Happy New Year to all

P and I spent Christmas and New Year with my favourite people this year. When I got back, I was invited to a friend’s birthday party, where I was informed that I must be crazy to voluntarily spend any length of time in such a cold place when I live in such a warm place. Go back in the summer, by all means, they said, but not in the winter. I actually liked it though. First of all, seeing the family. Secondly, fetching and buying things in France and England in order to take back to Mayotte. Things such as shampoo (either unavailable or too expensive here), which decided it would be better spread around its protective plastic bag than staying obediently inside its original bottle, and Cadbury’s chocolate, which melted promptly upon arrival. Thirdly, it’s actually fun to put on a thick red coat and scarf immediately after vacating a plane / car / house, having been persuaded to carry a pullover with me to put on in Paris Orly airport because "it’s cold here, you’ll see". I don’t know about forgetting what cold temperatures are like – I probably haven’t been in my new tropical climate long enough for that – but it definitely amuses me to carry pullovers one way and, once comfortably ensconced in front of my computer in Poitiers in December, to log onto my favourite clothes website and start choosing summery t-shirts and shorts. I like the sales in England too, as for some mad reason, they don’t seem to want to wear floaty t-shirts and cropped trousers in January, so they sell them off cheaply to make room for the spring-summer collection… that’s right, floaty t-shirts and cropped trousers in February. Barking mad.

Rain and mud... my favourite :). And it's true : English people really do have fun walking in cold weather. At least, I do.

Lots of thatched cottages for P...

Hard work...

Presents...

Good food... with not a Brussels sprout in sight...

 

... and moments of intense concentration!

I arrived in Mayotte at 8.30 on Saturday morning, collected my luggage / violin / computer / cat from the airport, couldn’t put money in the trolley because it wanted euros and I only had 10p and 5p pieces, dragged everything to the car over a flooded field and drove home amid complaints from a frightened cat named Figaro.

Unlocked the door, dumped everything unceremoniously on the floor, freed the cat and tried to flop onto the bed… oh. I’d closed the bedroom door – the only door in the flat apart from the loo and the front door – before leaving mid-December, and it had obviously been fairly humid while I wasn’t there, as mould had sprouted all over my pillow, bed cover and mattress… and bathroom mat… lovely. Right, start again. I found some lovely little bugs on the floor as well while I was fussing about finding candles and whatnot… talk about a welcoming committee…

The joy of finding these in the bedroom after three weeks away is indescribable.

Yesterday, I was “cooking” pizza for dinner about 7-ish when the power suddenly went off. This happens all the time when the oven is on if there’s so much as a fan or the computer on at the same time, but this time, the power switch was in the “on” position. Tried a few lights, nothing happened, so I lit a candle and went out to see what the neighbours were doing. Candles glowed from every doorway and window – at least I’m not the only one – and silence reigned. Talked to P over the mobile phone and busied myself on the computer until both devices switched themselves off, then had fun reading books by candlelight… but 30°C is one heck of a temperature to sleep by when the air-conditioning has been cut off and there’s a storm outside. This morning, still no electricity, so I went round the supermarkets hunting for something interesting to eat without having to cook or heat it first. There’s surprisingly little on offer when you think about it. Got stuck in a traffic jam or three, filled the car up with diesel just in case Total should be the next one to go on strike and arrived home about 5.30-ish to find that the electricity had come back on. We’ll see about the freezer contents tomorrow.

Computers and candlelight... an interesting combination.

The electricity going off wasn’t just chance, as it happens. EDM – “Electricité de Mayotte” – have been going on strike quite a bit lately, as some of their installations have apparently been sabotaged, so they’ve been striking to protest against the sabotages. Naturally, both acts of sabotage and strikes cut off the power supply for part or all of the island, for however long a delay as EDM deems necessary / takes to repair the damage.

 
The boat back home... and a bit of wishful thinking from the cat.