I sincerely love Africa. Really I do! I am born an African and I choose to be an African! But …. oh boy when things go wrong on this continent they really go wrong. Ok …. I’m not talking politics, macro economics, war, poverty or even Zimbabwe today.
Because we are totally in the middle of nowhere ….. in the bush …… if something goes wrong it really does go wrong in a big way. For example ….. if something break it does take a huge effort to get it fix. If you need parts …. well another story all together. If you know me well you would know that I am technically very (extremely) challenged. Engine parts just doesn’t make sense to me at all. Really …. I can look at it for hours and still it looks weird. I mean how do they get all these bolts and things in their weird places? All of this does have a huge impact on my marriage. My wife figured out after 12 years that I am technically challenged. She just throws her head up towards the sky, roll the eyes (you know …. as only women can do) and walks away mumbling something that only species from Venus can understand.
The last two weeks on the mission was one of those situations. We had a huge electrical fault on the generator which meant …. no power, no electricity, NO WATER. We had to drive 40 km just to collect some water so we could wash. And my wife …………… she got a BRAND NEW WASHING MACHINE to figure out. (I shouldn’t laugh …. here it is!!)
STEPS TO USE YOUR NEW WASHING MACHINE:
STEP 1
Bring out washing into the open. Make sure you have a patch of grass to prevent further stain. Your wife will obviously not think this is funny!
STEP 2:
The washing machine itself. Make sure all the goodies are in place. Use washing powder that would be fit for a cold wash. Have plenty containers around. Make sure you have blocks under the wheels of your washing machine – you do not want to do “washing on the run”!
STEP 3:
STEP 4:
Start the process. Wishy washy. Make sure again that water levels are up for the task. You will see a wheel borrow on the side – important if you have to run with washing to the line. Basic rules still apply – whites with whites and coloured clothing separately.
STEP 5:
As husband get OUT OF the way. Watch from a safe distance otherwise you might just end up doing the washing on a Saturday.
