April 4th (2020)

April 4th

Eggs for breakfast. I have awoken and, just after 6am, I sneak downstairs to fry some eggs, to have with my bread. I guess that the eggs are getting old now, for all three break in the pan. So no ‘Dhaka’ eggs for me this morning. I scrape the partially scrambled, but totally fried eggs with a pinch of garlic powder and Kampot pepper, onto my bread. There’s no salt. I clean the stove, and wash the wok and spatular and sneak back upstairs to eat. It’s a strange life. But it is a life. I am thankful to have made it to 69, and no double entendre jokes please about favourite positions, you need two for that, not just to tango.

And so to bed. My bottled water supply has run out. I need to visit the supermarket, but it is early and they are not open yet. Back to bed it is then.

Nine forty-two, time to shower and go out..But ennui whispers stay, relax, chill. I give ennui a good talking too and march off to the supermarket not full of beans, but full of eggs and instant coffee.

I have bread and what I thought was butter, but turns out to be butter-like spread, and a small tin of pork and mushroom pate for lunch. Not the whole tin, obviously. As an appetiser I have two small pots of commercial yogurt, which are pleasant and have tiny chunks of fruit. Dinner is sandwich again, this time processed cheese squares (cheese-like edible plastic), that butter-like spread and a small tomato. Dessert is a very nice, very sweet, very small mango which came from a tree at Phany’s home.

I go downstairs, just to be nosy, to see what’s going on. Salone (Lon) is working on a drawing, and a painting inspired by her drawing. Phany’s new painting is also under way. I talk with Salone about her painting, then with both her and Phany about painting, why an artist paints, then about using colour, form, about Mark Rothko and his negation of the object/subject and use of colour. Before long Narak has come down and joined us, nodding sagely as I speak. But I have to get on. I have to continue preparations for tonight’s ‘Project’.

The ‘Project’ is not so good this evening. The internet WiFi connection is constantly being interrupted, making it difficult to be consistent, this leads to time lags and misunderstandings. It is difficult to communicate like this. Working with a small hand-phone and a very old IOS on the midi Mac doesn’t help either.

Today’s spend is $14.30 at Thai Huot Market (a place mat...to replace the one I have been using; one Litre of Farmhouse Fresh Milk; three1.5 Litre bottles of Dansani Water; a can of Schweppes Tonic; a small tin of Henaff Terrine De Foie Herbs; another small tin of Henaff Terrine de Champignons 130g; a small container of Salt; two Dutchie Mixed Yogurt tubs; a packet of Arla Burger Slices Cheddar Taste processed cheese squares. Plus a Watermelon and a hand of small Bananas at the grocer which are incredibly cheap, together they cost no more than $1.50.)

Total...$15.80. No need to shop tomorrow.