Talisman

Yikes - that's a bit hot for me. Montenegro was 30 degrees when I got there, and it was 25 degrees when I got home but the temperature has now dropped to 15 degrees - a lot cooler. It was back to work on Tuesday for me (Monday was a Bank Holiday here) and straight back into the fray. Our new CEO is pushing ahead with the green initiative that I and one of my cleaners suggested, and as part of this we have just agreed to start a 2 week trial of new toilet roll and hand towel dispensers to cut down on waste - I have to start counting the amount we use as of tomorrow for 2 weeks before the trial starts so that we can gauge the results. I have also just ordered a load of new recycling bins - far too much that can be recycled is ending up in the wrong bins so hopefully this will help. It's all exciting stuff - if I can't sleep tonight I will no doubt be lying awake counting toilet rolls! Coran and I were going to go up to London yesterday for the TUC March (a new deal for working people), having just returned from holiday though I had loads to catch up on home and loads of stuff I was running out of, so it was a trip to Lush instead to stock up on various goodies, among other things. I did though manage to buy a whistle for the next march I am going on in June to mark the anniversary of Brexit. Coran has a piano lesson later on so I might go out for a coffee, otherwise I will just sit out on the doorstep and read. This afternoon we are going to see The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society as we haven't seen it yet, and it won't be around for much longer. I read the book a few years ago and loved it.

Thank you - my thoughts exactly! I know too that Athena suggested this quietly went away, but I am not the one that opened it up again and I feel compelled to answer these points. I just really struggle to understand the reasoning that anything that isn't fiction is not a book, or for that matter that a book that you paid to have published yourself isn't one either - trust me when I say that self publishing is bloody hard work - much harder than when someone pays you for your work! To me personally no matter what the subject, a book is a book is a book. If it's something you can read and has been published in any form - electronic or printed then it's a book - end of! I just don't understand why non fiction seems to be looked at in this manner and whether people intend for it to sound this way nor not, it really is incredibly insulting. It reminds me of the time that I joined a so called creative writing group that was advertised as suitable for both fiction and non fiction writers. When I went along it became clear that it was anything but. At one point one of the other members challenged me quite vociferously as to what I was doing there and had the audacity to suggest that because my writing was factual it was not creative. The following week I came in with a copy of the dictionary and showed her the meaning of the word creative - she didn't do that again!

Perfect - 20 degrees and sunny.

That means then that I am still not published when the pile of books in a box in the corner of my room says otherwise. It sure looks like my name on the cover ….. Seriously though, some of my favourite authors like Mark Edwards self publish their books and it is becoming increasingly common with Kindle which makes it so easy - I mean why wouldn't you when you can earn so much more? Mark has a huge following and his books sell in the thousands, so I find it very difficult to understand how someone can state that someone like him is not published! Personally I don't think it matters 2 hoots how a book was published - the only thing that matters is that it is - just my two penneth.

If it is then the UK is having a prolonged hot flush. It is just as warm here as it was in Montenegro - 25 degrees when I left at 11.30 this morning and almost the same when I landed back home about 3 hours later. It feels warmer here though as the Med has a dryer type of heat which is far more pleasant and easier to walk around in.

I got back from Montenegro earlier today - and it was fabulous. I had one run in with a bus driver who put me on the wrong bus and then threatened to throw me off when I complained in the middle of nowhere, but that got sorted out. Apart from that the Montenegrins are wonderful, very friendly and helpful people. It was obvious though that they are not geared for mass tourism and are struggling in places to cope with the influx. I hope they manage to sort things out, as it is such a beautiful place to visit. I had a lovely studio apartment near the old town of Kotor which I found on booking.com - I love that site! The hosts were fabulous and picked me up from the airport when I arrived, refusing to take any money for it. They weren't able to take me back to the airport as they both have full time jobs but did take me to the taxi rank to make sure I didn't get ripped off. The whole area around Kotor Bay where I stayed is just gorgeous though - it looks like a Norwegian fjord or something similar surrounded by these wonderful mountains with all little villages and churches built into the hillsides. The old town is a bit like Dubrovnik in neighbouring Croatia but much smaller and with city walls that go jp into the mountains with fantastic views - it is a bit of a climb (1300 steps) but worth it. I explored all around the Bay and found it was very easy to do this on local busses - there was one day as well when I did a longer organised bus tour to see some of the interior. The food was very good - mostly seafood and Italian and excellent value and the beer is really good as well! It was hot when I got there - 30 degrees but cooled down a bit towards the middle of the week when we had a lot of rain, but I just ignored it and went out anyway - I was in shorts and sandals every day and when it's that warm it doesn't matter if it does rain as everything dries quickly anyway. If anyone wants to go somewhere a bit different though that isn't as yet all that developed and loves culture and scenery then I would highly recommend Kotor - it ticked all the boxes for me and was brilliant. Back to work tomorrow though!

