Stargazer4moon's blog: "It depends on what occurs on the way."

Here on wind swept Mauritius I have learned much about who runs the world, who owns it and who cares about it!

It is sad to see the arrival of drugs onto the island with the alcohol problem but the world is gettring smaller and drugs make a lot of money, never mind the misery and death that they bring.  The users are mostly poor and disaffected, under educated African slave descendants whose standing is low and they are an easy target.  Such a sad sight to see their skinny bodies walking along in old and tatty coats whislt they gesticulate to nobody visible to the spectators.

The US have a Military Sight here on one of the small islands which explains why we don't see many Russians here.  There have only been two that I have seen, which is nice as Russians are rude and arrogant anyway.  This also explains why there are no Americans here either as this is a place where should WW3 break out stirkes would be made from and probably to.

The political information here is in the hands of the European settlers from Greece and South Africa, namely the Italians.  They know about the plans that those who own the  world and the money have for everyone, regardless of what seems to be going on in the world.  It is eye-opening and rather disturbing as WHEN is more likely than IF it happens.

I don't know where to start but we now have a new conservatory in just four days.  They came on Monday & dismantled all my hard work on the door, sills, windows etc.  I think what surprised them was the putty as I had not long ago re-puttied four of the windows then painted them so they were weather proof after the new garage went up.

I swept up lots of putty that had been walked in as it takes a long time to harden so you can imagine the squige on the conservatory floor.  I should really have cleaned the roof off before they started as they rather got covered in moss and dust as did the floor.  It did not take long before we were down to walls and floor for them to start construction.  On Monday we were forecast rain but did not get any which was amazing and lucky as there was no roof on.  The previous week we had been having biblical rains that came down in torrents or hail storms plus much wind, so it was a relief not to have any of this during the four days they worked.  Once the roof was on it did not matter but the glass was not in for a while as they had to get the construction square which was not easy as the extension was not square to the house plus the front wall at the corner had fallen away or just not been built straight.  There was a two inch gap for them to fill at the corner end which was done with spacers to start with then built on and finally filled.

There are still a few jobs to finish but one of the fitters is coming back on Thursday after he gets back from holiday with his young son.  It is lucky that he was one of the best fitters as there are a few holes he needs to fill which require someone with a good knowledge of building as one is under the door step.

We were supposed to be going away this week-end as it is August Bank Holiday so Monday is a holiday for all and we were going to our friends in Ormskirk for three days.  However, we had to mind our dog sitters dog as she was going away with her new partner to meet the family.  It was unfortunate that they chose this week-end but then maybe it was because of the holiday that they did.  They were doggy sitting another friend's dog and it it lucky Hector get on well with Corky or it would have been a miserable few days.  They play very well together and walk well on a lead together, which is handy if you have to take them out together as Bionic Hobbit does.

Grumpy Amigo came back today to collect Corky with her new partner, who seems a very pleasant and inteligent man.  He showed us some family photos then asked if we had facebook to which Bionic Hobbit said that I did.  He does not do anything like that sort of thing.  I suddenly realised that being a friend with Grumpy Amigo was a NoNo as, just like now, I talk about her especially when Hector has a bad monthly cycle and gets distresssed due to the bitch up the road being on heat at the same time.  It is because of her that he is still a complete dog and not castrated.  He would have been by the kennel owners but she wanted to breed with him.  However, she never did so three years on we have been through so many cycles of him pining for bitches, going off his food and crying, it makes it hard to forgive someone.

I did mention about his bad cycle this time and it fell on deaf ears so no doubt in a year's time Hector will still be in distress and I will still be talking about her.

The only way around this facebook thing is to have another account which is causing me problems as each time I try to make a new account and all it does is open up on the old one.  I will find a way as it takes a lot to beat me.

Finally I finished painting the garage.  I don't know how long it took but the preparing was the worst bit, sweeping concrete dust is not fun when you have a cold which I did for a week.

Concrete paint is a joy to use and so I went mad.  Having painted one foot up the wall all the way round I thought I would paint the back wall the same dark grey.  Eventually I painted the lot this colour and it looks like a grotto, very modern and not too dark as it is shinny so the light reflects off the painted walls.

