I'm having another breakdown

On Saturday one of our Nissans broke down. The beast weighed 2400 kgs compared to a Land Rover's 1943 kgs...nevertheless I towed the Nissan 11kms back to Appelsbosch in a Landy. On Monday a tow truck came to take the Nissan to a workshop, and the driver boasted he would have no problem towing it, until he tried to lift it! His truck nearly took off at the front, whilst the Nissan barely cleared the ground for the long tow to Pietermaritzburg. The photos hardly do it justice.

Olly

Ghana bans second-hand knickers

BBC: Market traders in Ghana will be banned from selling second-hand underwear from next February, trade regulators say. According to the Ghana Standards Board, used pants - and other second-hand goods like handkerchiefs and mattresses - are unhygienic and could pose a health hazard. Some traders in a market in the capital, Accra, told the BBC they were unhappy the move might affect business.

The BBC's David Amanor in the city says there is a lot of consumer demand for second-hand clothing, often imported from Europe, as it is cheaper than locally produced items. It is the same in many African countries. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11845851

Shame! If you've lived in West Africa for any length of time you'll know how important quality 2nd-hand clothes from Europe and the USA are to the people - they will last way longer than the locally made or cheap imports, and will be passed down, literally, from kid to kid until they fall apart. Olly

Logo completed

It's bigger; it's better (etc etc). Thanks, Chuck, for this great photo of the newly installed bigger and better Mercy Ships logo on the Africa Mercy's funnel (and note the new configuration of exhaust pipes on top). The two white things at the bottom of the photo are the containerised oxygen plant (left, covering part of the logo) and one of my trailers containing Land Rover parts (right). Olly

Ground Hog Day

Appelsbosch update: same old same old.
Ship update: same old same old.
Weather update: same old same old.
Olly

Hair lock

Over the years Sally has tried many different styles with Libby's hair, from simple Afros to elaborate braids and extensions. But each style takes ages to do, and costs money, and only lasts for a couple of months. Enter Nanita: she has two Liberian daughters too, and has braid-locked their hair (like small dreadlocks), which will stay in the girls hair forever with minimum of maintenance, and will even grow as their hair grows. So today Nanita locked Libby's hair: it took over 8 hours, during which time Libby watched five movies whilst Nanita put in 187 braid-locks. Thank you so much, Nanita. Below, Libby with a simple 'fro before the braiding began:



Below, half way there:

Below, Libby and Nanita:

Below, the finished product.

It's a bit short at the moment, but as the hair grows the new hair can be locked into the original braids using something like a darning needle, and will get longer and longer. It is very low maintenance, and she can even shampoo it like real hair, which she couldn't do with normal braids or extensions. Great. A significant weight off Sally's mind! Olly

Pool's progress

The pool's wave catcher has now been installed. It looks good, but only time will tell if it will be effective. Olly

Haircut!

Sing hallelujahs! Noah was persuaded to have his hair cut yesterday. A great improvement from previously, don't you think? Olly

Harburg Waterfall*

(*I think that's what it is called). On Saturday we visited the neighbourhood's best kept secret - a hidden waterfall and gorge, only a few miles from Appelsbosch, just outside the settlement of Harburg. It was fantastic. Our walk involved a long climb down the valley side to the bottom of the falls, on a path that hadn't seen other walkers for a long time. And most unexpectedly, there wasn't one drop of litter anywhere to be seen.

Magnificent views, eh? Olly

Uncle Ben

No, not a fat man with his own brand of rice. Or a bear who lived in the Everglades (or was that Gentle Ben?)...Last weekend my brother came to visit whilst on business in East Africa and the Middle East. It was lovely to see him again after 4 years apart, and we had a great 3 days together. He is now a big fan of Appelsbosch. Olly

Happy Libby Day

On the 11th November 2005 we picked up Libby from her orphanage in Monrovia. And what a beautiful strong Liberian girl she is growing into!

