Time slips by

 Hey, these words are going to be some of the toughest I am going to write. It is still very raw that I don't have the listening ear of Marmite. Time has slipped by and I have just returned from visiting him in Singapore. While Marms has slipped his mortal coil, he remains in my heart and also in a little box that is full of his ashes. 

Rita, Marmite and me reunited

I have just spent 6 weeks travelling and now that I am back home the memories are already becoming a blur even though the jetlag is still very real. Each day was different and I treasure the chance I had to meet up with so many wonderful friends once more. Time is so important though, and the older I get; the faster it slips through my fingers. I often think - so much to do and so little time.

I had to remember the time of flights, connections and meeting up with friends. I managed that, mostly. The problem I had was remembering what day of the week it was. I blogged my holdiay and got to Day 19ish before the numbers ceased to mean anything. I started naming my days by the way I felt; "Day whatever", Day another sunny one", Day I'm dreaming of toilet paper" and so on. This I realised was a seismic shift in my thinking and sense of order. This was holiday mode.

Sengigi Beach after tennis and pickle ball

To me, a sense of order is having a cupboard of toilet paper at hand in my culture but the little house I stayed in on Lombok had a squat. I cleaned my nether regions with an ample squirt of water. There was NO toilet paper at all. After a couple of days, I thought I must be doing this all wrong as my knickers and legs got soaked every time. Apparently that is what happens.... everything gets wet so you take all clothes off below your waist! Who would have thought? Please don't get me started on my inability to aim straight. That is a whole other blog's worth.

Now I'm back in my little home in my little village. This is a world away from my recent experiences. It is a Monday morning and in a funny way I have the sense that I should be productive as it is a Monday. Already, I have got bread proving, chickpeas soaking and the coffee in front of me. I have calls to make once 9am passes. I am off for a swim. The garden needs more taming and I am out this evening. My weekend was sort of busy but it was the weekend and I didn't have that sense of productivity. 

Even in retirement, I am ticking along to the pace of English life. So with my "to do" list lengthening, I will sign off and get stuck in to all those little jobs that will make my life that bit better. 

XXX