It is virtually draft proofed too now baring the back eaves which will require a ladder on the outside to do as the nails stop me from doing it from inside.  It is no joke getting at the back of the garage where the eaves are and anyway it is pouring again so not much point inserting wet foam under a cold tin roof!

The inside of the roof is coated with fibre to prevent condensation and is strong enough to walk on which I will have to do when I get round to finishing off the conservatory roof edge which is right next to the garage.

It seems like a long hard slog since January and what a joy to have seen some sunshine over the last month.  It is just a shame that the weather has returned to wet and windy again.  At least there is no need to water the plants.  The hanging basket will be coming next week and then we are off on a much needed holiday so I hope our neighbours will not mind watering it again whilst we are away.  There will probably be a heat wave when we leave England!

Whilst I was waiting for a stubbed baby toe to mend I made a new fence out of the old one that was attached to the back corner of our house and our elderly neighbours carport.  I took the slats out then replaced them so half were on the front and the other half wer put on the back which allows the sun to stream through for an hour as it passes over the gap between house and carport when it decided to shine.

I planted a tiny bush there and a few plants to make a once squallid corner look really nice.  Also as I wanted to make something of a feature there a top was put on the fence which was originally on the kitchen table.  It was sawn off to make a round table sort of oval or more bench like.  It is nice to find a use for a really solid piece of wood but what a pain it was to get stained black from pine that was polished!

Even though it does not sound much, at least when you are doing something which produces a visible object it does seem like you have done some work.

Another job that was a chore was to pebble the back garden behind the raised bed of the garage.  The rains had made that patch of lawn waterlogged over winter & spring so it was pointless keeping it as mud.  Once the turf  was completly off it did not take long to lay the membrane then put the pebbles down and edge it with boulders collected from around the area to stop the pebbles running down onto what little piece of lawn there is left at the back there.

It was a beautiful day, the ground had dried out at the time and it looks great now.  Also with the fresh rains it is a joy to walk there without slipping over.

I was just out in the garden and got drenched by a passing shower.  It is not fun walking the dog in this weather and now the rains have returned the woods are off limits especially with the gales as there are so many dead trees in there still standing but with branches hanging just ready to fall.

After a month I was able to put shoes and socks on again to walk comfortably as my toe had stopped hurting so it was lovely to walk in the woods for the first time and see the bluebells and anemones in flower carpeting the floor therein.  The wet winter seems to have suited them very well thank you!  I should go there and take a few pictures.

As the sun is shining it could be an opportune moment to go walking if there is also no rainbow

It is sad that the day is overcast but a joy to see the trees along the brook
bursting forth in a white veil of blossom. The plum tree in the garden has
finally decided that it will risk late frosts and has burst open with much
blossom amidst its flourishing leaves. All around the garden bulbs have
coloured the ground so there is a carpet of blue in the dead larch corner but
it is too early for the bluebells to be flowering it seems so the holly corner
is still looking quite drab as it does not even seem to have a daffodil to
cheer it up. Perhaps I should plant some forsythia in there to give it some
much needed colour to fill the dullness until the lilac comes into flower. That
won't be long so the garden will soon be jolly all around and in bloom.

We have a new gate at the side of the driveway which sets the drive off nicely
following the new garage and carport. The old gate will be used my back garden, it is 50 years old but still
quite solid so that will need a strong post knocking in to hold it. Funny how
you can go into raptures about something as silly as a new gate but it just
looks so smart, keeps the wind from whistling up the driveway and stops the
cats or foxes entering our neighbours' garden now. In fact we are all pretty
fox and cat free, not to mention badgers although they all go in our other
neighbour's garden as he is pretty much open all the way round. At present to
get into his garden at the back I have to clamber over a piece of netting fence
strewn across some old slats of wood which is just high enough to keep Hector
in and other creatures out but low enough for me to straddle standing on a
rock.

