Rennie and Misa went for a late afternoon walk on Thursday, unfortunately getting caught in the drizzle without an umbrella. With good timing though, a train passed at the right time to make the photograph that we\’d arranged I would take more interesting.
Steve
Saturday 23rd October 2021
On leaving Taru Villa, we took the opportunity to visit an Elephant Park called Udawalawe Safari Park since in relative terms it was close by.
It was the middle of the day when we reached it, so the majority of animals were resting away from the scorching sun, but as time went on we saw 14 elephants, 7 crocodiles, lots of monkeys, buffalo, so many peacocks and peahens and thousands of different birds! Steve was in his element with his cameras and our jeep driver/trucker was very patient and enjoyed the park with us. There were minimal number of other jeeps, tourists still being away and just a few locals and expats occasionally coming across each other.
You can sit in a jeep for so many hours and let yourself left be bounced up and down (Emilka called it “Alton tower on a budget”) and admire the vast park with its animals and birds. We left the park just after 5pm to hit the road, knowing we are starving and in need of food and with the prospect of having 3.5 hours at least back to Colombo. We stopped at the motorway service station and the only non-spicy option was pizza from Pizza Hut, so the kids had the pleasure of finishing their holiday with their favourite food.
We reached home after 9pm, unpacked together, and I commenced the marathon of washing (five washing machines – don’t ask me why as we were living in swimwear!) which took me two days.
We have lots of lovely pictures that Steve processed and which are a memento of a lovely family holiday where we relaxed, ate and read lots of books (well at least myself and Emilka each 2 books, and Steve with good inroads to his book on the English Civil Wars that I think has travelled the world several times over!), and Misa spending lots of time on his mobile phone watching Youtube.
I feel relaxed ready for the next stretch of monotonous days with online schooling and home working.
Rennie
In recent years a network of highways has been under construction across Sri Lanka. Although with a relatively slow speed limit of 100 KPH (62MPH) that is enforced by average speed measurement between toll booths (and printed on your receipt) as well as the occasional traffic cop with a radar gun, the impact on journey time and smoothness is profound.
Quite a contrast too to the old main roads as you can see in these two images take during our drive from Tangalle to Udawalawe.
Steve
With lockdown now lifted and M&E on half term, I decided to take a week\’s leave and we all headed down to the South coast for a holiday – and this time a true holiday for Rennie as unlike the bulk of our time in the UK we weren\’t self-catering.
I am part of a circle of close friends to whom we are all brothers, so on nearing our destination of Ahangama for the first part of the holiday it seemed appropriate to photograph a tuk tuk marked as shown. What I didn\’t realise was that a few minutes later I\’d see the second one!
Steve
Emilka napsala:
Nelze popsat, jak jsem byla prekvapena, kdyz jsem k mým 15. narozeninám od vas dostala tak nádhernou a krásnou sadu šperků. Probudila jsem se rano a mezi ostatnima dareckama jsem uviděla malou, dokonale zabalenou krabicku. Bylo mi vsak řečeno, abych ji neotvírala, dokud mi ji táta “oficialne” nepredá později v ten spravny cas, nez to otvirat ve spěchu. Když nastal čas ji otevřít, opatrně jsem ji rozbalila, aniž jsem věděla, co je uvnitř. Moje celist mi spadla, když jsem uvidela to trpytive srdicko.
Retizek jsem si vecer vzala na narozeninovou večeři, když jsme šli do Dolce Italia, ale mela jsem starch, ze ji ztratim a neustále jsem si sahala na krk, jestli ji mam. Naštěstí se to v jednom kuse vratilo domů.
Ještě jednou moc děkuji babičko a dědo, vase Emilka xx
Streda 13. Rijen 2021
Steve napsal: Misova včerejší narozeninová večeře byla domaci pečená hovezi, květák v sýrove omacce s pečenými bramburky, zeleninou a UHO omáčkou. Velmi chutné a kromě dvou malých plátků hovězího masa nezůstalo nic.
