It is always a good idea to fear the worst. If things do not turn out as expected, then one has a reason for celebration.
Djenne Djenno smiled on me on my arrival. The staff where all there, busy attending to their various jobs. The bogainvillea had flourished in my absence and even needed propping up.
Papa had made at least fifty jars of delicious mango and ginger jam.
The little gecko that used to sleep in my bathroom window all last year, but disappeared about the same time as Keita fell ill, had once more returned, and I take this as a good omen.(He sleeps behind the metal mesh and the wooden shutters, so is safely tucked away, dear prospective hotel guest)
My old friend Haidara arrived to greet me, dashing as ever, on the beautiful Xaloc who danced around looking dangerous and impressive, which is his duty as the horse of a Malian Marabout. I was able to tell Haidara about the death of Napoleon in Bambara and he actually understood what I said. We both cried a bit and agreed that
‘So ye tun kanie kosobe’. ( It was a splendid horse).
Haidara will take me to the horse market at Sofara soon, to help me chose a replacement for Napo. Then he turned and left in a very slow and controlled canter, nearly on the spot, with a grace which would be the envy of the Spanish Riding School.

The arrival of municipal electricity to the hotel is imminent- within a week perhaps; with all that brings of possibilities: the making of ice cream; buying a whole cow to store in the freezers; watching a DVDs at nght if suffering from insomnia; enjoying the airconditioning or at least a fan at night; (at the moment Djenne is a furnace and because there is noone here apart from me I switch of the generator about ten pm)

The rains are yet to begin. The large number of frogs which will start their nightly chorus of celebration once the rains arrive have already congregated, and they are now crying out spasmodically; calling for the rains to start, says Beigna.