"Just putting on the immersion heater"

Greetings from Alastair

‘Just putting on the immersion, dear’.  If the water pressure is low, then advanced bucket management may be needed – on this occasion filling the header tank for our hot water system. I have also enjoyed stacking months worth of firewood from trees that have been felled in the garden and cut to size by a local man with a sharp axe and tireless arms.

I had four hospitals to visit  regularly last month since the doctor at Matyazo Hospital had some work to do in Germany. She is back and things are a bit less hectic. A usual week will include a selection of : prostatectomies, thyroidectomies, assorted easy and not-at-all-so-easy orthopaedic procedures, skin grafts, emergency Caesarian sections (though usually the local doctors are able to do these), acute abdominal problems, including those caused by typhoid.....

It is near the end of the wet season and the roads are now very poor. When I go to Shunga Hospital, particularly at night, I usually wonder if I will get there and back, or if I will get stuck in some unfriendly ditch. The roads will dry out soon but now there are lots of ruts and holes to shake the suspension of the car so I have been replacing suspension parts on the car (the mechanic didn’t put them on tight enough and they were rattling). The car is a vital piece of equipment, and so far is holding together. 

And we are too!