Brazil part 8

 This time it was a very posh house full of beautiful  antiques and antique furniture. There is also a garden full of orchids and of course a palm tree.

As I am writing this sitting at a beach café the lights come on. The town gradually lights up and the last surfers trek along the sand. Back at the house the whole family are squashed in a tiny room 50yds away in the dark. How much better to be outside. They could all sit here in the open air in comfort and the children could play. Whose mad?

Am I moving Beyond Fear ? The title of Dorothy Rowe's book that I am reading. The insects appear and I have so I have to risk the lions den, 

Who is rich, the people in the flat, or the men and boys surfing and playing football. I can still see one surfer in the sea in the moonlight.

The Christening

This is why we have come to Brazil and  Sao Vicente in particular. The baby to be christened is the child of J's younger son. Apparently he told J that he didn't want anyone to wear black.  She and her sister had a trying on session in front of me but I was not asked to join in. J told me to wear the dress that I had worn to the wedding. 

I said, "But it is black." She said, "Yes but it has flowers on it." I told her that I didn't want to be cold. I was told not take many clothes. She said, "It's only two days, There is no room in the car. ( my car by the way) . Just take clothes to wear there and back and something for the Christening."

I try a few things on by myself almost in the dark because the bulb has gone in the living room where the only mirror is.  I had said to J ,"There is no light in your Mum's living room."  She said," But Freda you have a light in your bedroom and  a light in the bathroom." I said, "Yes it's OK for me I read in bed  but what about your Mum?"  She said," She can watch TV in bed."

I pack a set of clothes, some for warm and some for cold weather. The journey was uneventful for me but her poor mother was exhausted. She hadn't slept the night before. I had heard her taking a shower in the night and we had to get up at 4 o'clock. 

However to give credit where it is due  she did drive a very long way. The reason for the early start was because we had to traverse Sao Paulo. It is unbelievably big and extremely complicated. We got very lost and J did what she always did. She wound down the window and asked the first person she saw and asked for direction.  When this proved useless, ever resourceful she drove off the motorway and found a police station wet in and came out with instructions which she followed and we found ourselves on the correct road. The journey was exceedingly stressful and J had bee driving for four hours.