Sunday...

Sunday 9th March

Usually on Sunday, I am woken by the priests chants and today was no exception. But as light dawned and the sun came out the chants were replaced by hordes of (mainly) young lads cheering and chanting for their team on the dust bowl of a pitch at the back of my house.



Spent the day at home pottering – dug a big(ish) hole in the garden and removed a ton of rubble! Problem is I don’t have any soil to replace it with. No worms to be found anywhere. I really wanted to go out and wander around with a bucket picking up the animal droppings but didn’t think the locals would be able to cope with that! I filled it in from the dried up objects on the compost heap put in some plant food left by my predecessor and planted some peas. I used some of the stones to create a little wall around the soil area in an attempt to stop it being washed away. I had to remove all the rubble so did venture outside with buckets full of stones to add to the piles already there and of course was immediately surrounded by little ones shouting ‘hello’ over and over in their high pitched voices. I retreated back to the calm, cool garden.

Carlyn rang in the afteroon to invite me over for dinner on Monday.

During the afternoon, someone knocked on the gate. I went out and was surprised to find a tall, healthy young man dressed in religious garments – he did not speak but looked at me appealingly with his hand held out. I refused.

I was supposed to be going around to my neighbours at 8 o’clock and expected Kebebe to call round for me but she didn’t come. By 10.30 I decided she wasn’t coming and cooked myself some dinner. Pasta with tomato sauce made from fresh tomatoes, garlic, onions and parsley from the garden. I put in half a stock cube to give it a slightly meaty taste and it wasn’t too bad at all. Dreamed of a pot of parmesan – the packet rubbish I wouldn’t dream of buying in London but will be stocking up with on my visit home.