Now we are all up to date.

Tues, 23rd Apr, 2019

After lunch I drove south to meet with friends who are going to Cambodia.  I always have to search on Google maps to find out how to get to places and how long it's going to take.  I don't think Google takes into consideration the strange traffic lights in St. Albert.  There must be a dozen of them through the city and, if you have to stop at one of them, then you stop at all of them.  On the way to the coffee shop I also had to stop for a train crossing the road - I don't think Google thinks about them either.  I thought I was late but Mary Ann was putting her bag on the table as I walked in and I opened the door for a lady who turned out to be the other person I was meeting.  Kenadi is a student at the University of Alberta in the Physical Education Department; Mary Ann is her boss.  The UofA has a programme called "Play around the World" and they send groups of students out each year to developing areas of the world to play with children.  So many children nowadays can't play simply; they need complicated gadgets.  Play around the World shows children how to play with simple things.  One fun game I saw them doing was to spread a sheet of plastic on the ground and to pour liquid soap on it.  It was hilarious watching children sliding all over the place.  

This year the students will stay in my apartment so I wanted to meet them to talk over what I've left there and how to use the cooking system etc.  I've got one of those new fangled hotplates that comes on when the pan is put onto it and turns off automatically when the pan is removed.  I was not happy when I discovered that my lovely pressure cooker and non-stick pan won't work as they are not stainless steel.  When you buy pans for this type of system you have to take along a magnet to see if they are magnetic; if they aren't they won't work.  Life is getting so complicated.

Talking about playing simply, the Cambodian lads across the road have all the things they need; they use the computers to play games, they have guitars and take lessons, they play football with other students on the weekends, they've got special drawing computers as they are quite good artists.  As children we had next to nothing.  At Christmas we got one toy and a bag of nuts and either an apple or an orange.  The younger siblings were more fortunate because the older ones, as they started to work, would buy them a gift.

We made tents out of the clothes horse; maybe people don't know what this is!  It's the rack on which we hang clothes after we've ironed them.  There's nothing nicer than fresh smelling, ironed clothes.  We would use sacks and old mats to make the tent.  Then we'd play house or cowboys or just sit messing around.  Marbles were a big thing as all we needed were some marbles and a few holes in the ground.  Hopscotch was popular, jumping from one square to another.  Then there was "Kick the can" in which we sent a can into the air and tried to hit it - don't ask me why.  Our bicycles were made of spare parts and we learned to ride by leaning against the garden wall and pushing ourselves along.  We also had work to do, feeding the hens, cleaning out their sheds and sometimes digging up the ground so the hens could find worms.  There was also the many rabbits that needed feeding and cleaning.  If I got fed up I'd run away from home; that meant standing in the coal shed until it got dark and then I'd go home.  So different to today - we don't have a coal shed anyway at the farm.  

I arrived in Lacombe just in time for dinner.  Other friends were there.  Now that I'm back in Canada it's totally different as the people I meet are generally "mature" although I did see two children over Easter.  It was a happy time but the conversation is so different to my chats in Cambodia.  The family for years haven't had much money but recently a relative died and now they have more than they need.  They joked that they'd gone into town to buy an Easter bunny chocolate for a great grandson and they'd come away with a very elegant, battery operated car which he can drive.  The lad's is less than two years old.

Wed, 24th Apr, 2019

I spent the night in Lacombe and had an early wake-up.  Sheila always sits by a large picture window and watches the birds and squirrels come to the feeders.  It's lovely to sit there having a chat and enjoying a coffee.  I don't have coffee in the morning but it's a ritual with Sheila.  We play catch-up with what she's been doing; Sheila loves travelling and visiting places around the world while her husband stays at home and cuts the grass.  I had a bowl of soup with other friends and then I tackled the drive back to the farm.  As I left the house I saw two Mule Deer walking through the garden.  They are not troubled at all by humans and they just continued strolling along.  After 50 years of gardening, Sheila has decided she needs to protect her vegetables with a fence.  It'll be interesting to see if it's high enough to keep them out as they are great jumpers.

It was quite a challenge as the strong wind blew my car sideways and I experienced snow, rain, then snow mixed with rain, then a section of the highway where we could hardly see the car in front - I think it was dust from the fields.  It was also very cold so I had the heater on.  I'm still wondering why I came back so early from Cambodia.  Last year I came back at the end of April and we had snow the next day that continued for almost a week.  Anything can happen.  Meanwhile friends at the West coast are sending me photographs of the flowering plants on the balconies and their garlic and other crops already quite tall.

I'd hardly moved while I was in Lacombe so I thought I'd better do my farm walk.  It's strange getting out of the car and not finding Sheba yapping away until I take her for her walk.  Now I have to force myself, especially as it's not pleasant and there's nothing to see.  I wore a fleecy, a down jacket, a knitted jacket with a hood, a woolly cap and mittens.  I didn't see much of the scenery as my head was down because of the wind.  I did see a couple of deer but they ran off as soon as they saw me - a lot different to the Lacombe deer who visit the gardens, eat all the greenery and then just saunter to the next garden.  

Thurs, 25th Apr, 2019

I continued my task of getting rid of my belongings.  I passed on a lot of bookshelves to Stephan and he seems happy about having them.  Now I've just got a few boxes in the attic which should please Rachel who has to deal with things when I'm dead.  I wonder if I should become like Julian of Norwich, who happened to be a medieval nun?  I don't know why she did it but she had herself sealed in a room and she never ever came out.  I do have questions about how she managed to deal with such things as bodily functions but she survived to a ripe old age.  She didn't have to bother one little bit about possessions.  