I have some pebbles to put down next week as the lawn has become so waterlogged
at the back of the garage raised bed just where the holly bed is. It is due to
waters running down from our driveway down the side of the garage and our gated
neighbours raised garden, onto a lower garden then through to the holly bed
where it is the lowest point on the whole road of houses and gardens. It was
once grass but with having to walk on it all winter it has become a mud bath so
basically is a waste of time being grassed. No doubt it will confuse poor
Hector again with all the work that is entailed getting pebbles down properly
so they do not spill forth onto what remains of the lawn or onto the holly bed
too much. There are two fuchsias in that border and they are ancient plants
which have taken to their new bed like they have always been there. Gated
neighbour gave them to me a few years ago when she re-did her garden, that is
where the bluebells came from too and the grape hyacinth plus the gardening
bug!

The woodpecker can be heard echoing his taps around for all to hear as he lives just across the fields in the fast dying woods. They will soon be a pleasure to walk in though as the bluebells will beout to take over from the wild anemones that are currently carpeting the woods and of course the celandine which we walked into our garden on boots and dog paws. I have managed to keep under control under the apple tree because it is quite a wild spreading plant. As it is dull today it has not opened its flowers yet and who can blame it. At least the blossom is there for the few bees that have braved the chilly winds today.

With the winds and rains of Thursday the fog finally went which was also smog so it is good riddance to that. We have sand from the Sahara on the sills and carport which will stay there unless it rains or I clean it off. The sills are not a problem but the carport is! Maybe the window cleaner can do that for me.

The birds a happy to have insects to feed on now after a rather a cool spell that descended just after they had an early load of babies. They are darting around like spirits possessed to gather the food for the ever growing broods. The blackbirds generally have just one baby but the robins amazed me a few years ago with their hatch of ten babies. They trooped down the driveway went between the conservatory and garage then disappeared into the back garden once they’d found their bearings. That must have been a very tired and relieved robin the day they fledged!

Well, it has been raining, the winds have started howling like ones from the sun do. All in all it is not really gardening weather at present but I must move the old gate into the shelter of the carport so that it stays dry for me to paint before it gets hung. Bionic Hobbit told me that the best thing to
do with the gate post would be to concrete it in. Thank you pal for offering to do it! Today is not the day for mixing concrete due to the winds. I gather cement dust is bad for the lungs and it rather blows at will with great ease. It is certainly not a day to go walking in the woods with the winds, the mud and of course the fact that there are still a lot of dead trees to drop branches or just fall over.

Despite the fact that my brain is like margarine left out in a hot room all day I did manage to get one Quiz question right and that was, Which common word with an F in is pronounced V and of course it was the word OF.  As it was a Bingo Quiz you only need five right ansers in a line to win and that was a winning answer for Bionic Hobbit who won a line and was rewarded with five drinks coupons.

The men sitting and the next table gave us an answer or two because I gave them OF and they ended up with 21 right answers so won the whole game ednding up with 10 vouchers.  We had given them one voucher for their answer and they gave us one back.  There was some grumbling around the pub but mostly it was good natured and we know most of the people as Grumpy Amigo's partner used to run the pub and Bionic Hobbit used to work there to help them out, that is before they retired a year or so ago.  Now we see nothing of them unless they are looking after Hector.

A lady asked if we had seen either Grumpy Amigo or her partner and I told them not since December as they move in different circles which is true. 

Our friend who sold us the garage and carport was there tonight with his wife and we spent a pleasant time trying to get our brains working in order to answer the obscure questions whilst pulling wrinkle-forming faces as we tried to recollect who lived in such and such appartment in a recent Soap opera plus the name of the song that kept appearing in the Ground Hog Day film.  If you do not know the answer it is surprising just how many wrinkles you can form trying to get an answer to come to mind.

As per normal Hector and I get dropped off by the taxi about half a mile away from the pub so that we could have a walk before going in for the night there at the pub.  I hate Thursday's on the Ashgate Road as it is bin day and you can bet your life that some twit has broken a bottle on the pavement and left it.  We had to jump off the pavement and run up the road for 15 yards to miss the glass so it was lucky that a quite busy road was unusually empty during our road run.

It was a pleasant walk, windy but dry and not cold, at 50 degrees it was mild and still is as I sit here waiting for my supper to digest before going to bed.  I always eat supper now or end up waking up in the night hungry.  It seems that doing this kick starts the body's fat burning ability providing it is a meal with protein and not chocked with carbs.  So I just had some goat's cheese and some biscujits, oat cakes to be precise.  Hector has his goat's cheese too, it does not make him constipated like regular cheese does to dogs.

