Fort Portal return

Here we are back home again in Fort Portal. Such a warm welcome from all our friends and colleagues almost makes us feel guilty that we left, no not really as we were catching up again with all our family and lifetime friends in Ireland and UK.
We are now in the middle of marking exams, I have not yet started, it will be interesting to see how much I was able to get accross to a very keen and hard working group of students but whose knowledge bases varied considerably.
Besides the election due shortly which of course fills the newspapers, though it is hard to discern policy differences since everyone is going to remove corruption, develop the economy etc. is the power situation. We arrived back to find we had to unpack by torchlight and wash after a hot sticky journey, in cold water, good for you I hear the odd voice, as the power was off. The power situation has got very bad recently because against advice at the time two power stations were installed side by side both taking water from Lake Victoria. The water is now so low that outpout is 170 instead of 265 Mw. This is unlikely to change for at least five years unless the rainfall increases radically, unlikely with global warming. Sadly this will seriously stunt the development of the country. When I have had time to check what the papers were saying in January I will fill in the details of what appears to be a singularly unpleasant story of the rich stealing from the venal poor.
Here all is dust and haze as the dry reason draws towards its close. Unfortunately, The garden which Kathie had so carefully planted to be ready for our return is dryed up and dead because the young man we left in charge did no watering although shown what we needed Bright being not so bright. The tank still has 3000l in it, what a waste, and a great disapointment. Growing things here is such fun but we really only have one more season to try.