#fresh heads lidl

[umi-no-onnanoko]

🐚 Monday 15|04|24 🌊

I had planned to resume my routine in full, with related exercises, however I decided to simply take the day as it came, and this also since my head was spinning a bit. Basically I didn't give up much, I postponed the focaccia I wanted to prepare for dinner tomorrow and avoided training.

What I am satisfied with is that despite these "renunciations" I managed to see improvements in my writing exercises, I studied the theory for the driving license profitably, while the quizzes didn't go very well today, perhaps I need to do more of them or I don't read with pay enough attention to the questions.

At least yesterday I managed to finish reading "Obsessions, phobias and paranoia" by S. Freud; quite interesting book in itself, for those who appreciate or share Freudian thought, and for those who are interested in the topic. I can't say I share everything I've read and learned, but it has allowed me to reason and develop my thinking on the matter. This morning I advanced in reading Twilight, although I admit it isn't taking me as I would have hoped it would.

Lunch clearly lifted my spirits, how could mum's ragù not have done so? Too good and immediately afterwards I rested a bit, I needed it, but I didn't rest that much. For a snack I decided to use one of the two brisées that I had purchased on Saturday with a Lidl promotion to make croissants, 4 chocolate and 4 empty, and I used the other for dinner to prepare savory ones with salami and cheese. Not the dinner I had planned, but not bad. Tomorrow I hope to be well enough to be able to prepare the focaccia and maybe even the frias since I have fresh brewer's yeast.

Tomorrow I count, or at least I hope, to be able to make foccia and donuts, as well as make up for the exercises I skipped today; maybe I shouldn't be so sorry, I accept the fact that I also have to rest or do what I can, but I don't like being distant in things; at the moment I'll enjoy my Supernatural rewatch and having a chill evening.

-umi-no-onnanoko (@umi-no-onnanoko )

[bi-galacticgargleblaster]

okay I just got back from a trip to the US and I have thoughts:

why is the water level in the toilet bowl so high?? I accidentally dipped my hand in twice during my two weeks there and believe me it was twice too many!!

christ your groceries are expensive compared to here?? maybe it's because I exclusively go to aldi/lidl (which are cheap here) and I hadn't worked out what the equivalent in the states is but like, hannaford and trader joe's seemed a lot more expensive (based on my rough estimations of exchange rates and sales tax)

oh yeah the sales tax not being included on the price of the thing is strange to me also but I kinda knew that was a thing already

I occasionally see memes about like US public toilet cubicles being poorly constructed, with gaps, etc, and living in the UK I did kinda relate to them, but actually going over there I can confirm that the US gaps are bigger and the amount of panel you have is significantly less. like I can maybe squeeze my head under a uk toilet cubicle but I could fairly easily completely shimmy under a US one

okay this one is probably because of the state we were in and I'm sure it's not universal but like, the amount of pride flags I saw flying?? the amount of progressive pride flags?? the amount of "trans people are welcome here" signs and "we respect trans people" posters?? Active trans specific inclusion in *government buildings* right there for everyone to see, and not a single one (that I saw) defaced or torn down? in the uk you're lucky to get trans positive stickers on streetlamps (and even then a lot of them get defaced/torn off soon after going up) and specific LGBTQIA+ businesses might fly flags or put up posters, but in the US, even in the small towns we visited, a bunch of private houses and not specifically queer businesses had pride flags and posters up (again I'm sure this is different in other states but coming from the uk it was a breath of fresh air). oh and also we went to a farmers market in a tiny town and someone running one of the stalls was like "how's it going guys?" and then was immediately like "ah wait is it okay that I say guys? I don't want to misgender anyone" and like, that has never happened to me in the uk and I struggle to even imagine it happening outside of specifically queer settings

oven pizzas!! honestly the oven pizzas we had while there were better than 99% of UK pizzas (I'm including UK oven pizzas, restaurant pizzas, and takeout pizzas), idk what goes in them that's different to the uk but they were So Good

vanilla ben and jerrys??????? we get some B&J flavours in the uk but they're generally expensive compared to other ice cream and there might be 1-3 flavours to choose from in stores that stock it. we saw a whole freezer dedicated to B&J ice cream, in the entire aisle dedicated just to ice cream. anyway, I thought B&J only did fancy flavours so seeing the plain vanilla there was cool

also my lactose intolerance seemed to go on holiday during the trip?? like is american dairy just different? I had cheesecake and ice cream and incredibly cheesey pizzas and cheese toasties and had like 0 ill side effects. As soon as I got back to the uk I went "well I must be cured" and drank a yoghurt drink and Let Me Tell You That Was A Mistake

cars are B I G. we got off the plane and went to the car rental place and all the trucks and vans and stuff were just completely towering over me. It's like someone took a uk truck and expanded it to like 1.5x size. I felt kinda like I was a child again just with the height difference

gas stations!! we stopped off at gas stations and I was expecting like a lil selection of packaged sandwiches and bottled drinks but like, there were salads and sushi and wraps and sandwiches and then an entire hot food counter doing pizzas and hot wraps and there were pastries and several different types of filter coffee and teas and then An Entire Beer Cave?? (side note: alcoholic arizona ice tea?? holy shit??). apparently gas stations are some of the best places to buy booze, which I was not expecting?

I had a super great time while there and everyone was so friendly ^_^ but if someone could tell me why the toilet bowls are like that I'd appreciate it D:

[beardedmrbean]

Finland's birth slump is in the news again. This time Helsingin Sanomat asks what concrete steps the country can take to increase the fertility rate.

Anna Rotkirch, who heads population research at the Family Federation of Finland, told HS one real measure would be free gynecological visits for young women, saying it's "better to learn about one's own fertility sooner rather than later."

A fresh survey by the federation found that people in Finland on average want to have two children, but end up having 1.4.

Esa Iivonen of the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare meanwhile said improved access to publicly funded fertility treatments would be a quick and direct way of supporting the birth rate. One cycle of fertility treatments can cost over 4,000 euros in private healthcare.

Some rural municipalities have made headlines in recent years by providing baby bonuses to families. But Iivonen was not impressed by these short-term measures.

"It might have a short-term effect, but I don't believe it has a long-term impact," he said, noting public services overall play a greater role in people's decision to start families.

Is Lidl the cheapest?

Last week German supermarket Lidl said it was lowering the prices of its items. But is Lidl really cheaper than the others?

Hufvudstadsbladet tested Lidl's claims by comparing a basket of 21 basic items at Lidl, K and S stores.

The result is clear, according to the Swedish-language daily.

Lidl's slogan that the chain offers the country's cheapest shopping basket seems to hold true. But the differences aren't significant, according to HBL, which noted that since inflation picked up in the autumn of 2021, food prices in Finland have risen by over 20 percent.

At Lidl on Lönnrotinkatu, the paper's basket cost 42.16 euros. Equivalent items were about 12 percent more expensive at both the S-Market on Bulevardi and K-Supermarket Posti by the Central railway Station. The price difference between the K and S duopolies was only a few cents.

Lidl's own-brand coffee significantly brought down the overall price of the shopping basket, according to HBL.

Autumn's in the air

It may be peak vacation season in other European countries, but in Finland autumn is the air, according to agricultural newspaper Maaseudun tulevaisuus.

The warm and sunny weekend is giving way to more unsettled and cooler weather, MT said, adding that it's unlikely that temperatures will again exceed Finland's 'heat' threshold of 25 degrees Celsius.

Monday will see rain, according to MT, which said western parts of the country are seeing scattered showers as the weather front moves eastward throughout the day.

[jow99]

New dos

Thursday morning was cycling morning. Marjolein always goes out early for fresh bread and she messaged me to say it was so mild she would be wearing shorts 😳 We weren’t quite that brave and opted for 3/4s (which for me was the first time since we’ve been here this year).

The temperatures are definitely increasing but it’s so damp that it really doesn’t feel as warm as the temperature would suggest. Anyway we had a nice ride and while we were enjoying a second coffee in Verges we saw a bunch of AG2R riders whizz past. They must have a base around here somewhere as we saw them on the road a couple of weeks ago too.

Jose cycled with the group and they went to where the El Bulli restaurant is located, which has apparently reopened. He had a nice ride and then came to find Marjolein and me as we had dilly dallied a bit too long over coffee ☕️ 🍰

A quiet afternoon watching cycling and then it was time for our afternoon walk. For all our moaning about it not feeling warm we were pleasantly surprised by how mild the air temperature was. We bought a few bits and pieces and then treated ourselves to a cava by the beach.

Friday morning it was an earlyish start as first thing we went to the hairdresser. Given what’s ahead in the coming weeks we figured we’d better smarten ourselves up a bit.

After our makeover we to headed the supermarket for our weekly shopping and then home for lunch. We often shop at Lidl which is a bit like Aldi as it has the centre aisle where there are always special offers. We indulged a bit today 🙄

We settled in for our afternoon of cycling and lo and behold today’s stage in Paris Nice was cancelled because of the wind and Tirreno Adriático had to shave off the last 3km because of wind. Thankfully and surprisingly we’ve been spared the wind this time.

Late this afternoon we went to a local fund raiser for children’s cancer. We each had a had a chocolate and Jose also had the cake. Not great for our waistlines but for a good cause.

We then headed down to the beach for a glass of cava and to enjoy the milder weather.

It was then home for nibbles and dinner with some conversational Spanish practice thrown in for good measure.

[kirukkals]

Ireland - "Love the place, Leave no trace"

Have you ever found yourself scrolling through social media, looking at pictures of gorgeous places, and wishing you could be there right now? Our trip happened just like that! April 2024, week long EID holidays here in UAE, and what better place than Ireland during the spring season! Ireland is the 30th country that I have visited to date and, for me, definitely falls in one of the top 5 places to visit if you are a nature lover! It was a pleasant surprise that there was no visa rush for Ireland, unlike Europe, where the wait times were long and the embassy turnaround time was quick.

Now don’t get me wrong, travelling is a privilege and it is definitely not cheap! Fortunately for us, we choose to save to spend on trips every year and give ourselves the experience to savour a new land and a new culture.

