The boda blog goes GREEN for St Pat's Day, with the help of some people and creations found on the streets of Kampala.

The boda driver formerly known as Ell-sham.

As someone who would paint the whole world green if she was in charge for a day and also as the owner of what is probably the globe's largest green eyeshadow collection, the author of this blog does not find St Pat's Day a difficult day to dress for. Add to this, the fact that she also has some Irish in her (Fallon = O'Fallon, back in the day, although may be best not to mention those lovely ancestors who stole that cow all those years ago and got nine years, the going rate then, to the ahem convict colony...)

Some green found on the streets of Kampala. Polka dots are also all the rage at the moment.

In fact the author of this blog - don't fall down when you read this - is the type of person who uses St Pat's Day as an excuse to go out and buy another green dress, even in Africa. Or an eyeshadow (when, umm, they're available. The author of this blog actually went to Sparkles and had her nails painted two weekends ago and yes they are green, although she did take her own nail polish. But that's another story for another time).

Dollhouse heels, middle, on sale in Kabalagala for 60k.

So yesterday afternoon, the start of the St Pat's Day weekend and ahead of a night out for it, there was another frantic rush to look for and buy ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING YOU SEE IN ANY SHADE OF GREEN, even if it did mean a long motorbike ride up Gabba Road with the brakes being suddenly slammed on a lot and trying on tops and dresses in makeshift change rooms and having half of Kampala driving by and seeing your undies (although, they are also green - not making this up, go Bonds).

The nail man, middle, has it going on.

In the process she discovered - Ugandans can have impeccable timing, sometimes - a boda driver who was wearing a bright green polo shirt and hat and swore black and blue - not green but wait for it - that his name was Ell-sham Ever-green aka just Ever-green. Well, he did have the tattoo on his left hand arm to prove it.

Available on the streets of Kampala, jeggings in lime green.


Ever-green, 25, who boasted to the author of this blog of his large green shoe collection, drove her from Kabalagala to Bunga, stopping at all the roadside boutiques that had some sort of green hanging off it. And there was SO MUCH green that suddenly she thought, why not turn her blog green?

The boda driver now known as Ever-green.


So here I present for you a celebration of green with the help of some lovely GREEN people and creations found on the streets of Kampala.

Some peplum on the streets of Kampala (left) and another classic shot (below, right).

Oh, and in this process a very meaningful friendship has apparently developed between the author of this blog and Ever-green. I'm sure he won't mind me sharing this text I received last night (word for word), only a few hours after meeting him for our green adventure:

"How is evening amy, for mi am happy b,se u have already made my day. cal mi tomorrow for work. gdnite and I love u so much take care bye I love xxx".



And that, dear readers, is another reason why the author of this blog loves the "Pearl of Africa" so much. Not only because you can find a lot of green around, but also because you can find a man who will tell you, less than three hours after meeting him, that he loves you, even if you do have to pick him up off the side of the road.


Oh and after a week-long search for St Pat's boda drivers, the best I could do was buy this shirt, above, originally from Roanoke Virginia, from Kansanga for 5k (down from eight, and further reduced from ten. I do really know how to bargain.) and give it to one of my regulars. Pic coming soon.


During my search I also found a University of North Texas Alumni shirt very close to my house and a Cruise Canada RV Rental & Sales backpack, and will be writing to tell them of my discoveries.




Happy St Pat's Day (do hope Uganda's given back all the money in time).



































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