..."it's like talking without using words"...

The above quote is how Charlie, of the Charlie Porter Jazz Quartet, described jazz music to a crowd of about 150 people on Sunday afternoon. My Sunday was full of music! The first stop was with Charbel and Ben to the amphitheatre at Fourah Bay College (established 1827), to listen to the Charlie Porter Quartet. The music got underway close to 5:30pm and the sun began to set just after 6pm. It was a beautiful concert. The stone steps of the amphitheatre had been warmed all day in the sun, but the air was cool and mountain-fresh - it was a delicious sensation. The scenery was beautiful too: lush green jungle and rolling mountains. Sierra Leone really is breath-taking. For all of you people getting hitched, I recommend it for an adventurous honeymoon destination!


The second stop on the musical train was a gospel concert where a Sierra Leonean musician named (and I'm not even making this up), Johnny Wisdom was releasing his album. Johnny Wisdom is a bit of a cross between Johnny Cash (on account of the country sound) and Ray Charles (on account of the sighless-ness). It was quite a different experience to the jazz concert! I like jazz, but I prefer to pair it with a drink at the Beaches in the summer, and I need to be in the company of jazz enthousiasts as well. The Johnny Wisdom concert was much more lively and definitely had me (and Charbel) up and dancing in the isles. We were quite the spectacle. Ben wouldn't dance with us. It's ok, he's British (you know how they are...yeah, I don't know what I mean by that either). We also met up with Janet at the gospel concert and had a really nice evening. It finished with dinner and I was home by 9:30pm - not even past my bedtime! (and as an added bonus, because it was no where near midnight, I didn't turn into a pumpkin either! Phew.)


The Johnny Wisdom concert was at the British Council, and the view from there is also amazing. Actually, the view from pretty much anywhere in Freetown is incredible, since it is literally a 'city on a hill'. Unless you fall into a gutter. Then the view isn't amazing at all. In fact, it kind of stinks.

Another thing that hardly ever fails here in Freetown, are the spectacular sunsets. Here is the one at Fourah Bay College during the jazz concert. I think I might be in love with this picture...for those of you who know my love of trees, I think it would make a beautiful art piece. Maybe I'll go home and paint it...in wax.


Which brings me to my next adventure over the weekend...BATIKING! No, this does not involve beating a KING with a BAT. It is an old fabric art using dye and wax to create patterns. Generally it also involves bright colours, another plus in my books! I'm trying to make a wall hanging - it's a poem with a border around it - that involves a lot of text so I was worried it wouldn't work out. No fear! I am so stubborn that I think I actually willed it into working despite the negative opinions of other master-batikers (not even a real word) that I talked to before starting out. I will put up a picture of the finished product if it manages to be post-worthy.

This weekend was fantastic, really. Throw in a couple of dinners with friends and a lot of alone time (which I need or else I turn into a crazy person!) it helped to put me back into a better frame of mind.

All you need is a little art.