Hector was very well behaved tonight, he treats the place like a second home as he has stayed there when Grumpy Amigo has had him and from the times when Bionic Hobbit had him there whilst he was working there

I expect there are spelling mistakes abundant in this as I have been drinking vino tinto and it is past the bewitching hour so past my best functioning time.

This takes to to a video presentation that does go on a bit but is useful for stopping the onset of diabetis and curing the non-insulin dependant variety.
The Barton broth is good basic food of Lean beef, veggies, chicken & beans. Also taking cinnamon with Chromium Picinolate will cure it.
The Ayervedic remedies used for years are excelent too.
So there is no need to be on meds once you have cured the diabetis which means Pharmaceutical companies do not make a profit from you having spent years misleading people into believing there is no cure for diabetis.

https://diabetesreversed.com/presentation/v1c?subid=whl_diabetes_03043014

Today is fine and sunny but with a biting wind that makes it feel colder than Iceland. I say that because that is just what I was told yesterday by a man who had been there last week. The garden is drying with the winds so it is a relief to have it because the back garden never sees the sun until summer comes. That seems a long way off and I need to make the raised bed around the new garage walkable. It is currently a very mucky clay ridden bed with some plants in that must remain or the soil will shift and so will the raft that the garage is now sitting on. The wall surround the raised bed is not the safest of things but I am told that it is going nowhere so leave it be. There is a lot of rubble remaining from the broken base of the old garage so I thought that if I broke it into tiny pieces I could put it onto a piece of the raised garden that was once covered with a 1ft square paving slab rather than trying to re-lay it onto very rough ground due the it being walked on and concreted in part. The thing is I need something to smash the stones up in so they don't shatter everywhere and the only box I have is a plastic recycling box that would probably crack upon impact from a lump hammer! Perhaps I can find a very thick rubble bag and smash that with the rubble in. +++ Good job I did some weight lifting this morning! I did that so that I could pull the garage door down a little easier than with cold muscles as the spring on the door is very stiff and I never really use that group of muscles. This meant figuring out which ones are used then devising an exercise that actually used them with dumbells in hand!

http://www.alternativecancerresearchinstitute.com/index-3year-bonus.php?READ=Y&SC=FUCACRI131219O

This is interesting about cancer patient who found a new treatment and is in remission.

There is nothing you can say about the weather now except that if the forecast is right then we are in for another long winter.  When I say nothing I mean nothing nice except that we are not going have hosepipe bans for the foreseeable future.

It is absolutely chucking down here, no longer can the local golf course be seen or the houses along the Knoll.  It is I sight I look at every day and it is de ja vue.  Our skyline is almost identical to that which I looked at when I was a child growing up in Kent.  The view is almost the same down there now but the quality of the people living there has altered and not for the better it seems.  Still that is not my problem as I don't live there now.  I just have the same view although the outlook today is rather obscured.

The other day the most that happened was that we came across a dead badger in the road, it had obviously been hit by someone driving far too fast as usual along a country lane.  I got two doggy bags out of my pocket, put them on my hands then picked it out of the gutter and put it into the hedgrow.  It was only young and rather scarred from fighting but it was heavy enough which is why I was unable to put it any further away, like over the hedge.

Hector was going bezzerk, just like he does when he sees one or a fox at night, he got up on his hind legs and tried to get to the poor thing.  As it is still there I have to drag him by its resting place which is not as easy as it sounds because, although Hector is not a large dog, he is incredibly stong and wilful.  On the badger finding day I was fortunate to have been walking with a couple so the lady kindly held Hector whilst I did the decent thing.

I am eating like a horse to stop me from losing weight as I have to walk Hector three times a day, he will not use the garden for doggy doo's as he was trained not to before we got him.  The Man with the Limp is now the Bionic Hobbit, he has a titanium knee and has lost two inches in stature since he reached adolescence.  I do believe I have lost height as there are things I can no longer reach around the house.  It was quite amazing how fast he was in and out of hospital.  He went in on Friday and was out on Sunday.  The nurse came on Tuesday to look at the dressing and generally replace it so that it almost fell off again five minutes after she had gone.  The wound looks very clean and knitting well.