The thing that strikes us about Ireland is that the people not just love the outdoors but respect it too. They completely hate people who litter the outdoor. There were not many trash bins to be seen. Everywhere the display is put up in bold, “Love the place, leave no trace”. Yes, they want you to carry your trash with you to your home. The outdoors are so pristine that you wouldn’t want to leave a trace.

April 4th, we landed in Dublin, the capital city of Ireland. We rented out a car at the airport, avoided Dublin city, and headed outside. The next 10 days, the Nissan Duke Hybrid served very well for our long drives in the Irish countryside, 1700 kms, to be precise. That evening, we strolled through the streets of Swords, had a pizza for dinner, and took a basic accommodation in Travelodge, Swords. There is so much awareness of vegetarian and vegan food here that when we ordered our pizza, the guy over the counter asked us if we preferred that our pizza was cut with a fresh wheel cutter. I nodded with a big smile.

April 5th, we did the Swords castle first. Just taking in the landscape, weather, learning to drive on the left and stay on that side of the road. The air was clean, the ground was drenched with fresh rain, and the green was at it greenest. Later, we drove to the Trim castle and sought help with an expert guide who gave us a walk through with some humorous stories about living in a castle. There was one tricky narrow spiral stairs all the way up the castle & down! Had a very good view of the entire county from the top. It was good to visit a 11th century castle in ruin, but maintained well of what is left. We drove to Donegal, which served as a mid-way halt before we headed to the northern most tip of Ireland. Interestingly, we booked ourselves at a B&B above a pub and, surprisingly, a quiet one for a Friday evening.

April 6th, we first stocked up snacks at Lidl store. Having stayed in the UK for a year, we knew Lidl or Tesco stores were the ones to go to stock up for day trips! We did a quick visit to the Donegal castle. It was more like an exhibition hall with wooden stairs & models. Each castle had something different to offer. Some were cozy, some very elaborate, some ornate. But, that’s it, we had done enough castles for the trip. Then we began our exhilarating drive up north on the Wild Atlantic Way. The next few days, our drive was all over the Wild Atlantic Way, and the scenes were breathtaking. Our first stop was at Malin Head, the northern most part of Ireland.

We stayed at Whitestrand Home. The owner, a young 70+ lady, was so friendly and helpful. She gave the map of the county and marked the places to visit nearby. The next two days, we had great homemade breakfast and a lovely chat with her! The accommodation was a triple room with a balcony, which opened to a huge backyard and with an unobstructed view of the North Atlantic Sea. We could hear the strong winds, watch the waves splashing at the far end, and sheep grazing lazily at the farm nearby. Sunset in that setting is such a serene experience. That evening, we visited the beach. And it was so windy up north that the effects of Kathleen storm that had just battered the island hadn't died down yet, and wind speeds were more than 60 kmph! We were surprised to find an Indian takeaway restaurant, Taste of India, in one remote village! And food was definitely better than the standards I expected. We helped ourselves to nice hot food after some wild, windy weather. I wonder why they don't have chai in an Indian restaurant!

One of the main reasons to have come this far up was my hope to catch sight of northern lights. But there was no activity in the next two days, and I still kept an alarm at 12.30 midnight and 2.30 a.m. to check the skies. There were no fancy lights, but it was still worth it to wake up and stare at the sky. What a magical star-studded sky it was ! Clear skies with millions of little stars twinkling and no light pollution from the village. It was definitely worth waking up to this sight.

April 7th, we covered the places in Malin head. Banba's crown - Hells hole walk - Glenevin Waterfall - Lighthouse - World War 2 lookout point. I felt the best part was the Hells Hole walk in the cliff. It was such a windy day, no one around, yet we did the walk. At one moment, a crazy rain storm drenched us. A few minutes later, it had moved north. The sight in front of us was a cloud burst over the ocean and a beautiful rainbow and us basking in bright sunlight. That’s how unpredictable the weather could be, and if you don’t complain, you could be rewarded with some sights to die for.

April 8th, we stopped at Grianan of aileach or the Greenan fort. It is a stone ringfort in the Inishowen area, and this site is protected as a national monument. We met an American tourist who chose this spot to practice her bagpiper instrument due to the natural acoustics the site offered. In fact, the music pulled us toward the centre of the ring, a lovely, serene start to the day. We then did a long drive to Doolin, almost 5 hrs with some breaks. Later in the evening was a solar eclipse. With alternating sunlight and cloud, we could not know if we drove past an eclipse moment. We reached our room, chose to stay put for the evening and take good rest.

April 9th, one of the other best days in the trip. We visited the Cliffs of Moher. The sites from the edge are breathtaking. Not even the best camera in the world could capture the magnitude and magnificence of the place. A place this spectacular brings with itself some usuals, a site filled with tourists. After about 5 days, we finally saw some crowd and obviously some Asian tourists. We walked the pathway along the edge of the cliff, along with many others. If you were a little careless in the walk, the wind is strong enough to push you over the cliff. If you are a Harry Potter fan, the part of the 6th movie where Harry goes with Dumbledore to find a horcrux was shot in these waters!

In the second half of the day, we headed to our Mountain View resort, driving through the Ring of Kerry in Southwest Ireland. The ring of Kerry Drive is considered to be one of the most scenic routes. But having driven all the way up north and then west, to south, the entire country is scenic! Our resort stay is again worth mentioning here because we got an entire 1 BHK house for us in a lush setting. The kitchen was fully equipped, and we could help ourselves to some homemade food mid-way of the tour. We had a relaxing couple of days while we still visited some places.

April 10th, we did some spots in the Ring of Kerry. I say some, coz we chose not to do it all. As mentioned earlier, if you have done up north, the scenery is almost similar. We walked through the Killarney National Park at ease. You can take the horse ride, we found it a bit expensive, so instead decided to walk the park. After all, the trip is all about walks and taking in the fresh air! This is a huge park. We just did 1/4th of it. We then visited the Torc waterfall. Expecting it to be a bit similar to the previous one, we were in for a surprise. This is a lush forest, and the spring season showed all its shades of green so vividly here. The waterfalls were a sight to behold, and we trekked up for about an hour into the dense woods.

April 11th, we did the Farran National Park in the Ring of Kerry. It had a beautiful lake, walking path, we spotted some deer’s and it seemed they were surprised too to see some humans. They went about their day job of grazing, and we walked our path. From here, we headed to Cork about an hour's drive. Cork is a major town, We found it busy than the other places we visited. It also had a very young population, something we hadn’t seen much before up north or the west side.

If one cannot do Belfast, then visit the picturesque town of Cobh (pronounced Cove), most famous for being the last port of call on the maiden voyage of the ill-fated Titanic. A short tour inside, but as captivating as the Titanic always is! Oh yes, Cork is famous for the Blarney Stone. Legend has it that if you kiss the stone, you are blessed with the gift of sweet talk. We didn't want to empty our pockets to kiss a stone hanging upside down from a castle top. I guess there is enough gift of the gab in the family!

April 12th, Cork to Dublin Drive is another long one. We stopped at the Rock of Dunamese, and it had the ruins of a fort, a perfect stop to stretch, hike, and view the beauty of the land from the top. Stopping at Junction 14 on M8 was a good fuel break for the car and the body. It had an elaborate food court and washrooms facilities.

We had exited Dublin immediately after our landing. We decided to keep it for the last days since we were flying out of Dublin. This was our first proper evening in the capital city, and I felt 90% of the population of Ireland lives here. The city centre was bustling with activity. Sunset is only around 8 p.m. in this season, so tourists and residents are out on the streets until late. We did some shopping in Penneys and walked through the streets to eat at the multiple Indian restaurants option available!

April 13th, our last day in this enthralling country. We visited the most popular and oldest, Trinity College of Dublin. The main interest is in the old library with the long room. This is too highly priced, and books removed now, they only had an immersive virtual tour. So we skipped it. The college campus was nothing impressive. Too many tourists, students, and some renovation activity happening, all in the same grounds, not really what we expected. We did a quick visit to the Dublin castle grounds and St.Patrick's cathedral.

Letz get to the best part of Dublin visit during the spring season! Cherry Blossoms ! Yes, this is not just in Japan, but here too, we saw lovely blossoms! Lined up in the streets, in front of many homes, they were on full bloom, all smiling and welcoming the visitors. The botanical gardens right in the centre of the city is a really vast, magnificent place housing different varieties of trees and plants! We walked 3 hours around the gardens and then headed to the airport. One could have a full day's picnic at the botanical gardens if you have a love for plants!

On the way to the airport, it was time to give our Nissan a good wash. We had driven highways, country roads, through slush and grasslands. Not just the outer, the inner of the car too had seen the landscape. After the auto wash, we had the vacuum station. In Dubai, we are spoilt for service. At the car wash, you are served by 3-5 attendants who completely wash, wipe, and vacuum the car. Here, it was self-service. There is no one to even tell you how to turn ON the huge vacuum monster. The Nissan smiled clean and ready to return back to Europcar.

Time to say goodbye. Some trips are about losing yourself in the wilderness, to take a breather to calm the nerves. Then, revitalizing in the greens and the blues, finding your inner self with a deeper understanding of happiness. Ultimately, vacationing is not about where you go but who you go with! I am blessed with two who enjoy and make it memorable for me every time!

[starvette]

T 21/90 || 6

Kind of a waste of a day as far as my own life's progress is concerned. I let myself get all consumed by the Titan tragedy. As I'm writing this now they have a few hours left and I'm blasting the newest Aphex track because I'm cool like that. It was an extraordinarily hot day. I awoke randomly at noon, went on gas patrol then back to bed until seven in the evening. There was a gas explosion in central Paris in a fucking art school?! Bought decaf at Lidl which is otherwise full of inedible garbage. All this fucking food and I got nothing to eat. I had to make my own kaleslaw for like forty minutes. It was mid but I think I'll have to keep making kaleslaw now until I run out of that giant red cabbage head which had already started molding.

Okay, it's five in the morning. I promise no more of this Schrodinger's submersible until after I wake up tonight when they're certainly either dead or not dead.

Finally screwed on the spray nozzle on my fin bottle but now I've terrible anxiety about wasting it and no idea which body part to use it on. Fucking hate that cunt. I also mashed some fresh raspberries and stuck em in a freezer for a little DIY 'sorbet'. No exercise.

