BRICC Sallah

Ramadan ended on Thursday and today there was a sallah (holiday) meal of rice and chicken in the meeting room for the BRICC family.  It was lovely that Fraser, James and Ruth had received a special invitation as none of them had been to the meeting room

at all and many people in BRICC were sceptical that James even existed.  The four of us turned up in our Nigerian clothes to bask in the love that always emanates from such BRICC gatherings: Christians and Muslims eating together, talking together and building the relationships that are the only way to secure peace for the future.  Fraser, as a special guest, was prepared to be asked to give a short speech.  I, although I shouldn't have been, was completely taken aback when Siddiq called on me.  My few words were highly commended as being very short, not always a quality evident in speech-making but one that I value.  Just about everyone there, including neighbours and representatives from the neighbourhood watch, had something to say about the value of the work BRICC is doing.  Fraser's illustration of the two communities being like hands went down especially well.  Hands can clash as two fists; they can move together as in clapping - touching but not really involved with each other; or, as is the case with BRICC, the fingers can intertwine as the hands clasp, each fully connected with the other.  Long may our hands clasp and multiply!
Alhaji is always very pleased when Ruth comes along to BRICC and makes sure she gets in the photographs.

On a completely different subject: our puppy, Luach, has had a tough couple of weeks.  He got the second of his puppy vaccinations and reacted badly, hardly eating and spending most of his time sleeping or curled up (preferably on someone's knee) looking thoroughly miserable.  Now he looks on all Nigerian men as the vet coming to do something nasty to him and barks his little head off at any who approach.  Yesterday was the first day he improved and started to show more of an interest in life.  Unfortunately yesterday was also the day of the very strong wind coming from an unusual direction.  Luach has a pastic crate to sleep in on the back porch which we put inside the huge box from the washing machine for extra protection.  Yesterday afternoon Fraser heard him whining and went to investigate.  Poor Luach was sitting where his house should have been, staring forlornly as his entire dwelling place sailed off across the garden.  So we don't have to change his name to Toto it's now weighed down with a very heavy rock.