Erika in the garden.

I spent the morning in the garden, painting postcards of my beautiful Beninoise appliqué. I ventured out only to the postbox and to a fruit stand. I saw a goat by the British School that was brown from the waist down and ivory from the waist up. It looked like it was wearing a sweater and pants!

Evening with the Thomases
That evening we had a lovely dinner with the Copes and the Thomases, Glyn and Pheretha. We cooked the tuna James had caught a few months before. After Brian deboned the steaks, each piece was marinated in either lime or soy sauce and wrapped in foil to grill over the barbecue. Dinner included salade verte, couscous, bread, and fruit salad. After a couple days of bread and water on the road, this meal was heavenly.
    Charlotta and Pheretha joked about their British husbands' devotion to certain condiments. Pheretha teased her husband about his taste for ketchup. When they first married, she was perplexed by his obsession with the stuff. "And what's with that sauce that doesn't sound like it's spelled? Worcestershire? (pronounced "wooster") And this HP stuff? It's the same thing in a different bottle, isn't it?"
    James said with mock gravity, "Oh no. There's a difference. It's subtle but significant!" This comes from a man who says, "Marmite. It starts the day right."
    After dinner, the Thomases regaled us with very funny stories about their honeymoon, childbirth, and Terry Thomas, Glyn's eccentric father. I'm a big proponent of eccentricity; it helps you live longer. If you can't afford to be eccentric yourself, befriend one or marry into a family that has one. Terry Thomas, for example, is notorious amongst Glyn's childhood friends. He is a man prone to dramatic wine toasts, modeling his hunting regalia at moment's notice, and he's an amateur geneologist who has designed a new family crest. But he is also a man who loves his sons unconditionally and has welcomed his African daughter-in-law into his heart.
    Simply put, it was a wonderful evening. •