Regarding sweeteners and Rhonda, I actually found out last night that: a) she doesn't eat anything sweet b) sweeteners are bad for your gut and make your blood sugary indirectly, somehow c) I'm quitting sweeteners I've entered the bargaining stage of my diet where I have to talk myself out of getting 'half foods' which are foods that are about half real food and half sugar such as nut and seed bars, candied nuts, luxury health cookies, sorbets, and vegan ice creams. As you can see I had my first day without any illegal half foods but I still ate a LOT of berries. It's a process.

[iolotv]

Fresh Heads Lidl - 2022 - Part 2

[gemsofgreece]

Απόφαση

Με αφορμή ότι ο αμερικάνικος μεγαλοκαρχαρίας σνακ Mondelez (πρώην Kraft Foods) μόλις εξαγόρασε ΚΑΙ την Chipita (έχει ήδη αγοράσει Παυλίδη / Lacta εδώ και χρόνια και μεταξύ άλλων της ανήκουν εταιρείες του βεληνεκούς Oreo, Milka, Cadbury, οπότε καταλαβαίνετε γιατί πλοκάμια μιλάμε) και καθώς το όνομα της έχει εμπλακεί σε αποψίλωση δασών και παιδική εργασία, αποφάσισα να μιλήσω εδώ για τον τρόπο με τον οποίο εγώ προσωπικά θέλω να προσπαθήσω να ψωνίζω πιο συνειδητοποιημένα.

Θα παραθέσω εδώ ελληνικές εταιρείες τις οποίες θα προτιμώ, όσο είναι δυνατόν. Το σκεπτικό μου είναι ότι για το είδος που θέλω να αγοράσω, αρχικά θα επιλέγω ελληνική εταιρεία. Αν τα προϊόντα της δεν με ικανοποιούν, θα δοκιμάζω προϊόντα με Greek branding δηλαδή ουσιαστικά προϊόντα πρώην ελληνικών εταιρειών που έχουν εξαγοραστεί από ξένους κολοσσούς. Αν πια τίποτα δε μ' αρέσει, θα καταλήγω σε ξένη εταιρεία.

Το θεωρώ σημαντικό αυτό. Θα μπορούσα να ανεβάσω απλά ένα σύνδεσμο "ΑΓΟΡΑΖΟΥΜΕ ΜΟΝΟ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ!!!!!!!1!! ΔΙΑΔΩΣΤΕ!!!!1!!!!" αλλά αντιπαθώ και την ένταση και την καταπίεση. Για παράδειγμα, πήρα να δοκιμάσω το ρόφημα σοκολάτας της ΓΙΩΤΗΣ, ε δε μ' αρέσει όσο η Cadbury, τι να κάνω τώρα, να αυτομαστιγωθώ; Από την άλλη, το αφρόλουτρο ΚΑΡΑΒΑΚΙ του Παπουτσάνη το λατρεύω.

Αυτή θα είναι η τακτική μου καθώς και τοπικά μαγαζάκια αντί για σούπερμαρκετ όταν γίνεται, και ελληνικά σούπερμάρκετ αντί για ξένα όταν δεν γίνεται.

Πάμε λοιπόν:

Ελληνικές εταιρείες:

ΙΟΝ

ΠΑΠΑΔΟΠΟΥΛΟΥ

ELBISCO (Elite, Αλλατίνη, Κρις Κρις, Βοσινάκη, Forma)

ΚΥΚΝΟΣ

Κρι Κρι

ΕΒΓΑ

ΕΒΟΛ

ΟΛΥΜΠΟΣ

ΦΑΓΕ

ΜΕΒΓΑΛ

ΜΙΝΕΡΒΑ

Ζυμαρικά Stella

ΓΙΩΤΗΣ

ΒΙΟΛΑΝΤΑ

ΠΑΠΟΥΤΣΑΝΗΣ (ΚΑΡΑΒΑΚΙ, Aromatics, Natura, Olivia)

APIVITA

ΚΟΡΡΕΣ

Mastihashop

ΕΥΡΗΚΑ (ΤΙΚ ΤΑΚ, TOPINE, FLUP, CLARO, FRESH AIR, FAMOSO, ALGOFLASH, AROXOL, ZITA ultra)

ROLCO - My Planet (AVA, ROL, ESSEX, HiGeen, TACT, Herborium)

Σκλαβενίτης

Μασούτης

My Market

Μικροζυθοποιία Craft

Ούζο Μίνι

Ούζο Βαρβαγιάννη

ΕΨΑ

Λουξ

Aegean Oil

ΕΚΟ

Jet Oil – Mamidoil

ETEKA

Με τα προϊόντα Πελαργός και Pumaro ένας χαμός, είχαν περάσει σε ξένη εταιρεία και τώρα όμως ξαναγύρισαν σε ελληνική;;;; Δεν παίρνω κι όρκο πάντως.

Οι εταιρείες ΔΕΛΤΑ, Goody’s, Μπάρμπα Στάθης, Flocafe, 7 Days κρουασάν, Χρυσή Ζύμη εξαγοράστηκαν από τον όμιλο Vivartia / MiG, ο οποίος είναι μεν ελληνικός, αλλά πάει να γίνει πολυεθνική με πλήθος εξαγορών και ξένων κεφαλαίων και τ��τοια.

Greek branding:

Lacta / Παυλίδης

Chipita

MISKO

Τσακίρης

Tasty Foods

SPAR Βερόπουλος

ΑΒ Βασιλόπουλος

Carrefour Μαρινόπουλος

Αθηναϊκή Ζυθοποιία εξαγορασμένη από την Heineken (η μπύρα Άλφα της ανήκει)

Μύθος Ζυθοποιία εξαγορασμένη από την Carlsberg

Ούζο 12

Amita

ΑΥΡΑ νερό

ΗΒΗ

νερό Λουτράκι

Ελαΐς (Άλτις, Βιτάμ)

Sprider Stores

Υπενθύμιση εντελώς ξένων πολυεθνικών εταιρειών:

HEINZ

Unilever (Algida, Ζwan, Lipton, Knorr, Helmann’s, Ultrex, Timotei, Svelto, Skip, Rexona, Organics, Omo, Lux, Klinex, Dove, Cif, Cajoline, Axe, Schwarzkopf)

NESTLE (farine lactee, δημητριακά fitness και clusters, σοκολάτες boss, kitkat, crunch, smarties, baci, nesquik, nescafe, νερά κορπή, maggi κύβους,friskies, purina κ.α)

DANONE (Activia, Danette, νερό Evian, Nutricia κ.α)

Friesland Campina (τυρί Milner, γάλα NOYNOY κ.α)

Procter & Gamble (Pantene, Camay, Herbal Essences, Gillette, Wella, Always, Tampax, Crest, Fixodent, Oral-B, Head & Shoulders, Olay, Max Factor, Vicks, Ariel, Tide, Swiffer, Mr. Clean, Pampers, ηλεκτρικές συσκευές Braun, Pringles πατατάκια, μπαταρίες Duracell)

Colgate – Palmolive (Colgate, Palmolive, καθαριστικά ΑΖΑΧ, καθαριστικά ρούχων Soupline, Fabuloso) Να σημειωθεί ότι σε αντίθεση με την προαναφερθείσα P&G, η Colgate - Palmolive είναι μεν ξένη, αλλά έχει και εργοστάσιο στην Ελλάδα και δηλαδή προσφέρει εργασία και σε Έλληνες εργαζόμενους

Coca Cola 3E (μεταξύ των οποίων Coca Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Amita, Frulite, Tuborg, νερό ΑΥΡΑ, Waterblue και Λύττος, σνακς TSAKIRIS)

Pepsico (μεταξύ των οποίων Pepsi, 7UP, ΗΒΗ, νερό Λουτράκι, Gatorade, Pure Rush)

LIDL

IKEA

Praktiker

Αυτά είχα λοιπόν. Τα βρήκα από την παρακάτω ιστοσελίδα:

Απλά τα έγραψα λίγο πιο ήπια και ταξινομημένα για να τα βρίσκετε εύκολα (και διασταύρωσα κάποιες ανακριβειούλες, αλλά δε μπόρεσα να τα κοιτάξω όλα οπότε κρατήστε και μια πισινή).

ΥΓ: Ασφαλώς υπάρχουν και πλήθος άλλες μικρότερες ή τοπικές επιχειρήσεις που παράγουν ποιοτικά προϊόντα με προς το παρόν περιορισμένη εμβέλεια. Όλα αυτά δε μπορούσαν να αναφερθούν εδώ. Επίσης, υπάρχουν και εταιρείες που παράγουν άλλα είδη προφανώς, εδώ αναφέρονται μόνο τα είδη πρώτης ανάγκης.

*Η ομοιότητα της επικεφαλίδας με τον όρο της Monopoly είναι συμπτωματική αλλά μου άρεσε εκ των υστέρων.

[peridottea91]

Hey folks!! Want fresh baked bread but can’t find the yeast/suck at baking?? Hey-o here we go!!!

Okay, get in your car and go to your nearest Aldi. Lidl might have the thing but idk I haven’t been there yet, so Aldi it is!! Park the whatever-mobile and go inside, straight to the bread/baked goods section. It should be along the wall as soon as you walk in.

Now!! look for the loaf of French bread or Italian bread, unsliced. Make sure it says “Take and Bake” on the front. THIS IS IMPORTANT!! Pick your bread, check-out, and take that bitch home. Follow the instructions on the package, bake the bread (it’s only 5-10 minutes), and enjoy the smells/tastes of wonderful baked deliciousness.

Wanna do the dippy bread thing like at Carrabba’s? Head off to TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Home Goods, or Wegmans. Look for the dipping oil or flavored oil. Usually it’s in the glass bottles and looks crazy decorative wit all the herbs and shit inside. If you go to TJ Maxx/Marshalls/Home Goods, you can get a decent sized bottle for only $4.99 or $5.99. Make sure to grab a bottle of Balsamic of Modera Vinegar as well (you can grab this at any grocery store nowadays). Check-out and go home. 

