Salsa with the locals - meet and greet (Thursday August 14)

My marvellous friend The fabulous Baker Boy rode into town like the cavalry to come to my rescue tonight. Having spent three hours on the phone I was still lost in the States with no disposable cash. I stumbled along to the wedding meet and greet feeling pretty sorry for myself.

The wedding party had already gathered at the Southend Brewery on East Bay Street for a pre-wedding meal and the rest of us rank and file riff raff turned up later to join in the festivities. Walking through the door the first person I clapped eyes on was the Baker Boy who flounced towards me and handed me a vinyl copy of a Rolling Stones album he had purchased for me in New York. What a nice chap. The cover has a picture of Jagger sticking a giant pen in his heart, taking from the It's Only Rock and Roll album. Baker Boy and I share a love of the Stones and he has been to far flung places like The Stade de France in Paris to see them play. Explaining my financial predicament he disappeared and ten minutes later returned with $200 to help me out of my immediate fix.

I was so relieved I went straight into full party mode. I can't remember what we were drinking exactly, some rather hoppy light ale I recall, but pretty soon we were being introduced to Sufia's wonderful family and friends and American-English bonding was soon in full flow. I am not sure what they must have made of us. Sufia's two sisters Meme and Kyra certainly found the Fabulous BB a rather larger-than-life figure and took to him immediately. As the night wore on we moved the party downstairs where a full-on Salsa night seemed to be taking place.

Of course, the Fab BB and I couldn't resist joining in, the beer having taken its toll. Fortunately I had my old work pal Danny Boy(the poipes, the poipes are calling) and his wife the Solicitor to keep an eye on me and pour me into a taxi at the end of the night. At one stage, I'm told, I fell asleep on a table only to rise when everyone thought I might be dead. Can't confirm this, though, as don't remember it. It's fair to say though the Brits have made an early impression in the Southern States.