No, the adaptor still hasn't appeared. Recently we heard of one volunteer who has just received a parcel posted in 2006............

Anne's news
Work: Have stopped having meetings at two of the schools now to concentrate on writing the development plans. Still struggling to get all the necessary information from the other schools for a variety of reasons such as committee members selling their cotton harvest (a priority); committee members being too drunk to participate; lack of interest on the part of the parents. VSO may pull us out of these schools if they don't improve. "God damn" knows his job is on the line too, so has suddenly become cooperative again after a few bad weeks.
Home: Moved house last week and after surviving the collapse in a pile of planks of our bed in the middle of our second night, we really feel we have come up in the world. Our new home is equipped with what my Chaddian cookery book describes as "luxury items" e.g. a potato masher and a rolling pin (I still prefer the empty beer bottle). We have more shade, more space and a back-up battery operated lighting system - more luxury, instead of torchlight at 6am! We do, however, miss the sheer brilliance of the washbasin which washed our feet at the same time as our hands (thanks to absence of sealant for the waste outlet!) and the shower which soaked the entire bathroom floor as we showered. Now we have a shower we abseil into and, joy oh joy, a toilet seat that can stay up! (Hamish very excited about that.) Water is still freezing in the morning but by mid-afternoon it comes out of the cold tap (there is no hot one) at over 30°C.
Random thoughts/facts: Head teacher at the local secondary school was unable to take the time to tell me what work classes have been doing due to the death of a neighbour's uncle!!?
We have to smear Vaseline inside our nostrils to prevent dryness and bleeding.
It's not fragrant being downwind of GD on a moto!
We got our Cameroonian driving licences last week and are now looking for a vehicle.
Stilll getting Christmas cards - Margaret & Neil Browning's arrived via Colombia!
It hasn't rained since October.
First time I opened the curtains in our new home I found a naked man in the garden. Yes, girls - it's true!
Like a true African housewife, I try to recycle what I can,, e.g. candlewax which had dripped down another empty beerbottle (where are they all coming from?) is saved to seal jam when I make it - no fancy wax discs here. Pineapple was my last batch - mango next.
Robert, who sells us pork from time to time, runs in terror from the kitchen if I turn on the tap!
Market this week:- tomatoes, onions, carrots grapefruit and little striped bitter aubergines which the locals eat like apples.

Hamish's news
House move a big success. Having a back-up 12v light system is brilliant. We charge up the battery when the hospital generator is on. It reminds us of being on Algol! It also suits the hospital night guards - it's not so far for them to walk when they come to get me to go down to the hospital. We have a nice shaded veranda where we can enjoy a cool beer (if I'm not on call!) - very colonnial!
The workload is a real issue. It's too much for only two doctors, especially if one is away or tied up in theatre. However, we have found a possible locum for some help at weekends. He has a government contract at the main hospital in Maroua, but like all government posts, his salary is not paid regularly, so he'll be happy to get some regular income from Zidim. The Director of VSO Camerron has given our boss an ulitmatum: if she hasn't found a third doctor by mid May he will withdraw his volunteers. Since both Anne P and I are here through VSO, that would leave the hospital with no medical cover - the last thing we would want.
We are about to buy a car. It's a "Chelsea tractor", but that's essential for the dirt roads, especially in the rainy season. It's 19 years old but well maintained. The current owner is a doctor at another hospital just outside Maroua. He returns to the UK on 2nd April so the deal suits us both. As far as local vehicles go, this one is classy Bodywork is fairly good, it has seatbelts for all 7 seats, schock absorbers are in good condition and the windscreen is not cracked. An uncracked windscreen is very unusual here due to the intense heat.
The weather suddenly changed on Wednesday and we're into the hot season. When we went for a test run in the car yesterday the thermometer was recording an outside temperature of 39°C.
In case anybody has picked up on news of political unrest in Cameroon, don't worry - things have calmed down again. There were some strikes and demonstrations in the South - mainly about increases in food and fuel prices. Seems to have settled very quickly. We're due to go to Limbe (a seaside resort!) for a VSO conference, but it's been postponed for a week to be sure things are settled.
One random thought: I've noticed a lot of patients become "trapped" in the consulting room and can't get out. Eventually the penny dropped: most of them don't have houses with western style lever door handles so they don't know how to open the door!
I notice our Cameroonian licences allow us to drive motorcycles, cars, vans, buses and artics!  Could open up a whole new career!