Thanks, Uncle Ben, for this lovely new family photo. Olly

Guy Fawkes Night

Today, 5th November, is Guy Fawkes Night, or Bonfire Night, in the UK. Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators tried to blow-up the British Houses of Parliament on 5th November 1604, but were caught red handed, and sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered (drawn by horse on a wooden hurdle to the place of execution, and once there were ritually hanged, emasculated, disemboweled, beheaded and quartered (chopped into four pieces).) Fawkes managed to jump from the scaffold and broke his neck before the full sentence was executed. I am surprised to see that here in South Africa, Guy Fawkes Night is celebrated too. Any excuse for letting off fireworks and having a big fire, eh? Olly

Shipyard update 5th November

Work continues. The funnel now boasts four new "aero-dynamic" exhausts (currently painted red), for each of the four new generators:



The funnel now looks very different, with a total of 6 newer and smaller exhausts, and four remaining big old exhausts for the four main engines.

The deck-plates in the engine room are gradually being replaced, as are the miles of pipework:

The Deck 8 canopy frame has been put up, with the help of the shore crane:

Welders are creating a wave-catcher in the pool:

It's bigger; it's better: a new Mercy Ships logo is going onto the funnel, twice the size of the one that was fitted ten months ago in Tenerife:

Jeff and Bowie are busy replacing sinks in the galley. The washing area will now have a triple sink in it:

Lastly, contractors are replacing much of the original flooring in the Deck 7 corridors, which involves removing the old lino and cement, and grinding or needle-gunning the deck before applying paint, new cement and lino. Very messy though: look at the red dust on everything in the photo:


S'all for now. Olly

Bugs

On Tuesday night, we were invaded by millions of big flying bugs (ants or termites). I have no idea why they all came at the same time on the same night, heading towards any light source and even squeezing through cracks in doors and windows. We had to retreat several times, firstly inside, then into the corridors, and then into our rooms as they breached our defences again and again like an invading army.



After only a few minutes of flying, their wings fell off and they hooked up with other bugs and mated, before the ladies crawled off to their holes to lay their eggs, I presume.

The next morning the whole area was covered in millions - nay, billions - of wings. 3 days later, the clean-up is still under way. Olly

Mascot

Last Sunday my nephew Thomas was the mascot for Liverpool FC in a game against Blackburn. Here he is, with someone quite famous (I think). Olly

Lake Appelsbosch

On Thursday afternoon we experienced a MASSIVE storm, which including viscous winds, torrential rain and hail stones the size of Land Rovers. Several of the buildings flooded, and many of the crew were put on bailing-out duty, and the power was knocked out too. Appelsbosch's famous amphitheater flooded, which kept many of the kids amused for hours as they paddled in the freezing water...

Huh. Olly

Shipyard update Thursday 28th October 2010

The slow work of making the Africa Mercy a functioning ship continues. The four new MAN generators are now in position and being hooked up to fuel pipes, exhaust pipes and cables. Below is a shock absorber, on which the generator sits, which will help to reduce vibrations and noise. These shock absorbers critical to the project: without them, the new generators might create as much noise and nuisance as the old ones through vibrations.

Below, one of the two new Carrier air conditioning units, and (in the background) the hole in the ship's side through which they came.

Below, fireproof flooring with a layer of cement, going into cabin 3414 and neighbouring cabins.

Below, the smoke stack slowly changing shape, as six old exhaust pipes have been removed...

...(old exhaust pipes on the dock waiting to be taken away for scrap)...

...to be replaced by four new exhaust pipes for the four new generators.

Below, all these pipes and valves have to go back into the ship and be reconnected in the right order, to carry diesel fuel, heavy fuel, fresh water, salt water etc etc.

Below, another big challenge, sorting out the wires coming from the bridge through the International Lounge:

And so the work continues. Good luck shipyard workers and AFM crew! Olly

Student life program

The Academy's Student Life Program is giving ship kids the opportunity to learn about things they never have the opportunity to experience whilst living on the ship, such as camping skills, and gardening. I am teaching the gardening class. Below, students Noah and Josie,



and Rachael and Bethany...

...planting up some of Appelsbosch's abandoned flower beds. In four short weeks we will cover all aspects of gardening including growing plants and vegetables from seeds, lawn care, and landscape gardening. Olly