Heron on the Nile
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  Perfect Days Supper for One Tue 29 Mar 2005  

Tue 29 Mar

First thing I pop up to the souq, enjoy the light, chat to the stall holders, buy vegetables and some lentils. Back at the house I prepare the ingredients and prepare one of my fabulous lentil stews. I plan to meet MJG later and it will be nice to invite her back for supper.

I finish teaching at 4pm and as arranged MJG and I go down to Ab Roaf, ostensibly to check out where to bring students the following week for an ad-hoc meeting of the English Club. On the way we discover several establishments engaged in large scale production of earthenware pots – some for the garden, some for water, some ornamental, some practical. I'm quite impressed. I don't think she had seen this kind of thing at all. Skilled potters at the wheel; labourers bringing clay and wood for the kilns.

Inevitably we go for a swim in the Nile, she fully clothed – just as she has been at college all day. We chat with the locals. A boatman comes across from the island recognises me from my visit in December and pretty-well tells me off for not visiting since. I think MJG is impressed that people seem to know me and like me. I promise I will visit again soon.

It is quite dark by the time we get back to Shuhada and MJG declines my invitation to come to supper, just as well as when I get home I discover Eleanor is around and there's only one portion left.

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