Ogden's leaving party

One of the multitude of good people who read these Mumblings enquired whether I was in good health. I'll say I am!

Unfortunately, I'm unable to post diary entries every day because oftentimes I'm busy with hush hush work, if you know what I mean.

Last Friday it was Ogden's going away party. He recently completed two contracts, and after a lot of soul-searching, decided not to stay on. A shame, as I really enjoyed our occasional afternoon games of chess. He flies back to Vancouver tomorrow.

The party was at Reg's house, and a wonderful time was had by all. The bathtub was filled with Greens and ice, and Reg's Chimvu River Jazz Band tapes got everyone dancing very quickly.

Anyway, someone told me a funny story about Ogden. Ogden is careful with his pocketbook - nothing wrong with that, mind you - if one is not on a supplement, then one has to watch the Tambalas. We've all 'been there' so to speak, though thankfully in my own case, not for some time.

The person who told me this story, whom I will not mention by name, said that she had gone round to Ogden's house down at Chirunga to see if he was selling anything of interest in preparation for his departure. I think she ended up buying the last of his tupperware for her cook, but that's by the way. Ogden's house was particularly sparse, most of his possessions having already been shipped home. It was also almost in complete darkness. When she had to make a call of nature, she discovered there was no light in the toilet.

"What's happened to all your lights?" she enquired. Ogden informed her that they had gradually all gone, leaving him only two, one for the sitting room, and one for the kitchen. He had not wanted to go to the expense of buying more bulbs, since he was shortly to depart. As an aside, I can certainly understand this sentiment, as they are extremely overpriced at Kandodo, and you're never sure how long they will last if you purchase one in the market.

"What do you do when you want to go to bed, then?" she asked. Ogden said that he simply asked Benson (his cook) to move the lightbulb from the living room to the bedroom!

There's a canny man for you!

I must admit, I can't actually remember getting home after the party. It was an excellent do, though. At these social occasions there's a lot of mixing, which is wonderful. The dancefloor is full of people, and one dances with whomsoever one wants, male or female. One of my favourite dancing partners is Mr Dolozi, and another is Alice, from the bottlestore. The Chimvu beat is particularly fast, so its just as well that its still not too hot, hereabouts.

MM III

Casper's Catches

If you discount a few cover drives, Casper has caught three things since he's been with us.

The most recent, was the mongoose.

A few weeks ago he presented me with a little bird. It was merely stunned, and he hadn't harmed it. I think it had flown into the hedge and become disorientated. Casper was quite happy for me to take it from his mouth and free it.

The first incident concerned a rat.

We'd been hearing scratching noises in the rafters some evenings, and when I investigated, I discovered some droppings in the loft. So I instructed Doviko to put some poison up there.

A couple of days later, Casper came to me with a furry bundle in his mouth, which I ascertained was a dead rat. He made it obvious this wasn't a present for me, and started to swallow it. I reckoned that it might have been dead before he found it, and it was probably poisoned, so it obviously wasn't going to do him much good.

As I mentioned previously, Casper is a big healthy dog, and quite powerful, so there ensued quite a tussle between the two of us (Doviko was away for lunch). Casper would not hurt me, but he was very determined to swallow his catch, and the rat was in danger of disappearing down his throat.

If you can squeeze either side of a dog's jaw, its usually possible to force the mouth open, and this is what I did. He'd just about swallowed the rat, but I managed to grab its tail, and curl it round my finger.

Unfortunately, when I pulled, Casper made another attempt at swallowing, the rat went further down his gullet, and - horrors - as I pulled the tail, the skin of the it came off in my hand.

Don't read on if you've just had dinner.

Anyway, it was a big rat, and he hadn't managed to swallow it. In fact, there was a slight regurgitation. Now you have to remember that I was astride Casper, trying to hold his jaws open, with lots of tussling and shouting, and Farley close-by, himself getting very excited. So, just as Casper made a further attempt at swallowing, I reached back in to his mouth, curled the skinless tail round my finger and pulled - trying not to retch as I did so, and half expecting the tail to come away this time.

It didn't, though, and I was able to pull the very soggy tail-less carcas from his mouth, and discard it in an old Kandodo bag.

Doviko definitely doesn't know any recipes for rat, but I will ask him about mice, as you see people by the roadside, when you're passing, holding up sticks with four or five mice skewered on them. I believe they are regarded as a delicacy hereabouts.

Here's someone else's photograph of a mice seller, and here's another one.

Here's a photo of a complete meal - mice and gourd.

MM III

Casper and the mongoose

Casper caught the mongoose!

This is rather strange, as Casper is not fast. Think of the action of a rocking horse, and that's how Casper runs - more of a lolloping action than a greyhound.

But catch it, he did. Then he came and showed me his prize.

I didn't see the actual action - was inside refilling the MGT. I suspect that Farley did most of the chasing, and the mongoose must have simply run into Casper's mouth. Farley's quite a lad for chasing mongooses, and he IS fast.

Anyway, that means the hens should start laying again soon.

This is someone else's picture of a grey mongoose.

