BUPA 60th Thailand Challenge

You may think all I say is great and happy about being at Sarnelli but it is. After arriving yesterday the group of us went back to the wall which when measured by Catriona and Ian was 100 meters! delighted to find it still standing we touched up and finished with great delight applying the yellow as a mark of respect for the King. Looks great and villagers arrived to take a look and express how good it looked.We were rewarded for our aches and pains by Tadum she is 15 years old. Little is known of her past but she was brought to Sarnelli in 2001 after her parents died and she was sold to a taxi driver, she is beautiful bright and intelligent and sadly 3 years ago went blind after a severe case of chicken pox. Her Grandmother taught her massage and she has the most amazing strengh in her hands. One by one in we went and she sang softly the whole way through. Group split after lunch and I stayed with Tracey Pauline and Pam we tackled the main gate and finished the day helping to put the new plants in which, the rest of the team had been to purchase at the garden centre. Finished the day at good old Tesco buying the delights for the party we are having Thursday evening. All of us know we are going to be sad at leaving I also know we are all committed to remaining in contact with Father Mike and Sarnelli in whatever and however small a way we can as we know anything we can give or do will benefit. xx

First job this morning was to check over the wall to make sure that everything was just right. I was not surprised that everything was just hunky dorey- Not that I expected anything else 6 OCD BUPA painters had tackled it, The wall is approximately 100 metres long, as the day went on it was 500mtrs, then 1 mile by the weekend and the return journey home it will be a 26mile marathon. Whilst checking the wall a grandmother and son came over to see what we were doing she told us that we had done a beautiful job, then another lady came to tell us the same. It was nice to be stopped and told this, as those people were locals not people from Sarnelli. The task of painting a wall to brighten the house up went as far as to brighten up the locals in the community,

Next task was to rub down, wash then paint the gates. Gates are almost finished only the gold fiddely bits to do tomorrow.

Planted the plants next and the kids all came down to help us. The enterance looks grand.

What kind of group would we have been if we had not gone to TESCO! The journey was made and lots of things were bought, teddies, blankets, pens, paper and not to mention the obligatory sweets.

Tomorrow is our last day at Sarnelli and we have a few jobs to finish off.

I am sure it will be tough day tomorrow!

Cat

DHL not here as yet but I sure it will arrive Thur am.

Sawasdee Ka, in the middle now having the time of my life. Anyone out there not having done any thing like this ….. don’t be frightened it’s FAB If there’s anyone from week 6 reading don’t bring hairdryer - I’ve bought one in Tesco in Nong Khai for 3 quid am leaving with Jo. Enjoy ! a wee pressie from week 5. Have gotten so attached to the kids I’m now a member of the 3 degrees Oh-Ay and Aye and me Pauline. We’ve been singing dancing planting flowers working in the grounds - what a team. So for you guys coming next week don’t muscle in on my team because they’ll let me know by carrier pigeon. So anyone whose ready to come over then be prepared for an experience never to be missed. Have a ball. I know you will. P x

Weather has been beautiful today (& so far this week) just thought I’d mention it as haven’t so far and the sun lover in me needs to mention this even though haven’t been in the sun at all but it is lovely and warm. Got the horrible rusty gate re painted black today (gold bits tomorrow) we thought big problem 2nd coat for sure but the amount of comments from the kids / wonderful carers / Father Mike about “beautiful beautiful” clearly it’s not as bad as we feared. Still the perfectionist in me wants to do a 2nd coat tomorrow as well as the gold. Lovely moment today when a car pulls up at the gates ” do you speak Thai” big rush to find someone who does, not sure exactly what was said between Thai speakers and visitors. But I sure could understand the ” Thankyou thankyou this is beautiful” to which I said “Thanks but we have to thankyou love this place” lady just hugged me and said “No we love you” don’t know who she or her husband were but wonderful ! Trip to garden centre successful, won’t say more but plants outside the gates look great and inside …….. already for next week. Su you’re a star, spoke to birthday girl, Jules thanks for comment will do (& you’re blog tonight great) there’s a queue so have to go lots of love Trace xx

