1 June 2026.
Good morning on the first day of June.
It is 4:45 am and I am at work in the study with a cup of strong coffee in front of me.
It is going to be a busy day. My day job.
I worked solid and knocked off around 4:00 pm yesterday.
The weather wasn't as hot as it has been but I still fired up the barbecue, regardless.
Three fillet steaks soaked in Cointreau, four quarter pounders, two smoked trout fillets (in foil with butter and lemon), and a carton of mushrooms... pointless doing a barbecue if you're not going to stick any meat on the thing.
At one point, we were often getting invited to them - barbecue's, especially when we had the house in Avgorou. Now if we are asked, which is very rare, we just turn them down.
One thing that I always noticed, was the shite that people put on them. I'd be fucking embarrassed inviting someone round just to give them a sausage and/or a burger.
We had a couple of mates, Big Phil and his wife - Hayley, a.k.a The Hogster.
Had, meaning exactly that.
The former died quite a few years ago, whilst the latter was recently bedridden following a major back operation.
Obviously, bearing in mind their nicknames, they aren't small people.
However, this is the thing.
Whilst out in a restaurant they'd eat the table top and devour everything in sight.
Then they'd invite you round for a barbecue or a meal and fucking boom!
A food fest it definitely was not.
The last time was when Julie went round for a girlie night. Wine and a meal of sorts. The menu? A pulled-pork sandwich with stuffing.
And the other guests?
They were huge - including her daughter, each one weighing in at around a ton.
"Ooo, I can't eat anymore," is what you always get - and that was exactly the case.
Personally, I like to air my thoughts, but just end up getting an elbow in the ribs from Julie - as was the case post-one of their barbecues.
"Don't say anything, we'll have something when we get home."
"But they're fucking massive," I'd say.
Again. Pointless doing a barbecue if you aren't going to put any meat on it. It is much the same as inviting someone round for some Ethiopian Hors d'oeuvres and a jug of tap water.
Weird.
Christ - I'm in a shit mood this morning.
On a lighter note, those two no-name beers I bought from Home Bargains were Tuborg Fıçı (or Fici) - a 5% ABV Turkish lager, and Lucky Buddha - a 4.8% ABV Asian-style lager brewed in the Qiandao Lake region of China. The internet, eh?
Any good?
Not bad.
The Chinese one was the better drink.