MM III

Livingstone's eggs

In November, it will be 150 years since David Livingstone first set eyes on Mosi-oa-Tunya (the smoke that thunders) , which is better known as Victoria Falls.

A few years prior to visiting the Falls, he was in the Kalimbuka area, where he was sold some eggs which were off.

Some things never seem to change. The same just happened to me at Kandodo this morning. Normally I'd just ask Doviko to fetch some from the hen house, but a mongoose got in last night, and they've stopped laying.

I've followed many of Livingstone's footsteps. One of the most moving locations was Livingstone's House (site of) in Kolobeng. When Livingstone was there, the area was full of game. One of his daughters is still there, in a rather overgrown grave with a fence round it. The place has a very special atmosphere.

Here is a picture taken by someone else of the ruins of the house, which was destroyed by the Boers.

MM III

Casper the Black Dog

Casper is a very large black dog. He's supposed to have some ridgeback in him, and that perhaps explains the hairs on his back, but I think he's at least two parts labrador and one part boxer as well.

We inherited him from the Berrys, along with Farley, soon after the criminals broke into the house one night. To stop the criminals throwing poisoned meat to the dogs, and to provide added protection, we then employed Abdul as night watchman.

Casper has a very powerful sounding bark, but he's essentially a complete softy. His bark makes him an effective guard dog. He's full of energy, and is liable to knock you off your feet with his enthusiasm.

I think his ambition is to be allowed into the house, but he's only been in once, when we had a rabid stray in the garden, and I didn't want any contact between them. I must have looked like a lion trainer - with a chair in one hand and a broom in the other - fending the stray away whilst I ushered Casper and Farley in from the khondi.

Casper got so excited about being in the house that he whacked all sorts of things with his tail. He has no idea of his own size, so the whole place was rearranged.

The stray eventually died down by the hedge, and Doviko got rid of it.

MM III

Death, drugs and madness

Nerves a bit short this evening. Don't know why. El Nino or something. Except that there's no El Nino hereabouts.

Must be in the bones.

Shake, rattle 'em, bones.

Time to, perchance, whittle down some dagga.

Might give Good Ol' Hotboy a bell, if I can figure out the time difference, and the lines are up.

Next entry: Why its impossible to blog about the Black Bog, when you've got the Black Dog.

MM III

Cabbage and cricket

I gave Cabbage some Kwacha to take his mind off the bump, which has thankfully now gone down considerably, but I think he's got the wrong end of things.

He seems awfully keen to play cricket again. I think he considers getting knocked out whilst fielding as a money-making venture.

MM III

Evening news

A nice surprise! A visit from Alessandro, and he was good enough to bring a rack of pork with him, plus a bottle of madeira. Have asked Doviko to cook one of my favourites tonight to in celebration.

I like Aless. Always ask after his son, who's doing pretty well, so I believe. Still find it humorous that he named him Ordnassela (Alessandro backwards).

Alessandro is an old-timer, brought up in Portuguese East Africa, as it was known when he took the gap. In theory, he still has a place in Beira, but he's been settled a long time in Chiradzulu.

I went over to the quarters earlier, and Cabbage is still poorly. He was rather groaning, but I think he's got a whiff of the bonus, and is playing it for all its worth.

MM III

Hit at short leg

I say - still a tad groggy from the celebrations last night.

Bit of a 'to do', this morning. I got Doviko to send down a couple of overs at me first thing. He can't straighten his arm, but its better than nothing.

I placed Abdul in the covers, Cabbage at short leg, with Casper (he may be a cross between a lab and a ridgback, but his soft mouth prevents too much damage on the ball) 'patrolling' the outfield.

Anyway, I was trying to demonstrate a KP swept six and really got hold of one. Poor Cabbage had been distracted by Casper chasing a mongoose that appeared by the hedge and got hit bang on the head. He went down for a while, but fully recovered once I'd got the salts out. I gave him the rest of the day off.

I think I'll give him a small bonus as well.

MM III

Oh to be in Blighty, now the Ashes are home

Must admit to raising a glass and shedding a tear when Michael Vaughan raised the small urn in the air earlier this evening to signify that the Ashes are home once again.

Doviko surprised me with a chilled bottle of Krug at the opportune moment. What a gem he can be.

Perhaps there are a few, especially around these parts, who may not realise that England have regained the Ashes in what has been the most wonderful series of Test cricket in history. The Ashes urn, of course, never actually leave England. Its all rather symbolic. And English. But wonderful stuff, anyway.

Oh to have been at The Oval today.

MM III

Lower Shire

Sorted out the problem at the bar, I hope. A rumpus at a nearby gumba gumba caused a bit of a fracas the other night.

Gave Beston the sack, and instructed Dixon and Alice to make sure he didn't go near the chibuku for a while.

Bit of a delay at the bottom of the escarpment, due to regrading. If you're interested in graders, I found an excellent set of photographs of Abandoned Road Graders.

MM III

Mwabvi

Darn,

I've been called down to Mwabvi tomorrow. Problems at the Elephant Marsh Bar. No dish down there either.

MM III

One for robmcj

Had a slight hand in setting this one up, over at Le Roux's waterhole, here.