It has to be said that you need stimuli to stay inspired and at present the weather has been so unstimulating, we have been drowned so many times since last Friday and look set to get drowned again.  A dog walker told me that the forecast was for snow to start in November and go on until March.  Well, that is all we need as it is not far away and so I hope Bionic Hobbit will be walking around without crutches before the snows come.

We were having an Indian Summer here, the flowers were all blooming and still are even though it has turned colder.  The grape hyacinth bulbs have been sprouting for two months now and still look like they wish to attempt a second bloom.  There are laurel bushes with fruit on that look like huge black olives or grapes, I have never seen one in fruit before but we have had an amazing summer here this year, long enough for us to get a nice tan before going away on holiday as we did.

Since we got back from Sri Lanka on 3rd October we have had about six inches of rain and that has soaked away nicely.  I was going to cut the grass after walking Hector this morning but he dawdled so much that it started to spit just at the end of the walk up by the dead badger.  Would he go fast?  No he stood his ground so we got a little wet but not as much as if we had been out ten minutes later when the skies opened and the views around closed in.

We walked about seven miles over two hours and that is only because he stpos to sniff every blade of grass to mark it up if he desires.  I don't mind walking when it is nice as there is a lot to see with the gardens in bloom and everyone has taken up topiary here for some reason.  So there are some inspiring bits of work to see and some amazing garden make overs for low maintenance.  Ah, all I need is a man to do the work and one with money to pay for it.  I don't mind walking in the rain either providing I am dressed for it but I did not put a mac on, just a wind and waterproof jacket.  We live in the dales of Derbyshire so there is no such thing as a flat piece of path or road.  Some of our walks take us up and down some very sceninc routes which would look great in a photo but for the housing estate they stuck in the way!  Still, people need homes.

My grumpy amigo, I have come to the conclusion has ourlived a friendship going back over 20 years.  She has trouble with her memory so no doubt has forgotten that Frodo is not mobile.  The other day she went to visit Bionic Hobbit with her partner on their way to go shopping.  Well thanks a bundle for asking whether I needed anything.  I should not moan she does look after Hector when we go away but that it no hardship as it gets her out of the  house walking, it is the only time she does go walking.  Anyway, she was coming up last week-end to walk Hector with me, which is the last thing I needed.  Luckily it poured from Friday right round until Tuesday so I never saw her as she is a fair weather walker unless really pushed.  I actually like my own company and space quite a lot, it is just a little tiring because Hector and I don't walk slowly, unless of course he is on a sniffing walk when it takes ages to walk a mile. 

I have some books to post to people and need to get that done before Christmas post gets underway.  It would be nice to go into town and get a bit of topiary done on me but the weather is not really drawing enough to make me want to go into the mellee of town.  Ah well, there is always the wax pot and strips reclining on the bathroom cabinet covered in dust.  I was having regular treatments and haircuts until we went away in September and the final treatment was not a good one so I thought it time to change beauty parlours.  Iit is, after all,  October and everything changes then.  Even the leaves are turning autumnal now and if the sun was shining the air would be filled with the sound of digital cameras taking treasured pictures of turning leaves framed against blue skies and green fields.  Ah, if only.  All we have is mist, murk and rain as far as the eyes can see.

I should write things as they happen or the events are gone for good a few days later which is why I cannot do Trip Advisor reviews about events gone by.  We are finally back home and my word, I missed the window of oppurtunity to cut the grass which is not too bad considering it has not been cut for 3 weeks.  It is currently lashing down and the 20 shirts are currently drying in the conservatory, thanks to the dehumidifier. +++  Blast, make that 25 shirts, the washing machine is peeping at me to be emptied.

Well, it has been wet, I walked onto the front lawn to put slug bait down this evening and sank an inch into wet grass.  We left a wet Sri Lanka behind and flew over cloud once we had gone over Iran after changing planes at Dubai.  We left the hotel at 5am on Wednesday having spent our last day fully occupied.  I got to bed at 1.30am then got up at 3.30 to finish the packing of the final case which only required a few items including the wetbag.