In a small bowl pour the flavored/herby/dipping oil into a small bowl or ramekin, followed by the Balsamic of Modera. The balsamic will sink to the bottom with the oil sitting on top, which is normal cause buoyancy. Enjoy that shit with that hot, fresh baked bread from early. Pro tip: when dipping, smoosh the fluffy side of the bread down so that it can absorb both the balsamic and the oil.

Enjoy the serotonin!!! 

I just ate half a loaf of French bread by myself...

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #304

“she’s got a hold on me  /  maybe she is just what they want me to be”

How many foreign friends do you have? Only one that I know of that actually immigrated into America in their life. I think. In which countries do they live? She was born in Asia, either China or Japan. What was your dream birthday party as a kid? I either wanted to go to the skating rink or Chuck E. Cheese. Have you ever come up with your own game? As a kid, definitely. Whose hand did you hold last? Probably my niece's or nephew's if they were taking me somewhere. What was the last thing you planted? Habaneros, I think. Do you have a green thumb or are you all thumbs with plants? I don't really try with plants because I'm not interested in the maintenance. What or who was the last thing you gossiped about? Does telling your therapist about another person and what they do to stress you out count? lol Any books on your night stand? Wings of Fire: The Brightest Night. Would you ever consider going vegetarian? I was briefly one, but I had to introduce meat back into my diet because I just hate too many foods needed to keep me healthy without meat. I would love love LOVE to go vegan, but I just can't. When's the last time you helped a senior citizen somehow? Probably holding open a door for someone in a wheelchair. What's the most selfless act you have done? I don't know... Maybe letting my mother use all my Christmas and birthday money (which was a lot) to take care of bills to keep us from being evicted and losing the car. She was going to pay me back, but then cancer happened. Have you ever intentionally fed a house spider? No. What makes you feel lucky? The fact I have a roof over my head, food on the table, access to water... That kind of stuff. Never take it for granted. How many Lidls are there in your town? One. Last time you went to Ikea, what did you buy? I don't believe we've ever bought anything from there? But I wouldn't really know. How do you like your favorite beverage? Really cold in a can, heeeeell yeah. What's your big family secret? We don't really have one. What did you think you were good at, until you saw someone else do it? I remember thinking I was the "gifted" artist in school until I met my acquaintance Cailin in the 5th grade, lol. She is SO talented. What is something nice going on in your life right now? My partial hospitalization program is going well. I'm getting more comfortable with talking via things like Zoom, it's a good opportunity for me to socialize with like-minded people almost every day, and I ADORE one of the teachers so much so that I want him to be my normal therapist. I have never in the entirety of my life felt less judged and more cared for from any therapist before him, and it's almost supernatural how easily this man reads people. You could twitch a certain way and he picks it up. I'm ready for him to teach more of the sessions. What was the pinnacle of wealth to you as a child? The idea of owning one of those toy crane machines, haha. If I saw one in a store, I would like beeeeg for it. I remember I cried once when I came across one I adored, it was just too expensive, lol. I did eventually get a little one, I think. What's something that you hate, but can't live without? My meds. What skill do you not talk about, because you feel it sounds like bragging? I don't really brag about anything I think I'm good at because I feel bad about it and don't wanna emit a "better than you" vibe. Who's the worst person you've encountered on the Internet? Ahhh, a lovely "friend" nicknamed Shakes. God she hated me. If death wasn't a consequence, what would you try? Probably ride a motorcycle. I'm too scared to risk the possibility of crashing, and those wrecks are nasty. What's the dumbest thing you've heard someone say? There's this one video of a TV show host thinking the moon was a planet and it was just- What is the worst smell you can remember? This smell was forever branded into my memory as if it was fuckin trauma. When my late dog Teddy had a massive, infected cyst near his ~you know~ and also wore diapers because of incontinence with his age (also keep in mind he had a UTI we couldn't afford to fix, and that smells bad enough), changing the diaper he would wear overnight could, swear to God, be enough to make you puke. It literally came to a point that I personally could no longer do it. It sounds so so bad and selfish, and it probably is, but Mom had to do it before she left and came home from work; she's way less fazed by stuff like that than me. Yes, when we had the money, we got the cyst removed. What song gets better the louder it gets? Only like, every song I enjoy. The louder the better until it becomes obnoxious to others. What's the biggest inconvenience that does NOT ruin your day? Having to pee at like an unnatural frequency? haha What's something everybody should know how to do? Cook... which I don't know how to do. What is a great movie no one knows about? I'unno. I don't really know the success level of most movies unless you see stuff about it everywhere. What type of person could the world use less of? Rapists, pedophiles, monsters like that. What makes you tingle? I have this odd reaction to rubbing my hand while someone is holding it???? idk why????? What’s the best Wi-Fi name you’ve seen? Oh MAN, I wish I could remember 'em all. I've seen some goodies. What's easy to learn, but hard to master? God, it's pathetic that my immediate response is related to a video game, haha. Then again it's such a common idea that it's basically a meme in the World of Warcraft community. So, playing hunters in the game. They're argued to be one of the - if not the - easiest classes in the game that requires little to no skill, while as a hunter main, I disagree with the second part firmly. I don't know about the other specializations because I don't play them, but at least in beast mastery, it takes focus and thinking ahead to master your rotation for optimal damage and just to generally be a skilled player of the class. Not to mention you need to watch your pet(s), too. What's something you've changed your opinion on? Wow, LOTS. Tons of political ideas, like my stance on gay rights, transgender folks, etc... If you had a refilling bowl, what would you want it to contain? For some reason my mind immediately jumped to fresh strawberries. I'm picky with the firmness of fruit, so I won't eat them if they're older because ew. If your bedroom had three portals to anywhere, where would they lead? I mean this in the least creepy way possible, but Sara's house so we could actually hang out, Dad's house so I could see him more, and then uhhh South Africa to regularly see meerkitties. You can ask any author one question about their story. What do you ask? Oh, I dunno. I've got some for writers of other media, but I guess by "author," you mean this is for books exclusively. If you have caffeine late in the day, does it cause you to struggle with your sleep? Shit, I wouldn't even know because I essentially always have caffeine in my system. I don't believe it affects me. When you struggle to sleep, what do you do instead? Keep trying to sleep, or more common than not, I do exactly what you shouldn't do and get back on the laptop for a while. Who was the last person you spoke to for the first time? How did you come to speak to this person? My most recent therapist in the PHP. I love love love him. The therapists rotate the days they teach, and he was the last one I met. Are there any TV shows from your childhood that you still watch today? I'm not opposed to it if I actually watched television. Do you enjoy buying gifts for other people, or do you never know what to buy them? If I actually have the money to, omg yes. I honestly do think I create or buy very thoughtful gifts, and I just really enjoy reminding other people that I love and think about them. Who were you with the last time you went out for a meal? My sisters, Mom, and I went to the Cheesecake Factory for my birthday dinner. That place has come to oust Olive Garden as my favorite restaurant, haha. What’s the last thing you watched on TV? Is this a programme you watch regularly? I believe it was this amateur cooking show called Nailed It!, I think it was, with my mom when I sat in the living room with her for dinner one night. Do you have a favorite documentary subject (eg. nature, celebrities, history, crime)? Absolutely animals. Does having to wear a mask stop you from doing anything, just because you dislike them or find them uncomfortable? Do not fucking talk to me if you're anti-mask. If I set foot in public, I'm wearing a mask like a goddamn considerate human being. Do you prefer zip-up or overhead hoodies? Overhead. I really dislike the appearance of zippers on them. If you have a yard or garden, how much time do you spend out there? N/A When was the last time someone bought you flowers? What was the occasion? I think it was the first time Tyler came to my house. This was quite a few years ago. When was the last time you stayed overnight away from home? Was this with friends, family or in a hotel somewhere? What was the occasion? Hell, I'm pretty sure I haven't slept over anywhere since the last time I was visiting Sara, which was like, two years ago. What’s your favorite period to learn about in history? What got you interested in this particular era? The Renaissance; I always found it to be an attractive subject, art being in its "glory days" and all. My Art History course in college really hooked me in. What is the smallest thing you lose your temper over instantly? Homophobic bullshit. What's a job that doesn't get enough respect? As others have said before me, teachers might just top the list. The shit they gotta put up with for so little pay... What did you take for granted until you visited another country? I've never left America, so I wouldn't know. Who is your favorite scientist and why? I don't have a favorite; I don't know nearly enough about any. Do you prefer emoticons or emoji? I'm from the emoticons era, so I'm biased, haha. How did you meet your pet? Roman was the kitten of one of my sister's mother-in-law's females. They have quite a cat problem and wanted to adopt the kittens out, and Mom knew I desperately wanted a cat, so there we go. One day when we were over there, she showed me the kittens, and Roman caught my eye instantly with his beautiful blue eyes. Venus, I "met" via the Morph Market, a reptile hub website for selling, as the name implies, reptiles that are generally morphs of their species. I was clicking through the genes, keeping my price ceiling in mind, and really fell in love with champagnes, and I thought Venus in specific was just absolutely beautiful. I officially met her as a little thing mailed to me, and she was and still is just the sweetest. I wanna point out that when I chose Venus, I hadn't the slightest idea that champagnes harbored "the spider gene," as otherwise I would have avoided adopting her and feeding the market. Regardless, I love her to death and wouldn't trade her out. Did/Do you have any PEZ dispensers? I did as a kiddo, yeah. Do you enjoy erotic stories? If so, do you read them or write them? No; they make me really uncomfortable. When writing RP, some scenes can get sexual, but I have my limits for sure and know when to stop writing and just time-skip. If you had to choose, which one would you rather have: a pet or a baby? Keep the baby away from me. Gimme a plains hognose or tarantula, please. ^Why did you choose the one you chose? I don't want kids at all but would love the mentioned animals as pets. Do you live with your parents or on your own/with a partner? I live with my mother. What's the car of your dreams? I don't have a "dream car." Have you ever witnessed something or someone die? Animals, yes. Has anyone ever told you that you snore or talk in your sleep? I don't snore, but I talk a LOT. Do you have any houseplants? No. Are you more on a laptop or a desktop computer? I only have a laptop, and I prefer them for portability's sake. If you could do absolutely anything, what would you like to do the most? Entirely leave behind my anxiety, probably. Or PTSD. Do you think your parents raised you well? Yeah. Dad didn't really take much part in "raising" us/enforcing rules and stuff, but hey, my sisters and I wound up being good people. Do you have a Facebook? Yeah. Do you know any of your neighbors? Definitely not well. We haven't lived here long at all. Does/did any of your relatives have an interesting, nowadays unusual job? I'm sure somebody does. Have you met your ideal partner yet? I think so. Have you had a serious relationship yet? If so, how many? Yeah, two. Do you enjoy books, magazines or comic books the most? Books. Are your parents old-fashioned or up-to-date about certain things? Dad is more old-fashioned I think, while Mom is pretty up-to-date. Do you or did you at some point keep a diary? I very briefly did on a few occasions. I always had a journal I wrote in during all my hospital stays. Have you ever upcycled trash into useful items? I remember I once followed this craft idea on Animal Planet where you turn a milk jug into a bird house. We never got any birds in it, though. Which color Skittle do you like best? The only right answer is red. What’s your favorite element? Of the classic four, fire. If you had your own radio show, what would it be like? YIKES, I don't want one. Don't make me talk in front of (through a radio or not) people. What has been the biggest surprise you’ve ever gotten? An "impossible" breakup over Facebook Messenger lmaoooo. Is there a holiday you can’t stand at all? There aren't any that I "can't stand," but I do hold at least some degree of dislike of ones bastardized by religion. It's disrespectful as fuck. Who is your favorite person in the whole world? My mom. Has there ever been an activity you became obsessed with? I was definitely obsessed with RPing in my early teens. Like, I ALWAYS wanted to be writing it. What has been the strangest place you ran into someone from your past? I can't think of an occurance. What is something people tend to come to you about? Anything related to English and grammar. If applicable, what's the furthest you've traveled because of a hobby? For purely a hobby, definitely not very far, partially because I can't drive or afford travelling via plane or whatever. Do you have souvenirs from other countries? If so, what and from where? N/A What do you do when someone is talking to you about something you don't care about? Pretend to be interested to avoid being rude. Do you have Photoshop installed on your computer? Yeah. Do you put lotion on after you get out of the shower? No, but I need to. Has anyone ever given you a promise ring? No. Do you have any bruises on you? Yeah, on my shin. When getting in Ash's van the other day, I hit it against the thing that helps you step up into the vehicle. Because of my muscle atrophy, I, and I am not kidding, can barely manage to absolutely yank myself up there. And mind you, her van isn't even very high up at all. My legs are just that damn weak. Any changes in appearance lately? Gaining weight is fucking lovely. Who was the last person to call you babe or baby? Probably a gal friend commenting on a selfie or something on Facebook. Do you hate the person you fell hardest for? Sometimes. Do you actually care about other's problems? Probably too much for my own good. Have you ever gotten a teddy bear from someone? Besides my mom, I don't think so.

