It’s 9pm on Sunday 15^th. It’s been quite a week!! Charles is into his 6^th day of diarrhea (or so he tells me – I’m beginning to suspect that the diarrhea ended a few days ago and that he is just using it as an excuse now to run to the toilet at the Lodge every hour or so. My suspicions were aroused when he started taking a book with him to the loo!).

Caleb is into his 3^rd day of diarrhea and the poor child is looking decidedly skinny. I think he has overtaken Ethan in the skinniest legs competition. Poor thing is so brave he hardly ever complains. At least the fever’s gone. It was pretty scary having a child with a temp close to 40 degrees and being so isolated. And we have much more than anyone else who lives here (medicines, clean water, basic medical knowledge and access to a car if we need to travel the 1.5 hours to the nearest rural health facility). I can’t even begin to imagine coping in this environment without these basics.

Anyway, I was delaying the inevitable yesterday when I put the mounds of soiled linen, clothes and towels into a big bucket with some cold water and Omo. I realized I’d have to get stuck in at some stage but opted for later rather than sooner. Anyway, as luck would have it, we had a major rain storm last night – Charles was so excited, he nearly shat his pants with delight at the overflowing water tank. The rain also pummeled the linen in the wash bucket and when I finally tackled the washing this afternoon it was practically clean already! Whites were whiter, brights were brighter – and all thanks to Omo and a good rain storm!! It’s amazing how delighted you can get over something like this when you’re faced with dirty linen, covered in day-old slimy poo, and the only tools at your disposal are cold water and Omo!

In honour of this miraculous event, I have drafted an Ode to Omo (or at least, a silly little poem!)…

Rub-a-dub-dub, there’s washing in the tub

A smouldering pile, all smelly and vile

Too much to bear, she leaves it there

Festering away in the heat of the day

But… she puts a good lashing, of Omo in the washing

Adds some cold water (as the adverts taught her)

And oh what delight - a storm in the night!

Churns up her troubles in a mass of white bubbles

The very next day, I’m delighted to say

The smells and the stains washed away in the rains

With a rinse and a rub, in that Omo-filled tub

All things aghast are a thing of the past