This is my update for yesterday (Monday) - tried to post yesterday but for some strange reason I could not get online - welcome to Egypt - so I went to bed at 9:00 instead - and then at 12:46 a.m. Vodaphone (my cell phone 'provider) sent me two messages - now one message I would have slept through - but the 2nd one woke me up - need to find out how I can get it so the messages come through during the day - not very likely - and even less likely when I remember where I am - this is Egypt.

Woke up and and did my dishes and cleaned up my kitchen - looked like a cyclone had hit it. Then I did weight training for my upper body. Then I showered and had breakfast and out the door to take Suzanne to Carrefour to get some more chickens at a good price - alas and alack they no longer had any - ARGH - guess I should have just bought extra - but I had no idea how much room she would have - must keep enough money on my cell phone so I can make 'emergency' calls like this in the future. She managed to find some good bargains anyhow - she stocked up on oil - but 13 litres of it - and 5 kg of rice and 10 or more cans of tuna. I am amazed at how much oil she goes through - but then when I eat there a lot of the stuff is fried - and they are all quite thin - in fact all but Suzanne are string beans - SIGH. Then we headed across the street to Fathalla and she bought some ground beef and also some 'shwarma' - meat that is cut into strips to be used to make sandwiches called shwarma. It was an education to shop with her at Fathalla - they have a large 'bulk' section - so I was asking what all kinds of things are - need to go with someone whose English is a bit better - but I learned a lot of things - and of course garnered a lot of double takes and out and out staring - here is this covered woman - speaking English and this Egyptian answering her.

Got home around 1:30 - figured I would have enough time to make lunch before Sharon showed up - as she had arranged to have the ladies from Club over after Club for a preview shopping experience. When we got here the bowab's son - Mahmoud (not my nephew) - told us that Sharon had been and gone - wondered why she had left as she does have a key to the place. Oh well - figured I would phone her when I got in and tell her I was now home. Got to the door and my door was not 'locked' - hmmm - got in and there was Sharon sitting all bundled up watching TV. Turns out her elevator was not working - so the ladies were unable to shop until the dropped - and while she was sitting in my lobby she realized she had to use the toilet and it dawned on her that she had a key - so she came back upstairs - guess no one was around when she took the elevator back up to my place. Glad she was here.

Left her watching TV and I 'chatted' with Aymn - heard all about the business - he did not even ask me how I was or what I was doing - heard over and over again that he would like to 'borrow' 10,000 LD from a bank so he could stock up on copper as it is at a very low price in Libya now and it is slowly rising here in Egypt - needless to say this bank is insolvent and even if it were not - no way would I lend him anything again.

Got off the computer after listening to enough moaning and groaning and moved to the kitchen to try out a new recipe for Fettucine Carbonara - called for peas - hence my purchase of the peas last time I was at the souk - and I had some broccoli - so I cut it up and put it in as well. Turned out really well. Called for ham steak - so I purchased some smoked turkey breast and cut it up and put it in. Sharon had two good sized helpings - I do enjoy it when people eat what I cook - nothing worse than cooking something and having someone 'pick' at it. I sent her home with a meal and I have two meals of it here. I then got out the two pieces of butter tart square that I had been saving for her - as well as a few other Christmas goodies. After we had finished eating I did up the dishes - need to keep doing that - because if I leave it for later it never gets done until it is a disaster. I then had the 'honour' of giving her a shot - she had meant to ask me to do it when I was over Sunday night - but forgot - and then she was going to bring the stuff over with her - but she did not get back into her flat. But I had the 'stuff' here - so I was glad to help her out.

After she left - I watched a bit of TV - tried to get online - could not - played a few games of Spider Solitaire - left the computer defragging and headed to bed. TTFN