An evening sky full of lightning. The air vibrating in anticipation. Water, an unrelenting torrent. Roads, a lottery of mud. Misery in the PoC’s.

Muddy jog after a night of storms. The rain has again highlighted water born diseases from inadequate sewerage collection and disposal, primarily in the PoC areas. As a precaution, I avoided the areas on my route that are traditionally flooded.

Everyone has gone, the kitchen is sorted and there are a bunch of bits left in the fridge. Farewell for a couple of my senior staff moving onto gentler parts of the world. Sher’s Kofta and chicken kebabs, tasty. The fire perfect to ensure rapid cooking within the minimal time we had before everyone needed to get back before the curfew.

The conflict in South Sudan has been particularly harsh on women and children. Yet, they need to go on with the everyday requirements of cooking, cleaning, shopping and caring. My painting ‘Forgotten’, a women in the Konya-Konya market of Juba balancing impossibly heavy loads, doing all she can not to draw any attention to herself. Fading into the background.

First payment received through PayPal for a painting shipped to the States. Still need to check on the downside of using e-commerce platforms and regulatory hurdles. More importantly, a new home for one of my paintings.

Flooded camps in Bentiu, surrounded by nervous soldiers on both sides of the conflict. Access complicated by airfields that are waterlogged and no material available to sort them for hundreds of kilometers. Coffee discussion solutions of boulders, trees, mud and steel matting. The enormity of the task highlighted by the crashing of a UN helicopter.

The coffee machine is clean. Laundry sorted and paintings packed. Time to head to the vineyards