THE MOST ORIGINAL STREET CHRISTMAS DECORATION

A tree of paint tins in downtown Windhoek. 10/10 for originality, about 3/10 for visual success.

Amusing to think of the mini-treefurore last year, when a beautifully decorated tree in African theme was torn down by the precinct owner in Swakopmund, because it was not 'traditional' (German?) enough.

Anyway, not much of the traditional Christmas here, if you are thinking of the European style. No Christmas pudding was anywhere to be seen, and only a few Brazilian frozen turkeys - more well-travelled foodstuffs, though not as eco-idiotic as the prawns, caught in England, shipped to Thailand to be cooked and peeled, then sent back to England again. No reason why they should be (turkeys to be seen, I mean) - who wants to stove over a hot slave when you can have a braai and a few beers on the beach, with some ice cream for afters.

Now all that's over, and we are at Dec 29th - perhaps because it's rather a ominous prime number and what I always thought of as the dead date - the nadir of the year - with life and activity at an ebb. The slack between Noel and Sylvester. In the northern hemisphere, frantic post-Christmas sales are in full swing under frosty, leaden skies: here, in Windhoek, by contrast, nearly all the shops are closed., and the population fled to the coast or south africa, depending on their budget. Not even the local newspapers are published - not that anyone would miss them. Not much happens here before Jan 15.

A soporific, sultry afternoon, duck-egg blue sky and fluffy white clouds - maybe some rain later. A happy 2008 to all our readers.