Day 23 – 5th July 2007
Today saw an incredible early start for work to make up for yesterday. We started at 7am by helping out with the cementing of the kitchens. We kept it up all morning until some of us ran slightly over lunch as a debate was happening between Charles and Helen K and Caroline about equality of women. I had to referee a lot as it was getting slightly out of hand but managed to drag them over to Lunch.
Kitchen Cementing
But it seemed we worked too hard this morning as by after lunch, the builders couldn’t find enough work for us to do.
But I volunteered to pump for fresh water, which is a very tiring task. Cannot believe the locals have to go to this everyday to get water and pump for ages until some water came out. Finally we managed to get loads and poured into a big water barrel. Rolling the barrel, I managed to get my sock snagged on a thorny plant. I bent over to remove it until one of the locals shouted at me to stop. I froze. It was actually a really poisonous plant! With a stick, I managed to prod it away from my sock taking care not to let any of the thorns touch my skin on my leg.
I also volunteered to do some digging as well for the afternoon. All in a day’s work.
Finally, at dusk, I showered in the dark. But I managed to lose my hearing aid when I took it out and put it on the window ledge to keep away from the water. I assumed it must have fell on the other side but I froze…where was the lizard that was in with me? Did he run off with it. I rushed out with my towel around my waist and sprinted to the other side of the wall. Still no hearing aid to be seen. Hmm, where could it be? I prayed so hard it wasn’t the lizard. I went back into the shower and searched on the ground in the dark. Still nothing. Feck. I rushed back to the accommodation block and grabbed my torch and peered into the shower cubicle. The water suddenly gushed out of the head and refused to stop! I turned all the levers and it still wouldn’t stop. I yelped and wound the lever back, which came off. Argh! I pressed the lever back on at which point the water turned icy cold on my back. My towel was sodden, the water was still coming, and I still couldn’t find my hearing aid. Suddenly the water stopped and I sighed. I shone the torch on the window ledge and there glinting in the reflection was my hearing aid. How?… Grateful that I hadn’t lost it, I opened the door and the lizard scuttled out. Could a sneaky lizard been behind this? I pondered.
Who knows?
But the lizard turned round and I swear it hissed…’Edward!’
a similar lizard earlier on in the day
