Life with cats, and other things…
30th June 2026 If I was wealthy, I'd quite like to have a nice garden, maintained by devoted professionals who would remove faded blooms promptly. It is natural that flowers last only a short time, that blooms die, and maybe the right thing is to allow Nature to run its course. In most instances, I … Continue reading Connections
0507/22nd June 2026 This morning (27th June) I finally put the portable heaters away, something that usually happens around the end of April. Earlier, I could not warm up despite wearing two sweaters, but the house heats up after sunrise and the week ahead promises the belated arrival of more normal temperatures. I am thankful … Continue reading Lilies
0539/15th June 2026 Monday morning at half past five, It felt so good to be alive. It rhymes, but I can't seem to remember when I actually last felt that way. I've had to think hard to recall that sense of careless, joyful euphoria such as a young child might feel on Christmas morning, perhaps. … Continue reading Tears in rain
1523/2nd June 2026 It is fair to say that we live in a muddle. I didn't always. Quite the opposite, in fact. Until cats took over my life, my home was quite respectable. . It is possible to maintain order despite feline companions. I managed quite well with Mohammed. He was the cat I "inherited" … Continue reading Inconveniences
Plateau de Bokor, Cambodia.16th February1957 It has always been something of a mystery to me how a responsible driver can, under normal circumstances, end up running out of gas/petrol. Three times I have been in a car when the driver announced that we were in such a situation and on each of those occasions, we … Continue reading Koh Tonsay
Kep, Cambodia 1956 Until we went to Cambodia, I had never experienced the delight of warm sea water. A couple of months after our arrival from England, we got in the Citroen and drove to Kep on the coast. As I recall, the journey took about 3 hours on a rather pot-hole filled road that … Continue reading Circumnavigation
Angkor Wat, Cambodia 1956/7 70 years ago today, my mother and I arrived in Cambodia to join my father who was working there for UNESCO. I know precisely because it was his 44th birthday. (I am writing this on June 4th) Mum and I had flown from London, Heathrow to Paris, Orly where we transferred … Continue reading An anniversary
"Glad to see you finally got your clothes back on. You were looking dead scruffy!" When you spend a lot of time in your own head you imagine all sorts of conversations. Your imagination may very well run away with itself. Take, for example, what I said yesterday about being stigmatised when my parents took … Continue reading Better late
1938/15th May 2026 Earlier in the week, warm weather persuaded us to open the air vents and attempt to activate the air conditioner. It wasn't unpleasantly hot, but it is better to find out early on if maintenance is needed. Sure enough, I was soon on the phone to the fix-it folk who penciled us … Continue reading Home
15th May 2026 Without notification, my email provider last week handed me over to Yahoo. I can hardly complain, since I haven't paid that company since moving to New York, only because they don't offer service here. It would have been better to abandon my old address and use my secondary G mail instead. I … Continue reading Communication