1 Such a lovely thing – when I use my hairdryer, it blows out the beautiful incensey smell that was in our apartment in Pikine in Senegal bringing back all those lovely memories.
2 We’ve just bought a new shower curtain with the Tube map on it! Click on it to make it big enough to read.
London Underground Map on our new shower curtain
3 I’ve just come back from the run-through of tomorrow’s Baby Naming Ceremony, firstly a beautiful drive down to Potager Garden though lanes lined by ancient trees and then the words of the Ceremony which contain the following from Kahlil Gibran, words that Mr S and I love and the philosophy which we tried to keep in mind while bringing up our own four children:
“Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.”
Tags: Baby Naming, Ceremony, children, incense, Kahlil Gibran, London Underground, philosophy, Pikine, Potager Garden, Senegal, shower curtain, Tube
1 We all went by taxi into noisy, crowded and hectic Dakar to the British Consulate for Daniel to pick up his ‘Certificate of No Impediment’ so that he and Ami can have their Civil Wedding on Wednesday. It wasn’t ready! Ten minutes later, the Consulate called to say that it now was!!
2 We met Ami’s lovely parents in town for a ferry trip to Ile la Goree, a beautiful place with a shocking and disturbing history, it being a transit point for slaves to Europe in the 1800’s. It’s a Unesco World Heritage Site and a museum of tremendous importance. The baobab trees had lovely art work for sale attached to them.
3. Pap came into supper with his arms full of traditional outfits for us all and asked that we wear them at dinner that night. Pap, so lovely and thoughtful, also bought presents for KJ and M, our other daughters who couldn’t be with us in Senegal.
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Tags: British Consulate, Certificate of no impediment, Dakar, Europe, Goree Island, history, Ile de la Goree, museum, Senegal, slave trade, traditional boubou, travel, Unesco World Hetitage Site
1 Driving to Penryn this morning for singing with The Suitcases, it was a delight to see the trees all greening up with that beautiful vibrant lime green of new unfurling leaves.
2. Brilliant reading group session as there was so much to say about ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. We all found it to be a fascinating and unputdownable read that we also found very disturbing though touched with a sardonic humour.
3. We drove along the lane at Sunny Corner this afternoon on our way back from the Garden Centre. Mum and Dad lived along there for many years in a cottage they named ‘Chimneypots’ and it was a real journey down memory lane!
Sunny Corner, Cusgarne
Tags: Chimananda Ngozi Adiche, Chimneypots, Garden centre, Half of a Yellow Sun, Penryn, Sunny Corner, The Suitcases
The morning of the wedding, Ami and her Mum
The family in the morning
Ami at the salon, hair started, no make-up yet
Ami in her Wedding Dress, having changed in the salon owner’s bedroom next door
Back in the Salon, hair done and being sprinkled with gold-dust
Make-up done
Leaving the Salon
Drummers welcome Ami to the house and alert the guests on the roof to her arrival
Drumming welcome
Daniel and Ami arrive for the Ceremony
Babacar very kindly translates from Wolof to English for us.
Traditionally, cola nuts and sweets are handed around once the couple are married
The party begins with dancing
Followed by traditional singing, telling stories and praising the couple
and more drumming…..
and more dancing…..
Family photo
Ami’s Mum with Daniel and his Twin Sister and our new Grandchild
Newly Married
Just beautiful!
More family
Lucy and Daniel with Mgatte (Pap)
Sisters
Lucy and Ndeye Marie at the Wedding
The morning of the wedding, Ami and her Mum
The family in the morning
Ami at the beauty salon, hair started, no make-up yet
Ami in her Wedding Dress, having changed in the salon owner’s bedroom next door
Back in the Salon, hair done and being sprinkled with gold-dust
Make-up done
Leaving the Salon
Drummers welcome Ami to the house and alert the guests on the roof to her arrival
Drumming welcome
Daniel and Ami arrive for the Ceremony
Babacar, very kindly, translates from Wolof to English for us
Traditionally, cola nuts and sweets are handed around once the couple are married
The party begins with drumming and dancing
Followed by traditional singing, telling stories and praising the couple
and more drumming…..
and more dancing…..
