I got back yesterday, and it’s so good to be home. Lars has kept things running very well, and the farm looks great. We sold five bullocks and got a fair price for them and the wheat is looking good for this year. Lars is a sound man. I’d like him to stay on if possible, at least till I can get the game reserve and the lodge up and running. I could do with the help, and he seems to like it here. I can’t really run everything on my own, and I do think we need to go ahead with the lodge now. It will boost our income and help the farm over this present bad patch. I saw Anthony Chapman in Nairobi on the way home, and he’s going to come up soon, to take a look at the land I want to set aside for the game reserve. He’s willing to put up some of the cash for construction. There are other hunters and private safari operators who have assured us they will use the place for their clients.

The garden looks OK, but not up to your standard of perfection, Ma. I think it misses you. Kamau and Mwangi and all the staff miss you as well. And so do I. Thanks for the letters that were waiting for me – it was good to see your handwriting on the envelopes and to know that you are doing fine.

Pa, how’s it going with the tobacco crop? At least you should have plenty of labour out there. We’ve had a bit of trouble with poachers taking plains game for meat, and the Maasai have been sneaking their cattle and goats into our grazing, cutting the fences to get in. Lars and I are going to talk with the headman early next week. Apart from the poachers, Lars has managed very well and we were lucky to find him. He sends you his greetings and will soon post you his monthly report. Don’t worry about things up here. We’ll pull through somehow.

Hannah, I hear from Ma that you’re really hunkering down to your course now, and doing well. Keep it up. Maybe you can come up for a holiday in a while. In the meantime, be good and help out in every way you can.

I saw Sarah and Tim, and Camilla too, in London at Easter. We spent the weekend together and we had a few experiences that I’ll tell you about some day. I don’t know if the idea of you all being here for Han’s 21st summer will work out now. Things have changed so much for everyone.