Emi si přála italské jídlo, takže jsme dnes kolem 17:15 vyrazili do Dolce Italia a nejautentičtějšího italského prostředí, které v Colombu najdete. Dostali jsme se zrovna do zacpy, s ukoncenim lockdownu se dopravní špička vrací do chaotického stavu, který jsme neměli od března loňského roku. Žádné taxíky nebyly k dispozici, takže jsme se vsichni 4 nasoukali do jednoho tuk-tuku a dýchali ten příšerný vzduch celou cestu do restaurace. Cestovat tímto způsobem bylo ve skutečnosti rychlejší než taxíkem, náš řidič se zkušeně proplétal mezi autama, místo aby jel krokem, ale nevyplatilo se mu to, kdyz 100 metru od cile prejel plnou bílou čáru a tim zablokloval protijedoucí provoz, kteri museli nastvane najizdet na obrubník, aby nás objeli.
Večeře byla vyborna, děti si obenali jako vzdycky pizzu, Steve kure a ja rybu. Deti si každé otevřely narozeninová přánícka od Aanglicke babičky a dědečka, ktere zrovna ten den dosli postou a dal mi je vratny, kdyz jsem kolem nej prochazel.
13th October, 2021
Misa’s birthday dinner yesterday was roast replete with Australian Topside, cauliflower cheese, roast tatties, vegetables and a thick gravy. Very tasty, and with nothing left apart from two small slices of the beef.
Emi wished for an Italian meal as you have read in her post, so at about 5:15pm we set off to Dolce Italia and the most authentic Italian environment you are going to find in Colombo. We also set off straight in to grid lock. With the lockdown now finished the rush hour traffic is straight back to the polluting chaotic bedlam that we haven’t had since March last year. No taxis were available so we squeezed in to a tuk tuk and breathed the horrible air for the journey to the restaurant.
It was actually quicker to travel this way than by taxi, our driver expertly threading the needle to make walking pace progress instead of being stationary – although he nearly came unstuck just a hundred metres from our destination when his exit strategy from being the wrong side of a solid white line was closed off and we ended up parked whilst oncoming traffic bumped up the kerb to get round us.
Dinner was lovely and included the children each opening their birthday cards from grandma and Grandad, with perfect timing these being given to me by the concierge on alighting from the elevator to leave for the meal!
Now for Emi to enjoy her birthday celebration with friends coming round on Friday after school and weather permitting, horse riding on Saturday; according to my photographs, lockdown means the last time was eight months ago and the birthday of Emi’s favourite horse Valentina – 14th February.
Steve
13th October, 2021
Words cannot describe how grateful I am to receive such a wonderful and beautiful jewellery set for my 15th birthday.
I woke up and saw a small perfectly wrapped box but was instructed not to open it until my dad would give it to me later that day when the time was right rather than rushed before school from home.
When the time came to open it I carefully unwrapped it not knowing what was inside. My mouth fell to the floor when I realised what was inside and I enjoyed saying thank you to Grandpa when he called.
I even wore it out to my birthday dinner when we went to Dolce Italia as you will see in the next blog post but was paranoid that I would loose it, so I kept on touching my chest. Fortunately it got home in one piece.
Thank you very much again Granny and Grandpa,
Love Emi xx
Nedele 3. a Nedele 10. Rijen 2021
Steve napsal: Misa se rozhodl oslavit své narozeniny dvě neděle po sobě, aby mohl přijít kazdou nedeli jeden kamos, se kteryma to chtel oslavit. Dvě odpoledne počítačových her, jedno zaclo dovazkou pizzy, druhé začalo obědem Maccy D a zahrnovalo nějaký čas v bazénu na střeše, a každé z nich skončilo dortem a svíčkami při západu slunce na balkoně. Prvni byl Honzovy buchty dort a druhy Nutellovy jak si Misa pral. Mel jsem vsak strach, aby ty kouzelne svíčkyna tom Nutelovem dorte, které se znovu rozsvítí po sfouknuti, nespustili požární poplach budovy; po několika pokusech je sfouknout byllo v obyvaku plno koure!
Všechno nejlepší k narozeninám, Miso! Bylo prijmene mít možnost pořádat oslavy s lidma, meli jsme strach, ze bude mit narozeniny v lockdownu.
Ramzi vypadá docela pohodlně držíci můj gin s tonikem.
Nedele 10. Rijen 2021
Steve napsal:
Misa je zvykly být nejvyšší, když má rodinu a přátele kolem sebe, ale dnes byl uprostřed smečky! Náš přítel Pavel je nejen vyšší než on, ale jeho čtrnáctiletý přítel Ramzi je oba převyšuje!
Postavil jsem je do rady jako schodecky a vyfotil at mame dukazy.
