January 18th 2012 (Wednesday)

"Why is Venice so wobbly?"

Question of the day recently, regarding the chronic subsidence problem the above mentioned city suffers from. Well, is it called subsidence when the substrate you're subsiding into is water? Don't know. When you get 'that sinking feeling' and all your marble floors go wonky by several feet.

I've logged on to catch up a bit but things aren't going too well for me, frankly. In a small way. Woke up this morning to find someone had lined my gullet with broken glass bottles and pounded limbs and chest with a meat-tenderiser. Or in other words, I have a cold. The not-so-mysterious-stomach-pain-on-the-left-side-that's-almost-certainly-a-regrowing-cyst is raising its bumpiness to irritating proportions. So I took a shower, and whacked elbow onto decorative tap with such force (just on the joiny bit) that it still won't grip properly at the end of the am - what are those things called, hands. After five cups of tea and some strong drugs things were looking up, and the early afternoon wasn't so painful. After lunch, fell asleep and (serve me right for laziness) woke up with broken glass again. Took more drugs and tea, and refilled my hot-water bottle for the stomach - during the course of which it back-flowed suddenly and spilled copious amounts of scalding water all over my hand. Currently that's top on the list of aches and pains, despite running under cold water for an unreasonable amount of time. After this, decided to sit quietly at the computer and update stuff, and promptly turned the machine off instead of opening a browser. In the words of Miss Cecily Cardew, 'the weather still continues charming.'

Despite this supposed litany of mishaps it's all been rather quiet and pleasant. Took walk along to town, and had some nice woollen jumper-dresses and pretty earrings bought for me - thank you Woof and Whale. Littles played in the playground (of course) and afterwards was entertained by making collages, playing with her helicopter and generally molesting her grandparents. I am pampered and allowed to do whatever I please, it seems. What's a bit of scalding here and there under these circumstances.

Here are some pics from Sunday, when Alessandra and the Mino came over the lunch. Mino's doing the 'running mouse' trick with a whale - naturally.

 

 

Here's Lara with Mr Love, back in Zagreb on the last night. Bit of  a treat for her. I took him out of her bed after a couple of hours and wasn't sure who was noisier, her snoring or his purring. He tried mightily to resist but eventually let go of the pillow and was evicted.

More cats, in the morning.  

Just in case there weren't enough pics from the park, here's Maksimir on the 8th January (back in Zagreb, too). Boy, those see-saws were hard on the arse. I thought it wasn't too bad the first day, but we came back the next day and I was required as ballast again... ooh, **** me but I need more padding before I can enjoy sitting on a log and bounce up and down repeatedly, or indeed, avoid lasting bruises.

Here we are on the 12th, doing a visit to the family grave. Probably ended up being more fun than it ought to be as Lara chose some remarkably pretty flowers and we sloshed some whisky over the slab for Baka. Mmm the smell of Ardberg in the morning... I could quite happily have taken a swig myself but there wasn't much in the bottle. Ah well, quasi-voodoo-rights take precedence, I guess. 

  

Afterwards we barged our way into Debbie's to say hi - poor thing was practically surprised in the shower but was welcoming as ever. Tried to catch up a bit on the last 20 years, and nearly cricked neck looking up at her youngest son Eric who also happened to be there and who's now apparently 8 foot 2 or something and I'm not sure I've seen at all, even when he was a baby. OK no, he's not really a giant but it's an impressive increase on Twinkle in the Eye height.

Last night Valeria came and picked me up for a spritz and some exceedingly tasty nibbles in the evening. It was lovely to chat and catch up a bit - who knows when we'll get the opportunity again. Things seem to be going well for them, at any rate, and she was looking and being lovely as always, so how can one but return with a smile.