Over Easter, Jenny had made a Pavlova which needs only egg whites so she asked me to make a custard with the yokes.  It worked out very well but I joked that it wasn't as good as Bird's custard.  She corrected me.  In the old days, when this was a dairy farm, we made custard using the milk from a cow that had had a calf; it was called colostrum and was very thick and yellowish.  Until I got used to it, I didn't like the look of it at all.   After lunch I dressed up for my farm walk.  The winds are terrible.  I really don't enjoy going for a walk wearing so much clothing but it has to be at this time of year.  I visited the bee hives but only a few of them were coming out of the hives.  I didn't see anything today.  That's not quite correct as I do see the odd duck but I can't keep on mentioning them.  

One of these days I will have a reality check and will discover that things need doing.  There's no point in starting any seedlings in the house because they germinate and become too tall and unhealthy.  That job will start at the end of the month and then May will be the time for ploughing the garden and getting it ready.  That's the time when I start enjoying being back in Canada - right now I wish I was somewhere warm.  

My Blog

If you are wondering why you haven't heard anything lately it's because I have stopped using the blog. I asked people to let me know if they still wanted to hear from me and I now have a list. I write to them on a normal email which makes life easier for me and them. If anyone out there hasn't asked for his/her name to be on the list, please send me an email. Peter.

Vetifer grass

Peter, the man in charge of the homestead let me buy one Vetifer plant (each plant has about 100 or more slips) which we put into an old cement bag and headed back home. I dropped off one chunk of the plant with Mzee Ramahdan and friends (who were very excited to have some to plant) and then brought the rest home to plant the next day.

 

Vetiver Grass has roots which reach 10 m in depth and which have a stronger sheer strength than steel which makes it the number one candidate worldwide for erosion control. It has value as fodder, medicine, perfume ingredient, mulch, thatch, and basket weaving as well. It doesn't set seed outside of its home country and it does not spread underground like some grasses. You can take part of the clump without destroying the rest of it. If you take the whole clump away, it doesn't return from the roots so you can modify a landscape without having a long term regeneration problem. In one year, each of the slips should be a clump of 100 slips. So, by year three, there should be plenty of project material.

 

A shopping Day.

I was on lunch duty today.  Yesterday I dealt with some spare ribs and cooked them overnight in the slow cooker.  I love my slow cooker and I try to use it for every meal I cook.  I bought a slow cooker in Cambodia but I was fooled - it was something entirely different.  It cooks by placing food in ceramic pots and then filling the container with water which heats and cooks the food.  I suppose it's healthy but trying to take the lid off is deadly because of the steam coming from the water.  It's mostly on show and I rarely use it.  Jenny said, "This meat is tender."  I said, "It should be; it's been cooking for 9 hours!"  It fell off the bone, which is a bit disappointing for me as I love chomping on bones.  On the other hand, the folks have false teeth and they like their food soft.

After lunch I went with Jenny to visit a friend in hospital.  She'd had shoulder surgery but then infection had set in.  The doctors plan on making an incision in her left arm, putting in a tube which would go to her heart and then on to her right shoulder to send antibiotics to the infection.  Modern medicine is amazing.  We were enjoying our chat when suddenly Jenny said, "I forgot to put money in the meter!"  It was a good excuse to go.  We couldn't run, and in any case it was too late to worry about it.  We arrived at the car and found no ticket.  It's so annoying having to pay to park at a hospital - I understand the hospital doesn't even get the parking fees; they go to the parking company.  

From there I drove to Canadian Tire to buy seeds for the garden.  I always get carried away and so they cost a fortune.  It was a good job I was with Jenny as she has a points card with this particular company and so we got the seeds absolutely free.  Now we just have to hope that they germinate.  

After that it was off to Trail Tire to collect my car that went in for an oil change.  It cost me $71, which I'm told was cheap.  Earlier, we at the farm had gone to a Honda dealership but we decided they were ripping us off so we've all moved to this smaller company.  I really don't understand oil changing.  I've been told that a car can run for up to a year without an oil change, or 10,000km, whichever comes first.  I noticed the sticker on my windshield saying I have to take the car in for another oil change in September, or when the mileage is 220,000 which is only 5,000km away.  Something is wrong.  

I went for my walk when I got back to the farm.  The two Pyrenean dogs tried to follow me but they were nervous about being near me.  Last year I used to chase them away from the house area because they are supposed to be guarding the sheep and goats from the coyotes. They really wanted to come with me but they don't know what to make of me.  Now that Sheba's no longer at the farm I need an animal to join me on the walk so I have to work on Marco and his sister, whatever her name is.  On a funny note, Rachel wrote and said she'd be out on Sunday and maybe we could go for a walk with Marco and his sister.  I replied saying that the paths were muddy so I hoped Marco and his sister had wellies - I'd no idea she was talking about the dogs.

Another funny thing happened at lunch.  Jenny was asking Bill about the birds she'd seen around the house this spring.  She described a bird to him and asked what it was.  Bill mumbled, "How big is it?"  Jenny said, "That's interesting; I've never heard a bird called that."  Heaven only knows what she heard.  

It's 7pm and my relaxing time.  I'm in the basement, on my trusty sofa, and I'm going to find something to watch on YouTube.  

My first drive into the city this year.

