Stagecoach list it on the rota as ‘rest’ – if only! I’ve been wallpapering all day in a frantic effort to complete the job I told my wife would be done while she visited her family. Essy is Zimbabwean and her family are all in Zimbabwe, for the past two weeks she’s been enjoying a Southern Hemisphere summer and all the pleasure of being with family. However, life is getting more difficult every day in Zimbabwe with inflation currently at 1,600%. Yes, one thousand six hundred percent per annum! Have a read of Cathy Buckle’s letters (she lives in the same area as my wife comes form) at http://africantears.netfirms.com/index.shtml and you will get some idea of how bad things are there. I especially suggest her letter of 20 January 2007. Also Eddie Cross’s blog, also listed under blogs I read, tells a similar story. This time I made an excuse not to go with my wife because I really couldn’t face a ‘holiday’ in such circumstances. Where things are going and how it will end I’m afaid to even think about.

Whilst doing the wallpapering I heard a commotion from my chickens at the bottom of the garden. Went outside to see what the fuss was about and found that those in the chicken run were either trying to grass on the one who had escaped, or saying that they wanted out too! Spent 10 minutes chasing a very fit chicken around the garden, gave up and went back to wallpapering. Returned to the garden later and found that the escapee had broken back into the run! Is that a very intelligent, or a very stupid chicken?