The Front Drive

This picture of my mother and father was taken at the last house we had in Mombasa, the big house towards the end of Cliffe Avenue which overlooked the entrance to Kilindini harbour. It was taken some time between 1959 and 1961, when they left Mombasa, and it was a Saturday or Sunday as those were the only days when my father wore shorts. On a Saturday he might go in to the office for an hour or two before progressing to the Sports Club where, if he wasn't umpiring one of the cricket matches, he would enjoy a beer or two before lunch. My mother is wearing one of her signature frocks and a pair of low-heeled shoes. The dog is Susie, a rough-haired dachshund, Richard's dog, the slayer of deadly green mambas - see earlier post here. Since she doesn't look too decrepit in the picture I would think this is nearer 1959 than 1961.

Whoever took the picture - and it wasn't any of us as we didn't have a colour camera - has their back to the house and the sea. The houses on the other side of Cliffe Avenue can be seen. Mlalo, the garden 'boy', had his bonfire under the tree to the left of my father. The tree with the red flower is a Uganda (or Nandi) flame. Out of sight to the right of the photographer is a group of frangipani trees from which, each morning, Saidi the 'head boy' would pick one of the delicate flowers which he floated in a bowl of water and place it in the middle of the breakfast table.

I do wish I had more photos of this house. It was such a happy place. On a typical day for Richard and I our friends would ride up that drive and walk round to the front of the house to sit on the veranda with us and look out at the view while we decided what to do that day.