Lucy and Ndeye Marie at the Wedding
Family photo
Ami’s Mum with Daniel and his Twin Sister and our new Grandchild
Newly Married
Just beautiful!
More family
Lucy and Daniel with Mgatte (Pap)
Sisters
What a colourful and happy day!
And the Civil Wedding will be on Wednesday.
Tags: beauty salon, civil wedding, dancing, drummers, drumming, English, French, gold-dust, Grandbaby, Griots, guests, make-up, maquillage, Muslim Wedding, newly marrieds, Postaday, postaday2012, reception, Senegalese wedding dress, singing, sisters, translator, twins, wedding ceremony, Wolof
Yes, I know that’s four things. It’s so hard to keep to three from our trip to Senegal!
1 The garden, full of bamboo, bougainvillea and many other flowers, attracts lots of birds. The Weaver Birds love the bamboo which they tear off in strips for their nests, the Sunbirds come for the nectar and to spread their wings in sunny spots and the Bulbuls do their courting here! All the time there are Black Kites wheeling about overhead. Lucy, before we came, also saw Egrets and a flock of Pelicans!
Weaver Bird with Bamboo strip
Weaver Bird with Sunbird on left
Sunbird sunning her wings
Black Kite
2 Ndeye Marie was delighted with her chunky coloured crayons and paper and immediately started practising her letters.
Crayon Fun
I also read Eric Carle’s ‘The Very lonely Firefly’, translating it into French as I went along, to Ndeye Marie, our newest Grandchild – what joy!
Reading to Ndeye Marie
3 Mr S and I went down to Ami’s family home to see the hired chairs being hauled up onto the roof for the Wedding tomorrow. Some family were having tea outside and invited us to join them in true Senegalese fashion. The mint tea in tiny glasses was very hot, very sweet and beautifully minty.
Ousseynou making tea
4 The sky at sunset
The Sky over Pikine
Tags: Ami, Black Kite, bougainvillea, Bulbul, Egrets, Eric Carle, garden, Lucy, mint tea, Ndeye Marie, Pelicans, Senegal, Senegalese hospitality, Sunbirds, sunset, The Very Lonely Firefly, Weaver birds, wedding
1 Breakfast in the salon outside with Daniel, Ami and Lucy, speaking French and learning Wolof! We gave Daniel and Ami the North American Wedding Jug, a small token of their marriage. If you want to know about the jug, look here: http://www.kachinahouse.com/c-61-wedding-vases.aspx
Learning French and Wolof in the salon
2 Shopping for wedding shoes!
The Shoe Shop
Success!
and a bag ........
Street view
3 Met the lovely Pap, Ami’s older brother who lives in Italy and who has come home for the Wedding. Delightful character, full of fun and humour and love for Daniel. They’ve been friends for 15 years!
Pap
4 and a full moon
Full Moon and Flowers
Tags: Daniel and Ami, French, full moon, Italy, North American Wedding Vessel, Pap, shoe shopping, wedding shoes, Wolof
1 Our apartment in Pikine is very close to Ami’s family home, has rooms all opening onto a central courtyard which is smothered in palm trees, huge cacti and beautiful bougainvillea in pinks and reds.
Sunlight through the leaves
2 Took a yellow taxi to Pikine market – bursting with bustle, noise, colour and smells – to buy fabric for me to have made up into a traditional boubou for the Wedding on Sunday. The most colourful bus took us to the tailor’s where I was measured up and chose a beautiful blue thread to go with the emerald green fabric. It will be ready tomorrow!
3 Met Ami’s lovely family at her home – her parents, her beautiful daughter, Ndeye Marie and some of her aunts and children. We managed to understand each other pretty well with some shared language (French), lots of body language and Daniel on hand to translate from Wolof when necessary. The family has known Daniel for 15 years and spoke of him with pride and warmth and welcomed us into their family. We were able to say how pleased and proud we are to welcome Ami into our family too.
Lucy with some of the children
Tags: accommodation, Ami, bougainvillea, cacti, Dakar, Daniel, English, family, French, market, Ndeye Marie, palm trees, Pikine, Senegal, Senegalese, tailor, traditional boubou, wedding, Wolof
