Carpenters - Promises, Police and Pangolins!

If Jesus was a carpenter then I’m guessing he was a pretty good one. High quality work, done on time and I’d assume pretty much perfect! Yet since being in Zambia, and there being no local Ikea round the corner (surprise, surprise) we’ve so far tried out 3 different carpenters with very differing results!

The first carpenter was tasked with making 2 bedside tables for Abigail and Hannah and 2 stools - one to use at a desk and the other a bit taller so that Abigail could put her telescope on it. Certainly looks ok doesn't it?👇🏻

After about a month (so only 4x as long as promised) we were told it was all ready to collect, so i drove out to pick it up. Not only was the furniture pretty huge and heavy (though that’s mainly down to the fact we let Hannah design it!) but it was also all extremely wet with varnish and the telescope stool (above) a different wood and style to the rest. Having eventually got it home, let it dry properly and cleaned up all the mess from the varnish, we were quite happy with it. But then about a week later the carpenter sent us a photo of a police summons, and told us that the stool he sold us wasn’t actually one he’d made but belonged to someone else who had given it him to repair! Despite trying to call him to sort it out, we’ve not been able to contact him, but we haven’t given up!

Which leads to carpenter number 2, who came highly recommended. We asked him to make us a kitchen/dining table and chairs as the picnic bench👆🏻we’re currently using is really too small for us (when it comes to hosting at least) and, after a while, having gaps/slats in your table top does get a bit annoying! Anyway, that was couple of months ago and last week he sent a picture of his work so far.👇🏻

Don’t get me wrong, this one chair does look good quality. It would just be nice to have 5 more and a table to put them around! We ideally wanted the furniture before my parents came to visit but as that’s next week, it seems unlikely. But hopefully soon.🤞

One thing my dad said he’d do while he’s with us is to make a gate for our porch to try (again) to stop our dog, Bobby, from escaping.

We have no idea how Bobby got off his chain the last time, but part of me wonders if there was some miraculous intervention to prevent us coming home to a second dying pet!

Anyway, for my dad to make us a gate required wood and that led us to carpenter number 3, who we’d been told was a good supplier…

It all seemed quite straight forward - call him with our choice of wood and measurements, pay and go collect. And that’s (initially) what happened. ☑️

But then, you guessed it, a week or so later I got a message… ‘Do you know what a Pangolin is?’ !!!! “Yes”, I naively replied, going on to explain what they look like. Then he asked how much they are worth(!) and I started to fear the worst. I explained they are rare, endangered and that their sale would most likely be illegal. In some ways I wish I hadn’t asked my next question - ‘Why do you want to know?’ His shocking answer - “Someone I know has one, but in pieces” - Unbelievable!! All we want is a some furniture! (And ideally to help some local carpenters in their lawful trade)🤦🏻‍♂️

In other (more normal and positive) news, Yesterday, Abigail and Hannah both did really well in their school’s inter-house cross country competition. Hannah, who’s by far the smallest in her class, did her best yet, coming 5th out of the 9 runners in her class. And Abigail also beat her personal best, running her 2km in about 12 minutes and coming 2nd in her group! With only a few days left of school before they break up, this way a nice way to finish the term.