It's strange being back.  I find it sad sitting at the table with John, Jenny and Bill as the conversation is rarely uplifting; nobody has even asked me about my time in Cambodia.  Poor Jenny's worried about her hair which is falling out rapidly.  She goes out, wearing an enormous stetson, which I think draws attention to her.  She doesn't mind as it's a conversation piece for her and she can talk about her baldness.  

I can't say I'm happy being back because it's so different.  I'm on the farm, in the middle of fields, with traffic at a distance and people who are actually walking are many kilometres away.  I miss my balcony, sitting there watching people down below.  I miss Vuth's family and being able to have lunch with them or visit the office.  I miss the kids coming over for a visit and I miss moving around visiting other families.  I know I'll get over it as I start visiting people, driving around, getting into the garden etc.  There's always a certain amount of sadness about "I'll miss you", yet it should be a happy event because it means that the person was important.  

I continue to be fascinated by the Aphantasia business.  It always makes me think of those fat elephants in the Disney movie dancing "The Sugarplum fairy".  Then I read about Dr. Zeman in Exeter University, who is the main researcher on this phenomenon and he said he called it "phantasia" because it refers to "Fantasy and the Disney movies - so I wasn't alone in my thinking.  I've been asking people, when I meet them, but so far I haven't found anyone to whom I can say, "Wow! You are just like I am."  Apparently, Dr. Zeman has around 12,000 people he's in touch with, so now it's 12,001.

My walk was the same as usual - quiet.  There was a strong wind and it was quite chilly so even the frogs decided to give up rehearsing.  I saw a beer can lying along the side of the path so I picked it up to take home.  I tend to pick up bits of plastic and put them in a special place.  Away from the farm houses there are no field gates so people can drive off the road to stop and have a beer;  I just wish they'd take their cans home.

We were to leave the farm at 6pm to drive into Edmonton.  Jenny said that she and John were going to eat something so I realised I'd better get something ready for Bill.  I couldn't see cooking anything so I took out a package of instant noodles.  Bill came in, added fruit yogurt, some Clamato juice and avocado to the dry noodles and off he went to enjoy his supper.  His idea of a meal is very different to other people's ideas.

I was asked to drive into town.  I don't mind doing it but I dislike the university area as it's a minefield of one way streets and parking lots.  Jenny said she didn't want to drive because she goes so slowly around a corner she makes other drivers upset.  She won't let John drive as he's just had his cataract surgery.  I was grateful we managed to find the place without a lot of trouble.  We were going to an event organised by Rachel and her husband Pieter.  He has put together a photography book that has black and white photographs of the life of a friend in South Africa; the friend is black and lives in one of those illegal settlements.  Pieter self-published the book, with the help of donations from friends.  He and Rachel went to New York last week so he could meet book distributors, presumably to see if they'd take on selling his book.

Rachel had done a great job of providing food for all tastes - she's got Celiac disease so she's aways aware that there may be people present with the same problem.  There were lots of cheeses, dried South African meats, various nibbles and drinks - everything was labelled which I thought was a great idea.  I'm told there were a hundred people there but I only talked to a few.  Jenny loves meeting new people so she roams around looking for someone to talk to; I'm more interested in talking to those I know.  She came to me and said, "There's a lady over there from Nigeria; you should go and talk to her."  I mentioned she was talking on her phone.  "I'll get her off it," said Jenny.  She didn't need to and eventually I had a nice chat.  Nobody ever comes from my part of Nigeria, the north, but it was still nice to talk to her.

Shannon had driven from Calgary the day before and found herself in a terrible blizzard.  Vehicles were all over the highway so she left the highway and went into a town so she could spend the night in a hotel.  So far we've been lucky here, north of Calgary, and let's hope it stays that way.  I also met Merwan and his wife Saroj; Merwan was in Cambodia two years ago when his daughter, who is a dentist, led a team.  He's hoping she's going on another trip as he'd like to join her.  He retired from his job as Auditor General of Alberta and, as soon as he retired, he was asked to take on another position.  He's lucky as there's a huge amount of unemployment here because of the downturn in the oil industry.  I'm glad I'm not seeking work.

Another thing that's depressing about coming back is the fact that we vote next week in a Provincial election.  I'm sick and tired of the pollsters saying that my party won't win.  I dread to think what'll happen if the United Conservatives get in.  I don't know why people are even voting for them because there were shenanigans during the leadership campaign and candidates have been accused of making racist and homophobic comments - they are our homegrown version of Trump.  I shall be glad when the electioneering is over but then we have four years of whoever gets in.  I like being in Cambodia; if politicians speak I don't understand a word of what they are saying and, if I did understand, I couldn't do anything about the situation.  It makes life a lot easier.  Four sleeps to voting time.  

A new discovery - I’m rare!!

5am and up I got.  I'm getting used to these early mornings; maybe I'll keep having them.  I go upstairs to make a cup of tea and then I settle down to reading the BBC news, dealing with birthdays on Facebook, reading messages and emails and replying.  It's a good system but it leaves me wondering what I'm meant to do for the rest of the day.  We now have Stephan working here from Monday to Friday.  He stays until lunch time and does all the work, cooking, cleaning etc.  I take care of Saturday's big meal and on Sunday the family always eats outside, so my duties have really been reduced.

