Pink bananas again

The clocks went back this morning – we’re now 3 hours behind the UK. No more dawn shots for a while, I suspect. Took the dogs out early, as we had to come back down to Rio in the afternoon. Up the hill, someone had cleared the undergrowth and cut back part of the pink banana plants (Musa Dasycarpa, or Musa Velutina - http://www.orchids-flowers.com/tropical-flowers/pink-banana-musa-velutina/). I was sad to see this flower bud (well, I think that’s what it is) and fresh green leaves on the ground, but at least the three hands of fruit were still there. Apparently, they're edible, if you can work your way round the hard seeds. Doesn't sound very appealing.

Took a friend to lunch at a deserted golf club. Expenses are high, members are leaving in droves and those who remain are racking their brains for ways to reduce costs and attract more members. It's such a lovely course, with a long tradition (in Brazilian terms), it would be a shame for it to fail. While there, we met someone who lives in the States, but her parents were among the earliest members (fortunately, her mother still keeps the share, even at 92 and not having set foot in the place, as far as I know, in many years. Wonder if the daughter will do the same). Anyway, she joined us and we had an interesting exchange of ideas.

Seeing how the boulders in the river bed and bank are just loosely held together by dry, powdery sand increased my apprehension in relation to the rain. Luckily, when some arrived, it was fairly gentle round us. It was heavy coming down the Serra, though, so we were glad to get past the rocky parts. Nearer Rio, there must have been flooding somewhere on the road, because we sat in a traffic jam for the best part of an hour – very boring. Still, flooded roads are better than a serious accident, and luckily we saw no sign of any of those.