6:15 a.m. I receive a photo from Moniek of our vegetable garden, with beans and courgettes—a beautiful harvest.
I go to Mama Irma. Wimpiris. I wave the newspaper (Extra from 25 Yüni 2025) over her face to keep those damn bugs away. There is little wind in her room, outside it is a little cooler, no sun, clouds.
At 7:30 a.m., I go to Daaibooi. Lovely to be all alone, just me, some wimpiris and fish. At 8:00 a.m. I have company: the Daaibooi container, the diving school, opens.
The sun comes out.
Swam ten laps and read a chapter from The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe. A whirlwind story.
Back home, a nurse comes to wash Mama Irma, who is in bed.
Mem makes soup and she actually drinks half a cup of it. Let’s hope it stays down. We chat a bit, repeat the story of Michael Wawoe, now for Mem, who in turn mentions that Michael Wawoe is a crook, a big crook…
I visit Stella. She appears in a beautiful dress, turns out it’s her birthday today and she’s about to go out with her family. ‘Will you come back tomorrow?’ she asks.
On my way back, I end up at Norma’s, Norma from the kunuku house. She tells me that the snack bar on the corner, the snekkie, is open again. A beer costs 4 guilders….!
Back home, I make a salad. Mmm.
I chat with Mem for a while. He tells me that Zaïre, his daughter, is coming over later and wants to go swimming at Habitat. We had more or less agreed on that yesterday. It’s good for her, says Mem. Zaïre had a bout of delirium last August, she doesn’t always talk very easily and her coordination sometimes leaves something to be desired. I’m curious how it will go on the beach.
The swimming is wonderful. Zaire floats around a bit, like all Antilleans swim. When I suggest swimming to the “otro banda” and do a few lengths, I hear ‘no, no, no, no’…
The water temperature is lovely.
We lie on a sunbed and order something to drink and later something to eat.
Home at 6.30 p.m.
The evening ritual is sitting with Mama Irma and holding her hand.
Mum closes the door at 8 p.m.
I read some more in Het vreugdevuur der Ijdelheden (The Bonfire of Vanities).
Bed at 9 p.m.