Time Zones.
Means that we will be tucked up in bed LONG before you lot are subjected to this
All together now
Why You anâ Me? Null Pwoints
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Ramadan Kareem one and all.
The Holy Month is upon us, it is a special yet frustrating time for differing reasons.
It allows us entry into the local culture with invites to Iftar (Breaking the Fast) Buffets - basically scoffing your face on (mainly) Lebanese Mezzas. Time to actually sit with our brothers from another mother - they have more time and focus on their family and friends.
Itâs a time when IF you get to the Malls during the daylight hours they are not so manic (or full of tourists).
Work hours are 6 per day by law, the bars cannot have âentertainmentâ so IF you actually do go out you can sit and talk without some 25 quid a night idiot DJ playing Cheese 80âs shit music.
Yes the bars are open from about 7pm to about 1pm (luckily no midweek games at the moment!).
Downsides?
Work. Not going to the office per se, the simple fact that everything just grinds to a halt. Fasting for 13+ hours in 37C++ is hard on anyone and getting decisions made, getting to a meeting to find the person you were meeting had gine home, THATA is a nightmare. For us, there is no entertainment or events in Ramadan, most DJ mates just go home for the month, so that IS tough. We plan we do future stuff, companies upgrade their offices/systems etc but letâs face it 29 days of you-tube watching in the office is DULL.
Driving - all the rush hours are messed up, locals try to start earlier and finish by about 2pm - the same time as the schools. Then there is a really weird quiet time between about 4:30 to 6pm before carnage as people rush to whichever Iftar/Mosque. Certainly driving around sunset in Ramadan is something only done in an emergency.
The Malls donât have special offers, it is a time of giving so shops charge full price. This year the Government subsidised a range of foodstuffs so there are some crazy deals on staple items.
But at the end of the day, itâs always about Dates (not that type Bearsy) Baklawa and for me Humuus with Pine Nuts and Minced Lamb.
Oh and house parties. Lots of house parties.
Just like the fvckers at the end of the corridor in our block - âArabicâ who just got raided by the Police for having a VERY loud karaoke night.
What âismâ does that fit into in the West? Arabs being offensive to Muslims in Ramadan?
Anyway back to my own tradition on this first day,
Bacon Sandwich with HP Sauce and a Pint of London Pride.
Peace and Prosperity to you all
And tbh? It IS a special time to be down here. Just donât smoke in public. Which IS kind of hard in non smoking buildings.
#homeworkingmonth
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I mentioned Ramadan & how quiet it is.
Today found ÂŁ98 return from here to Katowice close to Krakow so can escape for a week!
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I used to love Ramadan when I lived in the UAE as Phil says work finishes at 2 in the afternoon and no bar music to annoy you when they open at 1900 which gives you time to go home and change.
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Quick beach trip today (top the tan up before Poland & Blighty next week.
We are about to get hit by the outer edge of a former Cyclone off the coast of Yemen/Oman so are expecting winds to pick up and the air to become toxic and full of fine grain dust (downside of being here)
But the beach - quiet because of Ramadan.
Air Temp 38C, an 11 kmh breeze off the sea, and a water temp of 30c.
The pleasure? Just floating around for an hour, bobbing like a cork in the crystal clear waters nobody else aroundâŚ
A gentle aquarobics session (no not that ffs itâs Ramadan) and nobody to disturb me.
Except for Mrs D_P who had of course sunbathed and had turned lobster red even with factor 30 onâŚ
And then a nice bacon sandwich followed any moment now by a snooze
Happened upon an advert for Asterix exhibition the other day so we decided to go today. Itâs at the Jewish Museum in Camden. I was a big Asterix fan as child/teen. My uncles gave me their old copies (I still have them). It was interesting to see Goscinnyâs journey. I came away with a few souvenirs. The dogmatix mug will bring a smile every time I have a cuppa.
The rest of the museum provides education and history of Judaism. We didnt get to see it all (also accidently went the wrong way). I may have to head back. I would suggest going to the Asterix exhib after seeing the rest. But give yourself time and expext to be angry and upset.
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Sittting by the pool with a Vodka and coke just letting the world go by
Pool stream has been switched off the grandkids are on holiday in Hong Kong, The Wife has gone shopping.
The silence is golden.
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Going to a rock concert and you realise that you must be one of the youngest there. That hasnât happened for nigh on 30 years.
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Twas epic, even though Charlie Watts looked like he might keel over at any point
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He has done for the last 20 years 
That cheap 6 hour Wizz Air flight was grim. Got to in-laws at 02:30.
Awoke at 08:00 to discover Mrs D_P had climbed a tree in the garden and picked a bowl of fresh Cherries for breakfast.
The ones in Dubai come by sea taking 4 weeks+.
Nothing has ever tasted as good as that breakfast.
Took Pop to the village shop where I was âchatted upâ by a cute young lass and talked into buying a kilo of fresh Strawberries for ÂŁ1.20 from a farm stall.
Lunch was better than breakfastâŚ
Now onto business meetings then Pork for dinner then Iâm being taken clubbing.
May need Red BullâŚ
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Fresh cherries from the garden for breakfast. You lucky thing. I absolutely love cherries.
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When I lived in Greece we had a cherry tree (if you could really call it a tree) in the back garden of our staff accommodation. It pumped out an amazing 4 cherries, which I scoffed one day when I was playing in the garden with our cat. A few days later my housemate tells me quite excitedly that sheâs baking us 4 big cupcakes that we can each have a cherry on, to which I had to tell her that 3 people in the house were going to be disappointed and one of them wasnât me. Amazingly she still let me have the cupcake so winner/winner 
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Krakow Rynek. Never fail to lve this place.
Tonight just in the small square behind the Cathedral drinking Marcowe (a stronger but not sweet lager) and eating ribs that fall off the bone.
Listening to a local choir singing Country RoadsâŚ
Absolute heaven.
Coming after a successul business meeting 
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A quick flip over from my annoying hangover for the on spot report on The Eucharist
After morning Mass a procession passes through this (every) village in Poland. Kids scatter rose petals the clergy have their icons a Priest is chanting and a small brass band play.
They move past 3 altars where they stop and pray.
It was way out of my non Catholic non lingo speaking comfort zone and tried to be diplomatic with the photos avoiding the kids in National Dress.
It was âspiritualâ But most amazing was that the ENTIRE village turned out several thousand of them repeated across the whole Nation. Community spirit on display and totally heart warming.
And so obvious what a gap there is in other places âŚ
Canât do pics from here but will try
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The local farmer has sprayed some of his fields with manure. Wind is blowing in our direction and you can hear the neighbours kicking offâŚruining the evening for everyone apparently
Being a Forest lad it doesnât bother me. Manure is manure and if you want food, even the veggies and vegans, wellâŚ
Anyway, has made my day
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Careful @cobham-saint close all the windows that could be a retalitory nerve agent attack on the Chelski Training CampâŚAbramovichâs Putin connection make anything connected with him a prime MI6 target.
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Hadnât thought of that aaaaarrrrrrrrggggggghâŚ,
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Decent weather, in the garden with a 12 year El Dorado, a bucket of ice and the birds singing.
Iâm rather enjoying it(not a whiff off manure Cob).
I may post drunken bollocks later
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