Before we meet Tilly we need to meet Mike. He lives in Windhoek and manages a safari drive operation in Namibia - called Safari Drive (which is actually based in the UK).
Mike and Nanook
The story is that SFP have bought a Land Rover from SD for the project in Namibia and Mike's team has been restoring said LR for me to take on in NM. I hope your still with me because now comes the complicated bit! This LR was called Grogan by SD, but I couldn't get my head around that one and besides, in my humble opinion, all LR's are feminine and since Grogan is obviously masculine and Irish to boot, I thought a name change would be in order. Matilda came to mind but is a bit long and so Tilly it is.
Tilly - my trusty home for the next 10 weeks - note the bedrooms on the roof - unlike yours which is under the roof!
First job was to spend money at a great shop in Windy called Bushwhackers where they sell just about everything you would want for a day in the desert!
Just wanted to mention Simon in dispatches. He runs Bushwhackers and has the patience of a saint. He has helped me get some important kit for Tilly I didn't even know existed!
Simon
The next job was to find a home for everything Safari Drive had kindly given me and all the stuff I'd just bought. Still working on that.
The trick is to remember whereabouts you put the tyre repair kit and matches once you've packed them away. A short stop for tea and the loo can take hours if the kettle isn't where you knew you put it and the loo papers cleverly concealed in the fridge. Ho hum.
While all this was going on, Mike called me on my new Namibian cell phone and invited me to an informal gathering at the British High Commission, here in Windy that very evening, to meet the incoming High Commissioner, Jo Lomas and her husband Chris along with other assorted folk who might be interested in meeting, talking, eating and watching the first Rugby World Cup match - Angleterre v Tonga. A feather knocked me down with you could.
The evening was great fun and I met some charming and interesting people, including Jo Lomas the new HC, the technical director of a Namibian independent television station and the Namibian director of a British oil company, who was very interested in Biochar and had been talking about it only the other day! Where going to meet again this coming week.
I think my old friend serendip has been working hard.
Two days on and I'm posting this. Everything going well and looking forward to getting out in the bush. A few meetings in Windy first.
dfg