Not too much has happened, written more, not as much as I’d like but it’s still getting there. Actually took time off today to dread my hair, four hours later, it’s done. Ok, it needs more time to knot up properly but the whole head of hair has got the first stage of dreads sorted. Why? Buggered if I know, it seemed a good idea at the time! Actually I’ve been contemplating it for a while, was going to get it done professionally, but after a few attempts at pinning people down I was no closer to getting an appointment. So today I decided to start it myself. I’m pleased with the result, even more with the time it took. Was I really going to spend a couple of hundred quid letting someone else loose on my hair. Well there’s no need now! What is it I keep claiming? If you want something done properly, do it your bloody self. (Photo: Yours truly, posing with new locks - On a secret location, somewhere in the depths of Sri Lanka)
It’s meant to be dry season, yet we’ve had rather a lot of rain. Thunderstorms on a number of nights have made it nice to sit under a shelter and watch it pass overhead. By morning it has always brightened up, leaving yet another day of scorching hot sunshine. But not today, it just keeps on coming. I’ve also moved, vacating my room to allow a prior booking take priority. It was better for Runi than only providing one and making the 2nd half of the party go to another guesthouse. That isn’t good business, so while the 2nd room wasn’t available due to an Italian couple deciding to stay longer, it was easier for me to take a room in one of his families houses, it’s only for two nights. I didn’t think it would make any difference, however, I found it hard to settle down and write in the new environment. Hence a day of self grooming! (Photo: Chirpy Chipmunk - Newland guesthouse, Kalkudah Sri Lanka)
I hate to harp on about it again, but the resounding opinion of the President, Rajapakse, is that he’s a complete shyster. He made promises to both India and China to redevelop and sort out the problems of the Tamil population. Hang on, let’s be fair here! He developed a number of refugee/concentration camps, and as long as he keeps thousands incarcerated they aren’t a problem. So in actual fact he is a fine upstanding man who keeps his word to the letter. NOT!!! (Not an uncommon sign - East coast, Sri Lanka)
Here’s a good one too, getting a job in the civil service. Let’s assume it’s the same for both Tamils and Singhalese, which would make it one of the few things of equal opportunities. It costs 200,000 rupees to be taken onto the payroll. Little wonder then that the whole bureaucratic system is so corrupt, who isn’t going to do whatever necessary to recoup the initial fee, which is £1,250. It’s a similar situation I found with the police force in Sumatra, having to pay somewhere in the region of 6 months to a years wages to get in. The result is corruption being the norm, rather than the exception. I guess it is at least honest corruption, you pay the price and there’s no problem. For the majority of British coppers they’re in it for the power trip, they get pleasure from screwing people over. Worst of all they’re either to dishonest to admit it, or too arrogant to even realise it. (Photo: Hidden lagoon - Valaichchennai, Sri Lanka)
That’s better, if I didn’t have a bit of a rant people might think something was wrong with me. I do tend to see the negative side of life a bit too often, I come from a long line of cynics, it’s the male genes. Luckily these weren’t passed onto Cai, he was more of a balancing influence on me. God I miss that, whether I agreed with him or not, his arguments were rational and well formed. I’m so glad he actually had the time in life to mature enough to reach that stage. Writing my book has been really helpful in appreciating many aspects of our lives, it’s also enabled me to realize how far I’ve progressed since those early days of losing him. When I feel grief struck, it doesn’t feel that way, but there is no denying it, time has been a great healer. Now I must put some effort into regaining some joy out of life, unfortunately I still struggle to find much point in things, I’m still just going through the motions, but go through them I bloody well will. I’ll get there in the end. ( Photo: Expert caste - Lagoon, Valaichchennai, Sri Lanka)
Not too much has happened, written more, not as much as I’d like but it’s still getting there. Actually took time off today to dread my hair, four hours later, it’s done. Ok, it needs more time to knot up properly but the whole head of hair has got the first stage of dreads sorted. Why? Buggered if I know, it seemed a good idea at the time! Actually I’ve been contemplating it for a while, was going to get it done professionally, but after a few attempts at pinning people down I was no closer to getting an appointment. So today I decided to start it myself. I’m pleased with the result, even more with the time it took. Was I really going to spend a couple of hundred quid letting someone else loose on my hair. Well there’s no need now! What is it I keep claiming? If you want something done properly, do it your bloody self. (Photo: Yours truly, posing with new locks - On a secret location, somewhere in the depths of Sri Lanka)
It’s meant to be dry season, yet we’ve had rather a lot of rain. Thunderstorms on a number of nights have made it nice to sit under a shelter and watch it pass overhead. By morning it has always brightened up, leaving yet another day of scorching hot sunshine. But not today, it just keeps on coming. I’ve also moved, vacating my room to allow a prior booking take priority. It was better for Runi than only providing one and making the 2nd half of the party go to another guesthouse. That isn’t good business, so while the 2nd room wasn’t available due to an Italian couple deciding to stay longer, it was easier for me to take a room in one of his families houses, it’s only for two nights. I didn’t think it would make any difference, however, I found it hard to settle down and write in the new environment. Hence a day of self grooming! (Photo: Chirpy Chipmunk - Newland guesthouse, Kalkudah Sri Lanka)
I hate to harp on about it again, but the resounding opinion of the President, Rajapakse, is that he’s a complete shyster. He made promises to both India and China to redevelop and sort out the problems of the Tamil population. Hang on, let’s be fair here! He developed a number of refugee/concentration camps, and as long as he keeps thousands incarcerated they aren’t a problem. So in actual fact he is a fine upstanding man who keeps his word to the letter. NOT!!! (Not an uncommon sign - East coast, Sri Lanka)
Here’s a good one too, getting a job in the civil service. Let’s assume it’s the same for both Tamils and Singhalese, which would make it one of the few things of equal opportunities. It costs 200,000 rupees to be taken onto the payroll. Little wonder then that the whole bureaucratic system is so corrupt, who isn’t going to do whatever necessary to recoup the initial fee, which is £1,250. It’s a similar situation I found with the police force in Sumatra, having to pay somewhere in the region of 6 months to a years wages to get in. The result is corruption being the norm, rather than the exception. I guess it is at least honest corruption, you pay the price and there’s no problem. For the majority of British coppers they’re in it for the power trip, they get pleasure from screwing people over. Worst of all they’re either to dishonest to admit it, or too arrogant to even realise it. (Photo: Hidden lagoon - Valaichchennai, Sri Lanka)
That’s better, if I didn’t have a bit of a rant people might think something was wrong with me. I do tend to see the negative side of life a bit too often, I come from a long line of cynics, it’s the male genes. Luckily these weren’t passed onto Cai, he was more of a balancing influence on me. God I miss that, whether I agreed with him or not, his arguments were rational and well formed. I’m so glad he actually had the time in life to mature enough to reach that stage. Writing my book has been really helpful in appreciating many aspects of our lives, it’s also enabled me to realize how far I’ve progressed since those early days of losing him. When I feel grief struck, it doesn’t feel that way, but there is no denying it, time has been a great healer. Now I must put some effort into regaining some joy out of life, unfortunately I still struggle to find much point in things, I’m still just going through the motions, but go through them I bloody well will. I’ll get there in the end. ( Photo: Expert caste - Lagoon, Valaichchennai, Sri Lanka)
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