In busy wrap up, cleaning & packing mode. Reeeeeally missing a washing machine after 2 hours of handwashing sheets & towels this am. My last day of work tomorrow. Adam's was today. He coordinated a first aid course for maasai and then raced bk to do teacher training. It is nearly 11pm and he is madly working on the computer studying. Crazy days for him poor thing but hes doing great things.

I have heard a whisper that Plaster House has organised a farewell for us in the am which is very sweet. Will miss all the gorgeous kids as most won't be there on our return. I also have my last appointment with my lovely lady with the spinal cord injury. Have become very close & will really miss her. Had a really fantastic session with her yesterday and she managed to sort of "walk"!!! With the help of a physìo student, we strapped her into some full leg calipers they had made for her that hold her legs straight & using her hip & bottom muscles (quadratus lumborum & gluteus medius)she managed to swing her legs forward, balancing on a frame. She took 20 steps (with help) !! We were both over the moon. I didn't have the heart to tell her its not any new muscle return, just compensating with the ones shes got. She's very much in denial about her prognosis. Well, miracles do happen.... You never know! I also took her to her pharmacy dept (she was working at the hospital before) & have met with her boss about starting some light duties to keep her motivated whilst she's an in patient....& hopefully pave the way for her to work there again in the future. She worked 2 hours on the weekend! Will need to adapt her workplace but her boss has been very nice about it all to date. I am so worried that if it all looks too hard, they'll fire her.

Saturday we then go away for a week ... not that we have had time to book it!! We're planning the Usumbara mountains for 3 days which are supposed to be very pretty & lush & full of tea & banana plantations and waterfalls. Then we will head to Pangani on the coast for 3 days. If we have time Zanzibar spice island is only a 1 hour ferry away from there.

Hard to believe next sun we catch the plane to italy! It's been such a rewarding experience full of completely new things (good & sometimes hard) almost every day. Sad to leave but we are coming back & of course really excited to go back to Italy. Pleased to say Adam is excited to go to Italy too....was worried that once he arrived here he'd never leave! January might be another story! Kids happily going with the flow & looove helping pack their little toy bags for their "adventure". Zoe talks a lot about Italy & is looking forward to it I think.... Especially the gelati, kindy & crazy cousin Andrea! For some reason she thought Bisi was going to be there... boohoo. Does she know something I don't!?I am trying to speak Italian with them when Adam is at work & they are really understanding a lot now & both ask "what does xxxxx word mean?" if they dont! So cute!

Lovely Meshak our gardener/guard has not come back since his baby was born, baby Zakaria! We all miss him. Our yard is still full of bore drillers & exhaust. Yuk! Its making leaving easier!