'Mutheg'

.............Meaning a very funny man... 'Muthega' for a lady...

The man in this photo, has me laughing like a drain, every time I see him. My nickname for him is 'Peanut man' as he quite literally sells peanuts...as well as sunflower seeds, Cleopatra Cigarettes etc....You sell what you can to make a living here.

Today 'Mutheg' was setting up his 'Hot, sweet potato' stand by the ferry landing point. Crates of fresh potato's waiting to be baked in the portable oven, a sure winner, as everyone loves a baked potato in the winter months, stodge food!

'Ya Madame' he squeals, in a high pitched voice and promptly shakes my hand. He doesn't naturally have a squeaky voice, but we have this game that we play, where he squeaks and I laugh - it's really not so hard for me!

He has always included his family in this ritual, his wife (Madame) is also as much fun as he is and greets me with a kiss on each cheek. His children are as polite as can be and equally as cheeky as their father!

Mutheg, has the best baked potatoes on the West Bank....I appreciate a good spud, having being brought up in the very first village, that the potato was seen in the UK.
Sir Walter Raleigh, in 1585 brought the potato to South Wraxall Manor as well as smoking the very first tobacco there.....Sir Winston Churchill, Ian Fleming and of recent years, my teen idol, John Taylor of Duran Duran, have all enjoyed the history of the Manor.