Today was my first day on the road.  I left in my car after breakfast to do a variety of jobs and my first stop was a supermarket to buy some nuts and a bottle of cherry juice.  I learned that I was really back in Canada when I got a bill for $26.  Then I went to the accountant to pay him for completing my income tax form - that cost me another $300+.  I'm too depressed to mention how much I owe the government.  I went to see the doctor for my annual check up.  I was first of all weighed and was told I was 68.7kg.  The lady asked me if I wanted the figure in pounds but I told her I was metric.  Then I was measured and thankfully I haven't shrunk since last year.  I am now 161cms which, for those of you who are still Imperial, is around 5'4".  Great things come in little packages, my Dad always said.  

I was taken to a room and told to strip to my underwear.  I thought, "No thank you; it's freezing here."  I did remove my shoes and undid my shirt buttons just in case something drastic was going to happen.  When Darcy arrived, ten minutes early which really impressed me, I told him I wasn't going to undress and he agreed with me completely.  My blood pressure is perfect and my ticker seemed to be behaving itself.  I have that "white coat syndrome" and so my blood pressure is usually sky high as soon as I see a doctor, but this time I was talking and having a laugh so things worked out all right.  Last year, when I mentioned my blood pressure would be high, Darcy left the room and came back wearing a white coat.  I was sent off to the hospital to donate some blood so they can check on my kidneys.  There was a notice on the wall about not showing various violent activities towards the hospital staff.  I asked the nurse if it happened and she said it did.  

After lunch I went on my daily walk.  I'd already got 6,000 steps wandering around town doing the various jobs so I felt my Fitbit buzz as I was half way round the walk.  It really is quite boring because there's nothing to see, just fields and more fields; no animals, no grain and only a couple of ducks today.  Even the frogs weren't performing; maybe they didn't like the cold and wind either.  It really is so different to a walk in Phnom Penh where I'm bombarded with so many things - people, traffic, smells, noise, trees in the way, dodging vehicles as I have to walk on the road.  Here, at the moment, it's just a one hour plod around the farm, coming back with my shoes covered with sticky mud.

My car has gone in for an oil change.  I get so confused nowadays with all the conflicting stories about when we should change the oil.  I'm not taking it back to the Honda dealership which is where I've been going since I bought the car in 1998.  Along with other people, I feel they've been taking advantage of us and telling us to change the oil much sooner than necessary.

I read a fascinating article on the BBC news about a man who had no mind's eye.  As I read his story I realised I fitted into the same category.  When I visited the doctor this morning I said, "If I asked you to imagine a sunset could you do it?"  He said, "I'm imagining it while you are speaking."  I said, "Can you actually see the sunset," and he said he could.  I find this absolutely fascinating because I can't.  The article said that we have all the information, just like a computer, but we don't have a screen on which to project the information.  I wonder if anyone else has heard of this; it's recently been given a name - Aphantasia.  I first of all thought it reminded me of those dumpy elephants doing the Sugar Plum Fairy dance in a Disney movie.

It's amazing that I've had this condition for 81 years and never knew about it.  When I was in the north I taught Quentin, who was about 11, to spell.  He couldn't spell to save his life but I had him spelling "Saskatchewan" not only forwards but just as fast backwards.  That's because he was able to create an imaginary friend in his head and he would give the words to this friend.  Quentin could actually see the words.  I tried myself but could never put a friend in my head.  I can spell words backwards but I have my own technique.  Another teacher said she put a blackboard in her head and wrote on it, and could see what she wrote.  For me, that's amazing.  A while back I was at a workshop that discussed "Healing the inner child".  The idea is that many of our adult actions and reactions come about because of childhood trauma.  We were supposed to imagine ourselves as a child and then the child would write to the adult explaining childhood problems.  I couldn't get a picture of myself as a child in my head so I gave up.

I find it interesting because I can describe my Mother, I can talk about how she looked and what she wore, how she talked, but I can't put a picture of her in my head.  Apparently, one in fifty have this particular condition so do let me know if you have it.  I've asked the farm folk and they have imaginations so that leaves me still as the one in fifty.  I'm now in touch with a lecturer at Exeter University who studies this "thing" so it's going to be interesting.

I'm glad I didn't know about this when I was a teenager because I think I'd be devastated not having what others have but at my age I just find it interesting and something new to learn about.  So I shall close my eyes tonight, think about you, and just see black.  I hope people aren't jealous of my being different.

As they say, everything in general and nothing in particular

I had 40 steps short of 10,000 when I went to bed last night.  I did a number of jogging steps by the bed and ended up at 10,000.  I have never ended a day on the exact number but I bet Fitbit counted the step I took to climb onto the mattress.

I decided today to have a stationery clean out, focusing on pens, pencils and bits and bobs.  Why are we all permanent pen borrowers or thieves.  I'm one of them - I love pens and I remember every single person who borrowed one and never returned it.  Last year, on my flight to Taipei, I sat next to a Pakistani young man who needed a pen to fill in his immigration form.  He borrowed one from the attendant and he even had it in his hand when he walked off the plane; he just couldn't bring himself to return it.

Today, I went to every place in the house where I knew pens and pencils were kept and I tried all of them, chucking aside those that wouldn't write.  I filled a whole bag and now I, and other people who will remain nameless, also have space.  It's depressing as it's so much plastic.

Lunch was interesting; we had lamb chops.  Jenny likes to bake them with a slice of onion and a slice of tangy cheese on top - they are very tasty.  Today, the bone was very unusual; it looked like a miniature backbone from a whale.  I asked her what kind of chops they were but she'd forgotten.  

