A special catch-up with Angela, here from Oxford for a few weeks. Not often that Juba is on anyone’s circuit!

Finally sorted the small painting of Polly that I have been meaning to get done for ages. It’s not a dramatic picture but does show her in a typical, I’m not letting you get away, sort of mood.

Juba 3, overcast and so quiet you don’t want to breathe in case the air you expel disturbs the tranquility. Massive thunderstorm, with lightning crashing into the building next to where we were sitting. The only casualty, my towel as I obviously didn’t wash all the red mud from the bottom of my legs that had accumulated during my jog. Did two circuits to get my long run in.

A bunch of issues to juggle, some routine, and others more problematic. We had a child drown in Maban in an excavation we had enlarged for road building material. Should have done more in anticipation, particularly with the refugees who aren’t familiar with the risks.

‘The Reader’, portrait of an old man on a Sunday afternoon in Tokyo. After listening to a discussion on portrait painting, I used oxide green (rather than blue) for the shadows, which opened new colour choices .Especially appropriate for the pale Japanese complexion.

Driving across town on my way to the office, there was a huge storm on the horizon, with lightning replacing the sunrise. Its arrival in Juba Town drove every mozzie in the world into my office!

The design concepts for the National Archives in Juba Town are in, with a few amazing approaches. The central point of the tree under which the elders meet featured prominently in many of them, as well as its unifying role in the countries identity. Presentations to the Council of Ministers will be the decider and then I hope we can actually build the thing!

During my evening jog, I heard a coucal calling. Probably the black coucal. Special. It certainly must have known something, as its pouring.