The World is Round

There are days like today when you look out the window and the clouds are trailing off into the distance in a formation that makes you aware of the fact that the world is round. And then a lone plane sails across the sky, at a pace that is by all means jetspeed but because of the distance away it looks kind of sedate and leisurely. And despite the fact that it is getting more bitter outside the sun is shining and the sky is blue and it lulls you into thinking about far away places and how nice it would be...

At the pinacle of great stress earlier my holiday friend told me to think about swimming off the white sandy beach in Ko Hai under a tree that hung over the ocean, looking at the fishes on the coral reef. And it worked - I had a great meeting with the coordinators that wasn't stressful at all.

Was largely thinking about that beach though - palm trees hanging tall over the back of the beach, not a soul for ages, getting very hot in the morning sun and then strolling back to the hotel for egg fried rice with pineapple. And then back for another long laze later in the afternoon. We had been talking about how the hot weather and all the lying around in the sand and sea makes you horny. And we caught sight of a man on an epic swim - mid afternoon sun beating down on him. When he saw us he came out of the water all six foot stocky canadian asking if either of us ladies had a spare spot of suntan cream because his bald spot was getting burned. Of course we did, and after a few pleasantries about where we had been and where we were going he set off back swimming along the coast to the other hotel with a parting, you're lovely. We tittered (it was about as energetic as it was possible to be in the heat) and I continued reading the Dirty Havana Trilogy and HS lay down in the sand.

Incidentally I have to this day not been able to finish reading the Dirty Havana Trilogy because it became too seedy to finish - there's only so much you can take of sex in filthy sheets with homeless girls from the streets of Cuba with rotting milk on the counter. And the front section of the book dropped out when the heat melted the glue that held it together. There are few books that I don't finish the only other one recently being American Psycho - it was a commuter read and I had to stop because I was embarrassed in case anyone was reading the filth over my shoulder on the tube in the morning. A bit too extreme in the rush hour.

And the sunsets have been amazing - all pink criss corssing clouds sharp like live-edge perspex, ending when the sunglow is barely visible on he horizon and the sky gradually darkens towards it.