sunset (photo by Jeremy Hayden)

We ended up talking about Kariba, and houseboat holidays we have enjoyed in the past, and even with today's glorious spring weather in Worthing, momentarily pondered fantastic days catching Tiger fish and Bream on the big lake.