Thanks Gaia - from the sound of it I will! I admit it can be a pain trying to find food that is safe for me to eat, but it is a lot better than it used to be. Italian is usually safe as you can get risottos and salads, plus I love seafood which is naturally gluten free provided it isn't covered in batter. I have done some research online and found a supermarket a few minutes from where I am staying that does gluten free, but it is the Schar range (which you tend to get everywhere on the continent) whose breads need to be heated in the oven before you can use them, which isn't really ideal. That's why I prefer to take some with me - same with cereal, as all they are likely to have are cornflakes which are a bit bland and sugary. With regard to passports though a lot of older people here don't have them. The reason Coran doesn't have one is mainly because she just never wanted to travel - unlike me who loves it! It is more complicated for trans people, plus if you are not going to use it they are expensive. There are other forms of ID that you can use such as like you say a drivers license or some other type of ID card like a student card for example or even a bus pass, as long as it has your photo on it.

I guess so - I am sure that no one set out to offend and like I said I have to look to see why this presses my buttons so much and take ownership. I am old and wise enough to realise that, but can't help being intrigued as to why anyone would think that anything that isn't a novel doesn't quality as a book! It sure looks like one to me but each to their own ....

Mmm - so what you are saying is that non fiction books do not count? That means according to your criteria that I am not a published author. I am not sure what that box of books with my name on the cover in the corner of the room are then! In fact come to think of it, I am not sure why I bothered spending 5 years writing it either!

I think its about 14 degrees here at the moment and dull and grey. I don't care though as I am going to Montenegro tomorrow where it will be 28 degrees and sunny.

I have accepted your request Andrea - it's always good to have new friends. When you have a wheat free diet as I do everything travel related has to be planned well in advance. Yesterday morning then was spent going to Sainsbury's to get food for Coran for the week ahead (she doesn't have a passport so never travels overseas with me) and gluten free bread plus a sandwich to eat on the plane. Gluten free food at airports is not the best so it's always a good idea to bring something with you. EasyJet are better than most but still seem to think that we eat nothing but sugary stodge. The afternoon was spent doing a mountain of laundry and this morning packing my bag - I have just about managed to squeeze it all in. It's amazing what you can squeeze into a small suitcase actually. The temperature will be about 10 degrees when we leave tomorrow morning but when I get there it will be 28 - I will be shivering in my shorts for a while but I would rather that for the time it takes me to walk inside the terminal than be sweating for the rest of the day. Coran had a piano lesson this morning and has come home with a craving for chocolate cake so we are going out to try and find one later on after we have had our lunch.

I'll let you know what its like when I get back. I don't know if you are a friend of mine on Facebook but I always post heaps of pictures of all the places I travel to after I get back so feel free to send me a request if you want so that you can see them. My real name that you can search for is in my signature I believe - please say who you are and the fact that you're from here though, as I don't accept requests from anyone I don't know!

Yes, I must admit I am looking forward to going - I am not looking to getting up early to get to the airport by 4.45am though! I went to Croatia last year as well and loved it too - it's a beautiful country with so much to see and experience. Montenegro is less built up and a very young country so it will be different in that respect, but from the pictures it looks absolutely idyllic and very relaxing, which is what I want this time around. I have booked a studio apartment and am staying just outside the old town of Kotor which is on the coast, an hour or so south of Dubrovnik. Like Dubrovnik Kotor is also a walled city, albeit a lot smaller. A lot of people go there on day trips from Dubrovnik but I didn't have enough time when I went, and it deserves a longer visit anyway. There are lots of small settlements dotted all around the Bay of Kotor and I hope to visit a different one each day and do at least one long walk up into the mountains as well which surround the Bay of maybe around 10 miles or so.

The weather is looking good. The forecast is for 26 degrees and sunny when I get there going down to about 20 degrees with rain on the day I leave, which is about right. I always seem to choose the right weeks. I am looking forward to going though. I looks just gorgeous and isn't expensive. That will soon change though. At the moment Montenegro is still relatively undiscovered but it won't be for much longer as all the travel sites are saying that it is one of THE places to go in the next few years.

