Peaceful times on Lewa

For the first time ever, I am spending the rainy season on Lewa. The last guests left on 4^th April – after a thankfully rain free couple of days. The rain started with a vengeance before the end of March so some of the last guests of the season had their holidays somewhat interrupted by the rain. Probably a bit annoying when you can’t even fly into Lewa because of the weather. I quite like the rain here. It doesn’t do that British thing of raining all day every day. It usually rains very heavily for a couple of hours and then stops and the sun comes out. I’m less keen on the muddy stable yard and leaking stables but at least they too dry out quickly.

Now that the lodge has closed and the family are away, I have moved into the main house. I admit it – I don’t fancy the dark walk to my normal home at the end of the garden. Too much game comes wondering through the grounds when the lodge is closed and quiet, and the generator isn’t on as often. I don’t want to meet a lion en route to my room! Also, my house has a lot of leaks which isn’t great in a rainstorm. I have to strategically position all items so that they are not underneath one of the leaks. More to the point, I have the novelty of TV to watch each evening if I live in the main house – a luxury indeed…

So my current day goes something like this. Rise at 6.30am, head straight to stables, check and treat any sick horses, ride the polo ponies (which is equivalent to a morning workout in itself now that they’ve started canter work). Organise what jobs need doing at the stables that morning and then have a lovely peaceful leisurely breakfast on the verandah about 9am. No requirement for polite conversation with any guests – it’s just me and the dogs and a stunning vista to enjoy – may be with some giraffes or elephants to watch on the hillside.

Post breakfast, check the syces are actually doing the tasks they’ve been set, update any horse records, spend some time on the internet, read, swim, sunbathe – it’s a hard life… Then lunch (enjoyed in a similar vein to breakfast), followed by a siesta before afternoon stables at 4pm. Horses safely tucked up in their stables, happy, groomed and fed, it’s time for a bath and dinner in front of the TV. Although a lot of the staff go on leave during the closed season, there is still a cook, waitress, room steward, gardeners, maintenance teams, mechanics, night guard, etc. I am getting so used to being looked after, I sometimes wonder if I will actually be able to remember how to cook and clean for myself….

And finally, just a little snake story. I was sat in the office yesterday (as indeed I am now) when a snake falls out of the roof and lands on the floor next to me. I almost had a heart attack – it narrowly missed me!! It was a revolting, small, thin, bright green snake – yuck. I had to enlist the help of others to remove it. Even if it isn’t poisonous (which it wasn’t), I do not wish to share my office with it.