[joshslater]

Grimsby pt. 5

Similar stories and bonus material (like the photo tumblr blocked) on my Patreon.

Declan greeted us with an “Oi, lads” as he walked past us to the kitchen. He took me completely by surprise. The beer, the weed, the fatigue, the everything had me zone out and only concentrate on what was immediately in front of me. The beer, the weed, the heat and smell of big Jace next to me, and the FIFA game I was slowly losing. I had completely forgotten the possibility of Declan. He returned from the kitchen, Stella in one hand and a Lidl bag in the other.

“O'Rourke down at 2 lit the grill. I bought some bangers for us. You coming Jace?” “Always”

He threw down the controller on the table and got up. I still wasn’t grasping what was going down. Jace looked down at me as I aimlessly was moving my team around while trying to comprehend what was happening.

“You’ll lose. Come.”

I accepted what he told me, pressed pause and got up to join them outside. The afternoon sun made everything too hot and too bright, after smoking weed in front of the TV for hours. Jace and Declan talked about something as we walked down the street to number two. I was too buzzed to try to comprehend. I could see a small group standing at the end of the street, in front of us. They looked young, all dressed similar to us, perhaps with less shirts on, and everyone holding a can or a bottle in one hand.

“I got one left” “What?”

I looked at Declan, followed his eyes towards his hand. He was holding out a nicotine patch towards me. I took it, removed the package and stuck it up inside my T-shirt, somewhere on the chest. Fuck, I’m still wearing the track suite from work, I realized. The one that didn’t smell like weed. Didn’t.

“This is Chayse. Lives in 10. He’s cool” “Cheers mate!”

I took a swig out of the bottle of blue wkd in my hand and nod towards the group. Where the fuck did I get that from? Who drinks that kiddie stuff? Just how fucked up am I, really? If they could tell I was high as a kite, which of course they could, they didn’t appear to give a fuck. Everyone was busy chatting, having a beer and whatever else they were doing. This wasn’t so much a party as it was a bunch of lads having a beers on the street, spilling out into the main road. A white, plastic outdoor chair was placed outside the door of number 2. An extension cord snaked its way from the house and was draped over the arm rest, with nothing plugged in. The BBQ setup turned out to be a couple of single use grills, coal on aluminium trays, probably bought at the nearest petrol station. Declan got a pack of vacuum packed hot dogs from his Lidl bag, tore it open, and dumped the sausages on one grill. One of the unfamiliar guys I’d just greeted turned towards me.

“Aight, did you catch Chelsea Arsenal?” “Of course”

It was one of the games I watched with Declan, and I wasn’t even drunk or debilitatingly high, like now, when I did it. I even remembered some of what the commentators said.

“What you think about the first score?” “It was his first for the season, was it?” “Was it? You might be right, mate. What’d you think about it?” “I can’t even describe it.” “With you, mate. Fucking epic doesn’t cut it”

I shocked myself that I could string together some commentary fragments with empty statements and pass them along as conversation. Not wanting to press my luck I tried to be as agreeable as possible through all the footie talk.

“Oi! Bun!”

Declan threw a hot dog bum at me, which I didn’t catch, but quickly scooped up from the ground. Not trusting my dexterity I put down my blue wkd next to the plastic chair. I stepped over to the grill and grabbed one of Dec’s sausages in the bun. I realized I was starving, as I bit into the hot dog.

“This is fucking great, mate!” “Lidl deluxe onion pork bang. Best there is. Farewell bang, innit” “You’re leaving?” “Want to beat the traffic. It’s been fun.”

I didn’t know what to feel. Most of all I was annoyed he’d drop the news on me like five minutes before he’d drive away. Communication wasn’t his thing though. But it felt like I was going to miss him. Without him I was back to knowing no one here. No, I knew Jace, I immediately realized. It’s like a relay, where I’m handed over, moving further and further away from where I started. Declan didn’t know who I was, but he knew I wasn’t Chayse Brown, at least not this version. Jace only knew what I was now.

Someone from the group took a seat in the white plastic chair, and another one connected a clipper to the extension and started to buzz his head. I couldn’t see a difference, as it was short to start with.

“Hey, Declan. Thanks for everything.” “Safe. Keep your phone charged.”

He walked away towards the car, stella in hand. I stepped back to the chair and grabbed the blue bottle. I took a swig out of it, and almost choked on my big gulp. It wasn’t my blue wkd but something far stronger. I looked at the label and saw a bottle of MD 20/20 blue raspberry. Still fucked up, apparently, because those bottles are nothing alike.

“Hey, are you stealing my shit!” shouted the boy in the chair, jumped up and started to puff his chest. “No, I’m... mistaken” “It fucking looks like you are stealing.” he was staring right at me, just inches away when he suddenly relaxed. “I’m just messing with you. That is yours?” he pointed at the blue wkd still standing next to the chair. “Yeah, I think so.” “Here, take over from Liam” “I don’t know how to... I’ve never used a clipper before.” “Nothing to it. Just move it around until it looks even.”

Liam handed over the clipper to me as the boy got back in the chair. He was right. There was nothing to it. In a few more strokes, though probably much slower than proper, he looked “even”. Not that I would know.

“Here, take a seat and I’ll fresh you up for Friday. Yours looks pretty mint, but I’ll fresh the sides for you.”

I had no idea what he meant, but took a seat to go with the flow. He lathered the sides of my head all around with shaving foam, and then picked up a Gilette razor from a kitchen plate and started to shave my head. It was all bizarre to me.

“You do this a lot?” “What?” “Hairdressing” “Just taking turns freshing up the lads for Friday. It happens.”

Someone new came up to me and stuck a can of Fosters in my hand. “Oi. I’m Connor”

I could feel the headache pulsate with my heartbeat as UK Bounce blared out of the phone’s alarm app. I was in my bed, no, on my bed, again without remembering getting there, and fully dressed. I would take the bus to the dock, I already knew that. Should I snooze or bother with a shower?

As I walked to the bathroom the door to the second bedroom was open, and I was reminded that Declan left yesterday. I wondered if he brought the plastic bag with my old clothes with him, or if he had already binned them. I looked into the room. A couch and a cheap home gym. I’d forgotten that it was even here, since I hadn’t looked into the room since the first day. Fuck, that was only days ago.

My eyes were red and I looked like I was decomposing. By contrast my skull was shiny, like a doorknob with a round little carpet on top. The slits in the eyebrow were more pronounced too. Apparently someone touched them up, though I had no memory of it. What was the name of the guy? Liam?

I took a shower, and some of the magic was back. It felt so good. I was hoping that some 3-in-1 would wash off some grease, and make me less shiny. I didn’t really do much, but then the people at the dock didn’t appear to give much of a fuck. I put on the the clothes I had on me when I entered the bathroom, lit a cigarette, and left the house. I felt like a zombie shuffling to the bus stop in the morning darkness.

I’d finished my cigarette by the time I got there, but still craved more, so I lit another one and inhaled deep. Why didn’t I bring a morning beer? Because that’s not what actual humans do, a little voice in my head whispered. Still, would have been fucking nice right now. Luckily the bus peeked around the corner, so I didn’t have to wait for long. I should probably learn the time table.

