So long Windows® Phone 6.5

I've spent a bit of time clearing out a box of papers this weekend (in between excitedly checking up on the Christmas cake in the oven which has turned out very nicely, hence the papers still sitting strewn across the room).

I've also spent some time sorting out a phone to be passed on to a Kenyan friend of Janet's. It was a nice enough Samsung Windows Phone with a sad past - earlier this year I woke one morning to find the charger (which the phone was attached to) in two pieces after what I'm told was probably a power surge following a lightening strike. The phone still worked but would no longer charge. Thankfully a seperate battery charger pack has allowed the phone to not be completely defunct and so it is nice to be able to give it a new home.

Here's a phone camera photo for nostalgia:

Standing on a chair on a pitched roof, setting up the aerial.

A Paneful Reminder

Here's one of the few pieces of wedding memorabilia that Janet and I have with us in Kenya. It was a gift from one group of staff that I work closely with who are based in Eastern Congo. We've hung it in the window close to the front door where we hope it'll be safe from knocks. It'll get the morning light, which I'll see if I draw the curtains in time.

One item we did bring back from the UK was a breadmaker. It makes a small loaf which is moreish enough that we finish it between the two of us. This evening the maker helped us whisk up some dough for pizzas. I was interested to see if Janet could fit it in a suitcase, but thankfully it slotted in snuggly.

Today we bought one of the gifts that we thought would be the same price in Kenya as the UK - a hand blender. So now we're on course to make some zingy soups with fresh bread. I'm sure I'll be loosing weight in no time...

Tomorrow we also hope to bake a Christmas Cake. A photo will follow, maybe...

If you stop when you're stuck, you're in trouble

I was today reminded of a quote I recently read when Googling to try and work out how to spell Roald Dahl - I cannot now remember why...

The quote popped into my mind in a discussion about maintaining margin - a sufficient reserve of time, energy (spiritual, emotional, interpersonal and physical energy) and money to provide for our needs and the needs of others (to quote Ken Williams of International Training Partners.

I was wondering to myself that I maybe bring home problems and concern myself with how to start the coming day in the office - where to begin and how to move forward.

Roald Dalh, lifting his idea from Earnest Hemingway, a suggests a particular way to maybe circumvent this:

…I never come back to a blank page; I always finish about halfway through. To be confronted with a blank page is not very nice. But Hemingway, a great American writer, taught me the finest trick when you are doing a long book, which is, he simply said in his own words, “When you are going good, stop writing.” And that means that if everything’s going well and you know exactly where the end of the chapter’s going to go and you know just what the people are going to do, you don’t go on writing and writing until you come to the end of it, because when you do, then you say, well, where am I going to go next? And you get up and you walk away and you don’t want to come back because you don’t know where you want to go. But if you stop when you are going good, as Hemingway said…then you know what you are going to say next. You make yourself stop, put your pencil down and everything, and you walk away. And you can’t wait to get back because you know what you want to say next and that’s lovely and you have to try and do that. Every time, every day all the way through the year. If you stop when you are stuck, the you are in trouble!

 It seems very insightful. For me these days, the only other question I would need to ask is "When do I open my Inbox?" Could I really resolve to come to the office each day with a task waiting to be finished and dive straight in? Time will tell.

Maybe my next work insight blogpost will be to explain the wonderful quote: "If some thing's worth doing, it's worth doing badly."

A little bit (of) French

The open o vowel is pronounced with the tongue at a similar height to the open e vowel, but with the lips also rounded and the tongue a little further back in the mouth. It should be noted that for many speakers, the tongue is significantly further forward than for the close o vowel, and in some cases may actually sound similar to the open eu vowel. [http://www.french-linguistics.co.uk/pronunciation/french_o_vowels.shtml]

Maybe this post is a little premature, but I suppose it's good to share about things that are energising me. I've recently begun taking up a little French language learning.

French has not something that has been close to my heart. I remember beginning French at school aged 11 being very motivated to succeed. On week two I approached the teacher after the lesson to say that I really didn't understand masculine and feminine words. "Don't worry, we'll do it again next lesson." I've always felt that this was the point my French learning came to a halt.

Back in 2005 I began learning German with the Open University - the cleverest university in the world. German is a language I've always loved listening to and I wouldn't mind a reason to go and live there for a year or two. So I got a little way with German before other things crowded it out. The materials were clearly good, so when I knew that I was looking at working for several years in Africa I went on Ebay and bought the French beginners materials of someone who, like me, must have dropped off their course.


Janet, my wife, lived in French-speaking Burkina Faso for about four years before coming to Kenya. We've now been married almost eight weeks and together we've done some tentative French language learning. I love Total Physical Response where you interact with objects that you're learning about (especially ingredients). The opportunity to ask questions and get reminders of vocabulary over a consistent period of time is a big help in getting phrases to stick.

I should also cite Seggy here who was always up for meeting in a cafe on a Saturday back around 2005/6, and Eddie Izzard for his moments of stand-up in French.

So now, Janet and I have picked up my old French materials. I've half a year of materials here in Kenya and leaving the office to go work through some new materials at home is a real motivation at this time. I wonder if this will stick.

The question I haven't answered up to this point is what I will do with French if I continue to add to my learning. Currently I do some work with DRCongo staff but I don't imagine myself and Janet living and working there, or anywhere else in Francophone Africa. Part of my desire to learn is to demonstrate to myself that I have the ability if I can find the right learning style, and I think a French-speaking wife is a good methodology - she enjoys me learning with her and from her, and I enjoy her encouragements. I think too that learning French fits in with thinking carefully about the future. Maybe it will help unlock the perfect role for me - maybe one that embraces a fuller roll with staff in DRCongo, or more closer work with Congolese as well as our few expatriate staff. We'll see.

Hopefully the learning will continue and I'll stay on the wave. Maybe my head will start to hurt at some point. I hope that if that time comes, Janet will drag me through to the other side and we'll continue onwards.

A bientot!

Somehow it's September...

Time has moved on since I last wrote. Back then it was 'one month to go'. Now its almost two montths past. The wedding day has come and gone, and along with the big day I now find myself needing to change the blog's strapline from 'one man and his blog'.


Janet and I have had so many conversations about our wedding. We've written newsletters about it. Uploaded photos to Facebook and Dropbox (available here). We've a video too, and have sat down several times with friends to watch it through and point out details. I'm sure I could wax eloquent for a considerable lengh of time, but it is probably best for now to stick with expressing our thanks to everyone who made the day such a wonderful occasion - even those who held us in mind as they were unable to come along. We'll enjoy dwelling on all the details for years to come, and I cannot wait to get back to the Custom House at Roa Island and the marshes at Rampside and take in the views that helped make the day so special.

For now I had best go - the morning rush hour has passed and it's time for me to seek out our landlord's office in order to drop off our inventory, introduce myself and broach the issue of a leaking toilet. I hope it'll go well.