Exploring Malawi, a DIY plywood couch and more of our life in the warm Heart of Africa

Malawi has so much natural beauty, its a pity that it also has so much poverty that this threatens the beauty so much. I have never seen so much litter in my life, and there is no municipal refuse service in Mzuzu, so most people burn their rubbish which means there is always a lot of smoke around. We explored the botanical garden where some of the natural forest has been preserved, the forests are under threat because most people still use firewood for cooking.

 

We went to Makuzi Bay for lunch, it is such a beautiful spot!

Play time with my happy baby.

He LOVES his sensory swing!

Our Veggie patch is doing so well. We have an abundance of lettuce, cucumbers, and gem squash. We are also starting to get some beans (when the monkeys don't steal them!), sweet potatoes and carrots are growing, and even a watermelon that's getting bigger by the day. Such fun.

We even made our own pickled cucumber.

I had to capture this picture so I will remember it forever. I love this strong, gentle, loving daddy so much. He put Joel to sleep while I was having a shower.

We were invited to our landlord's daughter's first birthday party. Louie had the time of his life. 

All dressed up in the outfit LJ wore to Vee's wedding!

The boys project to build us an inside couch. It blows my mind what this husband of mine can make in a weekend!

A quick trip to town to get some foam cut and covers made and voila! We now have a corner couch! Its very comfortable too I might add!

Louie loves to buy fresh fruit and veggies from the local vendors. He sets off with his back pack and his bike every day after school. He loves being given responsibilities like this and the ladies love him. Its also nice to support them instead of buying imported fruit and veg from the shops.

The kids' school had an International Day where each class represented a different country. Lily was Australia and LJ was America.

Exploring some potential cycling and running routes close to our house.

One of our daily riddles from Lils...Its a breakfast menu that says "peanut butter on toast or bread. Chocolate ice lolly. Naartjie."

The kids tennis skills are improving weekly. They are joined by some of the local children from nearby communities. The idea is to keep them busy and teach them a skill, some of them are brilliant players even though they borrow racquets from the coach and play without shoes. Its a great initiative.

This month the Malawi kwacha devalued by 44%. A lot of people are suffering and with minimum wage having not been increased in years, the poor people are being exploited with minimum wage being the equivalent of US$38 a month! And not only that, but there are not enough jobs for the people that want them, even at that low rate. It is very sad.