28th March 13

Rain over Addis
Oil on Canvas 40cmx40cm

Thunder rumbling over Juba Town, the scramble to ensure staff are safe as reports come in of over 100 South Sudan military casualties from fighting in Jongelei, reportedly heading towards one of our project sites. The airfield, a priority project to make it accessible for fixed wing aircraft has demanded bunches of time to unblock the finances unblocked within our systems.

The thunder also a warning that the rains are on their way making travel within the country almost impossible. This with our twenty truck convoys waiting to depart, while others are being hijacked and fuel stolen (we use 3,000 liters per day at one of our sites) grinding our refugee response to a halt.

Early jog on quiet roads with glimpses of the full moon between the clouds. Lightning flashing in the distance. Glad I had my lamp, as corrugated iron sheets and been blown into the road, which I would never had seen in the dark. On the way back, the call to prayer over Juba Town.

In Juba Town, road crews have been sweeping the sand off the streets which keeps the dust down but has taken away my jogging surface. A few rainstorms should bring the sand back.

Dinner at Da Vinci watching the Nile, with Laura, one for Ian’s postgrad class mates in York. She is in Juba for a couple of months doing research for her dissertation. The traffic coming back was nuts.

I ignore the bunch of proposals and stuff that were piling up on my desk and spent the day painting, ‘Rain over Addis’. My sky and clouds looked flat and dead, so I scrapped the whole lot and started again. Much happier. Even if the clouds look like a bit crazy with wild colours and the focal point seems to vanish from the page.

The apartment looks empty and dusty with the paintings all packed. Only the latest one is still on the easel, with dirt marks on the walls where others have rested. The coffee machine is cleaned, as I start the trip back to the vineyards.