Pimms O'clock

 Beautiful view from Harris's balcony.

He's left for the next couple of weeks to attend a conference in Europe. 

We spent his last night watching movies on the balcony and drinking whilst waiting for the taxi. Think the takings at CasaKeza will plummet whilst he's away. Miss my drinking buddy.

It's been a party kind of month.

Since Maia left, her friend Victor has taken over the running of the restaurant. It was his birthday, so there was cake and, being from South America, a large quantity of tequila.

 

Ended up teaching my friend Christian the neck-lick, which is something I haven't done since I was twenty-one. You rub a little of the lemon on your neck to make the salt stick, then put the lemon in your mouth. The other person licks the salt off your neck, downs the tequila, then takes the lemon from your mouth. It's fun. I learnt it with the British Army in Germany. 

In return, he let me wear his cap and glasses so that I could look like a librarian (apparently). The glasses are fun - fake lenses. I need to get some to make me look smarter.

In between the parties, rain has transformed my garden. A self-seeding butternut squash and, what I presume to be, potatoes on their way. All thanks to Gizmo the garden elf.

Had a rare water and electricity outage the other day. Glad it didn't last more than a day as I don't think my bucket-for-one emergency reserve is enough for four people and five cats. Got a full house at the moment.

Also had a thoroughly enjoyable ladies' night. I've become part of a WhatsApp group filled with ladies who dine - and drink. Mostly friends from the development sector. We splashed out on a very nice French restaurant called L'Épicurien. It's pricey (£15 for the duck) but it's absolutely worth it. The food is very tasty. Afterwards, a few of us wandered over the road to Mamba. We missed the live music but the place was packed and it was a lot of fun. Few people I knew there, and was joined by my friend Sameer from Gisenyi who was down for the weekend. Afterwards, we headed to Nyamirambo to meet up with Maja, Vincent and Mac in a bar for one last round. Made it home at a respectable 2:30 in the morning.

Mamba Club - we have a bowling alley, who knew?

The next day Jo came to pick me up to go to PiliPili. Had I been in the UK, I probably wouldn't have watched the Royal Wedding, but something about being an expat can occasionally turn you more British than you normally feel. It's a chance for Pimms and strawberries, neither of which are easily found. Sat watching the screens, and listening to a table of Americans behind talking about Limeys and explaining - with confidence and many mistakes - the structure of the royal family. Still, it was a nice, boozy afternoon and everyone was united in cheering for the kiss. No sooner did I get home than there was a call from Johanna and Sameer. We convened at CasaKeza for sangria and a strange night telling ghost stories.

 

Pimms O'clock