2 days of glumness

A couple of days of mild glumness have passed, thanks to getting overly excited about potential work opportunities, and then disappointment when one didn’t come through and the other is taking far too long to resolve one way or the other. That said, I am equally unhappy whether I have too much work or too little, so that is that.

This morning we went to a tiny forn, bakery which we’d passed before but is open only at breakfast. It turned out to be really delightful; with lovely people who were clearly delighted to have a couple of gormless foreigners sampling their wares (they brought over a crispy mahlab flavoured flatbread just for kicks) and mimed at us to ask if we’d enjoyed what we’d had. Which we had enjoyed thoroughly: a delicious fatayer and a flatbread covered in deliciously milky cheese. I would happily breakfast like that every day, if only I could bring my morning tea along.

I have just finished a very good book, Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmad Saadawi. I never thought I’d say this, but Arab culture, langauge, food, history, attitudes, all are fascinating. The petrostates have done a great disservice to their own people by being so vile.

A couple of nights ago we met someone for dinner, a person the Gentleman Friend had met at a conference. She is much younger, a lovely young woman who works at a non-formal education centre in Tripoli and was very sharp and funny.