Remembrance Sunday

We had an invitation a few weeks ago from the British High Commission to a Remembrance Sunday service. The service was being held at the war graves in the Limbe Botanical Garden. We decided to go along too meet some other English folk and to attend the service. We did not really know what to expect and it ended up being a pretty good day.

We arrived early so had a little walk around the gardens and watched as the English arrived with their drivers in their huge 4X4s. We went over to the graves collected our poppy and sat down. It felt strange being amongst so many English people doing something very English.

The service was short, led by the high commissioner. A collection of Cameroon veterans laid poppy's on the graves. We know that after the service there would be 'small chops' - food, served at Dick Scott's house. We had no idea where this was or how we would get there. So we stood about looking a bit lost. Then some guy asked us if we were coming and did we want to follow him, we answered that we do not have a car so he told us to jump in to his.

It turns out this man is Dick Scott himself, a Scottish ex-pat who has lived in Cameroon about 20 years. You can tell he is Scottish not by his accent but by the St Andrews flags he has painted on his gate.

We arrived at his house, it was amazing. On the sea, you could walk from his garden down the rocks and swim in the Atlantic Ocean. We sat in the garden under palm trees eating lovely food his Cameroon wife had prepared. We chatted to one English woman and many Cameroonians. Most people there were a lot older than us. Rich ex-pats who probably all live in amazing big houses with lots of staff. No really the type of people we are used to socialising with. So we sat and ate and had a couple of drinks. Generally we had a jolly nice time and felt very English for a few hours.