Mostly Food and Pianos

I am getting very slack in my updates. Life has just become rather busy lately.

I've been turning my old guard hut into a self-contained apartment.  It used to be a room with a pit latrine and a broken shower behind. We've knocked through the latrine and shower to form a single en suite bathroom, replaced the latrine with a flush toilet and put in a proper electric shower. Then my friend Maia suggested building a mezzanine-style bed so as not to take up limited floor space.

It looked like a really simple job at first, but took on a life of its own - plus buying all the things you need for the kitchen, like a fridge and sink. It's very, very almost done now. Just waiting on the solar-powered fairy lights to arrive. Looking forward to showing you some pictures.

Also treated myself to some new porch furniture. All the better for sitting around with friends on.

Went into town today to buy some material for curtains and hangings. I ordered a mini sewing machine from China. Not sure if it'll work but, after pianos and room conversions, I'm feeling all capable and creative. I hated sewing with a passion at school, but there's something different when you can see a purpose for it.

Maia's also just launched a new menu at her restaurant. I've been a happy food tasting guinea pig. Tried shakshuka for the first time.

 

She's also started serving lots of drinks in jam jars, which is something I absolutely love. I remember when I first moved back to Rwanda and hadn't gotten around to buying proper glasses - I drank everything from jam jars. It's a nice way of recycling too, and it doesn't matter so much if someone accidentally breaks one.

 

Also really enjoying the lemonade. You get water, a small jug of lemon juice and one of cinnamon-flavoured sugar syrup to sweeten to your taste. So refreshing.

 

Another first for me was chia seeds. Not quite sure how to describe them. Sort of crunchy, like when you bite into a fig. She soaks them in macadamia nut milk, then flavours with dates and cardamon and other yummy things. Tastes pretty good, and very filling.

 

A bit better presented than my homemade cheese sarnie.

We'd both been working hard recently. I've been proofing more textbooks for schools and private clients, and Maia's been training her staff on the new menu, so we decided to treat ourselves to a night out. She took me to The Hut. Somewhere I'd never been before. It's a bit swanky and the food is delicious.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, the cats have also been eating well - or trying to. Sadly, this praying mantis didn't make it.   

 

But today I rescued a very-much-alive lizard which was almost as long as my forearm. Thankfully, it was big enough to keep the kitties at bay until I put a protective bin around it as a force field. Carried it safely to the undergrowth with the help of a Tintin comic.

"I have never been thus treated in my life!"

My cats are monsters, but I love them. Had a text from my neighbour last night asking if I had all of them. I told him they were out for the night. He told me there was one in his room.

 

Letting the Cat out of the Bag

Cats sleep anywhere, any table, any chair...

As a totally mad idea, I did a stint waitressing at Maia's restaurant the other night. It was a particularly busy night and she needed a hand. I did it for kicks - to remember what it was like. I think I was about 21 when I last waitressed. It was hard work. Every part of me ached afterwards, but it was strangely chaotic and fun. I had a good time. Accidentally got elbowed in the face and someone described the way I took food orders as 'so cute' (she might have had a few). Got paid in beer, food and gratitude. Might do it again sometime.

Had a little fracas recently. Had to go next door with a couple of my neighbours to have a sit down with the bar that's just opened. Well, I say 'just'. It's been two months of awful. Some Danish donor thought it would be a responsible thing to give a group of young men a whacking donation to rent out a house. The idea being  they'd turn it into a café to raise money for a street children's project.

The man who runs the street children's project seems really nice and willing to listen. The man who runs the bar is a complete dick. After calling me belligerent twice, and mansplaining why his sound system couldn't possibly be a problem, he then made the mistake of telling me what a hardship it had been staying up screaming drunk with his friends until 3 a.m., because he'd been tired.

They've calmed down a bit since then, but we'll see how it goes.

It's kind of ironic that I'm complaining about noise so much when I'm tuning so many pianos.

Just tuned my very first grand piano. It was actually the first time I'd ever touched one. Quite a humbling experience. A gorgeous, much-loved Yamaha.

 

 

 

Loads of other stuff going on with the piano project at the moment, you can check that out over on the project blog. Made a start on our piano case and imported the bass strings and tuning pins. Sadly, having problems sourcing the rest of the wires, but working on it.

A lot of editing lined up, but planning a weekend getaway with Maia in a couple of weeks. Just popping up to Uganda to lounge by Lake Bunyonyi.

I think that's about it for the catch up. Cool pictures of the apartment coming soon - and probably blood-spattered ones of me sewing my fingers together.