Goodness...three weeks into my holiday already!

  I am still in London, ‘Glamping’, (Glamorous  Camping), as someone called it. It means that I am spreading myself out amongst my many and hospitable friends: a couple of days here, a week there. 

Just now I moved into my old friend Sanjay’s on the New King’s Road. I am enjoying his lovely and large flat which is full of all those high- tech mod-cons that someone like me (i.e.  fresh from the African bush) craves. When I go on holiday I don’t want anything ethnic or exotic: I already live in mud hotel in an ancient mud city...

No, I want shiny things that work: smooth beautiful surfaces and doors that open and shut without a sound; huge flat-screen TVs with every film imaginable at the touch of a button on the remote control; a fridge filled with champagne and cheeses, that wonderful commodity, entirely lacking in Djenné.  Luckily for me, Sanjay’s is just one such place...  and there is a very large and lovely bath here too: this is one of those old-fashioned luxuries which most people seem to have discarded in favour of power showers. But I am a fan of long baths, especially in Europe which is a very cold place as far as I am concerned. Don’t forget that the thermometer showed 43° when I left Djenné! 

(a post-script to the above addressed to my friends and London hosts: should your fridge happen to be lacking in champagne and the large flat screen TV be missing: fear not! I am not a spoilt brat I think and am genuinely extremely happy and grateful just to see my friends!)

My London life is not only filled with glamorous events and luxury however... I am trying out Portobello market to sell some Malimali garments. And believe me... I take my hat off and bow to market traders' resiliance. It is a hard way to earn ones's living, even though the sun was shining on a beautiful spring Saturday and we did really well;  it was quite gruelling... but I will continue on Friday next week too.