Thursday, May 1

After a blistering hot day the weather finally cooled and Shanti and I set out to the beach. She decided after a couple of hundred metres that she wanted to go home. She didn’t act lazily, rather fearfully. She began jumping at the slightest sound and acting hyper-alert. Eventually I acceded to her obvious discomfort.

Once we got home she became entirely happy, stretched out and lay there happily. I went to leave and she just watched. I left to actually do the walk I intended to do.

I walked to the beach and turned right. I walked down to discover that Swiss Café has closed for the summer. It is locked up, which means no more of their wonderfully peculiar meals for me until October.

I wandered further along to find that Rock Café has remained open and seemed surprisingly full. I didn’t go in but I did smile, wave and shout hello.

I stop to photograph the Mayday flags that stretch along Hawa Beach. All political parties have flags out celebrating May Day. The Communist Party have by far the most along this beach.