At 7am I finally got home. I have been out almost every night this week and with every night I seemed to be getting back later and later. This morning was an old time record, haven’t done this since my early 20s.

Yesterday my auntie turned 71, still beautiful she could give those women on 10 years younger some tips. Her secret, the love of a good man plus she says whatever is on her mind (even if she can be a bit to blunt). She had a party in the house, her two brothers, sister, children, nieces, nephews, grand children and great nieces and nephews. It was quite an intimate party, no big crowd, just the family. It was really nice just being surrounded by family.

Got there and God daddy as usual had a pot full of palm wine. Nice and chilled it tasted like lemonade with a bit of an edge. If you came to sit in the palm wine area you had no option but to take a calabash and drink up. There was only one calabash so we had to take it turns, very communal living. Even smother had a little drink, which made me laugh as I remember when her and my dad went to his home town for my grandmothers funeral she called me one morning in disgust at my dad “drinking palm wine with the locals”. I guess when you are drinking it with a lawyer and a banking executive it’s allowed.

Shortly after this appetiser and when Auntie had surfaced from getting ready we ate. There was so much food I didn’t know whether to go for the jollof, omtuo (rice balls) or the banku with okra soup. I settled on the jollof as a starter and then half a banku for the main, although I was a bit gutted that the crab had finished.

Belly full, we danced and took pictures until around 7 when I had to go home and rest before heading out for the night. Smother went to my cousin on the spintex road and was staying there the night as they were going to church. She told me three times that she was going with to church with them as she missed out on Christmas day. I don’t know what she aims to achieve when she starts bitching but I am learning to let it go over my head.

I set my alarm for 9 with the intention of heading out by 10 to get bro D. At 10 I was still groggy eyed and still in bed. The soul was definitely willing but the body was weak. It took another hour for me to finally get out of bed and into the shower. By 11 Paa K was at my house and we went to get bro D. At 11.30 we were at sister D’s house. As usual she was not ready, which is why I did not put my make up on straight away and decided to put my face on when I got to hers. My eldest cousin Rene was also coming out to party too. She called me into her room and asked me what shoe size I was, I said 6 and she passed me her 6 inch killer high heels. I was wearing 3 inches and it took me a while to walk in them having spent most of my life wearing flats or kitten hills. Here I was now getting vertigo from the height. They were also a size 5. I can normally wear either a 5 or 6 and although they fit, my left foot was kind of squeezed into this shoe which was pinching, no actually devouring it. The things a girl goes through in the name of vanity.

While waiting for the two ladies to get ready I stepped outside where the two guys were by the pool area with some people who we had met from the previous night. One of them was celebrating their birthday so the uninvited guests that we were helped them celebrate. A couple of shots of Couvoisier later and we were on our way into town. We got to Tantra at about 12.30, bro D by then was rather tipsy and a bit lean and by the time we got there he was snoring away. The rest of us left him in the car and went in.

My bouncer friend let us in for free, just as well the place was dead. Most people were in church so it would be after 1 before they made it to the club so we sat down. Just as well as I could not feel my left foot by this time so took off my shoes and kicked back.

We were there when Gerald, the Lebanese guy turns up. I was parched and was in dire need of a drink, he was thinking he was about to get lucky. After introducing me to his friends he asked me to go with him to the upstairs seating area. There was no way my feet were going upstairs and it so wasn’t worth it for a glass of champagne. So I declined and went to call the girls as we planned to go to +233 and see what was up for there.

As we were going out, the crowd started coming in. A really cute guy asked me where I was going and I told him. “Make sure you come back as I want a dance with you”. Ok so my blood had stopped circulating in my left leg but the shoes were working.

+233 was jamming, seems that the majority of the Accra crowd was there. It was supposed to be 20ghs but we got in for 10. The crowd was mainly over 40s and wasn’t really feeling the 80s music but the atmosphere was nice. Bro D was still asleep in the car, while we were inside, he didn’t even noticed that we had moved on from Tantra.

