No forest of death so far this year

I am OK without the flap

Tomorrow we start our trip by travelling to Bruges where we spend two days before boarding the Elodie on Sunday.

As usual I have been left in charge of booking the hotels but this time – at least in Bruges – I can blame the Bicycle Tour people because I am just using the hotel they recommended. What could go wrong with that?

Well I make my usual disclaimer about blogging. It will be my intention to blog – but things happen. Last time on our bike and boat trip in Italy we were supposed to have an internet connection in every port – but rarely did – and Captain Pugwash showed no interest whatsoever in our desire to contact the outside world. We shall see. We are in the middle of Europe so it should not be too difficult. Yeh right!

Elodie

Now none of us has done any training whatsoever for this and the last time Cate and I had a bike ride in Vienna was about two months ago - so the first two days could be a bit tough – but we have our padded bike seats with us and will take Vegemite for breakfast - and to rub on sore muscles.

I have been trying to teach Monika how to use the cat door. This is necessary now that the colder weather has arrived because I sometimes have to keep the flap on the door. It will not be too long before I have to take the door off altogether and keep the terrace doors closed.

Anyway, Monika cannot use the cat door so I usually leave the flap off. If the flap is on she will watch Sissi come and go through the flap but simply cannot get the hang of it. I am not blaming her. Muffin was 19 years old and could never use a cat door. And Muffin was intellectually gifted. Sort of.

But I have to put the cat flap on while we are away in case of inclement weather - which means that if the weather is sunny Monika will be stuck inside. There are plenty of sunny spots in the apartment but she likes to lie on the table on the terrace.

But the lessons have been a complete failure. So if anyone has any bright ideas please let me know. (She won’t watch YouTube). Her problem is that – because of her background – she is very timid and is not willing to push the flap hard enough to get it moving.

Which reminds me – I have to wrap up the terrace plants as soon as I get back. When I bought them the man at Dehner said they would grow like Topsy all Spring and Summer and then would need to have their roots wrapped up for winter.

Well they grew not at all until about a month ago when they suddenly shot up about 20 cm – so now I have to wrap them in blankets until the end of winter.

I can deal with that. By this time of the year I am normally looking at a forest of death on the terrace. I now have two bright and healthy things (I have forgotten what they are called) looking just wonderful. And – miraculously – Sissi has not nested in either of them since they arrived.

Wrap them in blankets? I will give them hot water bottles each night if it will get them through winter and I don’t have to go through a re-potting experience next spring.

The Vegemite has arrived

Felix and Sven

Well Gwenyth arrived – but without her bags. Of course this caused a major panic because she was carrying supplies of Vegemite and Jameson.

But all is well because the bags arrived later in the afternoon and we are now well stocked up with Vegemite for the next year and have at least enough Jameson for Christmas and Norway.

Tonight we went to our new favourite restaurant which is Artner and we have been there a number of times recently. We get these fetishes about restaurants and Artner is the recipient of the latest fetish.

But – without doubt - the best restaurant in Vienna is Ein Wiener Salon. We have always loved it but we rarely go there because it is a smoking restaurant.

We were walking back from our usual Friday night dining place - Al Borgo  and on the spur of the moment - as we were walking past Ein Weiner Salon - and it looked so good – and we had such good memories - we thought we would brave the smoke for one time.

I went in and asked Felix if he had a table for the Saturday night and he hesitated - and then asked his partner Sven - but we got in. There was a problem because a waiter was sick.

(Sven and Felix are gay. Sven is the Chef. Felix is the waiter and sous-chef. Both of them smoked.)

It was – as usual – sensational. I was particularly bold and told Felix that the reason we did not come more often was that we were both allergic to smoke. 

He did not react so I got nervous and apologised and said that I did not mean to offend.

Felix then said that he and Sven had got married a few months ago and that Sven had given up smoking – and that Felix had not – so that the whole business had turned into a Goat Thing and that now Sven had turned into the non-smoker from Hell.

Sounds like us.

I will nail it before we leave

Bagni di Lucca Italy 2010

I recently had a whole raft of blood tests – which I do every now and again – to make sure that there is nothing going drastically wrong with me – other than the migraine thing about which there is not much that I can do.

I had some stuff that worked for a while but now doesn’t so we are basically back where we started which is where we usually finish up. But it is where I expect to be because I really gave up on my migraines a long time ago and am convinced that there is nothing that can be done about them so I just have to bloody well get on with it.

I have spoken to many people whose migraines just disappear. I hope to be one of these. I have put my name down.

So I got a blood test order thing from Dr. Mordor in August but one thing led to another and then we had to go to Washington and Ireland and I got colds and things but last week I had the tests and a few days ago I trotted along to Dr. Mordor with the results.

He gave them a cursory glance and said that they were all good and that there was nothing to worry about and that it was very rare for him to see someone my age who did not have any problems with eating too much or drinking too much or with high cholesterol or something and he booted me out of his surgery with the usual farewell.  

Well he barely looked at them.

Now I am worrying that he has been reading my blog and that the results are actually awful and that I am on the way out and that he is punishing me for saying uncomplimentary things about him just because he never examines me. Well he does – after a fashion – but never from closer than five metres.

So I have these results – and I have looked at them and they mean nothing to me and I could try and find another doctor – but I have been trying to do that for three years without success – and I am not sure what to do.

So to take my mind off this I have started examining the Bruges to Amsterdam cycling plan to try to find the flaws in it. This trip starts on Friday and Gwenyth arrives from Australia on Wednesday.

She was nearly off to a very bad start because up until Sunday she was very confused and thought she was going to Norway. 

This is understandable because for the last six weeks she has been doing  a community project – working with Aboriginal communities in far North Queensland – and has had no contact with the outside world – so rushed back to Sydney and had a nearly disastrous brain scramble.

Fortunately she realised just before stuffing her suitcase full of winter clothes that she was going cycling – not trudging though ice and snow.

I know there is a fatal flaw in the trip – it’s just that I have not found it yet. My analysis will be detailed and forensic. I will nail it before we leave.