Carnaval's coming!

Some days are extra-good. Today I skived off to meet my friend Liza in the Saara , one of the most colourful areas of Rio. So named because the small shops in the narrow, crowded streets were once mostly run by Lebanese and Syrian and other Arab immigrants. Now Seoul or Shanghai might be more appropriate, as the Chinese and Koreans are almost elbowing out the Arabs.

Liza was a woman on a mission – to find Indian headdresses and other goodies for herself, husband and two small children. I went along for the ride and to catch up (we’re Honorary Family, and I was shocked to realize that we hadn’t seen each other since before our trip to the States in October – the more so, since they’ve now moved from Santa Teresa to quite close-by). Travels, Christmas, too many things got in the way. Either way, it was great to see her and she passed on the Carnaval fever – I bought two masks (for me) and two hats (for HH) in the first shop!

Couldn’t stay long, as I had a recording on the other side of town, so tore myself away after 45 minutes. Home to get the car and off I went. The recording was quick – one sentence, to add to a message I did last year (should you happen to phone the Maracanã stadium, you'll hear my voice on the answerphone). The studio is close to the Botanical Gardens, so I popped in for a snack and to visit the newly-reopened Orchidarium. Not much flowering at the moment, but on my way there via the ‘Atlantic Rainforest’route, I met a delightful hummingbird, who let me get within one metre of him. The brilliance of his neck feathers was stunning, an iridescent blue-green. He sat and preened himself on a branch, making several trips to the water channel below, hovering over it like an undecided bather on Brighton beach in December, before dipping in and out at high speed. My phone was out of battery, so I used HH’s old Palm, which I had with me. Couldn’t see what I was doing and didn’t know how to work it – nor have I been able to download the photos - but it didn’t matter. Just being so close to such a beautiful creature was enough.

Home and back to the grindstone – HH was in São Paulo – before choir in the evening.