Here we go again :o)

Finally it's arrived !!. Seems like I've been waiting for ever for the time to pass since I booked and to go. It's 7am and I'm all showered, fed, watered and packed. Hard part done and now the easy part of home to airport and 24 hours on a plane to London via Bangkok.

Was an exciting day yesterday. Some big purchases to be made so off to the supermarket for toothpaste, a new toothbrush, shaving cream and a chocolate bar. Not quite sure how the chocolate bar found it's way into the trip planning but never mind. Then next door to the chemist for my Calcia / Vitamin D tablets the doctor seems to think I will be better off for taking. Something about being a slave indoors to the job and never getting enough sun so I don't get enough Vitamin D I seem to recall. Anyway, they now have chocolate flavoured Calcia / Vitamin D tablets . Seriously. I've gone "wtf, chocolate in medication?". Anyway after having one I had another because they were nice. If you read in the news about an Australian backpacker dying of a Vitamin D overdose in England you will know whats happened.

Then off to Joe the Italian barber for a haircut. Joe is at that undeterminable age that Italians get to after 50, he could be 55, 65 or 75 and I wouldn't know. I think he's mid 60's. The length of Joe's haircuts are related to how much he likes you and how much you talk to him. I've seen a chatty near bald man have a 20 minute haircut complete with a trim for everything that can be trimmed (eyebrows, nasal hair, ear hair etc) . I've also seen a smart arse youngster with an attitude get about a three and a half minute haircut. Good bloke is Joe, it was with great sadness that he told me that after 20 years he had to raise the price of his haircuts to $16 from $14. Bless him .... 20 years !! I didn't have the heart to tell him what other barbers charge. Then again you wouldn't call Joe's salon a boutique operation with luxurious surroundings. Overheads are not a thing Joe has a lot of. Never mind, basic minimalist 1950's decor is bound to come back into vogue one day. Ask him about mobile phones if you visit, that's an entertaining exercise in itself. Not sure how good he is a barber, over the last few years he seems to be putting a gradually expanding hole smack bang in the middle of my haircut.

Then out into the garden to mow the above ground bits that masquerade as lawn. I'm not a gardeners bottom when it comes to matters horticultural but it actually looks quite nice when the weeds are all mown to the same height. Must get the guard at the back of the mower where the catcher is meant to go fixed though, ever since it fell off I get pelted in the shins with small sticks and stones and some of them don't half sting. Maybe get it fixed when I get back. The shins aren't too bad this morning considering. I dream of all sorts of things when I'm mowing "hmmm ... swimming pool over there, Japanese garden in the corner, waterfall outside the bedroom window would be nice" kind of stuff. I must have short term memory problems because nothing ever happens.

I have nothing in the house food wise (well not quite nothing if you count three apples and a half a loaf of bread) so I wandered down the bistro at the local hostelry to strap the nosebag on. Had a lovely couple of glasses of Pepperjack Shiraz to wash down a really nice serve of lamb shanks. They fell off the bone and were really tender and a joy to eat. Got looked after by a charming Asian lass who if she was a fish and you caught her you certainly wouldn't throw her back for being horizontally undersize. Vertically maybe but not horizontally. Gorgeous animated smiling face though, one of those "light up the room smiles" that is great to see. Nice girl too. That contrasted with the duty manager who to the opening line of "table for one please, unless you have an international super model who is dining alone and is looking for some company" greeted me with a stony face and a monotone reply. He could of at least pretended it was funny. Never mind, I guess you don't get promoted for being nice, being boring and unimaginative seems to be a prerequisite for promotion these days. There are no hidden surprises with those types of people I guess.

Came home, ironed, websurfed, checked out some naughty websites as a going away present to myself, then packed. Slept, woke up, did stuff and here I am. My mate Kerry is picking me up at 11'ish so a few hours to kill then I'm off. Drizzle Island here I come.

**** (Note to self - If you turn off the electricity at the mains this time remember to leave the fridge doors open)