A very pleasant breezy morning today. It is very clear, the sky blue. I’m sitting outside in the shade and the air is carrying a scent of flowers. I am also reading a book and thoroughly enjoying it: Gurnah’s By the Sea. He is rapidly turning into one of my favourite writers. I think I […]
blog
No frogs
No frogs today, is the plague over? Though there was a small rodent in the bath. Not a rat as it barely had a tail, and it clearly hadn’t been there long. The GF’s mother arrived this evening, somewhat wobbly after her journeys but in good spirits and certainly better health than her last visit, […]
Breakfasts
I like settling into new breakfasts wherever I go, maybe because it’s the one meal that feels like it can be on my terms. Here, in Kep, there is the morning stroll to get pastries and baguettes, plus a little pot of rillettes or other such private addition to breakfast. Today as I stepped out […]
Frogs return
Only a minor plague today, or an older one. The frog I saw this morning in the previous post was still there, unmoving, and I think might be dead. Which raises the question of why there is a dead (and I’m afraid putrefying) frog perched on a mirror about 3 metres from the ground. A […]
Spiders
Our plagues continue as last night a very large and deadly-looking spider ensconced itself on the stairs, which are themselves very dark, so it was pure luck that the GF spotted it. I’m afraid we killed it. This happened about 10 minutes after the latest appearance by the frog. I noticed it sitting on top […]
Work/life
Came to decision yesterday, let’s see how long it lasts. Basically: the work I do will never make me rich and, frankly, is not very important in the greater scheme of things. I’m closer to a telephone hygienist than to, say, sanitation engineer. So doing a lot of work will not actually make me much […]
Bees
Yesterday a plague of frogs (or a frog), today a plague of bees. A swarm decided to take up residence on our balcony, which is, inconveniently, also where the bathroom is. Also, the large and very loud SE Asian lizard that the GF and I call (without much justification) an oropin, started its comedy bike […]
Frogs
Yesterday, Sunday, was a working day in Iraq so I was also working, albeit desultorily. In the mornings, as I mentioned before, I’ve taken to walking down to the Deli, a French bakery, for freshly baked pastries and baguettes. It’s both a good little morning activity and averts breakfast crises. The handful of gravel has […]
Rabbit island
We took a boat to Koh Tonsay, Rabbit Island, today. It’s supposed to have the prettiest beaches, and we were a bit worried about the GF’s mother coming all the way across the world to mediocre beaches, so went to inspect. It was a very easy journey. The boat prices are high but fixed, we […]
Concrete path
Today, blessedly my day off. I started by walking down to the bakery about 10 minutes away for fresh croissants. Along the way a pack of wild dogs emerged and growled but I had learned my lesson from when this happened a few days ago and had a handful of gravel. I didn’t need to […]