I came outside for a few seconds and literally bumped into Giles. He said hello and so did I, and we exchanged Happy New Years’. That was pretty much it, the same guy that was all over me the previous week was now a cold stranger. I didn’t see him again after that, in fact he kind of spoilt my mood after that and I wanted to go back to Tantra. The ladies were having fun so I went and sat in the car. Bro D was still sleeping when his phone rang, it was his friend Kwame wondering where he was. D thought we were still at Tantra until I told him where we were. He was still a bit lean as he couldn’t get the numbers out. We’re at 312, 212 he said while I kept trying to correct him until he gave up and passed me the phone and then he went back to sleep.

At about 3.30 we went back to Tantra. D was wide awake by then having had 3 hours sleep. We went back to our spot while D went to circle the crowd. It was there I saw Kwame, D’s friend, the short one. We sat away from my sisters and chatted, and he rubbed my very painful feet. We chatted and I’m thinking this guy is too good to be true. Height aside, he has a good job, attentive, a good sense of humour and cute, he is also 36 (finally a man only slightly older than me), he was the type of guy I could take home to mum and she would approve too. We were chatting when I asked him why he was not married yet, that’s when he told me that he was married with 2 kids. I was half expecting for him to say he was kidding as he had been mucking around the whole time. But no, he was not joking. The curse of the short man (kidding).

We continued to chat when I asked if he would get me a drink, we went to the bar and got it. There must have been a tracking device in the drink as my female cousins who were sitting opposite us came over. I had a sip of my brandy and they had the rest while we watched some white dude dancing Azonto. The dude was good, and dispelled the myth that white men can’t dance. Not sure what his name is but apparently someone posted him dancing on you tube if you want to check it out.

After the sounds of Azonto changed to house music we decided to make a move. It was now daylight. Bro D however was now wide awake and full of energy. It took us a while to find him and if it wasn’t for the fact that I was his ride home he would probably still be bopping now.

We dropped off D at about 6.30, I decided to call Jeff (london man) to wish him a happy new year. He asked if I was going to invite him over. So I did.

No sooner had I dropped Paa K home when Jeff said he was close to the house, I literally had put my bag down and put the kettle on to boil when he arrived. I brought him home and we sat in the hall chatting, we had another discussion about long term relationships, he said he would be back here for one week in April for an event. We discussed how if anything it could work out. But really, do long distance relationships work. On the one hand it can’t be as disastrous as the ones I have been in when we are in the same vicinity, but this one is not like we will really get to know each other before he goes back. I don’t know if this guy is a player who just wanted to get his leg over so was giving me speeches or if he was being genuine.

We goofed around and then the goofing around when we started making out. “I want you” he whispered. I thought about it. On the one hand I shouldn’t to keep him keen. Guys usually tend to lose interest once they get it (although Giles lost interest because he didn’t get it). On the other hand its been a while. Either way I didn’t know if I was going to see this dude again.

I decided, to hell with it. He’s single. I’m single. What will be will be. If we end up having some kind of relationship then fine, if not, well we will both have memories of 1 Jan 2012. We laid there on my bed after listening to the sounds of Joe Thomas from my IPod. You can never go wrong with Joe.

He left to go home around 10, when I finally got some shut eye. Woke up around 1 with the intention of going to my aunt for part 2 of yesterdays lunch. I settled on staying home with some fish fingers and the rest of season 3 of 90210.

I’m supposed to be going to a white dress party tonight at Bella Roma. Haven’t got a thing to wear and very tired, I don’t know yet. I need to find something to eat as well because 3 fish fingers is hardly a substantial meal.

So this is the start of 2012 folks. I hope that if Jeff is not my prince that he is out there. In three months I’m going to be 35, one has been single for far to long. Wish me luck.

I dedicate todays blog to the memory of Saif Rahman who lost his fight to cancer on Thursday. May his soul rest in perfect peace.