I relaxed on the bed with Allan Bennett.  I read until he said another of those Anglo Saxon words and then I got ready for my walk.  Today the frogs were croaking.  We have two colonies in one of our ponds and they have different sounds.  The group doing its so-called singing today always sound as if they have a sore throat.  The pond is so small I'm sure they meet in the middle for a natter but I'm not sure they do anything else.  When I approach the pond I always move off the path and into the soft grass but they always know I'm there and they stop singing.  I can stand still all day and they won't sing any more.  I wonder if they have the frog equivalent of a watchdog?  Even when I walk past the pond they refuse to start singing; it's obvious they want to see me off the property before they start enjoying what frogs do best in the spring.

I accidentally walked through a swarm of insects.  They flew into the air and hovered above my head for a while.  I've no idea what they were; they looked like miniature butterflies or moths - they definitely weren't flies.  They settled into a willow tree and that was that.  I felt single spots of rain as I returned to the farm.  I'd like rain for the rain barrel as I need to wash my car, but I don't want my roads through the farm muddier than what they are.  I wish we could be like other people and simply use a hosepipe to wash the car; unfortunately, our well water has soda in it which leaves a white film on the car and kills the plants if we use it in the garden.  

I tried all day to contact my car insurance people but they kept telling me the wait was over 30 minutes.  I kept trying but finally gave up; at 4pm I tried again and was happy to hear it would be only 10 minutes.  The kitchen phone cord is so long I can wander around doing things while I wait so I set the breakfast table and did other odd jobs.  In the end it was a 30 minute wait.  I wonder if I can complain?  If a train or plane is late in Europe passengers can get a refund.  If my car insurance people are late, why can't I get a refund on my policy?  

Today I receive all my financial documents from the bank and somebody had opened the envelope.  I'm wondering if I should be worried.  I also got a letter about being give a few dollars credit for the Alberta Environmental Leadership something or other.  I haven't a clue what it's about.  I asked a friend and he said it was because I was poor.  

I'm feeling a bit betwixt and between at the moment but it'll most likely go away when I start moving off the farm and seeing people.  I must be a weird character as there's very little I want to "do" here, and it's the same in Asia - I just want to see how friends are doing.   I phoned my friend Letty in England.  I started work in 1954 with John who became her husband, so she's my oldest friend outside family. She's 90 now and quite a stroppy character.  She's had a gardener for years and when he came the last time he said he wanted £189.  She nearly had a heart attack and told him where to go.  She doesn't know how it's happened but since then a man comes from the town council and does it for her.  She doesn't have to pay and she's no idea who he is because he comes and goes and she never sees him.  

Alan Bennett has given all his papers to Oxford University.  When he spoke at the ceremony he said he was grateful for his state education - he went through school and university without paying a single penny, but that was in the 50s.  Times have changed and the poor young men and women have to pay an arm and a leg if they want a higher education.  I love socialism!  

Here's that notice I said I was going to put on the blog each day for this week.  

A couple of times a reader has complained about something I've written.  I have told people this is my diary so I should be able to say what I want to say.  This time something I'd written was passed around and others wrote to me.  I refused to read them as I couldn't be bothered; I decided it was their problem not mine.  Anyway, I'm getting a bit fed up of criticisms so I'm thinking of a new plan.

If you want me to continue sending my diary to you please let me know.  You can send me a short email to that effect.  I'll attach this note to my daily writings for the rest of the week.  Then, I'll create a group of those who have said they'd like to receive it and I'll send it by email.  I'll then close down the public blog and not bother with it anymore.  We'll just keep it to a select group of people.  I hope this makes sense.  

A cooking day

I did a bit better this morning as I woke up at 4am.  As usual, I've decided not to toss and turn but to get up and start the day.  It works well but the only problem is that I finish most of my work before everyone else's day has started.  

I was on lunch duty but I was crafty and started it last night.  Cooking is so much more complicated when I return to Canada.  For one thing, I'm cooking for four people and one needs a gluten free diet.  The other thing is that I've got a stove with an oven and four rings whereas in Cambodia I have a single hotplate that's for just one pan.  I did invest in a microwave but I only using it for warming up left-over food.  I decided to cook chicken in a sort of sweet and sour mix using sugar, soya sauce, vinegar, paprika and bay leaf.  The recipe called for two onions which seemed an onion overload to me but it worked out all right.  I found a bag of frozen turnip and carrots from 2017 so I thought I'd use them, along with mashed potatoes.  I'd never frozen carrots and turnip before and it works quite well although Bill said the turnip didn't have much taste - I should have mashed them with carrots like Mother used to do.  On the bright side Bill did say that the chicken was tasty done this way.  I was quite chuffed and accepted the compliment as they don't come that often with my cooking - not that anyone gets up and walks away from the food, full of complaints.

In the afternoon I decided to do what everyone else does, which is to go to bed.  I daren't sleep as I can't wake up.  Instead I read a book I bought last year.  It's by Alan Bennett, who comes from Leeds and is a famous writer and playwright.  It's made up of diary entries over the last few years; sometimes the comments are interesting and other times they aren't.  He does use come very colourful language at times which I think originate with the Viking invaders as they are definitely north country.

I went for a walk after my book reading.  It was said to be 14C so it would be classed as balmy by Albertans who'd suffered the winter.  As usual, I saw no one and all the ducks took off when I came anywhere near.  There were deer droppings on the path so they are around.  It's lovely, once I get away from the highway traffic.  The paths look solid but they are really quite muddy and our mud is a pain because it's sticky.  I therefore wander off onto the grass verge or into the field stubble.  I saw a single butterfly; it had obviously survived the winter sleeping somewhere, which is amazing.  I was also happy to see the bees buzzing around the entrance to their hives - so spring is starting to spring forth.

