July 2017 - Week 4

Monday 24th to Monday 31st July 2017

Monday we went to Chris and Tina’s so Sam could water their plants while they’re away. It is a big job which took her about an hour and a half but she didn’t want any help. I think Sam thinks that I will somehow kill any plants I am in charge of watering. I do have form in that regard I suppose. Afterwards Sam had a swim in their pool to cool down. I cleaned the pool beforehand, clearing it of hundreds (no exaggeration) of dead and dying wasps. That was enough to put me off swimming. Instead, I sat in front of an air conditioner and read my Kindle; Hammond Innes this week. By the time Sam finished she was covered in nasty mosquito bites. If you go to the loo you pass lizard droppings on the windowsills. Some strange red worms live in the loo itself. It’s beyond me why anyone would choose to live in the country in this part of the world. We call Chris and Tina’s house The Buggery!

For dinner I made macaroni cheese and Sam defrosted some chicken with veggies.

Tuesday we shopped, worked and cooked. I had a savoury rice dish with cashew nuts – in proportion this time, I think – and Sam baked a line caught, wild sea bream which she said tasted exactly the same as a farmed sea bream but at twice the price. A lesson learned there, I think.

Wednesday we went to water plants at The Buggery again. Other than that we worked; we have a particularly busy period at the moment. For dinner Sam roasted us a chicken with rosemary flavoured Mediterranean vegetables.

Thursday I made a mushroom chilli for dinner.

Friday we watered plants at The Buggery. In the evening we went to the town square for a drink at a pavement café and watched the comings and goings. A kitten was stuck in a storm drain so a load of kids removed the drain covers and crawled around inside it attempting a rescue but to no avail. For dinner we went to the New Madras. I had Chicken 65 followed by a chicken tikka Madras with a pershwari naan and it was all great. Sam had onion bajjis, then butter chicken with a plain naan. She described it all as okay. We got home in time to sit on the terrace and watch a big fireworks display that was launched from a barge in the bay below us, part of the celebrations of The Feast of St Paul.

Saturday we went to Miracles for brunch; scrambled eggs on toast with crispy bacon. The toast turned out to be soggy bread, the eggs were like sponge rubber and the crispy bacon wasn’t crispy but some cheap, over-smoked brand. It was served on a wooden board which was covered in the scratch marks of previous diners. And bizarrely it was served with coleslaw and crisps. Needless to say we couldn’t/wouldn’t eat it. We had a chuckle about it with the waiter who we know quite well and we all agreed that when visiting Miracles it is best to stick to cappuccini and cocktails. We weren’t charged for the food.

Unfortunately we today started another heat wave which is forecast to last for many days, so hiking is still off the agenda. For dinner we had left over mushroom chilli, then sat on the terrace to watch the main firework display of the weekend. It started off pretty slowly but ended with a bang (quite literally). It is amazing watching fireworks over water.

Sunday I made pasta with an arriabiata sauce for dinner. There were a few more fireworks but mostly during daylight which still seems pointless to us.

Monday we had builders arrive to work on the outside north facing wall. It allows the damp to penetrate so they need to scrape, seal and repaint it. There are three guys who say it could take eight days! We would normally have thought two to three days to do one wall but, having said that, we are suffering another heat wave so they can’t work beyond mid-afternoon. It is forecast to reach an air temperature of 45°C by the end of the week, so goodness only knows how hot it will be for the workmen in the sun. It is a punishing job. I don’t know what they earn but I suspect it is a low minimum wage in savage conditions.

For dinner I had a mixed salad followed by a tuna steak. The tuna was pretty awful; chewy and tasteless. Fortunately I’d made a Creole sauce so that helped a bit.