I'm needing to get up earlier to catch Ra on the horizon, but Cat is doing her best to help get me out of bed on time. I can't believe my good fortune to see sunrises over palm trees.
But I'm not the only one up early. Balloons are always so cheerful - I guess because they first enter our psyches through birthday celebrations - and there are plenty of them here this time of year. We've counted as many as 14 flying at the same time. Even without balloons, I love to look westwards during the sunrise to see the gebel (escarpment) turn beautifully pink in the glow of Ra.
Within an hour, work is well underway. I am 'hoovering' in the house, while the farmers are tilling the land between the banana plants. Looking closely you will see several white cattle egrets. They are nicknamed "Farmer's Friend" because they follow him as he hoes (by hand, by tractor, or by roto-tiller) and feast on the plant-eating insects that are turned up. The bird's official name in Arabic is Abu Kirdan, "Father of Ticks", because it used to be seen perched on the backs of water buffalo and pecking off the irksome pests -- bringing to mind a similar camaraderie in the comic strip "B.C."
7 PM Update: For those who are wondering, the painter did NOT show up today and I was NOT happy. In frustration I ate a bowl of arrabbiata pasta and had a nap on the balcony.
No comments:
Post a Comment