We are just clawing ourselves into the recession," was how restaurant owner Francis McGovern explained the state of the Zimbabwean economy.
We met the Armagh native in The Cattleman Stake House, which he runs on Bulawayo's Tongogara Street.
We has visited Francis just over two years ago when it was impossible to get anything in a country that was in free fall to nowhere. 
The Zimbabwean dollar was worthless, food products were scarce and queuing for supplies was a must.
But what a difference a few years make.

It was a return journey I made with the greatest of pleasure. Morocco is a fascinating country, full of culture, camels and culinary delights. I had been to Agadir last August stating at the plush Agadir Beach Club Hotel.
The opportunity to revisit before Easter could not be resisted. And, yes, the Beach Club was again our home for a week.
We flew with Sunway ex-Dublin for the three hour 40 minute flight to be greeted at Adadir Airport by Sunway destination manager for Morocco and Tunisia, Dennis Chiren, Sunway and tour guides Touria and Habib.
This time we were accommodated at the Beach Club in a duplex suite overlooking the beach with spectacular views of the setting sun in the evenings.

comdt_mc_donaldCOMDT. Kevin McDonald, O.C. Recce Coy, 102 Inf. Bn., a native of Castlebar, is currently serving in Chad, Central Africa, with MINURCAT (a United Nations mission).

He is son of Paraic and Bernie McDonald, Greenfields, Pontoon Road, and has served overseas previously in Lebanon in 1984, 1993 and 1996 followed by two years in the Middles East serving in Syria, Lebanon and Israel from 2005 to 2007. He deployed to Chad in January 2010 and will serve there until June 2010.

Kevin wrote: "It is currently 40 degrees at 8 a.m. and we are expecting 54 degrees today. Needless to say a cold 'medium' in Johnnies would go down well, unfortunately this is a 'dry' mission so cold water is the best we can hope for."