Gary L

So, a day out of my week’s holiday in hospital waiting for a cardiograph, I’m now home and tomorrow we are off to a house in the mountains for a long weekend with a group of friends. I so do not want to go but I’m being a good little obedient boy ( believe that if you can) and will even cook paella for the gang whilst they are mountain walking. Now, a little puzzle for you all: Lufthansa has just written to me to fxxk up my trip to UK to see my poorly sister in two weeks. They have just cancelled 20,000 flights thanks to a little problem with kerosene price… Thanks to you know who... There are no direct flights so I go via Germany or Switzerland to Birmingham, UK. Three out of four of my flights have been cancelled, but with the last leg unaffected (Frankfurt to Valencia). They have rebooked me on different flights/airports etc. Excellent, you might think. no prob on outward flight. Actually gives me more time to guarantee luggage gets into onward flight. However…… my return flight first leg from Uk to Germany now arrives 5 hours after the untouched onward “connecting” flight will have departed. Ummmm this is so not good for my heart issues. Overnight in Frankfurt? Try to rebook an uncancelled fourth leg? Is anyone willing to ring Lufthansa for me? Ah, there is no number to call……. I just want my $700 back….. 😭

Only another 877,000 words to hit 8 million words on this site! Get going!! Seriously, Mark, the quality of your writing and your commitment to interact with your readers is one of the reasons that so many people are addicted to this site and your stories. Thank you so, so much. 🤗

Ummm from one dr to another, I think you are so right. 😨

In this case, exactly! hey I’m worried now I’m always agreeing with @PrivateTim. His powers of persuasion are like those of a top CA lawyer…. 😜

Dare one disagree…? I felt the sex scenes were so coordinated by the “intimacy coach” that it was like watching paint dry. I don’t know if you guys can see Netflix Spain’s ‘Elite’ but the difference re sex scenes is notable, not least for white underwear and not always black, if you get what I mean. 😂 I got a little hot and bothered, as it were…..

It’s nice to be the goody for once! Well done Lee. 🤗

Hope the holiday went really well, Chris I bet you were ready for it!

Great chapter, thank you Mark. The “Will lovers” will be tearful, the Will haters” will be cutting out and framing the Star Magazine article to put on their wall. 😈

So, hey, tomorrow after a 7-night stay, I get to escape from hospital after this pm I was bumped up to an extra session in theatre to get rid of me! So all that wait for a one-hour exploratory of my heart arteries which I watched live! Results v positive. So tomorrow I sleep in my own bed, see the wieners again, and thank goodness for a free at service health system… even if it took a week! night night, all 🤗

Thoroughly enjoyable!

Another excellent read from Robert Hugill, this time with a touch of crimes and a few murders. As usual, the characterisation is superb and it is a delight to see not just our hero, Louis, developing as an artist (and how!), but also to see depth added to the rest of the cast. All this written in exquisite English and with lashings of humour. First class.

Spain: night before a two-week trip I paid €1.38 a litre. When I arrived there two days later it was €1.75, during the stay, it was reaching €2.00 in some places. Now down to €1.55 ish thanks to 20 centime reduction in tax. Brain not functioning enough to convert to USD, AUD,CAD and gallons. My total bill for 3,000km drive was approaching €500 crazy

“Middle” surely not?!?

Thanks CHRIS, the old tick tock machine needs a bit of TLC

Beaten by 1 minute by @Canuck fo firstr comment - even in hospital I’m still able to function as n° 2 fan! Great chp. This story is really flying ✈️

Big classical fan but opera, especially Wagner, is my great love.

Tim you are on excellent form. Your quills are well-sharpened 🖊️

Guess what lunch was!!!

Went to see gastrointestinal specialist about latest immunotherapy I’ve been on and commented that it didn’t seem to be helping but I had noticed my ‘stable angina’ was playing up a bit. I was sent to see if I could bring annual cardio check up forward. Next thing I was told to sit down, a wheelchair ordered and have been hospitalized since Tuesday. Awaiting tests and should be home on Saturday. I sometimes thought that the chaos shown in ER Type series was exaggerated…. I spent 24 hours in observation area waiting for a bed in a ward. I was in a bed squeezed somehow between bed17 and 18. It had its semi- comical moments: the young guy who leapt off the bed and posed in a karate style position in just underwear being surrounded by six security guys and the porter (to whom yrs ago I taught English) turned to me and said with a sigh “it will be a Valium and then home” case. Then, there was the drunk and drugged up guy who was with restraints. The police were finally called. Then best of all (not), the distressed elderly lady next to me who was screaming for food and when she saw me getting a meal begged to have my leftover chicken leg. On being denied as she was awaiting tests, she went crazy, finally declaring with a play on words, “God, they won’t let me suck his dick” …..

What color is the skin? On all cooking videos from N America the chickens used are pure white. Here we easily get a corn fed chicken for double the ‘white’ price. Skin color and flavour so much better. I use carcasses for soups and the flavour is so rich.

Three delightful, thoughtful poems. I particularly enjoyed the second. There is some beautiful language linked together with some painful emotions in this collection. what an awful thing is regret thank you

It is common in Italy and Spain too but not on a huge scale, nevertheless cars are left covered in red sand. Annoying if you’ve just washed it!

No pressure from us, Robert, no pressure 😜

Glorious

A v enjoyable read. V atmospheric