Easter Blog

Mostly pictures this week.

Special message, to Rachel, Harry, Amy and all of you too numerous to mention about to take GCSE’s or A- levels.

 Best of luck all the way from Lesotho, I will be thinking of you and wishing for the right questions to come up.

 

 

Images of Lesotho

                                                that is me next to the waterfall

School Uniform

The school colours of St James are blue and white, the girls have to wear a grey dress with a blue shirt, blue and white socks and some wear a blue and white sash around their waist. Some children wear a blue jumper when the weather is not so hot and especially in the winter months.

The boys again wear a blue shirt, blue and white socks and a blue jumper. In the summer months (November to February), the boys must wear short trousers. Funny that, the summer in Lesotho is in the middle of our winter, why is that?

In a number of the pictures a number of the children are wearing something around their necks, have a look at the pictures and see if you can see what that is?

Don’t get to tie d up with this question.

Not much writing this week, just pictures. 

Next week there may not be a blog as it is the Easter break. The first school holiday since the start of term in January.  Hurray !!!

                                 Ok, who wants their photograph taken?

                                     OK,who has not got their homework?

What a busy week.

This week the children of St James have been competing in 2 inter school events.

 The first was the sports day held at the National Stadium in Maseru.

It was very successful day with winners in the 3000, 1500, 800 metres and the boys 4x400 relay.  All the children competing did very well for it was a long hot day.

From the pictures of the children competing do you notice that there is something missing? Not only do the children compete without these but they also train without them on the hard stony ground of the outside playing areas of St James School. ‘Ouch,’ it hurts just to think of it. 

 

 

One of the boys' teams from St James

One of the girls' teams from St James ( + coach,  whistle around neck 

The second event was the cultural day. It is a bit like an Eisteddfod. The events are mainly traditional dancing, plays and poetry.

The dancers are accompanied by a group of singers who sing a traditional Besotho song and a drummer who beats out a constant rhythm.

This year St James had a new girl’s dance team. They did ok, in fact better than Ok they

                                 WON

 St James Dance Group ( not the bloke at the back)

 

          

The traditional Besotho dances are very different from the ones seen at Eisteddfodau.  I do have some videos but they take a very long time to down load onto the blog. I will try to get them onto the blog when I return to Wales. 

Some of the other school teams 

                     

At the start of my blog a few weeks ago I said that I would be writing for the benefit of school children so that they might learn a little about Lesotho. This week I am interrupting this promise for a very special but sad reason.

My mate Mart’s Dad

On Wednesday (29^th March), I received an email from home that My mate Mart’s Dad had passed away after fighting an illness for a number of years. Being so far from home and not being able to help I felt the need to share with you how my family and I felt about Mart’s Dad. Oh by the way Mart’s Dad has a name, it is David, we never used his name it was always Mart’s Dad and so it will stay (and Mart is Martyn).

The word that springs to mind to describe him:

                                     Kindly.

A kindly man, one who showed a genuine interest in what you were doing, it was not just a surface acknowledgement. It was a deep seated interest and enthusiasm for what you or other members of the family were doing or about to undertake.

When visiting, one’s intention might only be to stay a little while to chat. Yet he had a skill, a knack, a cordial geniality, drawing you in to the extent that hours would pass with ease. But one still felt that those hours that had lapsed were mere minutes.

A Kindly man, without doubt, but also one who also had a mischievous side, let me give you an example.  It was on a rugby trip to Paris to see Wales take on France. As it was an evening kick off we filled the time with a visit to the French Military Museum. On leaving, walking along the paths between manicured lawns and pruned box hedges, Mart’s Dad turned to me. ‘Do you think we could run across the lawn and jump the hedge, we are on tour,’ not wishing to comment on our combined ages, I looked around to see a number of gendarmes strategically placed. I pointed, Mart’s Dad replied, ‘Perhaps another day.’ I nodded and sighed for my own self interest.

 To Mart’s Dad,

 I will say my goodbyes from Lesotho. It was an absolute privilege to be able to spend time in your company and to be able to call you friend. Thank you for the kindness you have showed me, Alison, Katy and Rachel.

You may not be among us now, yet I feel that your spirit will remain with us long into the future.

And remember, all the Angel police in heaven are Welsh, so go ahead, jump as many hedges as you like.

Rob.      

My mate Mart and his Dad