Four Weeks To Departure

My life is dominated by a flurry of slightly panicked emails between all of the volunteers;

"Hello, who am I? What are we doing?"

"How much malaria medication are you bringing? Are you bringing two months or three months? Do we start taking it now?"

"I think there's paperwork I haven't done. Should I have done something I haven't done?"

"Is it just me with totally numb arms or is that all of us? Should the Yellow Fever vaccine make your arm go dead and then drop off or is that just me?"

"Have you filled out your FCO form?"

"No, have you??"

"What the hell is an FCO form???"

and.... It's snowing! Proper big snow that makes your feet go cold and brings the whole of britain grinding to a halt. I took the dog for a walk; kicking my way through the beautiful sparkly snow. I looked up above my head at the bright green parrots screeching in the trees. I thought now this really is getting weird. If you want evidence of global warming, forget measuring the CO2 emissions, just come to Lewisham and look at the parrots in the snow.

I'm trying to imagine living in thirty degree weather in a matter of weeks, but my brain just isn't coming round to it. On Monday, My Mother and I went shopping for various Ghana essentials- I ended up trying on swimming costumes with the air temperature below freezing.

"That's a nice one.." My Mother said thoughtfully as I danced from foot to foot.

"It's gorgeous, now will you please let me get dressed again????"

The best news of all came in the form of a miracle email from a woman I have never met, but already love, which included the words creative writing, very impressed, and unconditional offer. Then The Chatterback, My Mother and I screamed the house down. My Mother, after wiping away the tears of joy, explained that it was all down to her being my Muse, she was clearly a figure of incredibly inspiration.

Four weeks and counting, and suddenly life is good again.