November 28, 2022 Turning 70

Another decade entered on November 16; the 8th.  Passed the big landmark birthday of 70.  No big parties, but I did cross something off my bucket list; hot air ballooning.  

The flight took place over Dambulla which is very close to my friends Simon and Pauline, so we stayed with them.  The we was my friend Lesley who agreed to come with me.  We had to be at the take off site for 0515 which meant we had to leave at 0400.  Everyone warned us that it would be cold up there, so we dressed in a bunch of layers which we promptly had do ditch.  Even with only 2 layers left on and long pants, it was too hot.

Waiting for the balloon to inflate.  Thankfully, I took my headlamp as it was pitch dark.  They advertised the flight with breakfast beforehand.  Who wants to eat at 0515 in the morning?  Plus, it was crap; jam sandwich, butter cake, a chocolate cookie and a banana.  I ate the banana and gave the rest to the 6 dogs that were hanging around.  PS:  the date on the camera was wrong.  It was 16/11/22.

Inflating the balloon

Looking straight up inside.

Lifting off.

Getting into the basket was a bit of a challenge.  There are a couple of toe holds that you use for your feet and you can pull yourself up using one of the crossbars.  Lesley got her leg caught and had a small problem, but I made it in okay.

Interestingly, the pilot and his assistant were Turkish.  Two of the Sri Lankan groundsmen could speak fluent Turkish.  They operate 3 balloon businesses; Tanzania, Sri Lanka and Turkey.  A truly international business.  

The other 5 passengers consisted of 4 Canadians from Toronto.  3 of them were returning Sri Lankans and one was a French guy who was the partner of one of the Sri Lankans.  There was also a lady and her son from Colombo.  The son spent most of the time looking at his phone.  What a waste!

We flew over Dambulla and Kandalama lake in a big circle, taking off from a school field and landing in an open courtyard around which some holiday cottages had been built.  The pilot was able to control the balloon much more than I had anticipated using ropes and the 3 different burners.

Kandalama Lake.  The thing suspended in the middle of the photo is a remote camera.

It was misty that early in the morning.  We were lucky that we even managed to go up.  They had had to cancel the flight the day before.  So we managed to get up on the actual day of my birthday.

As you can see, there is very little open space in which to land.

You can see the golden Buddha at the Dambulla cave temples in the middle through the mist.

Pictures taken with the remote camera proving that I really was there.  Very clear picture.

Singing me happy birthday 500 feet up.

Getting out of the basket was another matter.  The toe holds were still there, but no crossbar with which to pull yourself out.  One of the Toronto passengers who was clearly a weight lifter had to help lift both of us out.  Not too difficult in Lesley's case, but another story with me.  For a moment there, I thought I might not ever make it out.  I pointed out to the guys that they should have a small 2 step ladder for people to get in and out with.  They told me that they had never thought of it as we were the oldest passengers they had ever taken up.

The eagle has landed.

When we landed, we got champagne and cake and a certificate saying we had made the flight.  All together a good experience but once was enough.

Simon and Pauline pulled out all the stops.  Special treats like fabulous olives and cheese from Malta, a really good chocolate birthday cake, Tom Yum soup made with their own galangal and kefir lime, gallette and zabaglione to finish it all off.  I had not had zabaglione in over 40 years.  As good as it ever was.  Just by happenstance we had some biscotti that Deanne had brought to mahjong and Lesley found some dried strawberries that I reconstituted in marsala wine, mashed and mixed in with the whipping cream.  A decadent dessert. 

From left to right:  Lesley, Pauline, Simon, Pushparani, Roshan

I have joined the gang after swimming 146 laps in the pool, just over 1km.  I swam 144 the next day.  I calculate that 143 laps in their pool is 1 km.

While we were there, the male elephant that comes through their property quite regularly paid a visit.  He walked by right behind the villa in which I was staying.  He came through at night.  Pauline could hear him but I couldn't hear a thing even though we were standing less than 50 feet away.  In the morning, we checked out the area he had walked through.  Not a branch was broken.  So quiet and nimble.

