I stayed on after the fesival, which delivered beautifully, when I'm finished the piece Im writing about it, I will post it, but right now still in Lebanon, watching the war with horror for the destruction it is causing.

The good news is Amani, her team and I are all safe. I will leave in the next few weeks as planned and keep you updated. Meantime, I dance (and eat) while Beirut’s Burning.

What else to do against a marauding army? Amani has been watching my back and we are all safe. Its so surreal being marooned in paradise. I love Beirut so much and couldn’t imagine being anywhere else but Lebanon right now.

The beach chalet I call home is packed with Arabic families and I can hear the planes flying overhead. North of Beirut is safe, and I have been with Amani in the last few days, shopping for supplies, watching the news and getting fat. I came in wheat-free (borderline) vegan, and have been broken by the avocado ice-cream and never did I imagine it would sometimes be the first thing on my mind waking up!

The beautiful tastes of the Lebanese kitchen keeps me nourished. Of course the restaurants carry all lines of mezze making this country Mecca for Vegetarians, but the dishes I tasted by Amani’s hand and those of her mother confirmed that good looks and cooking ability run in the family. Amani is vegetarian too, so lucky for me I got to taste the most unbelievable combinations of traditional Lebanese food to suit my veggie diet.

There are a couple of recipes I’m keen to nick with courgette. The one is with a garlic sauce, the other is stuffed with rice. Beans are celebrated in Lebanon almost as much as Amani herself and there are so many different kinds, all with their own traditional recipes. I have attempted a few goes at the lentil dishes she showed me, and am desperately trying to not eat melt-in-the-mouth Halwa, but concede to a weakness for this little tub of carob syrup hiding in a cupboard at her mother’s house (I know exactly where, and they don’t seem to mind when I suddenly disappear and head for the syrup, eaten with tahini which gets to the mouth on a scoop of Arabic flat bread.) I have to stop eating so much good food or I’ll never get myself back into an Oriental dance costume!

Since a fat bruise happened on my left foot, Ive had to walk around with no shoes for a few days which Amani finds quite hysterical because we’ve been in the supermarkets, banks and all over, me barefoot, and in a country prizing good shoes, guess what, nobody noticed. I say “If you swing yer bum good and proper, no-one’s gonna be looking at yer feet.”

We are safe, waiting for this war to end soon.

Please send your prayers to the Middle East,
With Love from Lebanon,
Beverley