Life with cats, and other things…
20th July 2026 There is a lot to be said for a simple life. With low expectations, the smallest thing can bring you joy. . A couple of days ago, it was the blooming of a first sunflower. This one had not been deliberately planted or carefully nursed. It grew in front of the porch … Continue reading Sunflowers
1644/2nd July, 2026. Yucca. With no answers and no improvements to the malady that was affecting me, I decided yesterday to forgo applying the steroid eyedrops I had been using for two weeks. While they seemed an unlikely suspect, the use of those drops did coincide with the beginning of my slump. This morning, I … Continue reading Cheerful
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