Glad to know you are okay Gaia - like you say it could have been a lot worse. The new tumble dryer is brilliant and the oven arrived this morning, so we will try that for the first time tonight. Other than that Coran and I had a good weekend with lots of reading and sunshine. Next week I will have even more as one week today I fly to Kotor in Montenegro for a week. It looks gorgeous and the weather forecast is just perfect for me - sunshine and 22-24 degrees. I have booked a studio apartment with a sofa bed and my hosts have very kindly agreed to pick me up at the airport which is very nice of them I thought. This time next week then I will no doubt be sitting in the sun somewhere scenic.

I love it when things like that happen. We are sitting at home waiting for a new tumble dryer to arrive. Our cooker packed up last night as well so we have to order one of them too, which is coming on Monday.

Hope those affected by the tornado are all okay. We have had beautiful weather today - it was definitely shorts weather and I wore mine with pride at work today. I love my job on days like this as there are so few places that allow you to wear shorts like we all do, and not that many either where you have a lovely garden to spend time in.

It's been a lovely day here, just the sort I like, with temperatures in the mid teens and a nice fresh breeze. Just perfect for sitting out for lunch with my Kindle.

I walk an average of 3-4 miles each day at work, sometimes more than that if one of us is on holiday or we otherwise have extra work on. It saves me a fortune in not having to go to a gym and outdoor exercise is more fun anyway. That's not a lot of loos for a building that size. I am glad I'm not cleaner there as they would never be able to get in there to clean them in the first place - and by the sound of it they would need it! We have 8 toilets in the building I am based in (4 on each of the 2 floors) for maybe 40 staff and 100 or so clients each day, plus visitors - drivers for the clients (it's a centre for disabled adults), contractors and so on and even that's not always enough.

I am lucky in that we have really beautiful gardens where I work and because of the nature of my job and the site which is quite spread out, I get to spend a lot of time walking around to the different departments outdoors. I have to walk across the garden every time someone asks me for something (which is multiple times each day) as our housekeeping storage shed is also located in the garden. It's not so good in the winter of course or when it's raining, but when the warmer weather comes it means I can enjoy it even when I am at work. I expect we will be sitting outside for lunch as well by the middle of the week.

I put my shorts on for the first time this afternoon - Coran went to see a friend so I went out for my own coffee to one of the local garden centres. It really was gorgeous out there and really warm. After I got home I sat out on the doorstep reading for a couple of hours. Tomorrow it's supposed to be chucking down with rain, but temperatures are meant to be as high as 24 or even 25 degrees towards the end the week. I do hope so! When I read that earlier in the week I told all the guys at work I would have to shave my legs which made them all chuckle.

I have read some more great books in recent months and managed to get through even more countries. A lot of these had been on my wish list for a while. The Opposite of Hate by Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar for Laos Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry for French Polynesia The Cypriot by Andreas Koumi for Cyprus (a really good read) The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid for Pakistan (very thought provoking) A Question of Power by Bessie Head for Botswana Weep Not, Child by Ngugi wa Thiong'o for Kenya

I didn't know you had even got that new job Echo - that's brilliant. It's a pain waiting around for news though. Our new CEO who started a month or so ago has been ruffling a few feathers as she is very business like and straight talking - which I personally like. It is definitely what we need, as there are a lot of people where I work who are stuck in their ways and need a hefty kick up the backside. One of the things she wants to address is the lack of recycling (something I actually suggested to her) and to this end I have been charged with sourcing some proper recycling bins for all the offices. I made a few calls today and think I have managed to find what we need so all I have to do now is get it approved and then order them - I have such an exciting life! Its the weekend though - Coran has just gone to get us some fish and chips, so I had better go and wash the plates ....

I am currently on book no. 29.

Yes, good to hear that Penny is getting better. I had a very productive appraisal today and got some good pointers from my own Manager on how to conduct them so am feeling a lot more confident. We have seta few goals for the next few months which are more than achievable. I went to see the dentist on the way home and she was so impressed with how I am looking after my teeth that I don't have to go back until next year. I have also been thinking about where to go for another holiday in October - I find you need to book well ahead to get the best deals, and with such a small team at work as well you have to get your dates booked before anyone else does. I was thinking about 3 different places - Morocco, Crete or Budapest, all very different but have settled on Budapest. Most of the flights to the parts of Morocco and Crete that I was interested in cease at the end of October and because of that the prices are sky high, but I can get a flight to Budapest with BA for £60 as I have loads of Avios saved up, so I have gone ahead and booked a lovely apartment for 5 nights. I will book the flights later on tonight I expect.