RSS

Category Archives: Senegal

More Bags, New Tool and Crinodendron

A cloudy day today so it has been perfect for spending the day sewing. I’ve made two more veggie bags for Roots and made a small modification which I’m very pleased with. The really bright fabric on the left hand side is fabric from Senegal and I love it. .

The lovely Mr S has been working on replacing our bird feeder station which had rusted away. He called me to see his new magnetic spirit level in action.

Our Crinodendron, otherwise known as Lantern Tree,  is magnificent this year. The wind has blown lots of blooms down so I thought you should have a photo while it is still lovely. One of my blogging friends, Hey Jude,  posted a fascinating piece about her tree which I have saved for today to share with you. Do visit. Her photos are brilliant.

 

Tags: , ,

Tulip, Bluebell and Another Bag

I love these orange tulips that are scented. Sadly only a couple have flowered this year though I planted a dozen properly  deeply a few years ago.

One of our beautiful English Bluebells is beginning to open.

I’ve been sewing again most of today and have two more bags nearly done. I have used some lovely bright fabric that I got in Senegal eleven years ago when we were there for our son’s wedding. If you’d like to see some of the colour and fun of that trip, look here.

 

Love, Match and A Poem

This came my way today. Thanks L.

It’s the England v Senegal match as I write. It’s a family Derby as we have people in both camps. LiveWire 5 supports England, his dad’s country and LiveWire 6 supports Senegal, her mother’s country. Right now, it’s England 2 and Senegal 0 but some of us still have hope in our hearts!

The following poem came my way some time ago. It’s one to make its readers think.
      The Cosmic Dancer
 
I counted my years
and realized that I have
Less time to live by,
Than I have lived so far.
I feel like a child who won a pack of candies: at first he ate them with pleasure
But when he realized that there was little left, he began to taste them intensely.
I have no time for endless meetings
where the statutes, rules, procedures & internal regulations are discussed,
knowing that nothing will be done.
I no longer have the patience
To stand absurd people who,
despite their chronological age,
have not grown up.
My time is too short:
I want the essence,
my spirit is in a hurry.
I do not have much candy
In the package anymore.
I want to live next to humans,
very realistic people who know
How to laugh at their mistakes,
Who are not inflated by their own triumphs
and who take responsibility for their actions.
In this way, human dignity is defended
and we live in truth and honesty.
It is the essentials that make life useful.
I want to surround myself with people
who know how to touch the hearts of those whom hard strokes of life
have taught to grow with sweet touches of the soul.
Yes, I’m in a hurry.
I’m in a hurry to live with the intensity that only maturity can bring.
I do not intend to waste any of the remaining desserts.
I am sure they will be exquisite,
much more than those eaten so far.
My goal is to reach the end satisfied
and at peace with my loved ones and my conscience.
We have two lives
and the second begins when you realize you only have one.
~ Mario de Andrade
 
2 Comments

Posted by on December 4, 2022 in Postaday2022, Senegal, Uncategorized

 

Tags: ,

Djembe, Sunset and Choose Love

We are packing up D’s drums to send to him. This is a beautiful sounding Djembe made by D himself after learning how to do so when living in Senegal.

Driving to choir tonight, I just had to pull into a lay-by to take a photo of the sky on fire.

For the Christmas cabaret, the basses made a puppet of our leader, Claire, to everyone’s amusement.

 

Model, Music and Munchies

I have had this little model for many, many years. It was made by S, a very talented writer in one of my English classes. He was a restless sixteen year old who needed encouragement, both to believe in his own talent and to sit still!  I discovered that, given something to model with, his concentration on the literature we were studying increased hugely. One day, at the end of the lesson, he presented me with this precious little model, made of Blutak. It’s me – curly hair, long skirt, a necklace and a scarf, carrying books and a heavy bag of files and with a huge grin on my face. I was so touched and I have kept this little treasure ever since.
Thank you, S. I hope you have become the writer I thought you could become. Maybe you went on to make models in the style of Wallace and Gromit!   Maybe one of my ex-pupils who reads this will tell you of this post!
I first posted this in 2013! I still have my little 5″ model and it still means the world to me. I was reminded of it again yesterday as I was talking teaching techniques with our son, D,  and spoke of how I gave fidgety young people something (Blutak) to play with.

Yesterday, our last day with the family here, D gave the children his Senegalese Djembe. They are going to have lessons at school next term and were delighted with this very special gift.

Last Saturday a neighbour and good friend had her birthday party. We couldn’t go but I made her a tear-and-share Camembert party piece to be finally cooked at the party.  I am told it went down very well!

 

Tags: ,

Weekly Photo Challenge – Dance 2

The dancing at our son’s wedding in Senegal was wild and wonderful!

Dancing to the drums

Dancing to the drums

For more photos in this Challenge, click here and for more photos of the wedding, click here.

 

Tags:

Weekly Photo Challenge – Ornate

The public buses and trucks in Dakar, where we went for our son’s wedding in 2012, are ornately decorated, every one special and different.

Beautiful bus in Dakar, Senegal

Beautiful bus in Dakar, Senegal

Beautiful Bus in Dakar, Senegal

In Dakar, Senegal

For others in this week’s challenge, click here.

 

Tags:

Weekly Photo Challenge – Orange

This week’s Photo Challenge invites us to show orange in its variety of shades and in a variety of scenes. Click on any photo for more detail.

To see others in the Challenge, click here.

 

Tags:

Birthday Breakfast, Fabulous Food and Thieb Bu Djen

1. We are in Barcelona to help celebrate our daughter-in-law’s birthday and brought with us presents and cards from family in England. We bought some beautiful French tarts from a cake shop yesterday and had those for breakfast after our croissants! We cooked a birthday dinner last night as D and A have to go to Madrid tonight re A’s visa to visit us at Christmas.

2 This week we have eaten Spanish food, D&A’s Moroccan neighbour has brought in beautiful breads and cakes for us each day (see the photos below), last night’s dinner had one English course, (Prawns in a Marie Rose sauce), one French (Confit duck with saute potatoes and peas)and one Italian ( Tiramisu) and this evening we are having a Senegalese dish,Thieb bu djen( chebugen) which I have had a hand in preparing! For D&A’s arrival back tomorrow evening, the lovely neighbour is cooking us a Moroccan couscous dish.

20130903-133603.jpg
Birthday breakfast.

20130903-134649.jpg

20130903-134658.jpg

20130903-134708.jpg

20130903-134716.jpg

20130903-134727.jpg
Beautiful biscuits, all home made
3. Our Senegalese supper was super delicious and reminded us of our trip there for the Wedding last April.

20130903-210620.jpg
Thieb Bu Djen

 

Tags: , , ,

Weekly Photo Challenge: Carefree

Guests dancing at a family wedding in Senegal.

Dancing at our son's wedding

Carefree dancing at our son’s wedding

 

Tags: ,

 
%d bloggers like this: