Our first Christmas as a married couple was spent in Aden in 1961.
My employer, Marconi Marine, chartered boats owned and run by Somalis to ferry us to and from the ships we worked on in the harbour.
A few days before Christmas one of the Somalis came to our flat in Tawahi and presented my wife with a Christmas present – a LIVE TURKEY in a basket shipped across from Somaliland by dhow. I came home to find a terrified wife who had locked the kitchen door as the turkey had escaped from the basket where the Somali had put it in the kitchen for her.
Fortunately our Adeni driver knew a chap who came to the flat to execute the poor bird – but what a mess to clear up afterwards in our bathroom.
That Christmas we ate roast turkey, cold turkey, curried turkey and still couldn’t finish eating the turkey by ourselves. Needless to say we are no longer keen on turkey at Christmas. However we still laugh about it. What a present!
I wish you all a Happy Christmas and Peaceful New Year.
I can remember having a number of Christmas celebrations held at the Gold Mohur club. Turkey for lunch and the rest of the day spent swimming. Happy times..