When is it safe to take a child into the bush in Northern Mozambique? At 4 years 2 months...

Yesterday we were in Pemba in the house – that is going through a bad patch and in my view is barely habitable.  It is little things like a sink that looks deceptively functional but isn’t connected so pours water onto the floor.  And damp patches are to be avoided at all costs…this is no 1 malaria hotspot in the north.  Right opposite the hospital.  It has other down sides like mos mesh in the windows that has corroded away and no running water and only my portable fridge that I bought in a reckless moment for car transported picnics but D half inched and put in his shipment.  What a blessing that turned out to be…his devious ways!

Anyway in this house Laurie was unobserved for a moment.  Then went to D and said “Daddy there were lots of sparks?” Really…he takes Dominik by the hand and shows him.  He has cut through 2 live cables my ipad (the last bit of connection I had after my phone being stolen) and Ds lamp.  Unbelievably it had shorted and blown the socket up and not L.  The scissors had insulated handles – he wasn’t wearing any shoes.

While D was removing termite activity the head flies off the hammer...
here my bush nurse nursing skills on show.  Thankfully a manageable wound.

Then today while I was painting there was one of those moments of eerie silence.  I went to look for L and there he was looking guilt ridden with something in his mouth rather like an excited Labrador with a stolen sausage.  And there was a palate of antibiotics, part of Ds extensive malaria treatment, and two large green bombs are missing.  It turns out after police like interrogation he had not eaten them but put them in the water container in the bathroom.

But I have been rigorous about giving him anti-malaria pills and covered all exposed skin in anti-mozzie spray to avoid Dengue fever.  He has lost one toenail and had many many scratches – but given the hammer wielding and interest in Daddy’s catana/razor sharp bush knife, we have come off lightly.  I just feel like an super charged electric eel literally bursting with fight-flight adrenaline!