Our taxi awaited outside the hotel foyer so we were soon loaded up and said our farewells, promising to return next year.

It was rather sweet our last supper at the hotel, the head chef came to the table and gave me a gift box with four chocolates in.  They are hand made at the hotel and I'm not sure if it is the lady chef that does it or the head chef himself.  There is an amazing salt carving that has won gold awards and it has pride of place above the salad bar.  It is amazing just how gifted the Sri Lankans are in respect of carving, it is not a huge island but there seems to be a saturation of people who can wittle away at something and just turn it into something beautiful.  I got the chef's name and address and will post him a book to read to his very cheeky young daughter.  The chocolates were given to my grumps amigo who was once a chocoholic of note but these days she just has the occasional binge due to a spreading midriff.  She was given them when she brought Hector back.

I shall try to go back in time now to our last day, Wednesday, which was action packed from breakfast right up to bedtime.  We got an early breakfast then tanned up to head down to the swimming pool.  I swam six lengths sunbathing in between every two lengths.  I found that if it went cloudy, as it did on several occasions, that if I went into the pool the sun came out just because I really should have put more sun tan lotion on.  It worked on the last two occasions but this time I was plastered in oils so did not burn and anyway, the sun did not shine.  After the swimming we changed into dirty beach clothes and went for a beach massage.

On our final massage I taught him a few refinements like washing hands after massaging a clients feet before massaging their face.  He obliged when he realised his errors.  I also told him to cover a ladies breasts whilst he is not massaging her top because it covers their modesty and prevents them feeling vulnerable should somebody barge into the room.  He again obliged.  Of course he massaged my head with me seated in a chair, that was something I had pointed out at the beginning and I tried to incorporate how to keep a woman's modesty covered whilst doing the head massage.  Finally, I told him that it was not normal practice for a masseur to stay whilst a client undressed or dressed and he left the room.  The massage was good but seemed rushed and when we went out it was apparent that he had clients waiting so our farewells were brief and life and living went on for him so that he would continue to eat after we had left the island. 

After a quick walk back to the room for a shower and change we went for lunch and then caught the tuk tuk with Harin driving down to Mount Lavinia.  It was a busy drive and a long one, about 90 minutes.  During the journey we were in contact with Ruwan, the young man we were meeting to say 'Farewell' to and have a drink and something to eat.  He ws stuck in a bus enroute just like we had been as there were some mega roadworks along the route, much needed road repairs. 

We arrived and parked up to see where Ruwan's girl friend was as she was meeting us because Ruwan was stuck in traffic.  Harin had been talking to Ruwan about where we were to meet and then to Ruwan's girlfriend.  We clambered back into the tuk tuk and Harin pulled the lever to start it and it went BANG.  It was broken so we had to push it along the road and find a repair place.  He did try bump starting it but that did not last long so we walked along the road to be met by a young man who was going to take us to Ruwan.  He was the boyfriend of Ruwan's girlfriend.  It turned out that Ruwan did not have a girlfriend but it was an easy way of explaining who we were actually talking to.

Harin disappeared down a roadway where a garage was located when we had found him.  We were just walking along with this young man who seemed very confident and pleasant and he explained that his girlfriend was at work still and had phoned him asking him to meet us and take us to Ruwan.  I got a little worried as we walked down back roads and then had to cross the railway tracks then contunue walking down the track to heaven knows where.  All the time he was chatting away and it occured to me that we could end up lost but we just kept following him like he was the Pied Piper.  He related the tale of how he was accosted by two Swiss girls whom he escorted to a party that they could not find and they all got so drunk that he could not remember getting home and that his girl friend was not at all amused even though it was all harmless couriering on his part.

Eventually we turned down a roadway and came to a dive of a bar where Ruwan was sitting.  The bar is a beach venue for the young of Mount Lavinia during the week-ends when the place is teeming with people which is how Ruwan came to be at the place, so he did not realise that they did not actually sell alcohol and that you had to bring your own.  Finally we were introduced to Leroy who Ruwan had never met before either as he only knew Leroy's girlfriend due to his work.  Leroy went for the drinks and was gone ages he came back with dark rum and some coke and the owner of the bar came up with a huge bottle of drinking water. 

