Around 7am I was doing my usual marching up and down the apartment, getting my 10,000 steps done before the heat arrived, when I saw a ladder appearing in the kitchen. The dreaded workers were back - and I'd just cleaned the apartment. This time I asked what they were doing and one of the workers pointed upwards to the roof. This is a loft type of place so I have no ceiling. Apparently, there are mice who are super athletic and can jump up nearly 4 metres. The day went on with more hammering and drilling and I fretted about the dust flying around.
I got my usual morning phone all, instructing me to head over the road for lunch. Today I was happy to go to get away from the noise. The meals are always interesting as they are one hundred percent Khmer rather than a mishmash of ingredients blending Chinese dishes with Cambodian.
I can tell Chinese New Year is coming up as people are talking about offices closing. Around town yellow Chrysanthemums and orange marigolds are starting to appear. Here, Chinese New Year is celebrated but it's nowhere near as big as it is in Vietnam. There, the streets are lined with yellow and orange plants in pots for sale and also trees that produce a small yellow flower at this time of year. To make sure the yellow stands out, all the leaves are removed from the branches. There are also pink branches but they aren't so popular. In Vietnam it's called Tet and I went there one year at that time. It's a strange time as there are no open shops and people are either celebrating at home or moving to someone else's home to continue celebrating, before another family comes to their place. A few years back I happened to visit a friend and his family. They were drinking at the time and eating snacks and so I had to join them with a can of beer. Others were drinking a clear liquid in tiny glasses. I asked about it and I was presented with a glass which I dutifully drank. It didn't taste too bad and so, when I was offered another one, and a third one, I drank them too. I then asked the dad what the drink was and he said he'd made it. He brought out an enormous pickle jar and to my amazement (I won't say horror because I'm quite blasé about things over here) it was half filled with snakes that were coiled and laid on top of one another. He also pointed out some sour plums as if that would make the whole experience more acceptable. I didn't have any more.
In the evening I took the three lads to their Chinese class and then I went to one of my 24/7 shops to buy some supplies. The one I usually go to is stocked with items from all over the world and I always enjoy browsing to see what's on offer. At the moment I'm enjoying the sour cherry juice from Greece. I was surprised to see cans of Campbell's soup on sale for one dollar - cream of asparagus. I couldn't resist buying some and I enjoyed a bowl for dinner. I think I'll go back tomorrow and buy some more as it's nice to have something like that on hand for a rainy day.
I've been watching a 3 part documentary about the life of Lady Jane Grey who should be better known that she is - she was put on the throne instead of Princess Mary and Princess Elizabeth. Unfortunately, the poor lass only lasted 9 days and then she lost her head. I'm only at part 2 so right now she's still got it. I also watched a film made about Dr. Shipman, who became known as Dr. Death in the UK when it was discovered that he'd killed countless patients. It was positively creepy seeing him inject something into people who trusted him completely. It became more easy to watch when the police got involved and then I learned a lot about forensics and other things.
I know I've got some cleaning and floor washing to do but right now I can't be bothered.
I've jus heard that a sister in law in the UK has suffered a stroke so I'll have to try to contract my brother, Barrie. She's in a hospital away from her hometown so there's a bus that takes people free of charge. They really do have some lovely systems over there to help people.
