Wednesday 1 September 2010

Watch out there’s a chisoni about

Recently we have taken up gardening; well this is of course the royal we. My role has been very influential in so much as that I have brought the seeds and directed where they need to be planted. Then of course there is the surveying of the growing pattern. What is coming up and what isn't. All very time consuming I am sure you will agree. Whilst walking around the garden I noticed lots of holes in the ground. I decided to ask Wayson our night guard/gardener what was causing these holes and he informed me it was the chisoni that were causing them. Unfortunately he didn't know how to translate chisoni in to English and my hideously bad understanding of Chichewa didn't extend to translating this either. So we both agreed to not being able to translate.

Later that night I was taking the tea out for him and he said he had something to show me. He brought over an old charcoal bag and informed me that he had caught one of the chisoni's and had it in the bag. Busy holding it out for me to see, I gingerly peered in wondering what strange creature might possibly be lurking in there, imaging all kinds of wild beasts, snakes obviously being on top of the list, and very worried that whatever was lurking in the bag might jump and bite or sting me. Imagine my relief when this is what was in there,



 

So chisoni is Chichewa for hedgehog. Well that was a relief as there are an awful lot of holes in the garden. One side effect though of this is that we have had to deflea the dog (I am refering to the royal we here again as my house mate actually did it)

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