There were a few people on the bus, but not many. They were all staring like I wasn’t welcome. I guess I didn’t look my best after what I’ve been through. Saturday couldn’t come fast enough. I decided to sit at the back to avoid the glares of people. It wasn’t until I was just about to stomp out my cig I realized I was smoking on the bus. Fuck. And no one told me not to, not even the driver. In fact, I just realized, I hadn’t even paid fare. Why didn’t he tell me?

One glance at my reflection in the bus window, and I had my answer. I looked like trouble, and he didn’t want any. I felt guilty all the way to the dock, and plonked down two pounds at the driver as I exited the bus. Regardless what Liam, or whatever, said I did not intend to become a thief.

Drudge time.

[newstfionline]

Headlines

The Humble Phone Call Has Made a Comeback (NYT) Phone calls have made a comeback in the pandemic. While the nation’s biggest telecommunications providers prepared for a huge shift toward more internet use from home, what they didn’t expect was an even greater surge in plain old voice calls, a medium that had been going out of fashion for years. Verizon said it was now handling an average of 800 million wireless calls a day during the week, more than double the number made on Mother’s Day, historically one of the busiest call days of the year. Verizon added that the length of voice calls was up 33 percent from an average day before the outbreak. AT&T said that the number of cellular calls had risen 35 percent and that Wi-Fi-based calls had nearly doubled from averages in normal times. The rise is stunning given how voice calls have long been on the decline. Some 90 million wired phone lines in the United States have ceased using landline phones since 2000, according to USTelecom.

IMF issues warning (Foreign Policy) Kristalina Georgieva, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said that more than 170 countries will see a drop in living standards as coronavirus measures wreak havoc on the global economy. “Just three months ago, we expected positive per capita income growth in over 160 of our member countries in 2020. Today, that number has been turned on its head: we now project that over 170 countries will experience negative per capita income growth this year.” Georgieva added that over 90 countries had sought some form of assistance from the IMF since the onset of the crisis.

Virus could push half a billion people into poverty (BBC) The economic fallout from coronavirus could increase global poverty by up to half a billion, Oxfam has warned. Using research by the Australian National University (ANU) and Kings College, London, the charity says it will be the first time poverty has risen globally in 30 years.

Trump administration pushing to reopen much of the U.S. next month (Washington Post) The Trump administration is pushing to reopen much of the country next month. Behind closed doors, President Trump--concerned with the sagging economy--has sought a strategy for resuming business activity by May 1, according to people familiar with the discussions. Multiple Cabinet secretaries in recent days have publicly expressed hope that the various government orders directing residents to stay at home and forcing nonessential businesses to close could at least be partially eased next month.

Struggle to keep apart on subway (AP) They let trains that look too crowded pass by. If they decide to board, they search for emptier cars to ride in. Then they size up fellow passengers before picking the safest spot they can find to sit or stand for commutes sometimes lasting an hour or more. This quiet calculus is being performed daily by people who must keep working during the coronavirus pandemic and say the social distancing required is nearly impossible to practice in the enclosed spaces of New York City’s public transit system. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that people should stay 6 feet (2 meters) apart. But even though ridership has plummeted in the city, making jam-packed trains and buses the exception rather than the rule, passengers aren’t always guaranteed even 6 inches (15 centimeters).

As Easter holidays begin, authorities seek to enforce lockdowns, religions go virtual (Washington Post/Quartz) Authorities around the world issued stern warnings Friday for citizens to stay home during Easter--a time when millions visit their families or embark on recreational trips during normal years. Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays in numerous nations currently battling the novel coronavirus, including large parts of Europe. In Australia, authorities said they would rely on road blocks, camera surveillance and hefty fines to enforce the rules. “Don’t accidentally kill someone,” read a tweet from 10 Downing Street on Friday morning, seemingly stepping up the pointedness of the British government’s messaging in a bid to discourage people from flouting the current lockdown rules. Meanwhile, religious services are increasingly virtual. Pope Francis will hold Good Friday services in the Vatican, and devotees can tune in online. But some rituals, including the kissing of the Cross on Good Friday, have been canceled. In England, the Archbishop of Canterbury will hold a service from his kitchen.

Homicide rate drops in Latin America (Foreign Policy) Latin American countries plagued by gang violence have seen a dramatic drop in murder rates as countries impose strict quarantine measures in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus. In Colombia, Guatemala, and Honduras, homicide rates fell by half last month, Axios reports. El Salvador, which has the world’s highest per capita homicide rate, went 48 hours without a murder in March.

EU leaders agree on economic package (Foreign Policy) European Union leaders have reached an emergency agreement to counteract the worst economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. The Netherlands, which had led the opposition to calls from southern European nations for access to easier credit lines, eventually had to compromise after German Chancellor Angela Merkel convened a call between Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. Conte had warned earlier in the day that a failure to reach an agreement could lead to the end of the EU.

How Lisbon Has Managed the Corona Crisis (Der Spiegel) There are a number of different theories for why the coronavirus has caused so much less suffering in Portugal than in neighboring Spain. ... It was the fear of developments similar to those seen in Spain that drove Portugal to adopt precautionary measures early on. In early March, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was the first head of state to go into voluntary quarantine. Luckily, it was a false alarm, but it served its purpose as a warning. Supermarket chains like Pingo, Doce, Continente and Lidl began only allowing small groups of customers inside at a time. Shoppers were surprisingly disciplined and the darker the news from Madrid, Barcelona and Milan grew, the larger became the distances between people waiting in line. As of Thursday, Portugal had 13,141 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 380 people having died from the disease. With a population of 10 million, those numbers aren’t bad at all. Despite a less robust health-care system--Portugal has 6.4 intensive-care beds per 100,000 residents versus Germany’s 33.9--the mortality rate among coronavirus patients stands at 2.7 percent. In Spain, by contrast, the mortality rate is 9.8 percent--with 10 times the number of positive cases. The result: the number of fatalities is almost 40 times as high in Spain as in Portugal.

India’s food supply chain (WSJ) Two weeks into the world’s biggest lockdown, India’s food supply chain is struggling with a shortage of one of its crucial commodities: people. Essential industries--such as growing, harvesting and delivering food--are allowed to operate under the lockdown but the people who move the essentials from farm to fork aren’t showing up for work. Stores say some basics such as eggs, yogurt and cooking oil are increasingly hard to find, a development they say could point to bigger problems ahead if things don’t return to normal in the coming month. India’s food industry is the most fragmented in the world, with hundreds of millions of small farmers selling through a system of millions of middlemen who eventually deliver to millions of tiny shops, stands and carts. It depends on a lot of people doing things by hand. That reliance leads to bottlenecks when people are afraid to go out, and a tough balancing act between stamping out the virus and keeping a subsistence economy functioning.​

Saudi Arabia and Russia Agree to 10 Million Barrel Cut in Daily Oil Production (Foreign Policy) Saudi Arabia and Russia have agreed to cut oil production by 10 million barrels per day following a meeting of the OPEC Plus oil-producing countries yesterday. The deal includes a 5 million barrels per day reduction between Saudi Arabia and Russia with the other 5 million in cuts being taken by the remaining nations of OPEC. But with so many of the world’s oil consumers shut indoors due to strict coronavirus measures, even a 15 million barrel cut in daily production would likely be insufficient in making up for the drop in demand.

Chad strikes back at Boko Haram (Foreign Policy) Chad’s military forces claim they have killed 1,000 Boko Haram militants in a 10-day long operation in the west of the country. The operation was undertaken in retaliation for a March 23 attack by Boko Haram attack that killed almost 100 Chadian soldiers, the Islamist group’s deadliest attack to date. Chad reported 52 of its soldiers were killed over the 10 days of fighting. Despite striking back against Boko Haram, the country and its repressive government are not stable. As Will Brown wrote in FP earlier this month, “The Chadian regime--long thought of as the West’s indispensable ally in the fight against terrorism in Africa--could be nearing a breaking point.”

New, larger wave of locusts threatens millions in Africa (AP) Weeks before the coronavirus spread through much of the world, parts of Africa were already threatened by another kind of plague, the biggest locust outbreak some countries had seen in 70 years. Now the second wave of the voracious insects, some 20 times the size of the first, is arriving. Billions of the young desert locusts are winging in from breeding grounds in Somalia in search of fresh vegetation springing up with seasonal rains. Millions of already vulnerable people are at risk. And as they gather to try to combat the locusts, often in vain, they risk spreading the virus--a topic that comes a distant second for many in rural areas. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization has called the locust outbreak, caused in part by climate change, “an unprecedented threat” to food security and livelihoods. Its officials have called this new wave some 20 times the size of the first.

Working far from home (Yahoo News) As much of the world is asked to shelter in place, two cosmonauts and one astronaut will be working far from home at the International Space Station. Russia’s space agency announced yesterday that the three-man crew had docked successfully at the station after lifting off from Kazakhstan six hours earlier.

[time-to-be-awesome]

A day in the life of Amy

Thursday 14th May 2020

Note - I know this is very long and I hope it doesn’t come across as self-obsessed. I was inspired by the Refinery29 Money Diaries which I find fascinating. I love getting a real insight into other people’s lives so maybe other people will find this interesting? Even if they don’t I know I’ll be glad to have this snapshot of this time in my life to look back on later.

I am 28 years old and live in Yorkshire, England. I live on my own in a rented 1 bedroom flat. I am a mental health social worker but have been working from home during lockdown. I am currently trying to lose weight and get fitter. This is a day in my life.

7:30am Alarm goes off. I spend a couple of minutes checking the BBC coronavirus morning update whilst I wake up. Have a big glass of chilled water and take my tablets for my underactive thyroid. I get dressed into workout leggings and a baggy t-shirt, put on a hoody and a light coat. I make a coffee in my travel mug.

8:00am I set off on my morning walk. The rules were changed this week so I can now exercise outside for an unlimited amount of time, whereas I was previously having to stick to once a day for about an hour. I am very lucky to live close to a big area of interconnected woods and fields that are public access. People have been painting stones and leaving them along the side of the footpaths. There are new ones almost every day, and other people move them to make it a sort of treasure hunt. There isn’t a cloud in the sky and I feel my spirits lift immediately as I walk in the sun and drink my coffee. I listen to the birdsong and as I get to a remote patch of brambles I walk very slowly and quietly. I’m rewarded with the sight of 12 wild rabbits grazing and hopping about before they inevitably spot me and scurry away.

