The last time we went to Malawi we flew from Dar to Mbeye. We hadn't realised there was a bus direct (more or less) from Moshi. This time it's going to be bus all the way but I have been remembering my first glimpse of Mbeye from the air; it looked to be a completely black and white landscape or more accurately black and sepia. From the sky it looked like a landscape drawn with pencil on beige yellow paper, as far as we could see in every direction every field carefully cross hatched with parallel lines. I couldn't puzzle it out from the air at all but when we landed and drove by bus into town I understood that what I was seeing was dry, dry, dry yellow grass and black burnt ground all still in last year's ridges line by line by line.


Our next surprise was arriving in the town late on that quiet afternoon and finding a town on hills dressed beautifully in blue Jacaranda trees. I know now that they are Jacaranda trees that I have been admiring since October. I also know that it will now be raining in Mbeye and Mzimba and hopefully that is going to make a difference to out diet while we are there and we might get to eat fruit and vegetables. The last time we were there everyone was waiting seed in hand for the rain to begin.


As we traveled south there were more and more blue trees in bloom and then, astonishingly when we arrived home two and a half weeks later our very own tree lined road in Shanty Town in Moshi turned out to be blue too.


Everything here has been surprising every day. At the moment it is wedding season with four or five weddings driving past each day. Every wedding has a brass band decked out in shirts the same colour as the bridesmaid dresses and riding on the back of an open truck in the wedding procession playing as they go. In the first few months we were here I thought there was one band with an enormous wardrobe of coloured shirts and endless work but now that they drive by every ten minutes I have to admit there must be many of them. When I get married I want a multi coloured band like pastel sweeties. That's my plan.


I know I keep saying that everything here is so colourful but it is true. I knew within a few days of arriving that I would not be doing any drawing. Drawing is a thing of low, white, northern light where line is a gift of the light and a quality of everything you see. Here it is colour and shape and the gift of this light is pattern. Me and Davy are trying to photograph it a little now that we are on holiday and not always hurrying to clinic or home again – maybe we will come up with something.