Happy New Year

We hope you recovered from Christmas and enjoyed the celebrations for the new year. We went to a New Zealander’s BBQ, on the roof. It might just be that we are sooo glad to escape hot Sri Lankan curries, but it definitely made it into our Top Ten Dinners since we left UK.

The outside of our house

I guess other people escape to McDonalds in Colombo when they want a food fix. Despite Mike’s strong admonitions, I may resort to that myself soon. Joe will not be allowed - yet (Mike says ever). Though Joe seems to have a fair amount of inappropriate food and beverages – he loves cake and fanta/ginger beer. We don’t let him have it on principle, but our policy of only eating things in front of him that he can/should eat is proving very restricting. He even seems to know what we are talking about when we spell out c.a.k.e. He can’t, can he? I am the cake-maker – well, what else is there to do when you have a house help?

Christmas nativity play - baby Jesus on a donkey

Our favourite Christmas present - a new play park

Joe visits next door, in his pyjamas

The tsunami memorial service was poorly attended – maybe because people were scared of another wave, or, as one of the Ministers said, maybe because there were no aid handouts. I spent most of it outside the church with Joe where it felt easier to remember that at the same time in the same market area a year ago, that murderous wave came

Ecumenical tsunami memorial service

Last year, our next door neighbour (below at the front of the river boat), drove along the coast road and just reached the Fort (a safe area, where we now live) when the wave came. He described going out of the Fort and lifting rooves off of people to save their lives. But many people were shouting that another wave was coming so they kept running back to the Fort. Our neighbour-but-one had the opposite fate – he was in the Fort and just popped to the town. He was killed. They say there is no reason – just some died and some were saved.

He loves his hats - Auntie Heather and Joe

The river trip through the jungle

We have had a good week with my Auntie Heather. Mike had a week off work. We especially enjoyed a day out with the same next door neighbours, on a river trip they’d arranged for us. It was great being with people who knew the ropes, could takes us round parts of temples where we didn’t know we were allowed, and, who knew we weren’t being ripped off. We have learned the word ‘Epaa’ from our Sinhala teacher. Loosely it means ‘no thanks’ or ‘get lost’, depending on the tone – and I can’t believe I didn’t know it already, as it’s essential for getting rid of touts.

Tenuki - Joseph's special friend

Joseph kissed me last week - a lovely milestone! Then he kissed Tenuki (aged 2) at a 9 year old's birthday party! We approve of his choice, she's lovely.

Our friend Trudi is back from India and staying with us again, and we are enjoying her company. She is volunteering with another tsunami relief agency – and in two days has painted 12 walls and 5 pillars in their new offices. That’s commitment in this heat. It’s getting hotter and less rainy now.

Mike’s enjoyed his break and has launched back into writing huge documents and traipsing up to Colombo for meetings. Joe and I are going with him to Colombo as Joe has some spots, probably bites, on his legs, which I want to see a dermatologist about. They don’t seem to itch but they’ve been there for ages. He’s also a bit under the weather. Maybe I’ll settle for Deli France rather than McDonalds.