Criminal Tings and Chicken Wings!

I know we say this every time we write, but this time it really has been an eventful week!  We had a lot of things that we wanted to tell everyone, but this has been somewhat overshadowed by the realisation yesterday morning that our house had been robbed whilst we slept.  Some of you may remember an earlier post regarding the need here in Uganda, to find “silver linings” in difficult situations! 

Well, the first silver lining is that Tim’s macbook pro is broken.  Whilst this may seem an odd silver lining, it is so because after many failed attempts in recent weeks to resurrect it, it was whisked off to the UK with Rob and Katherine just a few days ago, and was therefore safe from pilfering hands.  

The second silver lining is the result of Tim’s obstinate insistence on reading his book and ignoring his wife.  Had he been more attentive, then he, rather than Sarah’s laptop, would have provided sufficient entertainment, and the laptop, which usually resides in the living room, would have been teefed!  Tim now feels that this offers concrete proof of the benefits of paying minimal attention to one’s spouse! (Admittedly at particular times only!)     

On another positive note, we now have much less clutter to organise, and we now fear break-ins much less, as there isn’t really anything left to steal!  Finally, it could have been much worse, namely if Tim (a light sleeper) had woken and decided to confront the thieves.  We have been assured that this probably would have ended in a trip to the hospital, or otherwise to the morgue!  So all in all, we feel very thankful for God’s protection that night.  The police have assured us that they are on the case (despite showing no interest in the evidence brought, nor even deigning to visit the scene of the crime), so we can be confident that they are about as likely as The Simpson’s Chief Wiggum to solve this dastardly crime....

Back to our other news....  Firstly we are excited to report the arrival (finally) of our chickens!  We have called them Texas Pete and Mr Magoo, and they are a delight.  Initially they provided great sport, requiring about half an hour per night of chasing in order to persuade them to go to bed (I guess parents reading this can empathise) – but they have finally realised we mean them no harm, and now retire at the first hint of dusk, and can be found sitting in their coop, on their perch.  The only down-side?  It will be about 2 months before they lay any eggs, thus rendering their ongoing existence far less certain, and the likelihood of being invited to (and actually being) a roast chick dinner far more likely.  We jest, of course, we could never hurt our good friends.  For now at least......

Texas Pete & Mr. Magoo

A familiar tale of woe for those aware of the lovely (and now struck-off) doctor Andrew Wakefield, (who fraudulently claimed that the MMR causes autism), we’ve had a measles outbreak at the hospital.  The problem is, unlike in the UK, where we generally see sniffley miserable children with a rash, here it can be fatal (and has been in one case this last week).  Just another frustratingly preventable cause of death to add to the list. 

We started with criminal activity, so let us finish with criminal activity.....

It has crossed our minds that perhaps it is no coincidence that Tim is always there when riots start.  This is the third time since we arrived that Tim has found himself in the midst of an angry mob.  The first time was during a protest about the poor electricity supply, the second time was saving referees from enraged supporters during the Synergy Cup, and this time it was again, football-related.  A cup final between 2 of the biggest rival schools in the region, Masaka S.S and Kimanya S.S, was the catalyst that led to hundreds of enraged (and no doubt hormonal) teenagers deciding that the best way to vent their frustrations was to grab large sticks and clubs, fight each other, and also attack innocent drivers trying to get home after a hard day’s work (just to clarify, Tim was one of the drivers whose car was attacked, not one of the stick wielding yobbos!). 

After receiving some particularly fruity abuse from one young fellow, followed by an energetic thumping of the car, Tim (despite really wanting to get out and give this young whippersnapper a piece of his mind, and perhaps even a cheeky blaps to the face) took his wife’s sage advice and chose an alternative route home.  Tear gas eventually dispersed the mob, we hear.  Never a dull moment on Bwala hill!