8:50am I get back home. I tracked the walk on the Mapmywalk app and it tells me I burnt 258 calories, but the main benefit is getting the fresh air and a positive start to my day. I make my regular breakfast – one protein weatabix with milk, low-fat greek yoghurt, a chopped banana, mixed berries, and a sprinkle of a seed mix.

9:00am I set up my work laptop on my dining table and log in. I finish eating my breakfast whilst going through my emails and making a to-do list for the day. My first task is to write up a review that I did recently with a service user. It was a very positive review, they have been building their independence and can now manage their daily life with much less involvement from carers. I phoned the care agency to check their rates and then update the support plan with the new lower weekly cost. I call the service user to let them know that the change has been made and we agree that it is time for me to end my involvement. I spend the rest of the morning writing a closing summary of all the case work I have done with them since I was allocated a year ago.

12:15pm I’m already in my workout clothes so I get out my exercise mat and use my lunch break to complete day 2 of Chloe Ting’s Summer Shred Challenge. Today there are four videos including the warm up and cool down and it takes me an hour in total. I mostly do the modified versions but even following the video I can’t begin to fathom how to do a side plank hip abduction! I take sips of water throughout and by the time I’ve finished I’ve drunk two pints. I don’t have a fitness tracker so I don’t track the calories burnt by these workouts.

1:15pm Lunch break is technically over, but working from home has to have some perks and I think a bit of flexibility on working hours is one of those. I have a quick shower and get changed into my ‘day’ leggings and baggy t-shirt. I don’t have to do any video calls so there’s no need to look professional and its comfort all the way. I make my lunch – cut up veggies with hummus, some rice crackers and a triangle of cheese. I’ve very hungry by now so eat quite quickly. Not satisfied so I also have a packet of sweet chilli multigrain wave crisps and a glass of diet cloudy lemonade.

1:35pm I log back on to my laptop. Unfortunately three of my service users have passed away from Covid-19 in the past few weeks so I email the team admin so the records can be updated with their date of death. I had spent a lot of one to one time with one of the gentleman and I feel upset and guilty that he passed away after moving to a care home that I had helped organise. I ring his son to offer my condolences and share a happy memory of the gentleman.

2:00pm I phone a placement to follow up a safeguarding referral. A service user was given an extra dose of medication, but it didn’t have any negative effect and the managers have discussed it with the staff member responsible. Determined that no further action was needed. Discussed how the placement was going in general and there were no other issues and no further role for me. I’d been due to close the case anyway so I wrote up another closing summary.

3:30pm I decide I need a snack, partly because I’m hungry but also because I want a bit of a break. I’ve been using up the food I had in the house so I don’t have many options and go for two digestive biscuits. I start typing up a mental capacity assessment that I completed over the phone. The service user in question isn’t able to make the decision themselves whether they should have home care or not. Part of the job is making the decision of what is in the person’s best interest and they don’t always agree with that. This has caused a lot of issues for this person in the past and I’m not feeling very optimistic about their situation.

4:30pm My concentration has gone out the window. I start thinking about what I’ll make for dinner. I usually make a batch of something on a Monday that’s enough for 4 or 5 portions and I just have to heat it up, but I’ve already run out of my last batch cook. I have most of the ingredients for a bean pot so make a shopping list of the other things I’ll need.

5:00pm I log off from my work laptop, switch my leggings for jeans, and head out for another walk. I want to put some space between my work day and my free time. Whilst I’m walking I phone my mum and we have a good 45 minute catch up. She hadn’t been feeling very well and said talking to me really cheered her up so I’m glad I did.

5:45pm I go to the supermarket on the way home. My closest store is a Lidl and it’s generally pretty well stocked now that everyone has stopped panic buying. I get the ingredients I need, as well as some bits for breakfasts and lunches, and I impulse bought a house plant. Total spend was £22.37. When I get back home the Mapmywalk app tells me that I burnt 338 calories.

7:00pm I put the shopping away and sat down for a second and suddenly it’s 7. I start making the bean pot following a random recipe I found online. Don’t realise until it’s too late that it calls for 50 minutes of simmering time, but that is a fairly typical move for me. Whilst I’m waiting I put some laundry away and have a general tidy up.

9:00pm Dinner is finally ready! I created it as a recipe on Myfitnesspal and it came out as 700 calories per portion. In total today I’ve eaten 1551 calories and burnt 596 through exercise. I eat my dinner whilst watching Lucy Wood’s latest youtube video. Her videos honestly feel like catching up with a friend, even if that does make me sound like an internet weirdo!

9:30pm I put on an ASMR video from TingTing ASMR. The soft whispering and trigger sounds are very relaxing and the best ones make my scalp tingle. I’d jotted down some notes about my day as I went along so I make them into this post. If I hadn’t spent so long making dinner I probably would have watched a Disney film. I’m watching the Disney Classics in order and the next one will be Sleeping Beauty.

10:30pm I’m going to put this post on tumblr then put my laptop and phone away so I don’t get too distracted. I’ll read for about 30 minutes, my current book is ‘Once upon a river’ by Dianne Setterfield. I usually end up going to sleep 11- 11:30pm, ready to do it all again tomorrow!

[loiswolf]

Day 37 July 8 Chepstow - Bridgend 82kms

Day 37 July 8 Chepstow - Bridgend 82kms

Yesterday as I was posting my blog I had the door to my shoebox jammed open with a stool to let some air in. A couple of cyclists wandered by ( they were carrying their helmets so I knew they were cyclists ) so I popped out to talk to them. Moments later I had an invitation to join Irish cyclists, Mark and Dominic for dinner. I had just been boasting to you all how cheaply I eat then I went out and paid quite a lot more than usual for dinner. I prefer not to go out by myself mainly because it’s always awkward eating it alone ....not just to save money.

Mark and Dominic cycled from their home down to the bottom point of England, now they are on their way to the top of Scotland, then they will cycle most of the way home again. Like me, they don’t camp and they like to do big kms every day. They are actually doing longer days than me because they have a time limit, however they are travelling much lighter. I think the hills have been killing them too.

Somehow I had the impression that they would be shooting off quickly after their breakfast this morning. Not so! I had time to talk to my daughter and grandchildren, my friend Siggy, eat breakfast, pack up and load Shirley then sit and watch them get ready. I guess I liked having someone to talk to and check out how other people do things. I had to quickly remove Shirley from the function room where all three bikes spent the night. Dominic was carefully cleaning and oiling his bike. I didn’t want Shirley getting any funny ideas!

At about 8:15 I took their photo and cycled off up the hill.

The plan today was to mostly follow the A48. It was really a very easy day with only a moderate amount of hills. Unsurprisingly the terrain was a little like home, New South Wales.

This photo was somewhere I actually stopped to do a wee. I looked around when I was finished and thought it was quite pretty.

I would like to say I had my morning tea at this lovely looking place but it wasn’t open yet and I passed it too early to stop anyway. I just liked the words and the writing.

Morning tea was actually just before Newport at a big shopping complex. There are Costa coffee places everywhere so I thought I’d patronise one for a change. The cake was good!

Somehow I slipped off the A48 ( the roundabouts are huge here) and found myself heading to Cardiff. The plan had been to avoid it but I decided just to go through it and have a look rather than double back up to the very busy A48. I knew the roads would meet up later anyway.

Cardiff is the capital of Wales and really not very big. All the traffic lights meant it was slow getting through but I enjoyed having a look. It’s always fun to roll through the mall in the middle and look at the people, checkout the shops and listen to the buskers. There is a big castle in the centre but I didn’t want to stop in the middle of traffic so I cycled into the park next to it to get a photo.

I was wishing I had bought something for lunch but I hadn’t. A little way up the road I saw a ‘Spar’ supermarket so I ran in and grabbed some pastries. I had been hoping for a Lidl because all their bakery items are baked fresh and yesterday I got some delicious twisted donut things with caramel in them. They were yummy! Another few kms along and I saw the Lidl. Oh well, there was no hurry today so I stopped again and bought a few more things including the donuts!  When I came out there was a rather large man trying to park his little bike behind Shirley. He was shocked that I hadn’t chained Shirley up so I explained that it was pretty hard to make a quick getaway on something that heavy. Maybe I should chain her in future. I have seen a few suspicious looking characters around.

On the way out of Cardiff I took a photo of these houses since I’ve have posted photos of houses in the other countries I’ve cycled.

On the lookout for a nice park to sit and eat my lunch I could only find this.

A slightly unusual lunch venue but there was a nice bench to sit on, it was very quiet and the outlook was not unpleasant.

Just up the road from lunch I rejoined the A48 hoping it would get a bit quieter. Eventually it did and in spite of the before mentioned hills it was a pleasant afternoon ride into Bridgend.

My accommodation is a very old style motel but it has a little fridge so I am happy. Once again I was greeted with the note in the window advising me to call on arrival. I sent an email and the owner was there in a few minutes. Shirley is in the ground floor room with me so maybe I should lavish on her some of the attention Dominic’s bike was getting this morning. Maybe....

[tae-kemyhand]

Tony. (SF9 - Rowoon)

The incident of Eva Martin and Tony, the cat.

Summary: In which the mysterious garden cat is more than just that.

Characters: Rowoon of SF9 as Tony & Eva Martin (OC)

Word count: roughly 1700

Warnings: none.

Genre: comedy, romance

There is a cat who often intrudes into my garden. Nightly black with endearing white socks and striking blue eyes. He enjoys lounging on the steady branches of my apple tree, his long body resting on the rough brown bark and his legs hanging in mid-air. We do not interact. I merely observe him as he swats away at the flies and butterflies who dare to disturb his slumber. On hot summer evenings, I leave out some spring water and his crystal eyes, although expressionless most of the time, showing slight gratitude as he sips out of the white plastic bowl. I do not know the name of this cat, but I have decided to name him Tony, after a childhood pet. He is not my cat, and I am not his owner. He bears no collar and no home address. He is merely a regular visitor who often intrudes into my garden.

