Saturday 14 June 2008

Shuffling around Vinh Long.

18/5 - Up for a bit of snap at the temporary corner stall, rice and pork, I hope and some lovely Vietnamese tea. I have great difficulty getting tea. Geardie sounding tja must be different to Vietnamese tja. Back to the hotel and shipped out, treated myself to a posh one. It's only $20 a night and only for 1 night, so it shouldn't break the bank. I'm off to Phu Quoc in the morning. The room has a good view of the Mekong too and a balcony, so I can get my washing dried completely.
Did a bit of interneting and sorted out for tomorrow and then crashed for a power nap, it's sweltering. I headed out to see the sun go down over the Mekong and for a change wandered aimlessly. I'd sunburned my bottom lip, pouting on the motorbike, so I went to get some lip balm from the chemist. It's hard to believe, but I didn't know Vietnamese for lip balm, but I flashed my cracked lip and the lady gave me a little pink tube. It looks the part. A quick coffee and an early night. The lip balm tasted a bit bunny, but was nice and smooth. I checked it out in the hotel. It's the last time I taste anti-wrinkle cream. I found it funny until I thought there may be a hidden message in the sale. The condoms were OK though, (Sue, that loud crash was our Val falling off her stool as she read this, go and pick her up please.) or so the lad who borrowed them told me, not that I wanted them back, you understand.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Hi Gil,

I have an hour or two to myself this afternoon so I thought it an idea to have a 'waffle' with you. Good to hear your still wandering about and meeting lots of people. The cracked lip sounds a bit painful but then, no wonder if you've been 'pouting' while on the back of a motorbike..! And I'm sure you'll be 'pouting' a lot more after wearing lip balm from a pink tube. It becomes clearer why you're lending out condoms...:0)

I was at the Gala theatre in Durham at the weekend to see the new stage production of the Likely Lads. The hugely popular original series was shown on television 44yrs ago (but you might be too young to remember...)Anyway, Bob Ferris and Terry Collier were one of the North East's famous double acts, and the actors who played the lad's were just brilliant with the usual geordie one-liners. I think the last time I went to a theatre was to see Cinderella when I was about 6 or 7 yrs old!
My brother David, finally came yesterday, to install the huge wrought iron garden gate he'd been promising to do for the past twelve months. He's done a good job so I've promised him a bottle of whisky (wink..wink..)

I've received a letter from MDC in London regarding a New Development in the North East. They have brought together an innovative partnership to develop a new treatment, training and business centre in the North East for people affected by muscle disease. It involves the MDC, the Muscle Team at the International Centre for Life and Newcastle College. The Centre will be based in Newcastle upon Tyne and will outreach to the rest of the region. The development will address gaps in service particularly around therapies and support, and create opportunities for training and social enterprise employment and will be built on the success of the Neuromuscular Centre in the North West. Staff from the Muscle Team have put my name forward as someone who might be interested in contributing to the process (just let me at em'...)
They are keen to know what this Centre might include to meet individual needs. What it would look like if it were working well? And if i would like to be invilved in the project's development. This might be informally eg; accessing an electronic Forum, or being part of a Reference Group to develop ideas about parts of the project or to advise on particular decisions. There will also be some more formal opportunities for people to be co-opted onto the Project Board or Project Delivery Groups. It is important to the project that people who want to participate are supported to make this possible. And, I might know of others who would like to be part of this work...

Anyway, 'waffle' over for now as I have to start preparing dinner, nothing special just..a little baked salmon parcel with new jersey potatoes in butter, fine green beans and petite pois (pardon my french..)followed by fresh raspberries in a meringue nest with a dollop of honey and ginger fresh creme yoghurt (pardon my English...)

Carol