the countdown is on...9 days to go

Our dinner is just around the corner. At the moment we are trying to establish just how to set up the tables so that people are seated according to their "needs" - if you have a weak bladder you will need to sit near the far end of the living room because in a rush there is no way you will be able to clamber over everyone else to get anywhere "in time". Tables have been borrowed from family and neighbours, chairs also, which will make it feel like Christmas Day all over again as we perch precariously on whatever is available - in our family it was always the piano stool that served as the 'spare' chair. Mum has found some fabric at the store which may (or may not) be the same green as appears on the flag on Malawi - which according to karen's pictorial sources is 'somewhere between a teal green and a dark bottle green/almost black' and will help to decorate the room. We are pooling collective crockery resources as well as candles/candlesticks and recipes!!

i have to say that the memory and sight of the delivery of over 1000 pairs of shoes last weekend was overwhelming and is going to be a point of discussion for months to come, i am sure. We have to give a heartfelt thank you to Shoe- pal 2 and her parents, Leeanne and Andrew for their support, but also to the Lobethal Lutheran church congregation who have embraced the project, having not ever met Virginia or myself but trusting that their gifts would be gratefully accepted and entrusting us with the extraordinary result of their dedication to making the world a better place in whatever way they can.

One of the classes at St Mark's school at Mt Barker, along with their teacher are studying about Mozambique at present - Malawi is cradled almost completely within Mozmbique whilst remaining a country in its own right. This teacher has shared a firm committment to involve the class in the shoe raising project as well as expressing a keen interest in working with us on the 'freight' solution.

St Andrew's school at Walkerville is also supporting us by considering ways in which the students might be able to engage with the project while learning more about others and sharing with others to promote friendship and goodwill.

Unley Park Baptist is supporting the venture also and we continue to be amazed at the way the project is weaving around the community, simply by word of mouth. Very quietly, word is getting around and poeple are asking how they can help out, not just now but also for future projects (!!).

There have been a few postings this week that have moved me deeply. If you would like to share them, check out 'in retrospect' and also 'recipe for disaster...'

And to nanny and papa in Tassie: Virginia, Poni and I will be over in July to briefly show Virginia another side of Australia before she leaves and hopefully by then our (john's and mine) two gorgeous nieces will have taught nanny and papa a bit more about the blog and might even have logged on as followers!