Third Time Lucky

Дельфин or Dolphin

I know its probably getting quite tedious. My posting of music, that is. Although there are other things around here that are quite tedious as well. However, this is excellent. A chap called Dolphin. Not a dolphin called Chap. Important to be clear about that. Russian, not Ukrainian. Brillant video. Archive footage of Moscow Olympics, I guess. Actually, not a guess. A fact. Facts. They seem in short supply nowadays, don't they? Maryna, birthday tomorrow. Happy Birthday. From the way that old redneck talks about you, you must be a wonder to be around. I know that this song certainly is not exactly cheerful birthday material. Forgive the gaff. I often make gaffs. I am jealous of you and Patrick. But in a nice way. What you have is wonderful. I hope that Sveta and I will have the same. Though, no doubt, I will forget her birthday. But not out of maliciousness. But because I am durack.

Baltika - a pivo from heaven

Presently causing me problems is this little gem. Baltika, brewed in St Petersburg and now available in the UK and in our pub. At 500 ml its just under a pint and is quite heavenly. Strong and tasty but, remarkably, causes absolutely no hangover. I have a somewhat limited capacity for alcohol but a large predilection for hangovers; yet however hard I try I have yet to feel rough after a night on this stuff. What it does do is cause me to wake extraordinarily early. Hence I am posting at 4:40 am.

Scalped

On of the problems with living in a building that dates back to the time when Zeus ruled from Olympus ( the mountain, not the camera) is that whilst its all very picturesque, solid and substantial..its all a bit higgedly piggeldy inside.

The staircases, for example, are so windy and so steep that Hector is banned, under threat of being whacked around the head, from ever attempting to climb or descend them. The one up to my quarters almost requires crampons.

The ceilings are all a bit random. Some high, some low with doorways to match. Hence, this morning, I stumble out of bed, walk to my bathroom and THWACK I have taken the top of my head off. I have actually scalped myself and now have a big egg head lump on skull. This causes much merriment amongst the staff.

Plans for Budapest

Two weeks today I shall be in Budapest with Sveta. I just booked the tickets. That has pretty much wiped me out financially but thats ok, Im going to start paying myself this month and so things should get a little easier.

Its so long since I have seen Sveta, its so long since I have had a holiday and I will have never been away from the business as long as this before. All three factors are going to require some mental adjustment PRIOR to going on holiday. I suspect that the worst thing that I could do is just go on holiday as it will take me about 3 days to relax, during which time I shall be completely unbearable

Autumnal Weeknds, Red Water, Pakistan and Perfection.

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.

Morte of Nothing Much

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Weekend Blues

And so it begins. The weekend. A time of relaxation. Not.

28 Engineers are coming to lunch today. Then the Friday night crowd. The Saturday morning run around for bread, flowers and assorted ingredients that we have run out of. The Saturday lunchtime morons. Saturday night dissolves into several bottles of strong Russian beer. Sunday and the half-wits with families, limes and sodas and a bagette and can little Jimmy have french fries with that and then Sunday evening with the regulars wanting that last pint at 10:29 when they know we close at 10:30.

Enjoy yours.

Moizza, why don't u post a nice picture of something Pakistani to make me grin? Or mail me and Ill post it.

Enid Blyton's Farmhands?

Moizza wondered what a ruddy faced farmboy looked like. I'm not quite sure that this chap is what Enid Blyton had in mind but it was the best that I could find.....

Train or Plane and what time is tea?

Sveta, may God Bless her Cuteness, remains convinced that "tea" in England is served at 5 ' o clock. It was what she was taught at school and nothing that I can say or do can persuade her that this is another type of "tea" and that the tea that she is thinking of happens around 3:30 or 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

The first long conversation that Sveta and I ever had was on this issue.

Tomeck, the second chef ( aka The Kitchen Bitch/Cyka/Dziwka) can now say in English

"Exactly!"

" Lovely Boss!"

" I love you,. Boss"

" Did I get money today?"

"Can I have beer, please?"

I kid you not. Its a strange household.

Autumn Bliss

Its a beautiful Autumn day. The sky is bright blue, there is a colling breeze and we are not openning the pub anymore on Monday lunchtimes. I had planned to write a long post about how, through my life, I have moved country every three years and the three years in the UK is up this December. I was also goingt o write a post about how much I miss Pakistan. There was another post about Sveta and my forthcoming trip to Budapest.