We all arrived eagerly to start the 2nd day’s work - split into two groups. Spent the morning painting the heart of the house. I know my husband would be really proud to see me using a roller especially on the end of a long bamboo pole. The hardest part was white on white and after a few hours I became totally confused !! I then moved out with the girls onto the front perimeter wall entrance to Sarnelli House and the first thing all the visitors see. What a state it was in before we started today. The staff are amazing and are so delighted that we make a fuss of them and talk to them as well as the children they are so humble they also melt our hearts as much as the childrens. We worked throughout the day and finished the whole 100 metre wall (at least we’re going to measure it today) Photographs to prove it. The team are great and we’re all working together really well. Tracey is an absolute lunatic and the salt of the earth she runs around helping each and every one of us. At the end of the day when the majority of us could barely walk she was freaking out on the dance floor with the children. It was an absolute delight to see, persuaded me to get up and dance too ! More tomorrow xxxx

Had a very busy long day today, both groups were determined to finish the tasks assigned as per Karen’s poems “The heart of the house” and “Our wall” Was tough didn’t think we would finish ………….. in fact lots of joking about us being on overtime late in the day. Only when we had finished were we advised it was a 2 day task not 1. Unbelievably we then all decided to go have a boogie with the kids, well I love my dancing, so do the children and it would appear the rest of the team too. So I am sitting here at 10:30 having had a few beers and a red curry. With Ian’s blackwatch beret on still covered in paint and in the same clothes I left here this morning in ……… luckily all the others the same, all smelly together !!! On that note I am going to sign off for the night. Alex please ring my mum and wish her a Very Happy Birthday and that I love her loads. Jules will go find and hug and kiss as instructed, thanks for other comments too guys scared to go back and get all the names incase this connection goes again tonight ! Thanks night night xxxxx

Our Wall ……….

We’d like to tell you about our wall

Witnessed at Sarnelli by one and all

We washed and we scrubbed to remove the grime

We polished the tiles to a gleaming shine

We whitewashed with white as the undercoat

Then added the green as the overcoat

Yellow tomorrow is yet to be added

We as a team focused on the task

The home at Sarnelli gleaming at last

Catriona, Karen, Pamela and Luke

Tracey, Jacky, Pauline together what a fluke

We worked together on each of our parts

Painted with love in all of our hearts

x x x x x x x

The heart of the house ……..

Today we set out to paint the heart of the house

Lacking in lustre as dull as a mouse

A group of staff from all over the world

Added paint, love and humour to the Sarnelli childrens small world

Adam, Julie, Anasztasia, Joanne and Ian

Worked hard as a team for the childrens wellbeing

It wasn’t easy in fact quite tough

But done as a project full of love

x x x x x x x

Today is the first day that we started work at Sarnelli House and what a day that was….we painted the whole of the front of the house allocated to week 5 although I started some of week 6 work…..okay though dont panic I have left it  for you.

 All the children are so happy and look forward to our visits and  I have fallen for each and every one of them but itsMan U that has taken my heart and I never thought anyone would again, If I could bring him home to meet you all  would….Charlie would love him. Man u is 5 years old but the size of a two year old but with a heart and giggle larger than all of us he has made my visit worth every minute and I will find it very hard to leave him behind but know that week 6 will look out for him and I hope that we will meet agaain n the future ths I hope will be sooner rather than later !!!!. This visit has had a huge impact on me and will stay with me forever.You are all about to witness something very special…..Helen bring the tissues, I wish you well, look forward to the train journey and bring lots of tissues not for the tears of sadness but for the tears of joy that these children bring to your heart.

If any of week 6are near Ikea some snuggle blankets for the very dark sick room that we are about to paint will be great. Missing you all more than you know Love Mum /Karen xx