"Eva, thank you for lunch! See you at the office tomorrow." The echoing voice of my co-worker bounced off the walls of my empty cottage, a house which belonged to my grandparents and had been passed down to their only grandchild. It was resident of a pleasant little village located outside of the hustle and bustle of the capital but close enough to a train station that it was easy to get to work. It had two, good-sized rooms and a traditional, white tiled bathroom with a bathtub and shower. The centre of this old house, however, was the adjoined kitchen and living room whose floors were covered by large, square terracotta tiles and off-white walls, furnished with two, two-seater sofas and a mahogany coffee table all over a thick, cream woollen rug. The garden at the back of the rustic country kitchen wasn't extravagant, probably about forty square meters and accommodated a century-old apple tree that had been planted when my great-grandfather had been born. Red rose bushes grew by the western fence and dusty pink peonies at the eastern. A small patio stretched from one end to the other, and lush green grass covered the rest.

I, as the only resident of the little cottage, was entrusted with the duty of taking care of grandma's precious flowers for she- may she rest in peace- was no longer able to and my mother who lived five hours north was in no position to, either. It was a somewhat relaxing task that was taken up at the end of a long week of filing and stamping paperwork, and after tending to the buds that came at the beginning of spring, a cup of warm peppermint tea was to be had from the sprouts that grew in the herb patch. Tony would often perch on the roof of the navy and scarlet cat house I had bought impulsively while browsing the aisles of Lidl. He sat as if it were his throne and the garden was his kingdom, and I, who found his regality quite amusing, was a mere servant who cleaned his lavish palace. That was a quality I particularly admired about this mysterious cat. His manner of being still and watching life go about its business and small events unravel was a virtue that I -from what I had lived and experienced in my 27 years of life- could never conquer.

It is as I was trimming the stray and dry branches of my darling apple tree that I heard a sharp cry resounding from the rose bushes and a quick black flash dart toward the foot of my ladder. As I climbed down the worn wooden pegs, Tony cowered at the foot of the tree hissing quietly and recoiling as my hands stretched to him. His front right leg was elevated, and spots of blood stained his white sock- he had gotten a thorn stuck in his paw. I stepped back inside the house rummaging through the kitchen draws to find the first aid kit that always disappeared when I most needed it. The poor cat was still unable to move when I returned. He allowed himself to be gently picked up and placed on my lap as I sterilised the wound and prepared the tweezers to take out a rather thick thorn that had embedded itself in between the pads of his toes.

"Okay, here we go." I stroked his head lightly and held onto his paw. When the tweezers touched the thorn, there was no reaction. When it was pulled out, however, the free mitt that rested on my arm sunk its claws deep into my skin, and I jumped in pain, throwing Tony against the thick, solid trunk of the tree and with a sickening thud he flopped to the ground, as still as a mouse.

"Oh, Tony! Did I kill him? Why isn't he moving?" I clutched at the wound on my arm and watched quietly, anticipating at least the twitch of an ear to confirm that I had not murdered the only welcome visitor to my garden.

Some things in life take a turn for the unexpected, and it was on that day that I began to doubt everything I thought to be true. Right before my eyes, the glossy black fur that covered Tony's slim body became shorter and shorter by the second and his body became bigger and bigger. That which lied in front of me at that time was the naked body of a man I did not recognise; jet-black hair fell over a face with gentle features whose skin was nearly as pale as snow. And as the incomprehensible shock of this moment sunk into my mind, I became dizzy and nauseous, vision losing clarity as I fell to the grass in a faint.

▪ ▪ ▪

Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

The incessant ticking of the alarm clock reverberated through my bedroom as I came to my senses. It appeared to be early evening: the shadows of the setting sun and the occasional car headlights dancing and mingling on the off-white walls through the cracks of the blinds that had been nearly closed. I was still dressed in my gardening attire, but my shoes had been carelessly left outside in the dim corridor, and the doors of my wardrobe were wide open with a few t-shirts hanging from the drawers. Someone had gone rummaging in my clothes. The house was as silent as usual and peering in each room proved that there was nobody here other than myself.

"Ah, the garden!" Slipping on a pair of shoes, I opened the French doors that led to the back. Under the apple tree sat a slouching figure, soft breathing accompanied by the hidden crickets. I cautiously approached the sleeping form and crouched before him. It was the man I had seen after Tony was thrown against the tree, dressed in my clothes. Although I was slightly disturbed that this person was still on my property, I took the time to examine his face.

"Stop staring." a low voice purred, and I fell back on my bottom in surprise. Long lashes fluttered open and blue eyes peered at me hidden under the black strands of hair that rested on his forehead.

"Tony?" the stranger chuckled and waved his hand before me, a cut 2 centimeters long in between his thumb and index finger.

"Got a plaster?" I sat in disbelief, was I going crazy? There's no way Tony, the cat, somehow turned into a human. It's just impossible, this is like a dream- that's it!

"This is just a dream!" A short laugh erupted from my throat. The idea of this situation being real was too ridiculous. Cats don't turn into huma- "Ouch!" I drew my leg back as the stranger pinched my exposed ankle.

He sighed, an amused expression playing on his face, "You sure are stupid." Standing, he dusted his palms and walked past me. He took the first aid kit and picked up its contents which had been strewn on the grass from my sudden jump earlier and strolled into the house.

"Hey!" My shock had come to an end as soon as he stepped into my home. "Stop right there!" The man ignored my protests and proceeded to open the tap in the kitchen to wash his wound. "What do you think you're doing?"

He did not spare me a glance as he turned and tore away a paper towel to dry his hand, "What does it look like I'm doing?" He took some gauze from the kit and wrapped it around his hand once, then twice.

"It looks like you're trespassing on private property." I huffed. But then he turned to focus his piercing gaze on me. I shuddered involuntarily when the corner of his lips twitched into a devious smirk. He took two long steps in my direction, back hitting the counter behind me.

"I trespass all the time. You've never complained before." My nervous stare darted around his face until it fell on his brilliant, deep blue eyes. I could recognise them anywhere. His eyes flickered to a look of mischief, and a sudden revelation dawned on me. He's right; he does trespass all the time. Because he's Tony.

"You- how- what?" My baffled expression must've been hilarious because his chest vibrated in a chuckle as he took a step back. The creature I had thought of as a cat was standing before me on two legs, with two arms and two hands. A human face and a low, melodious laugh escaped his pink lips. It was then that I realised how young he looked, couldn't possibly be a day over 25, and yet there was a type of maturity to the way he stood. This being, whatever he was, was twisting my mind like a maze.

"You're not the brightest, are you?" His statement caught me by surprise, a boyish grin provoking me to retaliate. He slid his hands into the pockets of my joggers and turned on his heels toward the front door, leaving me stunned by the kitchen counter.

"Wait!" I shook myself out of the trance. My reaction wasn't fast enough, and by the time I reached the porch, the door was wide open, the fresh spring breeze invading the corridor. My eyes searched the driveway for that strange figure, but there was no Tony in sight. And as I woke up the next morning, all of the evidence of his mysterious appearance was gone, and I was left thinking that I had dreamt the entire ordeal.

[timeoutotour]

Clear Sky, 21°C

10 Rue Ferdinand Roybet, 30700 Uzès, France

Friday 19th October 2018

What a night. We both agreed that our overnighter had been the noisiest since arriving in France almost six week ago . The location as described previously was very convenient and scenic, but due to the road bridge across the Gardon river passing close behind us, level with the top of our van , the traffic noise was unbearable. Heavy lorries , motorbikes and worst of all two stroke scooters whizzing past all day and all night made for a very unsettled night. Still could be worse I thought , at least we didn’t have to get up for work ! Todays plan was to head for Uzes which we had yesterday been reliably informed was a lovely town and had a very good market on a Saturday morning. A market of any description is by no means my cup of tea but Rhian very much enjoys perusing the various stalls and it must be said that a French market is somewhat different to the down market , low rent affairs that pass for markets in the UK Before travelling the half hour or so to Uzes we needed to stock up on provisions so we once again stopped off at the local Lidl which was a very posh affair by their standards and even had exterior escalators for your shopping trolleys !. Normal procedure when shopping is that I pop in to the store first for the essentials i.e. Beer , then Rhian pops in for the incidental stuff like food etc. This ensures that Annie is never left alone in the van in the heat. This morning when we entered the car park we saw that one of those inconsiderate motorhome types had parked at 90 degrees to the car parking spaces taking up four or five car spaces. This meant I had to park along the perimeter fence and in line with the loading bay. Yes , you guessed it , no sooner had I entered the store a 38 tonne artic delivery truck arrived forcing Rhian to pop her “driving in France” cherry. We have travelled fairly extensively in France over the past four or five years but until today Rhian has never driven over here. Today was the day and even though it was only in a car park , the deed had been done. Well done Rhian! It was then time to press on to Uzes , where I had identified a France Passion site which may suit us well. Located only 300m from the centre of Uzes and with many excellent online reviews. We arrived at about 1230 and were glad that we did as it was already quite full of vans and spaces were already in short supply. We picked our spot and after a nice lunch of fresh bread , salad etc we settled in for the afternoon . The weather has been steadily improving and we very much enjoyed sitting outside watching the comings and goings in this very busy working vineyard. The dynamics of such a place are quite interesting and the types of people and vehicles were to put it mildly, diverse. Once again we were the small fry amongst the big fish but even the big fish were lacking in comparison to two very different vehicles that turned up. First being an ex army home conversion . An absolute monster 4x4 truck which probably had every man on site , including me , a little envious of its sheer capability and it was in my opinion the best vehicle here , end of. Then we had the preposterous bus sized mega motorhome , only occupied by two people which I later researched and found that starting prices were 220, ooo euros . The arrival of this monster meant that other normal size vans had to move in order to accomodate it. Why , we thought , if someone can afford to buy such a vehicle would they be trying to squeeze onto a free site, when surely a camp site would better suit their needs. Crazy world! Anyway ,later on we had a quick recce of Uzes and found it to be a very pleasant and attractive town and when we returned to the vineyard we visited the on site shop and bought two very decent but inexpensive wines. Rhian is very much looking forward to visiting the market tomorrow and I am not ! Bon Soir

Powered by Journey Diary.