Juliet's Kenya Days blog

Letter from Graham to Grandma & Grandad 7 Feb 1977 – We have enjoyed some beautiful weather – almost hot, plenty of sun and no need to take an umbrella. At lunchtimes I can lie in the sunshine, or if it’s too hot, move into the shade of a tree. The birdsongs are beautiful and… Continue reading Changeable weather.

Letter from Judy to Grandma & Grandad 2 Mar 1977 – We have just sold the minibus and now see it driving between here and Nairobi being used as a ‘matatu’ (a local bus service) crammed with anything up to 30 people. We have bought our neighbour’s car – a Ford Escort Estate – to… Continue reading Preparing to leave Kenya.

Letter from Graham to Grandma & Grandad 7 Feb 1977 – At the weekend the children looked after themselves most of the time while Judy and I walked up Mt Kenya. We reached a peak called Lenana by a route which involves no climbing and were very pleased with ourselves. Starting at 7am from the… Continue reading Getting to the summit of Mount Kenya.

Letter from Judy to Tony & Barbara 18 Jan 1977 – Compound life is changing – the Elsons finish in a week or so and the Kinshotts, Meyers and Philip Chesterton are going in Feb, and Mowat and Thomas Stevenson go on leave. Myrtle expects her 4th any day now. Paula Allsop has gone and… Continue reading Changes on the Compound.

At the beginning of Standard 6 in January 1977 Helen’s teacher required her pupils to keep a diary – one for weekdays and another for weekends. In particular they were encouraged to write about their feelings. These are some little gems from her diaries which can’t easily be fitted into topics on other posts in… Continue reading Gems from Helen’s diaries.

Letter from Graham to David 7 Jan 1977 – For over a week I have been working spasmodically on next term’s timetable. We have ten weeks to do before the Easter holiday. This is the term with the maximum amount of sunshine – it won’t rain much for three months or more. I arranged to… Continue reading New School Year 1977.

Letter from Graham to Grandma & Grandad 2 Jan 1977 – We went away for Christmas and the children had their stockings hung up in the van because we were camping at Tsavo National Park. We had a lot of sunny weather and saw plenty of interesting animals. In the mornings and evenings we travelled… Continue reading Christmas 1976 at Tsavo.

Letter from Judy to Jane & Malcolm 15 Dec 1976 – This is our longest holiday – mid-November to mid-January and we have already had a marvellous 2 weeks basking beside the Indian Ocean. We spent the first week at the school cottage near Mombasa and then camped about 60 miles further north at one… Continue reading Two weeks at the coast.

Letter from Graham to Diane & Sydney 16 Dec 1976 – Judy and Juliet have been making dolls clothes and all the girls have been doing secret things for Christmas. We have to walk about the house cautiously and look out for notices on doors that ask us to knock before going in. They seem… Continue reading Christmas holidays.

Letter from Judy to Nanny & Grandad 20 Nov 1976 – A few weeks ago we went to Naivasha again and while Graham and I did some climbing Juliet went horse riding with some friends. By some unlucky chance a bird flew out underneath her horse’s nose squawking loudly with the result that the horse… Continue reading Horse riding and a fall !