The elephant's foot print.  You can see his toe prints as well.

The giant squirrel that Pauline saved is growing by leaps and bounds.  Turns out that he is a she.  I think the name Cyril will stick however.  They are going to build a big aviary type cage for her.  She would not survive in the wild on her own now.

I made the mistake of holding my finger to her nose a bit too long and she bit me.  She is growing some very sharp little teeth.  She is not vicious though and very affectionate.

On the home front, Chewy was due to go in to be spayed this last Sunday.  On Wednesday last, she went into heat, so no operation.  I had to isolate her until today as she was being seriously courted by both Sudhi and Fluffy.  She seems to be through it now, so I am just waiting for a date to take her in to the vet.

November 7, 2022

It seems that nothing much is happening in my life, but then I look back to the last time I wrote this blog and see that, in fact, there has been quite a bit of activity.

Mahjong continues unabated.  Our teacher has been living up in Jaffna for about 6 months and is now headed to Australia for a month.  We are lucky to be using her set until I can have one shipped from the UK.  So in the end, the student (read me) has become the teacher.  We are getting the hang of it and are playing half-limit games with ease now.  Limit games are becoming more familiar as well and we even get to double-limit games sometimes.  It all keeps the brain agile.

Going for lunch with friends also breaks up some of the daily routine.  I go into town for lunch most Saturdays after mahjong.  

Also made one trip to Simpson's Forest.  It was lovely as always.  I still had the dog then.  One of the people who came with us said he was happy to take the dog and promised to come for lunch at Lesley and Ralph's the following Sunday and take the dog after lunch.  Come the day, he didn't show up for lunch.  Not even a phone call.  He wasn't answering his phone either.  

I was on the edge of despair thinking I was going to have to keep Bandhi.  He is a lovely dog, but just too much for me.  Finally, Maryam came up with a young couple who really wanted him.  So he has gone to live with them up behind the National Hospital.  They have an aging Pomeranian and Bandhi apparently took to them and the place immediately.  They called after a week to say that all was going well.  

He was really growing

Maryam giving him a belly rub.  He loves those.

Saying good-bye

The Kandy Club has hopper nights on some Fridays.  I went with Simon and Pauline on a Friday in September just the day before their AGM.  The hoppers were good.  The curries were cold.  We sat on the lawn which was lovely.  Also ran into some friends that I had not seen in over a year.  The only fly in the ointment was the roving musicians.  I can't stand that idea of them hovering over your table twanging their guitars in your ears.  Apart from that, all together a good evening.

The breakfast buffet at the Grand Kandyan continues as well.  I have let my swim membership lapse.  It is too far away and is too expensive.  I have been swimming intermittently when and where I can.  Now we are into the northeast monsoon so it is raining all the time.  That seems to have been the case for most of this year.  In the new year, I plan to go and speak to a small hotel within one-way walking distance to see if I can make a deal with them for a swim membership.

I have become bored with Film Club and am taking a break from it.  A number of us have been discussing what we can do for some variety when George and Yvonne came up with a good idea.  There has been a hotel under construction on the rock outcropping across from their place for about 3 years now.  It finally opened and they organized a lunch and afternoon visit there.

The place is called Greenacre Leisure Resort.  Quite off the beaten path but worth it when you finally get there.  There was some doubt that we would even make it as Lesley, Judith and I were to meet Jim at a Food City for him to give us a lift.  He called that morning to say he had a flat tire which he had to change.  We changed the pickup venue to the Peradeniya Rest House so that we could get a coffee and sit while waiting for him.  Then he called back to say his spare was one of those small temporary tires and that he had to go into a garage the other side of Gampola to have the tire repaired and put back on.  The three of us debated whether we should call the whole thing off and just have lunch at the Rest House.  In the end, Jim was not too late and really wanted to go, so we set off.  We made it only 20 minutes later than we thought.

First things first.  Into the pool for 60 laps.

