The young cockrel looked pensively at me as if wondering what I was going to do next. “4000 shillings” came the reply to my question. I wanted a young one to raise for the pot and the price was right. The man who had brought it knew that I didn’t mess around so this price was fixed.
“You should hold it upside down to see if it is sick” Asinate quipped
I paused, unsure of this advice. Hold me upside down would make me ill.
“Hold it upside down, if something falls out then it is sick” Came the continued advice
Taking the young fowl by his legs I held him so that his wings spread as if in a dive bomb. What on earth was meant to fall out!? A hairball? A blood clot? Some sort of parasite??….Nothing. I paused.
“There is no sickness” Asinate confirmed.
“Good” I said.
The weekend is now middle aged and today has been another hot one. Locals are detecting a change in the weather hinting that this dry month of June is almost over. I have been blessed to harvest some maize and two basins of beans as well as some nice vegetables. The garden for the onions is now read, all we need is rain.
Thursday took me to the Archdeaconry HQ at Panyango where a number of the Neem trees have diead but many are surviving and when the rain comes, they will be hard as nails! Geoffrey and I also went to visit a nursery man who is grafting mango trees and oranges too. I want to promote the planting of these as a good investment for the future.
Today I planted a jack-fruit tree in the garden. They grow fast and I hope this one will be no different. I have just this minute been to the garden and seen…a watermelon! It is only the size of a golf ball but it’s a start at least. It also means there is hope for the others. All we need is some rain…
This week has not gone totally to plan, as is usual here in missionary land. I know that setbacks are as per God’s plan. My colleague, Geoffry’s uncle died after a long time of suffering. Much of my week had been planned with him so things have changed.
There has been enough to fill my time however. Yesterday I went with the Diocesan Secretary – Rev. Innocent to a church in Ukuru, in the north of the diocese. There is an area there of about 1.2 hectares which they want to plant with trees. Cypress seedlings are cheap and available locally and just over £100 would plant the whole area but often that kind of money is not readily available and I certainly don’t have it to spend philanthropically. After the visit we were fed and I was gven the chickens gizzard to eat. It is a huge honour and it actually tasted pretty good.
I write this to the welcome sound of rain falling on the roof and the rumbl of thunder as lightning flares the afternoon sky. I’d expected this one to be just a short storm however it seems to be several storms combined as they come from different directions.
The rain follows the remarkable phenomenon that every time we visit the Oyoro oranges, it rains there and here as well. The rain there is needed. Soil is poor in places, the orange trees need a good water supply. I was encouraged by out visit today however. The trees were looking well where they were being maintained and it seems that only 10% have failed to establish. Some have cast the project in a bad light but now its important to make the best use of the land.
Yesterday brought abundant rain. So much that some soil was washed down slope in my garden. I’ve repaired the damage and improved the drainage on site. The affected plants have recovered. This rain has come too late for the beans but in time for the maize so I praise God.
The rain also brought ‘Ngwen’ or flying ants out in prolific numbers. I was out on the veranda collecting for 2 hours. I now have enough to make ‘Njabo’ - meatballs made from flying ants. I also have some left over which is cooked and drying in the sun.
I bough some new books yesterday having run out – almost – of things to read. The Tom Clancy novel was a welcome diversion though the closing paragraph was crass and left a bitter taste in my mouth. It was very exciting towards the end but its always a happy ending. ‘America saves the world – the end’. Oh well, I suppose you get what you pay for in the end.
This is now my second day in Kampala and things are going ok so far. I’ve been shopping almost till dropping. Yesterday was the most tiring. I did 13 hours including the drive down. I took two young men from the health centre in Goli to Kampala and one was sick in the back of my car!
I learned a valuable lesson today. NEVER tell your Boda guy you are in a hurry. Weaving through traffic, over speed bumps, through gutters and along the Jinja road at breakneck speed. One hand held my hat on, whilst the other gripped the bike tightly.
The triumph of today was to finally get my hands on caustic soda! In Nakasero market, there is a small hardware shop which upstairs, sells chemicals. Small bags of white powder and water bottles filled with dubioud looking chemicals fill the shelves. I bought 2kg for 4000 shillings (about £1.20) which I’m hoping to use to make soap. Avocadoes are so cheap in Uganda that they are sometimes fed to pigs. I believe that the oil could be extracted from the fruit and seed and used in soap production.
So I don’t have malaria, at least I don’t think so. Last week was tough with pressures and strains which I hadn’t anticipated or allowed for emotionally. Thursday was a bad day, the morning in particular but I felt rested after Friday.
The garden continues to take shape. I’ve been trying to finish digging one area of ground to plat vegetables but with the lack of real rain, its unlikely to be soon. Rain has been a problem recently. I have been praying for rain so I know God will answer.
I had an interesting trip to Zombo to view a Cypress plantation by a local landowner. His problems were evident. A lack of cash flow with significant investment. His intercropping with cassava was working well.
This stay started well. I was up early and did some digging. I’m getting on swimmingly and the fruits of my labour are evident now in places. The small tree nursery has produced some quality seedlings already including what I believe to be two Castor trees. I cant confirm it yet but will soon find out. They grow very fast. I’m told the poles are used to support banana, the seed came from Andrew, a local welder with an interest in trees.
I had a visit with local man Robin Piquoe yesterday at his farm. He is a young man and already we had a lot in common. I was able to give him some advice on his small farm. His parents separated when he was young and his mother taught him to farm and so he paid his own way through school up to S5. His lemon grass was going a good job of keeping soil erosion to a minimum. I showed him how to use the A frame and left it with him so he can construct a copy.
These last few days I have been feeling increasingly unwell with erratic trips to the latrine, headaches and dizziness. I was tested for Malaria which was negative though its not always accurate. Today I just feel generally mince and have a visit to Nebbi planned. I may just rest tomorrow. The treatment for Malaria is available and free of charge.