I prepared Bill's supper and then I settled down, in the basement, to do some letter writing.  Bill came along; "There's a beast on the highway, can you help me?"  I wasn't dressed for outside so I asked if I should get dressed or were we going in a vehicle.  He decided to leave me where I was and said he'd get me if I was needed.  A few minutes later John came along to tell me there was a cow on the road.  I said I knew, and I told him about Bill.  "We'd better go and check," he said.  I put on some clothes and left with him to join Jenny who'd got the vehicle out.  She was nervous about driving on the bumpy path because John had just had his cataract surgery and he's only got one good eye.  We never did see the cow but we did see a man in a cowboy hat fixing the fence.  We had no idea who he was; we were on the opposite side of the road so Jenny yelled from the vehicle and he said he was happy doing what he was doing.  I said that in Asia the cows leave the home in the morning, wander off down the road and return at night so why can't ours do the same?  Jenny suggested it might not be a good idea because vehicles here drive at 100kph which maybe they don't in Asia.  With the roads being improved they certainly do and often we have to stop to allow a herd to meander across the road.  Maybe they've been genetically modified to know when it's time to go home.  In Nigeria I'd see a herdsman wandering along with a hundred cattle and all he had was a stick in his hand.  Here, to herd one cow we need a few trucks and a number of humans.

So that's five days over out of the six months I'm here; time is flying by.  Cambodian friends are posting pictures of everyone playing traditional games and enjoying New Year - it's a happy time as people tend to go home to their villages.  I wouldn't mind being there at this time.  

Now I have to make a statement.  A couple of times a reader has complained about something I've written.  I have told people this is my diary so I should be able to say what I want to say.  This time something I'd written was passed around and others wrote to me.  I refused to read them as I couldn't be bothered; I decided it was their problem not mine.  Anyway, I'm getting a bit fed up of criticisms so I'm thinking of a new plan.

If you want me to continue sending my diary to you please let me know.  You can send me a short email to that effect.  I'll attach this note to my daily writings for the rest of the week.  Then, I'll create a group of those who have said they'd like to receive it and I'll send it by email.  I'll then close down the public blog and not bother with it anymore.  We'll just keep it to a select group of people.  I hope this makes sense.  

My first farm walk this year.

Well, so much for a good night's sleep.  It was even worse this morning as I woke up at 3.15.  I messed around trying to nod off but it didn't work so I got up, made myself a cup of tea, read the BBC news and decided to use the phone.  

When I got back here I opened all my mail and checked my VISA statements that come via the mail.  For some strange reason two companies in England were taking £15 a month out of my bank account.  I had no clue who they were and it had been going on since last September.  I went to their websites and typed in my email address, which they said was unknown.  We are seven hours behind England so it was good I was awake early as I could phone.  It was a bit of a palaver because they the automated voice asked for my membership number, which I didn't have.  Then they asked for my postal code so I gave them my Canadian one.  No, they didn't want that one so I held on for an operator.  It turned out that, while I was in England, I'd purchased tickets on Trainline and, at that time they'd said I could sign up for special offers.  Always wanting to save a penny or two, I did.  What I didn't notice was that the offer was for only one month and then I'd be charged.  Not only once but twice because I'd signed up with a different company when I purchased another train ticket.  Dear Naomi, somewhere in England, cleared things up for me and explained why I was a member.  It turned out that both companies are under the same umbrella so she has now cancelled my membership, which was very kind of her.  I didn't bother asking if I could have my money back.  

When I was in Cambodia, my sister Maureen wrote to say she was having problems with Amazon because they were deducting money for something called 'Prime'.  I thought I'd check my Amazon account and the same was happening to me.  I got that one cancelled too.  These online companies are so sneaky and I believe they make things complicated and obscure to catch people, especially the old who don't read between the lines.  I'm now going to phone VISA to get my statements on line so I don't get a shock six months down the line.  

People keep telling me I should spend my money and I do try but I always end up in a muck up mess.  I've now got three phone chargers when I only ordered one.  The company in the USA offered it so I filled in the form.  They wrote and said I hadn't completed the form and the offer would soon be over - I filled in the form.  The next day I got the same message so I once again filled in the form.  A few days later I received an email saying, "Your order is being processed."  Then another, "Your order is being processed."  Then another.  VISA wouldn't help.  The company said it was too late as the order was on its way from Hong Kong.  Then I ordered an adjustable typing table that would allow me to stretch my legs and stand up to type.  It's high quality but I need a high quality brain to set it up.  I don't think I'll be using it.  I also think I'm going to leave my money in the bank and let other, brighter people use it.

The days are definitely longer here but, at the moment it's pitch black outside and I've no idea what's happening outside with the weather.  

The highlight of the day was to be able to go for a walk.  I'd heard the temperature was around 14C so I wrapped up with a sweater and two jackets and set off through the farm.  The path was a bit muddy which meant walking on the grassy verge as I didn't want a build-up of sticky mud on my shoes.  There were hundreds of ducks in the ponds that have formed on the land but they took off as soon as they saw me.  I used to feel guilty disturbing them but now I've decided if they want to be skittish it is entirely up to them.  I also saw a few geese but they just ignored me and wandered off a bit.  Everything is so brown, with not a sign of green.  I did see some bright pink though - I'd heard that the oil companies are taking an interest in one of the wells on the farm and so it looks like they are going to do some pipeline work.  The pink ribbons go through the bush so I hope they aren't going to make a mess of things.