We sat drinking beer that someone had purchased earlier then moved onto the rum, which is something I don't usually drink but it was quite pleasant with ice and coke.  All the time Leroy chatted away telling us about his girlfriend who was most possessive, actually they were engaged and it sounded like she was an alcoholic who flirted with everyone but did not like Leroy talking to any girls.  That sounded like a relationship not make in heaven.  His girlfriend, as he called her, kept phoning and finally admited that she was still at work and too frightened to come and meet us so he finally pursuaded her that we were nice people and to come to the bar.

There was a lull in conversation whilst Leroy went off to get something else and I wondered over to the fence in order to get a glimpse of the sun going down over the seas that were amazingly rough.  The winds had got up and Mount Lavinia is reknowned for being a rough resort swimming wise.  On the beach front I could actually see Mount Lavinia Hotel which we stayed in on our first visit to Sri Lanka in 2008,.  We were there for four nights at the beginning of the holiday before we did a week's tour around the island by bus.  It was an old hotel, very British or Colonial and the baths were amazing, enormous, you had to climb up a step to get into it.  There was no shower only a mixer tap on the bath.

That was then and in the now I took photos of it, then took some of the sun reflecting on the waters.  Then I was accosted by a man who wanted me to come and photograph his turtles along the beach so we started walking.  When I asked where the turtles were he pointed way along the beach and I did not think a good idea to go for such a long walk with a stranger yet again.  I turned as I heard my name called and three figures were standing at the fence of the beach bar looking veyr worried.  I made my excuses and headed back.  The man wanted some money in order to feed the turtles and so I asked the Man with the Limp for some money and gave it to the man who went off happy.

After drinking a fair amount I asked if the place did food and they did so I order some fish kebabs to feed us or we would have been under the table.  It was not much to look at when it arrived on a plate but it certainly went down well.  Finally Leroy's girlfriend arrived, a pretty young thing who looked high as a kite to begin with.  She hugged us and sat down to drink.  She told us when Leroy was not there that she had to go and see her ex-girlfriend and could not stay long.  She admitted that she was a lesbian and was experimenting with men.  Well, I wish her well but hope she does not mess someone else's life up in the process because marriage is a tricky thing to get out of.  Anyway, Leroy was planning to go to America which is where his girlfriend lived before her parents had abandoned her, those were her exact words. 

It sounded like she was looking for love somehow to make up for the abandonment and that is only natural.  She was a very beautiful young woman which probably accounted for the fact that she was a model.  We had to go then as it was 6pm, she had to go so she walked with us back along the road to the railway track.  We had said our farewells to Ruwan and Leroy leaving them there to finish the food and then go about their business.  Leroys girlfriend was very caring as she took us along the track up to the road.  Harin the driver had been down with us sitting with the bar owner once he had got the tuk tuk mended, so at least he had someone to talk to whilst he waited for us.

Leroy's girlfriend hugged and kissed us 'Goodbye' then went off on her way to meet her ex girl friend.  We got into the tuk tuk and head back to Kalutara and the hotel.  It was quieter on the roads by now as rush hour had eased off, it seems to be rush hour most of the day in Sri Lanka.  By the time we got back to the hotel it was pitch black of course because the sun goes down at 6pm and driving in the dark was no fun especially as it started to rain.  With some alcohol in the system the rain did not bother us much so we left the sides of the tuk tuk open, it was fleeting showers but had absolutely dropped down on two occasions which made the roads fill with water due to bad drainage.

We said our 'farewell's' to Harin then went for dinner which was a sad affair having to say 'Good bye' to so many people and it was nice that the head chef came over to actually say 'farewell' to us and thank us for staying at the hotel.  He told us to come again and gave me the chocolates.

That was the end of our last day and if this does not make much sense then it was because it was started yesterday.  I managed to get the grass cut late in the afternoon before it rained yet again and that was only the back lawn.  Today the front lawn has dried nicely and can be cut tomorrow.  Hector had a nice four mile walk with me today and has been acting most strangely since he has been back.  I need to get some sleep or I will die an early death according to health studies, ah but it has been a good life up until now and I hope it continues being thus. zzzzzzzzzzzzz