Friday, September 30, 2005

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

6 Comments:

Blogger Hotboy said...

Mingin! Would you like to say something about your toilet training? Nobody in these parts speaks of toilets. They say where the squirrels go. This might be a euphonium, but it could just as easily be a harmonic. Hotboy

3:46 PM  
Blogger Lee Ann said...

It sounds like a wonderful party. That was a funny story of the man who had the light bulb moved at night. I do understand his reasoning.

2:30 PM  
Blogger onan the bavarian said...

MM - Thanks for that. Quite interesting. But two points are a bit ambiguous:

Greens? Is that vegetables? Ogden would surely have preferred them cooked. No wonder he wants to leave. Doviko has a nice recipe for Ndiwo spinach. Or was it Green's Stoned Ginger wine? Or some reference to Greens Playhouse, which has been on ice for several decades since the closure.

Secondly, reading between the lines, was Ogden about to depart this life? I wouldn't normally ask, but it would change the overall drama. If he's still "with us", I'm willing to chip in for a few 40W bulbs, if you or Ogden can cover the postage from the islands. Even if he never uses them, they could go in the coffin.

I'm sure this helps.

HB - inscrutable or what! And was that a reference to the jazz festival? 31 degrees here today, and I may be a bit loco until they put the clocks go forward. Stops the sun fading the curtains.

PS just opened the first Mahogany Porter, cheers.

11:40 PM  
Blogger zomba said...

Mear Robmcj,

Oh! I assumed everyone would know what a 'Green' was.

Carsberg Green - as in this photo taken at a local watering hole.

The advert refrain is "Give a Guy a Green"

One can also consume 'Golds' which are mighty potent, and 'Browns'.

I imagine that in the UnHeard of Islands, when the ferry arrives, they supply you with this beer?, or do you always brew your own?

Ogden is very much still of this life, as far as I know, though thanks for the offer of lightbulbs. Is there a surplus on S h a g Island?

MM III

12:02 PM  
Blogger onan the bavarian said...

I have a male friend who used to suckle his kids. When they were babies, of course, and I don't think there was any lactation.

4:50 PM  
Blogger onan the bavarian said...

Sorry, wrong blog for that comment.

This ex-El Alamein beer - you might like to know there's one of their people masquerading as a genuine blogger over at Lee Ann's place. What's your view of that? I take a dim one.

Yes, I always brew my own. I'm often tempted to buy some shop stuff, but to pay for that I'd have to start working full time, which would leave less brewing time. Vicious circle.

Lightbulbs are one of the few export industries on UnHeard Island.

4:58 PM  

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