How easy it is to become inactive. There is nothing planned, scheduled for me to do today. Nick and Kitty are out, I have had my breakfast, had millions of dark cups of tea, checked my e mails (nothing interesting), checked Facebook (nothing dramatic), read the newspapers, (nothing intelligent), looked at the kitchen and decided not to do anything, did the same for the bedrooms, looked out of the window several times for several minutes, ( my men and the dogs are there in various positions). I need to make some phone calls, but it is too early to make domestic calls ( just after 9.00, people are still having their last cup of tea), too early to make professional calls ( just after 9.00, people have not had their cup of tea yet). UK is fast asleep, Turkey is in a deeper sleep. What am I supposed to do then? There are two books I am reading, it is too early to get comfortable with a book on the sofa. I cannot go for a walk, it is impossible to go for a walk here. There are pigeons drinking water from the swimming pool, so that is out. Gym was never in the equation ( I have a bad heel which make me limp even on a good day). If I turn the TV on, I will be sucked into meaningless films, jolly Indian dancing music, news from far away countries which I can not do anything about.
I am sure there are women in and around this hotel thinking exactly the same. During breakfast after I send off NickandKitty, when I sit down with my tea and the paper there are 'left behind' women who accompanied their husbands here. We smile at each other shyly, each one of us trying to suppress that scream- 'help I will be going mad soon!'- We drag our bodies to the rooms doing more or less the same thing ( If they have found something better to do and not telling me I will be very cross!). We will be wandering around trying to make ourselves useful until the people who are engaged in life come back in the evening. You can think of menus for the dinner, and tomorrow's dinner, if you want a challenge plan for the day after. Then you can iron socks if you wish or have another cup of tea. Until some friends are found or something to do during the day, this will be the daily activity. Slowly, surely you will lose yourself in the shady sleepiness of the rooms.
But then writing a blog helps. It is past that dead time between 9.00 and 10.00. I can make phone calls and go to the Temple, visit the bookshop, take some photos, say 'Nahi, Nahi''* to the begging street urchins, look at 'chicken stall' and watch how they hack the necks of the chickens and pluck the feathers there and then, I can even go to the 'Rude Lounge' and see what is rude about it. If I want an instant upset stomach I can try the things unknown to me sold by men on street corners under dusty, faded parasols. Then it will be people coming back to the Hotel full of school and office stories about lunches and friends and homework and drivers.
I need to get going then. The day is quite short, there are lots of things to do.
* No, No
I am sure there are women in and around this hotel thinking exactly the same. During breakfast after I send off NickandKitty, when I sit down with my tea and the paper there are 'left behind' women who accompanied their husbands here. We smile at each other shyly, each one of us trying to suppress that scream- 'help I will be going mad soon!'- We drag our bodies to the rooms doing more or less the same thing ( If they have found something better to do and not telling me I will be very cross!). We will be wandering around trying to make ourselves useful until the people who are engaged in life come back in the evening. You can think of menus for the dinner, and tomorrow's dinner, if you want a challenge plan for the day after. Then you can iron socks if you wish or have another cup of tea. Until some friends are found or something to do during the day, this will be the daily activity. Slowly, surely you will lose yourself in the shady sleepiness of the rooms.
But then writing a blog helps. It is past that dead time between 9.00 and 10.00. I can make phone calls and go to the Temple, visit the bookshop, take some photos, say 'Nahi, Nahi''* to the begging street urchins, look at 'chicken stall' and watch how they hack the necks of the chickens and pluck the feathers there and then, I can even go to the 'Rude Lounge' and see what is rude about it. If I want an instant upset stomach I can try the things unknown to me sold by men on street corners under dusty, faded parasols. Then it will be people coming back to the Hotel full of school and office stories about lunches and friends and homework and drivers.
I need to get going then. The day is quite short, there are lots of things to do.
* No, No
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