On waking in the middle of the night last night,I noticed that BC, the cat, came in chattering loudly. I realize now he was probably cursing, because when I looked down this morning, feeling a very warm lump at the end of the bed, this was a very wet cat. There was a huge storm in the night, I could hear the rain pouring down and now it’s almost 9 o’clock in the morning and it’s cloudy with a little bit of wind. I can see by the weather app that rain will happen most of the day, but this week it’s going to get warmer up into the 20s.
BC is a sad cat this morning. On closer examination he must have been in a fight last night and he got beaten. I know it’s probably the white cat with the big grey spots that’s been trying to get the food. I had left the door open just a little bit for BC to go in and out .
I tried to dry him with the hairdryer on a low setting and that was definitely not an option. Then I took a small towel; he didn’t like that. He was covered in sand as well as being soaking wet. His left foot has a sore the size of a quarter on it. And he’s got swelling on the inside of that same left foot. He has more scratches around his head than before. I know the other cat is bigger & stronger looking and wants the food provided here. It is sad when you think of all the animals wandering around here fighting for the scraps they get .
BC ran off out the front door when I tried to use the towel, looked at the food I put down and then ignored it.
I made my morning tea. Meanwhile I noticed BC came back in, hopped up on the bed and curled up in the room by himself. If he were human, I’d say he’s feeling sorry for himself!
It’s raining again steadily. This is the first real rain that we’ve had since I’ve been here.
The following pictures are of the private zoo animals. The keepers were picking up the droppings, so I got a closer look at the inhabitants.
It’s been raining all day now and it’s around two in the afternoon. I put the fire on when I got back home. Hopefully it’ll keep burning to keep the chill out of the air and the dampness. LuÃs, the owner of the property doesn’t like the fact that I actually use wood and burn it.
When I mentioned conversationally, that it rained all night, he said, oh not so much. But it has rained all day.
I felt so badly for all those hikers on the trails as I headed out of town, with their raincoats over their backpacks. It reminded me of when I walked in 2013, from France through Spain. It rained every day to the point that you were so soaked at night and we all tried to get our boots dried , anywhere near a fire or a heater. And I look at these poor hikers now, and I think no, I don’t want to go back to that. It was miserable then, even though I was having adventures, it was not comfortable. As I said to someone today, I like to be comfortable when I travel now. All the hardships are something in the past- been there, done that.
LuÃs was commenting on the Germans who stayed here, for four nights and that they didn’t use the wood that much. (In other words, he was criticizing me!) He says those people from North America come here and they get cold. He knows fisherman who could sleep outside in this weather in the rain. I’m sorry I’m not a fisherman and I don’t intend to be.
I ate a midday meal out today, at Azul E Mar, a restaurant that feels homey and the owner and the waitress greet me as a familiar customer. I had their plate of the day which was pork something or other w/ fries, rice and a salad. I thought the fries and rice were a little over the top but I took half home with me anyway! I have notice that the regulars (mostly men) come in and with their coffee have a drink of some kind of clear liquor in a small glass. I asked about it and was offered a taste. it’s a locally produced liquor. Whoa!! Was it strong!!!! That would cure what ails you. I remember, while teaching in the Czech Republic, having some similar called, Slivovitz, and it definitely had the same effect.
I still don’t know where my two friends are, whether they got on a plane out of Toronto or whether they are still sidelined. I will assume they are flying because they are out of contact.
Postscript Monday at 8:30pm…I just got a call from my recently stranded friends.They are now in Dublin eager to go out and get a good Irish meal, that is not airport food. They will catch a flight tomorrow at 4ish in the afternoon to Lisbon and the following morning head down to my town by bus. Those of you reading this blog who worked at ACCI, (Campbell Collegiate) will have a laugh when you find out who is arriving. Some of you old timers (like me) will know the stories. Don’t worry, I will reveal their identities soon!
