Watery

Over breakfast I watched a video of a moose giving birth, and dealt with some frustrating WhatsApps about field logistics.

It was a very watery day. At the office a pipe leaked all day, dripping water next to the window, and I now have sympathy for the victims of water torture. We received messages about expected storms and floods in southern Mozambique. And I tried to rouse the building management company that oversees the block where I have my flat in the UK to deal with a persistent leak from the innards that is causing worsening damage in my kitchen. My tenant is very patient but it’s getting annoying.

At work, beyond the dripping, I spent the day trouble-shooting so that we can perform the merest of activities in the field. Meanwhile I joined a call during which we were invited into breakout rooms to develop collaborative poems. In a huge global organisation we have thousands of things going on, however this contrast was particularly striking.

My dip in the pool after work was delightful, with red sunset hues blanketing me as my head bobbed around the surface.

The problem when the phone algorithm shows you’ve lingered on a moose birthing video, is that other mammalian birth videos will soon start popping up. In the evening it was horses and dolphins.

One of the entrances to Maputo’s main hospital also has birthing imagery.