Mombasa without the children.

Letter from Judy to Nanny & Grandad 14 Aug 1976 –

By the time you receive this the children will have left you to go to Winsley but I am sure they will have had a marvellous time in Littlehampton – thank you for your part in this and hope you have had no hitches. It seemed very quiet and strange at home without hordes of kids around. We have just returned from a 9 day holiday at the coast which we much enjoyed, especially the respite from large scale catering. We camped on a site right by the sea about 12 miles south of Mombasa, with the expected white sand, coconut palms and coral reef and found plenty to do; sunbathing, swimming and walking along the reef at low tide. Graham did some surfing with friends of ours who were also there and generally we had a nice relaxed time. The weather was good, warm but not too hot and the sea a very pleasant temperature unlike last August when it was as cold as England. We spent the afternoon in Mombasa yesterday while Graham successfully bought a car part that had been unobtainable both in Nairobi and England, but unfortunately our decision to leave coincided with President Kenyatta’s decision to enter which effectively put a stop to any traffic movement on Mombasa Island. However we were stopped in an interesting back road so were able to pass the one and a half hour wait quite easily by watching the water seller, the coffee stall and itinerant chapati and samosa man (a bit like the muffin man of old I should think) and their varied clientele – we also fried our sausages and had an excellent evening meal thus obviating the need to stop later !