House update...

The monkeys and miffy enjoy the new ikea sofa... in the almost finished lounge...

Ant looks hard painting the green wall in the lounge

Snow in the garden...

Christmas wreath in the front porch

Sierra Leone... again

Helicopter service is much improved. "New" choppers with seats, seat belts, a luggage hold (luggage no longer impedes emergency exit)... proper windows... a safety DVD and promotional DVD advertising Sierra Leone's tourist credentials (amazing beaches)... ear defenders... and a ceiling that doesn't leak... so all in all a much more pleasing experience! Possibly the Eastern European pilots of potentially dubious sobriety are the same tho...
Family Kingdom Hotel, Freetown. Random as ever, but this time I got a room upgrade. Personally I thought the bed was a bit small just for me... I slept on it sideways... just cos I could.
River Beach #2. Amazing as ever.
River Beach #2. It doesn't get much more perfect than this place.
Mobbed by munchkins...
Mobbing continued even as drove off... I'm quite the pied piper.
I am made Paramount Chief of my own chiefdom... very exciting... here I am with the chief who is now my "father". Wondering whether to invite my chiefdom to the wedding?

House renovations...

I thought I would put some photos on line of the work we have been doing to the new manor... still lots to do, but it is coming along...

Sold... to us...
will have to learn something about floral baskets to keep up with the neighbours

One of the 2 nasty fireplaces and gas fire... before we bought the house... notice the nice anaglypta wall paper too...

Ant sets to work on the tiles, after removing the nasty gas fires and leaving them outside the front of the house to be disposed of later... however they ended up being taken by (1) a very random old grannie who thought they were better than the ones she had already and (2) an unknown white van, which according to our next door neighbour pulled up, opened the doors and loaded the remaining fire in, and drove off fast. mmm possibly this is theft... but they were really nasty and had been sitting in the rain!

Nadj is enslaved on fireplace destruction

After wallpaper and fireplace removal. We are leaving this former fireplace as a "hole"... the other one shall have a new fireplace installed, possibly before Christmas, but am not exactly sure that will happen now!
Walls skimmed and undercoat applied...

Nasty brown carpet up... lots of sanding later... mostly by Anthony the strong...


Masks were required... and goggles too

Ant applies the woodworm treatment

Finished floor and remains of fireplace

Ant looks concerned at our first meal in the house... pot noodles all round

Decorating bedroom 1

some nice Laura Ashley wallpaper don't you know... and a new carpet

Applied for planning permission and sign is now up!

A blog!

Well it would seem I can only write a blog when in Sierra Leone! Where did the last 6 months go?
Just thought I would paste a few photos of Freetown and the the trip we did yesterday to River Beach # 2 which was so beautiful.
No Helicopter transfer this time, instead we used Pelican Water Taxi. A small speed boat... which not so amusingly (especially as it was 9pm and pitch dark) crashed into a sandbank (how did they not know it was there???) half way between the airport and Aberdeen. The boat rocked around wildly and for a breif moment I was planning my escape route and strategy for keeping my phone dry... however after the driver abandoned ship to push us off the sandbank, and returned to drive the boat onwards in only his underpants all was well! On the whole probably a better experience than the chopper!

xxxx

Pink boat in front of locked up - out of use 1st aid point (no guns allowed) - Aberdeen(?) Beach

Family Kingdon Hotel has a new statue. A thing of great beauty.

The name of this Ice shop ammused me

River Beach # 2

River Beach # 2