I had a debate with myself about bedtime - should I or shouldn't I take a pill to help me sleep.  I really do get a bit fed up waking up at 3am.  I decided to take one so let's see what happens.  

My day for using the phone.

Is it called a dream when you are in bed with your eyes closed but you aren't asleep?  I was having one of these things this morning around 4am.  It wouldn't stop so I decided to read a book.  After a while I decided to have another attempt at sleeping but it didn't work so I got up and started my day with a cup of tea.

In bed I was having the strangest stories going on in my head.  At one point I was really upset because my favourite teacher had been transferred - he happened to be my present day doctor.  I say to myself, "That's a good story, I'll have to write that one down."  I get up and the story's completely forgotten - I can't remember a thing.

I heard something on the radio about an ideal homes exhibition in London.  The commentator was saying that houses were getting smaller and so they new homes didn't have a dining room.  The commentator said, "Do you remember when we were young, we always had a dining room."  I couldn't help laughing.  In our younger days in all the homes we lived in, we never had a dining room.  In our first home in Elm Road we were all in the kitchen for six days of the week; on Sunday we were allowed into what we called the 'front room'.  Often it was frigid because we didn't have enough coal to keep the kitchen and front room fires going.  There must have been more than a dozen of us in that kitchen and Mother would be busy doing the ironing or other chore.  No electric iron.  The irons were placed by the coal fire to heat up and the ironing was done on the kitchen table.  I suppose we could have gone upstairs to our bedrooms but they were even colder than the downstairs rooms.  There was a short passage leading into the kitchen with an outside toilet leading off it.  In the dark days of winter we kids would often come home from school and walk straight into a hanging bird.  Dad would wring the neck of some poor hen or cockerel and hang it upside down to drain.  Its wing were spread out and it was quite a thing to bump into.  Those were the days.

The folks were out this morning at church and then for lunch with friends.  This is the time when I can use the phone as no one else wants to use it.  I phoned some family members and got updated with family affairs.  Barrie's fed up with Jean because she's taking antibiotics for a water infection.  Instead of swallowing the pills she's chewing them so Barrie says her tongue is all the colours of the rainbow because of her chewing.  Jean's a retired nurse so she knows best and won't listen to anyone else.  I told Barrie to go on strike until she starts to swallow them - no cooking done, no cleaning, no pushing her wheelchair etc.  He said to her, "If you think I'm bad you should listen to him."  Jean said, "I don't want him coming here to look after me."  I'm glad she doesn't.

Waris came with a single egg this morning - I think it must have been a duck egg as he'd given us some hen eggs the day before.  I decided to turn it into a pancake and I had it with some of the thick lentil soup I made earlier.  I was quite pleased with my efforts.

The sky is blue today, which makes everything look more cheerful.  It's going down to 1C tonight so it's still on the nippy side.  I saw the tulips pushing through so that's a good sign.  They are always early as they are against the house wall so they feel the warmth from the bricks.  Bill's planted some marigold seeds in a container; I don't know what he plans on doing with them.  A few ducks flew over; they'll be looking for loose grain lying in the fields.  It won't be long before we hear the honking of the geese as they return from the south.

I tried to find something to watch on YouTube but I was too droopy to be bothered watching anything.  I was in bed by 8.30 and I read a while to make sure all the rays from the computer screen had disappeared and I would sleep.  To make sure I read a book for half an hour and even took one of my happy pills.  It would be a good night!

The journey continues

The 10 or so hours flight was good and I was happy my leg didn't start kicking with Tired Leg Syndrome - it usually does towards the end of a long flight.  The meals were excellent and enormous.  Every hour or so the attendant would walk down the aisle with drinks; once she came with sandwiches.  I did manage to watch some movies but they were quite depressing.  I saw "The Favourite" about Queen Anne.  I can understand why the actress playing her got the Oscar as it was an emotional rollercoaster role but it was so depressing.  I then stupidly watched "Mary Queen of Scots" which was interesting but just as depressing - poor lady lost her head.  After that I tried to watch "Holmes and Watson" which was so over the top and daft.  I read my book and tried to nod off, which never really happens.

I won't fly to the US any more, and now I'm wondering how to avoid Vancouver.  The passport business is very simple and quick but then the queuing starts.  Up and down we go, seeing the same people going in the opposite direction all the time.  There were 3 customs people on duty, checking the forms the machines churn out, so it was slow going.  I ended up having to see a lady which terrified me because they are generally very picky and suspicious.  Fortunately, this one just asked me if I do what I do every year and then she wrote "OK" on my paper and off I went.  Off she went too, for a cuppa I suppose.  Maybe that's why she was easy going with me.

The airport system has changed now for transit passengers and so I was like the proverbial lost sheep.  I had to keep asking every few minutes as it was so convoluted and exhausting.  I finally reached the security area, where there was another long queue and my boarding pass was telling me the plane was being boarded.  Fortunately, the flight was delayed.  I hate galloping in airports so I felt a bit let down when I got there and had to wait.  I found a chair hiding behind the shoe cleaning chap's equipment so I settled down for a while.

