Our first "date".

Since Tuesday night, the singing and dancing has continued outside our house.  Fortunately it has only been during the day and early evening though.  In the middle of the singing on Tuesday night I said to Porks, "So these locals do their mourning in the evening!" (Well, I thought that was funny!) When it started again on Saturday afternoon, I took a photo from our bedroom window without a zoom....

 







 ..........and with one.

Whenever Porks came home from work this week, we looked at each other, lifted up our elbows and shuffled our legs, moving our bodies side to side in time to the music...copying the dancers.  Then we'd laugh with each other. As the music started again yesterday, I turned to Porks and said "How many people do you think have died in that house?"

As we were driving onto the main road I took a close up of the crowd. They were quite happy and seemed to be celebrating the person's life.






 Porks met the contractor who is levelling and grading the road. He invited Porks and me for drinks and snacks on Saturday night in Atebubu, where he is renting a house.  So we left at about 5.45pm just as the rain and wind started up again. We knew we were going to be late getting home and Gundi and Genie had not yet been alone at night.  We were concerned about them being alone in the storm. I fetched my hat, Gundi's new blanket and my jersey and arranged them on the couch at the top of his ladder so that he could climb up and down at will.  I put food out for both him and Genie and then closed up the house (for the wind) and switched off the lights.  I have a little tissue box made up into a bed for Genie that is placed in a bigger box.  She was quite happily sleeping there when we left.




Gundi's new blanket.

The sun was just setting as we left Bantama and drove into the on-coming rain.

We took a self-portrait of our first "date" as our host was fetching the drinks.

Jonny Adam, from Baskinta in Lebanon.  He is 29 years old and single.  He is running the family business as his father and uncle are getting old and are passing it down to him.  What a life!  Living on his own in Atebubu with no family or friends!
 

He put on a lovely and unusual Lebanese spread for us.  We had "labneh" (a yoghurt and olive oil dip) with Lebanese bread, sliced apple, carrots and cucumber.

  From right to left, top to bottom:

sliced cucumber   crisp Lebanese bread     labneh

carrots    apple
 

We also had "batengan" - also known as garden egg - a small brinjal-like vegetable, roasted and cut up with garlic and olive oil. Delish!
As well as "tabuli" - parsley, onion, tomato, olive oil and bulgar - a small wheat-like lentil.
(We have seen the "garden eggs" at the market in Atebubu but didn't know what they were and how to cook them so we haven't bought any....but now we will.)

Swalisu (Sale, pronounced Saaly, for short) is Jonny's Ghanaian cook and house-man.

(I wished I could steal him for us!)

We had a lovely, informative evening commiserating and sharing grievances and got home at about 9.30pm.  The lights were on...(all together)......yaaaay!   But one of the phases was off....aaaaah! 
The kettle was working.......yaaaay!  But the kitchen was in darkness.......aaaaah! 
The TV was working......yaaaay!   But the air-conditioner and lights in our bedroom were off.....aaaaah! We managed to get the kitchen fan working in the bedroom....yaaay!         
and that's all, so there's no more aaaah..........aaaaaaah! (Or is it .....yaaaaay?)

When we walked into the house, guess what we saw?  Genie was sitting on my hat, jersey and peeping out from under Gundi's blanket.........she had climbed up Gundi's ladder! Gundi had gone to the bedroom and was sleeping behind one of the little cupboards. (I have now brought in a "ladder" from outside for her to climb onto and off of the bed!)

This little mite is extremely clever too - we have had her a week and she is finding her way around without being taught!  She is a brilliant climber though and would normally be climbing trees, so it was natural for her to climb the ladder!  Here she is climbing up Porks' pants to get to him.

I have asked Porks to bring home a spade so that we can make a cat-litter for Genie....the smell of her urine is overpowering!


There is a Ghanaian custom called "chop", similar to a tip but it is not only for services rendered, its for anyone at any time. It is supposed to be allotted to ones wife to pay for food.  If you give someone their salary, "chop" is expected to be added.  When Porks sends the driver to Kumasi, he gets money for petrol, money for the tolls and "chop" money.  Anyone in authority will expect "chop" for allowing one to work on the land or when renting a tractor etcetera.  It apparently derived from when the British were here.  They'd give their worker money to go and shop and when they came back they'd say "keep the change", which then became shop/"chop" money. I don't know if that is true but I am making sure I have some "chop" when I go back home!