First week of 2014

The first week of the new year has flown by, I am officially retired after 36 years in the National Health Service. I started on 01/01/1978, boy is that a lifetime away but it doesn’t seem it, and ended on 05/01/2014, although my last actual shift was way before then. The NHS has given me full employment and then some, thank you. I met some of my best friends through the organisation and had many laughs along the way. Thank you NHS.Now I look forward to receiving the pension for many years to come.

Walk in Love opened it’s doors again this week, spent the first day cleaning out cupboards, moving furniture and getting rid of 2 weeks of dust. Welcomed 3 new co-volunteers 2 Lucys and Brianna and also our loyal leader back from the Serengeti. Here’s to a great year, hopefully WiL will go from strength to strength, there’s still much work to be done.

On Friday I went out to Karatu with Rehema the manager of WiL, apart from the centre WiL also has some outreach programmes, it is supporting Mama Teddy and her 2 young daughters to stay in their home, providing food, money for rent and school whilst encouraging Mama Teddy to earn her own living by cooking and selling food to the local area. 2.5 hours on a minibus and a walk through the back streets of Karatu bought us to Mama Teddy’s 2 roomed home made of local bricks. The house was clean but sparsely furnished, the girls looked well and happy. We took a water filter-essential for basic good health and the girl’s xmas backpacks, we then went shopping to get dry goods, fruit,veg and charcoal. The girls loved being bought home in the wheelbarrow almost as much as they loved the backpacks. A tough journey to get there but well worth it. Teddy will start school on Monday and Irene very shortly afterwards as it closed at mid day so we couldn’t enrol her. Aubree, the founder of WiL, has secured sponsorship for this family, the money is being well spent.

Hopefully, in the next few months, I will be able to visit more outreach projects, until then I will work at the centre, enjoy my garden and my retirement. Today I have chillies to pick, they are ripening and I don’t want the bugs to eat them.

The pics show the family with their gifts, the dry goods and Teddy sitting at, what will be, her desk at Armani school, the girls being wheeled home with the shopping