Getting on to an Air Canada flight is always interesting.  Instead of being a lone white in a sea of Asians I become like most of the other passengers.  The attendants are always enormous compared to Asian cabin crew.  Compared to the size of the Asian meals, Canadians meals are minuscule - a bag of pretzels and a cup of tea.  I didn't have any headsets so I read my book.  I can't finish it though because I left it on the plane; my brain switches off at the end of a day of travelling.

Ilyas picked me up.  He'd parked the car close to the airport so I wouldn't have to walk far in my shirt sleeves but he'd managed to get a ticket.  It was midnight so I had no idea about the landscape - I knew it would be brown and white so I wasn't fussed about it.  Everyone was in bed at the farm so I did some unpacking and then fell into bed.  Morning came and I joined Bill for breakfast.  He's of the old school so his greeting was a smile and a "Hello".  I then was given some instructions - get some chutney for lunch from the cold room, finding out he'd be having soup for supper and telling me that the groceries on the floor arrived yesterday but he'd left them for me to deal with.  

Fri, 5th Apr, 2019

I really don't like Alberta at this time of year.  Everything is so brown and the grass looks miserable.  I did notice that the tulips are coming through.  I'm missing Cambodia's blue skies and warmth.  Here it's hovering around 10C and there's water running everywhere, which I suppose is a blessing after all the snow.  The only problem is that it's stopping me from having my morning walks.  Also the dog's not here any more so I'll have to talk to myself when I do get a chance to walk.  Jenny and Stephan had made a lamb stew, which is a favourite meal of mine, especially when I haven't had it for a long time.  

The rest of the day went by with me doing almost nothing apart from trying to find myself and my belongings.  I file them away before I leave and it's always a task trying to find them again and put them back in place so that it feels like home again.  I try not to notice that we are all getting older and slower.  I'm a bit out of it with the conversations as I haven't a clue what's happening locally.

At bedtime I decided to take a pill to make sure I slept.

Sat, 6th Apr, 2019

I woke up at 2am and I thought, "Here we go again".  I really do hate jet lag.  I finally got back to sleep and lo and behold I woke up at 9am.  I must be maturing because I decided it wasn't worth worrying about.  I had my breakfast on my own and then I started to prepare lunch.  I didn't want anything complicated so I did mashed potatoes, sausage and a veg mixture.  Nobody complained so it must have been all right.  Waris came to have a chat and he's promised me some eggs from his hens.  He asked if I wanted eggs from the inside hens or the outside ones.  I chose the outside ones as I like to think the hens have been having protein by eating insects, worms etc.

I checked the freezer and discovered I'd got a container of vegetable water so I thought I'd make a vegetable soup.  I was feeling a bit droopy so it kept me awake.  I'm so up to date with my emailing I had nothing to do and so I thought I'd nod off for a while.  It didn't work.  I lay there for a while and then decided it might be because I was by the big window.  I covered my eyes with my handkerchief but that didn't improve the situation.  I finally decided to get up and do what I always do in these circumstances - I made a cup of tea.  For some reason Bill's changed his habit of 80 plus years and so he didn't come in at 4pm for his usual cuppa.

For the rest of the day I disappeared downstairs, settled down on my lovely leather sofa and either read, wrote or watched news on YouTube.  I'm back!   

Greetings from Taipei

It's been quite a day.  I got up at 6.30am and did some of my walking.  I didn't bother with the 10,000 steps as I knew I'd be pacing the corridors of a few airports.  I spent so long getting the place ready for the students that I only had time for a liquid breakfast.  I think all is well now in the apartment although, by the time the ladies arrive, it'll need a thorough dusting.  Yesterday I took my large, empty suitcase across the road so I only had my smaller suitcase to carry.  It's quite a challenge tackling the 38 steps, unlocking and locking two doors in the process.  I've decided to give in to age and so I go up and down multiple times carrying a few things.  I packaged my leftover yogurt, peanut butter and cheese for the boys.  

I'm always baffled at the amount of stuff Asians (and maybe other nationalities) carry on planes.  I would like to tell the airport authorities to have a separate queue for those only carrying suitcases.  I've never seen so many boxes; the family in front of me had 8 enormous boxes plus five suitcases.  They were heading for San Mateo in California but I don't know if they were moving there or returning.  I presume the boxes were full of Khmer goodies.  The queue crawled along so I was glad when a lady called me over to her counter and I was through in five minutes.  I'm going to have to stop noticing things while I'm in line.  Today I saw an employee from the check in counters, approaching a couple.  He obviously knew them.  He took their documents and checked in for them and then he went back, gave them their boarding passes and took care of their bags.  I felt like saying, "Do you mind doing the same for me?"  

I might have been the only non Chinese on the flight.  I enjoy EVA airlines because the staff are hard working - it seems to be a trait for non-Western airlines staff.  I notice on Air Canada flights to the UK that the staff give us dinner and then they go to bed until breakfast.

I sailed through transit in Taipei and then I walked the long corridors and eventually got my 10,000 steps.  It's an interactive airport with lots of things for people to look at and for children to enjoy.  There are flowers everywhere, especially orchids, and lots of huge pictures depicting Taiwan's beauty.  There are art galleries, a museum, a place where you can watch traditional tea making.  I've just had a lamb curry with rice, veggies and a cabbage with a sauce so my stomach's happy until I'm fed on the plane.  I don't think I'll venture far now from the lounge; there are lots of people going by so I can people watch.  Some are very strange but there again, they may think I am too.  

I can't see much happening between now and midnight, when I board the flight, so I'll send this off now.  It's pouring with rain here; I wish I could blow it towards Cambodia.  See you in Canada.