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FIVE years ago, when we first visited the quiet village of Alensdale, Toco, we met Ms Elsie London—a woman whose name has become as familiar as the coconut drops, sweetbread, and bottled preserves she sells from a small café named after herself.

She is now 91 years old, still seated in her favourite chair at the front of the café, greeting passersby with a gentle nod or a mischievous laugh, depending on the conversation at hand.

The café remains unchanged—cozy, spotless, with bottles of preserved fruit glinting on a table near the entrance. Our visit this time was still casual but carried a quiet purpose. I wanted to check in on her, officially, and hear how she had been doing.