We used to play practical jokes at Mulu on April Fools Day. These jokes were only allowed up to midday. We did not have watches and clocks at Mulu but luckily you could tell when midday was by the shadows on the rock faces across the Boli River. The shadows would be there until midday but after that time they would disappear. (This was also used by the farm staff who had an hour off for lunch and a rest as they would have started work at 8 am)
I,(Philippa) had an April Fools Days joke played on me when I was told that the milk in the bulk tank had turned pink. I oversaw the bulk and had to make sure it was absolutely clean once a day, so that April Fool’s Day joke was played on me. Then one April Fool’s Day we told Michael that the generator had stopped working. He oversaw everything mechanical. So I don’t remember him being pleased with his April Fools’ Days joke >
The other thing I remember which was NOT an April Fools Day joke was a student we had staying with us from the Dinka tribe in the Sudan or Kenya. He was very dark in colour and we had asked him to keep an eye on our children while we went out for a few hours and came back and heard a voice saying welcome and we nearly fell over with shock as we had not seen him. It is one of the things that I remember about 60 years ago, as I sit at the table in Sweet Pea House Hemyock on Tuesday 18th July 2023