Tea and Gin

 

 Pretty sunrise from my garden.

What a few weeks. English lessons still going well. Really impressed by how well the group's coming along and we always have a good laugh. Keeps me on my toes planning lessons, and really makes me think about language and how we use it.

 

Said goodbye to Harris the other week. He stays a few months a year, working on his PhD. We celebrated the end of this stint with plenty of food and our favourite band, Viva Beats, who we hung out with after the gig. He'll be back in October.

 

 

Cat news not quite as happy. My beautiful little boy, Akantu (Little Thing), went out one stormy night about a week ago and never returned. No idea what happened to him. Really sad about that, he was a real character. Huge fan of food, very affectionate.

I've come to accept this is just part of being a cat owner. Sophie and Gizmo have both disappeared for three and four nights, respectively. I had a meltdown both times. Now, I just have to accept it. There's nothing much you can do, and I'd rather they lived full catty lives, hunting and climbing trees, than try and lock them up. It's heartbreaking, but you kind of have to let it go. The others are doing really well.

And the place where I teach English have just adopted a couple of kittens and a dog. The kittens are full of life and came in to disrupt one of the lessons recently.

 

  

Piano news is really slow. Dés and Paulin have finished the key bed and the keys, but we need a set of balance and front rail pins. We ordered them from America but the post takes an absolute age to arrive, so we can't really do much until they get here. 

Going to rebuild the Lirika. Got my purple frame, now they're painting the piano black. Going full Goth.

Huge congratulations to Dés and wife Adelle, who have become parents for the seventh time with son Glory.

I was down the workshop the other day and noticed this. Not sure if it was for the birth of the baby or a friend's wedding - impressive, though. Giant cow horn.

I've done a bit of work on Kigali Music School's Nordiska piano. It was gifted to them, but unfortunately it looks like the tuning pins are slipping, so it goes out of tune too quickly. One of those issues that would cost a small fortune to fix.

It's in a part of town I used to know really well. My friend Martine used to live nearby about ten years ago, and it looks like they're about to tarmac her road.

Still beavering away at the Hamilton piano at my friend's guesthouse. It's about a 30-40 minute moto ride from Kigali but she always feeds me so well. About to replace all the springs on the pianno to see if we can restore its bounce. It's very slowly coming together.

Finally on my last mashed avocado toast of the season. My tree has almost shed its last. I always feel guilty about the amount of fruit that goes to waste when I think of all those poor hipsters in the UK, clawing at coffee shop windows for their fix.

Headed up to Gisenyi to see my friend Sameer over the long weekend, as Monday was Liberation Day. I was waiting for a moto to the bus station when I noticed the council has put a helpful little sign at the end of the road, telling me where I live. Cyimana umudugadu (village), Isibo, Agaciro. One of those is the sector, the other the cell. Honestly, I've never been too sure which is which. It's in Gasabo at least, one of the three administrative districts of Kigali.

Arrived in Gisenyi around 5 p.m. It's utterly stunning that a four-hour bus ride across the country costs less than £3.50. Affordable long-distance transport is rather a speciality in Rwanda. Greeted by Sameer and his well-stocked mini bar. A welcome sight.

He's moved a couple of houses over since I was last there, but still a lovely garden.

(panoramic, click to enlarge)

We headed out into Gisenyi which was completely packed. There was some sort of festival going on. Half of Kigali and half the Congo were there - standing room only, so we retired to Serena for a double helping of apple pie and ice-cream. And more gin, obviously.

 

At one point a firefly landed on me. I felt so privilaged. I hadn't seen one in years. It just sat there glowing away on me.

Sameer's house is right next to the processing factory. He has a painting in his office of what the place used to look like years ago when it used to be government owned with very little equipment.

It's a bit bigger now.

Pfunda Tea Factory
(panoramic, click to enlarge)

Outside, they have a walkway where they record every years' yield.

We hung out by the lake and visited Calafia, who do the best sandwiches in Rwanda - washed down with majitos.

(panoramic, click to enlarge)

Our Snug

 

Then it was home for BBQ brochettes and more gin!

Before leaving, we went to check out a tree that had randomly fallen over and taken down a wall on the estate. Last year they had some serous flooding in the area, but not too sure why this happened.

That last one is an old hydropower plant from the government-owned days. It's been replaced with an upgrade.

The journey home was kind of tough. Got on a much bigger, luxury bus, but it stopped at every place and added about two hours to the journey. Sat next to a guy who'd had a few drinks and was transporting a giant bag of garlic. Was a slight endurance test. Shame Gisenyi is so far away.

Tonight, I went out to a lovely Moroccan restaurant, Marakesh, with my friend Chris. We gorged ourselves. The food is really something.