bleakery

Hello all
I have been very quiet I know. Have been on Mumbo, for last visit probably, as it's all full now, and have been teaching the new lady my job, so no time to sit and blither (sadly, as that is my idea of pleasure and I long to do it in person over gorgeous coffees with gorgeous friends!)
It's bleak here - been cloudy for a week now and the waves on the lake are huge. Had to rescue two kayaks this morning. Guests who insisted they were experienced paddlers and really wanted to paddle the 10kms to Mumbo on the high seas. I am not sure what made us (even Clive) concur, but as they set off a vicious wind began to blow and within a few minutes the waves were enormous and we started to worry. Clive rushed off to get his binocs and we all gathered on the jetty to check on the situation and offer our gratuitous advice. The first two guests fell out of their kayak next to Thumbi (fortunately, as we could still see them) and the guides paddling with them stopped to help. At which point the other two guests decided to go it alone!!! the congenital idiots!! and headed off without their guide who was dragging a lady from the wild waters. So the boat then had to come back from its mission to Domwe to effect a rescue and we had to send Edo, the head guide, out on the dive boat to find the errant brothers who were out on their own with no guide or radio (did I mention my opinion of their mental faculties - if not: impaired!)
They found them having a cig on the rocks at the other end of the island, having realised they could not actually make it alone. They had to swim out to the boat, leaving their R15 000 kayak on the rocks. It remains there until tomorrow as the water is still to rough to fetch it.
When they got to Mumbo they told Pam they couldn't understand how we could have let them go!!! This after they had been warned twice about the dangers and had insisted they were well able to cope. Time for me to come back home and stop dealing with people on holiday who have left their brains behind - my tolerance for fools is not high!
Have to confess I have lost all interest in making a momentous tropical Christmas celebration here. There is noone I want to share it with really and everyone will be out drinking here there and everywhere, so I think we'll do it very quietly and just do what the kids want and drift about the village seeing others celebrate.
We will roast a gammon on Mumbo for the guests and our bamboo tree and chitenje bunting look festive enough out there.
(Will affix a pic - see how chubby I have become here - couldn't help it, two meals cooked for us every day and sitting at desk....oh dear. And sometimes I have Maggie Thatcher hair - it does that bloody curved fringe sweep thing all by itself, makes me want to run and hide, but naught to be done out here, so have to bear with it. Couldn't really give a bugger, actually, these days!)
Billy the tailor made fab chitenje Christmas stockings for Ben and Ed and Mr Chimombo and James have made small lions and leopards and goodies and baddies and (sorry about pc-ness here, but abandoned it in favour of popularity with my chaps), guns (painted red with blue spots so I feel less bad!) Add to that a couple of choccies and a few ice creams and they will be very happy children.
Ok, nearly supper time and must check on my offspring who have spend a miserable day in bed after being treated for Bilharzia last night - they obviously had it and got temperatures, but are now right as rain, but want dvds in bed anyway, and I thought it best given their frailty and the crappy weather.