A good weekend. Not a great weekend, but good enough for mid-September.
Its really getting into Autumn now. Today was full of early morning mists and mellow fruitfulness. Indeed, we went off blackberry picking for a couple of hours this morning, got a healthy looking bucket-load, scratched and scared arms, completely forgot the time and managed to get back to the pub 5 minutes before openning.
On Friday we had 28 engineers come for lunch, they stayed til 5 and spent a fortune. Saturday was quiet though we later discovered that we got a couple of complimentary paragraphs in the biggest selling national broadsheet, today was hectic at lunch time and nice during the evening. Apparently there was some famous people in at lunch time but I was too busy making a lush chciken curry and then eating it to notice. One of the bar staff went home in her break and made a nice cake for us all in the evening. Its all quite jolly here really.
All of which makes me wonder why I can't pay the bills? Actually, I know why i cant pay the bills. Something to do with spending money on improvements before the money has come in. Of course I justify it to myself as all being tax-deductible capital expenditure that will positively effect the bottom line.....but..I still need to pay those pesky bills somehow.
Sveta's water is red at the moment. That can't be right. Red water?
I still keep thinking of Pakistan, the Swat valley, Afghan bazaar in Peshawar and jogging around Faisal Mosque in Islamabad. I never went to Karachi. I wish I had never gone to Multan. I wonder if they have finally finished the GT road to Peshawar now?
Soon Ill be in Budapest. Assuming that Sveta and I can manage to work out which days the cheap flights go on. Anyway, she's applied for her visa so its going to happen. Its been ages. Will she still mumble "durack" under her breath all the time? Is her tummy still perfectly flat? I guess I shall find out soon enough.
My hared of Gordon Brown knows no bounds. If I see him on TV or read about him in the paper I just feel a wave of anger crashing over me. I think its because he reminds me of my ex-wife in that they both share this dour Scottish ability to be right all the time and sanctomonious with it. Really, its hard to live with perfection and so I escaped it all through shagging.
Note to Sveta.:Don't ever be perfect.
Yay for the pub. Given the places you've been to you may as well give Karachi a miss, will be a bit of an anti-climax. Incidentally yesterday I was longing for Karimabad in Hunza and the amazing little sloping road from where you can see Nanga Parbat and what not. I saw an avalanche from my balcony window when I stumbled out in the morning. Prickled you like nobody's business.
Posted by: moizza | September 11, 2006 at 06:03 AM
Oh I don't know about the GT road but I do know that Daewoo runs the whole route to Peshawar (was supposed to go there for Pathan friend's wedding but the city was striking at that point so just stayed in Islamabad and bought books with his present money) on the motorway. I don't suppose you were around when the motorway started functioning?
Posted by: moizza | September 11, 2006 at 06:19 AM
No, they hadn't finished the Peshawar-Isb section when I left. In fact, just around Nowshera, there were great chunks of motorway that were not connected to anything but simply sat there looking folorn.
I also loved Karimabad :)
Posted by: Stephen | September 11, 2006 at 08:39 AM
Did you ever managed to go to Altit and Baltit fort? We went their with this impressive guide who told us how Shimshal was the mythical Australia for the Hunzunkuts. They used to banish all prisoners to that place. We walked 7 hours to Shimshal and it was raining over there. Had to make a human chain and cross a bridge over a gorge that had planks missing in the middle.
And I hope you did not go without tasting Hunza Water.I thought it was strong but then they gave me this distilled stuff that stung my tastebuds senseless.
Posted by: moizza | September 11, 2006 at 11:42 AM
Yes, we went to Altit and Baltit. In fact we spent an awful lot of time up in the Northern areas and also the northern end of the Swat valley.
Have you been to Swat in Spring or Autumn? Heaven. The Serena there now has a pool and does the most perfect tea on the lawn. If I could buy a retirement home anywhere in the world it would be in Swat...
Posted by: Stephen | September 11, 2006 at 05:08 PM
I went to Swat when I was a child, I just remember picking some berries. Haven't been there after that.
Posted by: moizzza | September 12, 2006 at 06:12 AM