July 19th (2020)

 

19th July

Day 127

I was awake at 6am this morning. I decided to eat here to save time - plain toast with butter and that Red Cup (even though it is a mug) coffee.

I bought two kilo of beef ($9 a kilo) from the Muslim lady and her husband at Psar Cha, and had Sita the tuk tuk driver bring me back to Colors of Cambodia so that I could make an early start on the beef with chili (Chili Con Carne).

I cut the beef and marinaded it in salt and lime, let it rest then browned it in the pan. Taking it out I next quick fried onions, garlic, carrots and tomatoes then put it together with dried chilli and dried bell pepper, spices and herbs. I also tried the Gravox. So we shall see. I needs two hours cooking.

Well it is excellent, even though I say so myself, and that's mainly because I've got no feedback. Perhaps Mexican cooking is too strange for their taste buds.

On another note, I've contacted other artists to be in The Blue Lotus magazine, so the pages may be finally full. But we shall see  there are some details to iron out. Some tinkering now and I may be able to launch this coming week. Fingers crossed and touching wood (taps head). There is some incredible artwork in this issue (22).

Maybe the alcohol in the cider has given me courage, not Dutch obviously because neither the cider nor I am Dutch, but saying British courage in these times of pandemic just does not sound right, but I got dressed and marched across that dusty road on a mission, and bugger the cost.

Item one, more cider (Brunty's Strawberry), item two biscuits (Bourbon Creams), item three (and this really is the main item) ice cream (in fact Nestle Extreme Nama Dark Chocolate Brownies). I also splashed out on a better coffee (Super Charcoal Roasted White Coffee with Brown Sugar 3in1). Well...I was feeling so down, dejected and really in need of some loving, so I am forced to self love…..and this is it. Tadaaa!! Sad isn't it!

And so to bed (11pm). Alone, always alone these days. Lucky for me that I been involuntary practicing self isolation since last year now. I was all geared up for a pandemic and never realised it, what irony. Fifty years ago someone predicted that I would spend my final days isolated, in a cave somewhere. Of course, anything and anywhere can be a cave. Right now this is my cave.