Lovely infinity pool overlooking the valley with the mountains beyond.

The panorama

The rooms are in globe shaped structures.  Two rooms per building.  The rooms are spectacular.  Very large with great views and extraordinary bathrooms.  Very expensive though.

The gang from left to right:  Jim, George, Viv, Malcolm, Judith

And again from right to left:  Lesley, Yvonne, Judith

The food wasn't great but not bad either.  All in all worth the trip although I don't know what kind of tourist business they will get being so far out of the way.

Went to Los Amigos Locos with Simon and Pauline for dinner after a long time.  They have been restoring their 1951 Land Rover so we went in it.  When we came out from dinner, it wouldn't start.  So here I am with 3 guys from the restaurant on a pitch dark road pushing this solid steel vehicle in reverse to get it going.  We managed and got back to our destinations without further incident.  Never a dull moment.

Pauline as car model.

Great old beast.  A real off road vehicle.

Simon as car model.

Simon and Pauline went off to Malta and the UK for 3 weeks so Lesley and I went up to Flamboyant Villas for 3 days just to check on things.  We had a great time.  Very relaxing just doing nothing but walking around a bit, swimming and playing dominos.  I did 126 laps in the pool the first morning and 146 on the second day.  What I wouldn't give to have my own pool.

Because of all the rain this time of year, we get a lot of flying termites.  They usually come out just as dark descends for about 30 minutes.  At Flamboyant they came out in the morning as the sun was rising.  They covered the pool.  The pool guy took off 6 skimmer bags full.  

In the early morning after my swim, I was sitting on my veranda watching the large troupe of monkeys that came through.  A mother with her baby clinging on to her chest was jumping and catching the termites and eating them.  She cleaned up a whole swarm with the baby sleeping comfortably on her belly.

In the ends, both Simon and Pauline got COVID in Malta and had to stay for another 2 weeks.  Luckily they had a friends's flat to stay in or else it would have cost them a fortune.

The couple living in the annex moved out at the beginning of October.  I have made a deal with my landlady to take over the annex for a servant's quarters.  I had decided that by time I was 70 I would have a live in housekeeper.  Now that I have another bedroom with bath and a separate kitchen, that is possible. I interviewed Simon and Pauline's housekeeper's sister who seemed to be alright.  Then while at the hairdresser for my monthly fur/claw session, I met a man why unusually was getting a mani/pedi.  He was the second man I have in there getting a pedicure.  We got to chatting.  As it turned out, he was moving back to Colombo after a few years in Kandy.

He has a housekeeper who he highly recommended.  We made the necessary arrangements for her to come for an interview.  She is perfect.  56 years old, speaks better English than Vineetha, has her own scooter and is willing to live in.  After having gone to Vasnta's house to see how she kept things, I offered her the job.  She will start in January.  So I will have someone 24 hours a day from Monday to Friday, half day off on Saturday and Sunday off.

It has been a bumpy transition with Vineetha but we seem to be over the worst now.  I am hopeful that I have found her another job with a friend that lives very close to her house.  She is off today being interviewed for the position.  I will, of course, give her a pension as she has been with me for 10 years.  However, I am looking forward to the change.

Of course, I have to outfit the kitchen and get a TV for the bedroom.  That will all be done in December in time for the change over.

The rains have really brought out the flowers in the garden.

Bromiliad

Buddha Belly plant

Himalayan yellow flax

Egyptian star cluster

Ixora

Tropical bleeding heart

Parakeet flower

The orange is the wild parakeet flower.

Scarlett firespike

Flame lily

As always finishing up with my furry babies.

Chewy loves Buddy

Every evening is spent covered with furry blankets.

Chewy loves to sleep on the folded cat blanket.  She is still small enough to climb out of this room through the grill.  She will be going in to be spayed in the 3rd week of November.

Chewy is always trying to steal Buddy's food.

Buddy and Nangi curled up against the chill.

Buddy and Nangi enjoying the sun.

Buddy and Chewy curled up.

Chewy showing off her full length on the coffee table.