Sunday 1st June, 2014     Dragon Boat Day          2300

Events once again conspired against my blogging plans. Friday of course was too busy a day and I made the mistake of asking Ollivier if we could go early enough to do the shopping so we could try the McDonald’s breakfast yesterday. We did and I wished I hadn’t bothered.

Firstly I was absolutely knackered but buoyed by the thought of a bacon and egg McMuffin, my mood was light. Now once before I arrived at McD theoretically in time to have breakfast but on that occasion when I asked I was told breakfast had finished. On enquiring what time breakfast stopped I was told ten o’clock. Showing my (accurate) watch to the manager indicating there were still fifteen minutes to go simply elicited an apologetic shrug of the shoulders.

This time though we were in plenty of time. There was a choice of bacon and egg wrap and the bacon and egg McMuffin. I thought I would try both. Sorry. No McMuffins - we haven’t got the bread. Marvellous. Ok, I’ll take two wraps. I wished I hadn’t. It was a Chinese wrap full of herbs and not all of them I liked.

Anyway we went to the supermarket where I wanted to buy a camp bed  and cloth wardrobe. I am absolutely delighted that this summer I will have a house guest in the shape of Yvonne. Not so delighted at finally having to try and sort out all the junk that has been shoved in the second bedroom since the beginning of December. If it weren’t for the cats I could store it on top of the cabinets in the living room but the cats would make mincemeat of anything up there.

So after giving Yvonne the choice by text of a soft or hard camp bed she said soft. I bought it and only later noticed her text amending it to hard. Too late. It’s not that soft anyway and the hard one was akin to a folding plank. It is going to be nice to have a bit of company - and someone I really get on with (she has the same temperament as Kiki) - here for the duration. It also of course will give me the impetus to cook for us. When you are alone you often can’t be bothered but of course I want to show her western food and she wants to experience “many delicious foods“.

Unbelievably, after we finished shopping Ollivier said he wanted to go back to McDonald’s for a big Mac meal to get another glass! TWO HOURS after having breakfast!!! Fine, we are collecting the free Coca Cola glasses but hell’s bells! And yes, I had one too but gave him the fries. I now have six glasses but only three styles - there are six. God only knows why I am doing it because I will only give them away but one of the girls in there is particularly luscious……

Last night there was an impending storm. The cover went on the bike and all was well when Pepsi went for her midnight walk, no umbrella required. Halfway around the circuit though I came across a young lady sitting on a bench. She was impeccably dressed but had a handbag plus two other bags at her feet. At 2330 and with her being alone something was not right. I asked her if she had run away from home and she said she had. Further probing revealed she had quarrelled with her boyfriend and walked out. Armed by this time with a spare bed (albeit a spare room full of clutter) I asked her where she was going to sleep. She didn’t know. I did the chivalrous thing and offered here somewhere to lay her head but she said it was still early. I asked if she thought her boyfriend would come after her and she said yes. Fine, said I, but insisted she take my phone number in case she was stuck. No call received so I can only assume they kissed and made up.

This morning it belted down, complete with lightning and thunder. I got up and put my laptop on. Shortly after ten all power and internet disappeared. Now storms here are synonymous with power cuts so I just thought “how long before they fix it?” Some time later Kevin sent a text asking if I had lost internet. Thinking he had lost his marbles because when the power goes so does the internet, I replied of course, there’s a blackout. It wasn’t long before he came to my flat to inform me that he still had power! Down we went to investigate the breaker boxes outside. Why the hell they put them outside is beyond me because the doors on them blow around in the breeze and this was in fact what had happened. The main breaker for my side of our section had become soaked by the deluge and tripped out. My side also powers the internet router for all of our part of the block. Resetting it didn’t work, as soon as Kevin did it tripped again. Great.

Ninety minutes later and after securing the offending door on the box with a length of a weed stem, Kevin was able to restore supply. The door has now been given some wire with which to keep it permanently secured until the next problem.

At two Yvonne came as arranged to help me try to clear the spare room. Having moved some of the stuff in the gloom previously I was at a loss as to where to put the rest so instead we just chatted a while and I said I would fix it before she wanted to move in in about three weeks. She will just have to put up with some of it being in the room because I am running out of cat-proof space now.

Tonight I took her for dinner, her choice was the barbecue restaurant. At times like that I bemoan the fact I can’t eat much - no way do I ever get my money’s worth but she put plenty away.

Tomorrow is supposed to be nice so the bike is charging. I may just go and get another Coke glass and do a spot of shopping or alternatively I may just do very little. The choice is mine seeing as it’s a holiday.