We are now frequenting our neighbourhood forn every day for a lovely little breakfast. This is bookended by the sunset strolls in the afternoons. A very civilised lifestyle. The woman at the forn seems very taken with me, which is unusual as it’s usually the Gentleman Friend who is beloved by all. It’s rather nice […]
Day in East Beirut
Yesterday was Saturday and the Gentleman Friend and I woke up bright and early for a breakfast of knefeh and to be taken to Beirut. There, the GF was to participate in some beach cleaning while I was to meet a relative who is in town for work. I was meeting her for lunch so […]
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 […]
Sign of the pelican
We made another attempt to visit Onno, the famous little Armenian restaurant in Bourj Hammoud, under a filthy flyover. We took a car this time, and of course the maps were confusing so the driver took us over the flyover instead of under it. We had to do a long loop through traffic, and he […]
Generally secure
On Friday the Gentleman Friend and I went down to Lebanese General Security, which issues visas, to get our 1 month visas extended to a a full three months. It was simple and quick, but also rather more fun than expected. We went in, were given a token by a security officer (the token was […]
Eid
Eid was its usual understated to the point of non-existence self. I spoke to my father who was in a cheerful mood, but couldn’t face speaking to my grandmother which I shall no doubt regret. I did send her a message. My schoolfriends’ whatsapp group, which is normally an annoyance full of stupid forwarded memes […]
The other side
After the night’s unrest a quieter day passed though I still worried all day, since the Gentleman Friend’s way of expressing illness is different enough from my own that it is difficult for me to assess how ill he is, and whether something needs to be done. I made daal and rice for dinner – […]
Bollard antibollard
On the way out to dinner, without noticing, I walked into one of the bollards that are strewn liberally down the narrowest Beirut pavements. I must have strode out particularly vigorously as it is really quite painful. Fortunately it was low enough to get me on the thigh rather than in the groin. Our dinner […]
Firm believer
I arrived in Beirut a firm believer in airport lounges. The stopover was in Istanbul’s small, over-crowded second airport. the lounge was also small and overcrowded, but I found myself a table (though an Arab family tried at one point to take it over and I had storm back in a range and put back […]
Unusual sociability, continued
I went for lunch with a relative of the Gentleman Friend, the sort of person who cares so hard that he doesn’t let himself feel it. His particular obsession is wildlife, and he is better travelled to see it than anyone else I know. It was a pleasant lunch; he had some advice about New […]