The joy of (re)discovery

In recent weeks I’ve been rediscovering things. The first was my gortex raincoat. I started looking for it in November - after three months when it seemingly hadn’t rained at all. I looked in my wardrobe, the outdoor clothes box under my bed, on the shelves and behind the seats in my van, in my two storage lockers: it was nowhere to be found. “I can’t be so stupid as to lose that surely. But when did I last wear it?” The last I could remember was in July when I was in England and it had rained every day (it did the same in Holland too – a particularly foul month – every one was complaining). I went back to England last month – and it was not to be found. “Perhaps I am that stupid,” I thought as I mused whether I might have left it at someone’s house or, worse, on the roof of my van after a long day’s walking. A couple of weeks ago I was looking for some tools in my storage locker and came across a carrier bag next to a suitcase. Folded-up in there was my cagoul. It’s nice to be reunited (and not so stupid). It was the most expensive coat I had ever bought before splashing out on a drizabone raincoat last year.

A couple of weeks I also ventured into new territory, went onto maakt plats (the Dutch e bay) and to find myself a second hand multi CD player. I’d never done on line second-hand shopping before, much less for something electronic (I go blank when technical words like RAM, BHP, processing speeds, etc. start appearing) and, much less, in my third language. I managed to navigate the site and locate one – in a village within 20km, sent an email, got a reply in Dutch and continued the whole bargaining process and arranging a visit in Dutch. (I’m very proud of that). A few days later I had a beautiful 5CD player – costing me 50 Euro - installed on my stereo system. (The first upgrade I have done to my music system since moving here). It’s wonderful - I can put in handful of CDs – usually something old, something new, something borrowed and a bit of the blues - and listen to them in a completely new context and running order- never knowing what is coming next. So I am rediscovering my CD collection. In more ways than one: this week I put in a John Martyn CD (it was actually a very disappointing double live CD, which did come out of a bargain bin – and didn’t actually say it was live but rather strongly hinted it was an anthology of his greatest hits). When I opened the box I was delighted to find that the second CD was one that I thought I had lost some eighteen months ago (I’d assumed I had left it in the CD player of a hire car). So this weekend I have been enjoying listening to Jali Roll the unusual combination of Dembo Komte, Kausu Kuyateh and the Three Mustaphas Three . A one off collaboration that mixes traditional Mali kora and call and refrain music music, with the faux-Balkan back beat of the 3M3. An absolute delight.