So, Here We Are

Back in Colombo and things are the usual frenetic hustle and bustle. I left London on Saturday morning and got here to discover how lucky I was to be able to even take off from Heathrow. This ash cloud looms largely over air travel doesn't it?

Then, once I hit Colombo I witnessed rain like I've never seen. Well, I've seen this sort of rain before, the downward heading and wet variety, but never for so long and so continuous. Each morning as I gaze out of my window with the AC on, it looks as though I'm in the UK, except for the fact that it's blistering hot there this week.

Sunday afternoon was pleasant, chilled, relaxed and mellow. That's what Barefoot jazz does to a man, even a slightly jetlagged one who had that dazed with tiredness drunken feeling going on. I played a funky song or two with the Speldewinde chap, they let me do this now when they want to clear the place I think, and hung with friends, shot the breeze, not that there was any, and felt the warmth on my skin.

Java's not in town and I miss him. I know he'll moan about me not going to see him up in his lair, but I will do it eventually, I promise.

And, while I feel a bit narked about the rain and the weather, I was just told something that puts things in perspective and makes me feel humble, well a bit of a wanker actually. It's the fact (unverified but from a trustworthy source) that 100,000 people have been displaced by this weather in the last few days. That's just mental and wrong.

It seems the most of the literary types here are raving about chinaman, not the little yellow fellow who delivers your takeaway but the book by Shehan Karunatilaka. A few feet away from me is a carrier bag with five copies of the thing inside it. That's how excited I am about reading it.

I know bugger all about cricket but I'm hoping my knowledge of Sri Lanka and chinese food will be sufficient. I've been looking for a fantastically stimulating can't put it down until you've read that next bit book to read for a while and I think this could be the one.

It's 8.40 AM as I'm about to hit the publish button. Just to wind up people like the Auf, DD and T (the NY one) I feel a need to inform you that my breakfast of string hoppers, chicken curry, pol sambol and a touch of that red chilli sambol is sitting rather heavily on the stomach. It's nothing that won't get dislodged by a good rice and curry lunch somewhere though.

Laters all.

RD