46) At some point I
should have done a list of things I didn't
like about
47) The rainy season
kicked in with a vengeance late in my stay.
After an adventurous shopping expedition one day, I came home to find a
frog sitting at the bottom of the stairs.
I hadn't seen a frog in the wild (intended with all possible irony)
since
48) Continuing on the
wildlife theme: I spent a few days sick with a gastro bug after my wild weekend
of sashimi and beer (there was no connection, honest; and it had nothing to do
with too much cake, either). While
trying to plug away at writing regardless, I noticed a bird constantly coming
to visit the apartment's rear balcony.
Watching more closely, I realised that it was carrying food in its
beak. Curious, I stuck my head out the
screen door and discovered a tiny baby bird crouched in the corner of the
balcony, looking sadly up at me. I was worried
about it for a while, thinking that it might have fallen in there during all
the rain we'd had recently; I even feared that it might share the same fate as
the bug on the stairwell. But later,
when I went to check on it, it had managed to fly away. The All-Bran I chucked out for it either gave
it enough strength or frightened it badly enough to escape. Whichever it was: whew.
49) Here's a picture of
an ordinary kettle. Why? Because it was insulated. Once you boiled it, the water stayed hot for
hours, saving me the hassle (and, more importantly, the energy) of re-boiling
it. This was pretty much standard in
50) Feeling slightly
queasy also gave me an excuse to indulge in yet another culinary treat I
discovered over there: the crunchy "old man's" cracker, so-called
because that's who George Watt's students reckon they were made for. I think they're made of rice; I'm pretty sure
they were bad for me. I didn't care much
on either point. This fine example was
bought in Magome and eaten shortly after its photo
was taken.
(continue)