A New Arrival

Besa

Yesterday our new puppy arrived.  This wasn't entirely planned as we wanted to be settled in to our house at TCNN before acquiring any livestock but I went visiting Anne Karin Lauritzen last week and one of her first questions was, "Do you want a dog?"  "Besa" is the larger of two pups. The name that immediately sprang to my mind was "Podge" but James and Ruth objected.  Instead he's called Podge in Danish which was what the Lauritzens had already named him.  He's having to make do with mainly homemade toys - a cereal box and one of James' worn out socks stuffed with newspaper.  I only hope he doesn't decide to play with James' feet as they'd smell the same (poor thing!).

I'd been thinking a dog would be reassuring when we moved to TCNN as the house is on the edge of the compound.  The rising tension on Friday helped to make up my mind about Besa.  I was at a BRICC meeting when we heard gunshots from the direction of the mosque in the afternoon.  It's quite an experience, especially as you don't know what exactly is happening.  I learned later that a group of Muslim youths had decided they wanted to burn a church in retaliation for the film that's causing so much trouble.  The security forces decided not to allow their demonstration and fired warning shots to disperse them.  It was a great answer to the prayers going on throughout the city that there was very little violence that day