This magnificent lady is Baji, my potter, who made the sinks in the bathrooms and the 'ostrich eggs' that goes on top of the four poster beds. She is here wearing a locally made traditional bogolan outfit, woven and painted in Djenné. In my opinion this outfit could grace the catwalk of John Galliano, i.e. the best the West has to offer as far as fashion goes. It is my intention that eventually, perhaps even next season, we will have little fashion shows at Hotel Djenné Djenno, with pieces like these and some of the things we make ourselves.
Apart from my excitement over Baji's elegance not much happened yesterday. It is the fin de saison, which even in this exotic location gives exactly the same gentle nostalgia as if I were sitting at the end of Brighton pier looking at a closed down ice-cream stand. Suddely I feel really alone and deserted and the idea of going 'home' to Europe for a few weeks seems perfect...but until then, let's have a look at the garden where our first aubergine harvest is nearly ready: