Evening

I have had a tiring day. Just one of those days that happen sometime where you end up somewhere quite other than planned. I settled this morning with the determined intention to clear some niggly small jobs off my desk when a client called to say that she had uncovered a major theft going on in her factory and could I, by chance, come now. Consequently I had a really intense and focused morning planning a strategy, liaising with Fraud Squad and the like. I came home, intending this time to put my feet up and relax and play with small kitten when Small called to say that he had hit a pedestrian who had run out across the road in front of him. More dealings with police, Casualty (ER I guess if you are American) insurance and whatever. It turns out, fortunately, that the the pedestrian has only some minor grazes and was warned by the police to cross roads only at intersections. Hopeless thing that really as no good Zimbabwean really obeys road rules...... but that is another story.

Weary from an unexpectedly intense day I leaned against the sun warmed north facing wall this evening after sunset. The heat seeped into my bones offering comfort and peace.

To idle to move indoors to begin supper for dogs, cat and humans I watched the evening descend to night instead.

Watching the darting, diving flight of the resident palm swifts before they retired for the night.
Watched them silouetted black against a pink opal sky.
Watching the tropical evening twilight fade into peacock blue darkness
Watched the tiny fruit bats clamber out of the magnolia to forage on what the swifts had left
Listened in the growing dark to the tuning night orchestra
Whistling frogs clear and high trebles
Warty toads in basso profundo
Rhythm section comprising the crickets and cicadas.
And lastly glowing eerily the rare, rare sight of a firefly.

Coming to I realised that darkness had come suddenly, as it does in the tropics, and that the wall was cooling behind me. Restored in some measure I turned for indoors and ....supper.....