aw hell, Pats...you know that I don't haveta say nothin'...we's on the same wavelength...

and I gotta another little sumpin' for ye

and btw, my son was born in Glasgow at the Rottenrow maternity hospital...and that makes me even more of an honorary glaswegian...

as we strolled thru the park in Sandyhills one New Years day with his pushchair folks came up and tucked 50p into his little mitts and he was thereby well and truly anointed...

Tuts, when i was born in Belfast people would cross my hand with silver. Coins. Same thing.

That Spanish song is lovely, i was reading the Spanish and English and understood more the Spanish, Thanks for that.

Shows that ten years of Spanish lessons didn't go into the clouds.

I can't see you in the Annie Lennox vid, can you give me a minute point whenever moment i can see you?

Tuts, when i was born in Belfast people would cross my hand with silver. Coins. Same thing.

That Spanish song is lovely, i was reading the Spanish and English and understood more the Spanish, Thanks for that.

Shows that ten years of Spanish lessons didn't go into the clouds.

I can't see you in the Annie Lennox vid, can you give me a minute point whenever moment i can see you?

Oh, the wonders of technology and silly people are just wonderful!!!

I have Swiss francs lying on my bed!! All one and a half of them!!!

Back to cheese.

I ate another of those microwavable Fondues. This time i added a smidgeon of kirsh. That made it all the more yummy. So, put a bit of wine, kirsh and garlic powder. Stir up - 60 seconds. Basta!!

And that coming from the person that lives in the land of cheese and money!!

I'm in BKK now seein' the dentist before I haveta go back to work in saudi...the 7-11 next to the hotel has only got processed cheese that I'm not too fond of ('not too fondue'? )...I could walk up to the Foodland on soi 5, I suppose but I much prefer staying in my room and drinkin' vodka and bein' silly on TV...

when I get back I'm startin' a new job up the coast in Yanbu and haveta go thru the hassle of finding a store that has some nice sharp cheddar on offer...thankfully, there's always the halloumi that you can get anywhere...but I usually eat it with some ryvita and now I'll haveta look around to see if I can find that too...

Yanbu? Shops? Cheese?

It has probably changed since the mid-nineties when I was there, but not by enough to expect to find decent cheese.

All I did for food was to go to the Paki-Palace for a midday curry and depend on the occasional street stall for a flat bread sandwich for breakfast and evening meal.

I was on an olefin extension at the time - sub-contracted to the evil Fluor-Daniel - who failed to pay for any of the extra works we were ordered to do.

Yanbu? Shops? Cheese?

It has probably changed since the mid-nineties when I was there, but not by enough to expect to find decent cheese.

All I did for food was to go to the Paki-Palace for a midday curry and depend on the occasional street stall for a flat bread sandwich for breakfast and evening meal.

I was on an olefin extension at the time - sub-contracted to the evil Fluor-Daniel - who failed to pay for any of the extra works we were ordered to do.

yeah humph...I reckon that you were probably there at one time or another...I was near Rabigh for 2 years (dusty little desert town about the same pop. with a refinery) and there wasn't nothin' there either, not even a supermarket, just little arab grocery stores...I useta take my main meal at work in the canteen, they had a good buffet supplied by the contractor...

but they got fresh veges available, shwarma places and the usual roast chicken places in the evenings (whole rotisseried chicken takeaway with salad, hummous and arabic bread fer 15 riyals, make 'burritos' to take to work fer lunch) and I should get by...

I'll be doin' commissioning for a MSF desal plant, takin' a break from the power side for the moment...

and, ye know...I remember 30 years ago in Oakland, CA gettin' a pork rib takeway with large sweating black women stuffin' the ribs order in a paper bag with potato salad, some wonderbread and a container of sauce and then sayin': 'that'll be $8.95, sweetheart...'...

if folks all over the world really knew how similar they are then we wouldn't have all the troubles that we have now...and I BELIEVE that there can be a better world TODAY!

and the congregation then responds shouting 'yessir!' 'amen!' and 'tell it like it is!'

(then someone mumbles: 'someone take tutsi's vodka away please, this is embarrassing...')

yeah humph...I reckon that you were probably there at one time or another...I was near Rabigh for 2 years (dusty little desert town about the same pop. with a refinery) and there wasn't nothin' there either, not even a supermarket, just little arab grocery stores...I useta take my main meal at work in the canteen, they had a good buffet supplied by the contractor...

but they got fresh veges available, shwarma places and the usual roast chicken places in the evenings (whole rotisseried chicken takeaway with salad, hummous and arabic bread fer 15 riyals, make 'burritos' to take to work fer lunch) and I should get by...

I'll be doin' commissioning for a MSF desal plant, takin' a break from the power side for the moment...

Rabigh had some nice fish restaurants shacks with very fresh and meaty fish. I agree that most of the other shops were typical Saudi village style, but things were improving when I left around 2008. I was working on the expansion of the refinery to a petro-chem plant - where we had our own power plant. Within view, to the south of our site, was the Rabigh power plant, also being expanded from around 2005 (when I arrived). So lots of power, but no cheese!

Being Aramco senior (site) management, we had fancy lunch in the refinery canteen, which was enough for the whole day. However, living in the Aramco cantonment a few miles north of the refinery, we had rest-your-aunts and crappy shops within the compound, so week-old veg and Australian lamb were available for home cooking. Aramco was luxury there - the East-West pipeline (Petroline) meant sleeping in containers in the middle of the desert. But that was only on my monthly tours down the line - I was based in Khobar for that tour. Al Hamdullillah!

hey humph...I gots over to Yanbu and it's a nice, clean little town! I was pleasantly surprised...I'll be livin' in town close to the Holiday Inn and it's a 45 min drive to the site down at the end of the 3 refineries to the south...they even gots a HyperPanda supermarket! I went there and bought a 45 riyal samsung mobile for my work simcard...later, someone came back to the office with some nice lookin' falafels that he just bought from the same area...things are lookin' good for my last few months before I hang it up fer good in retirement close by end of the year...3 hr drive to the airport in Jeddah onna 6 lane highway...

but, later if I put meself on the market as a desalination engineer with new prospects and big money who knows?

'I was a turbine engineer and de lawd he showed me de path ob de righteous desal engineer wid de big money 'cause dey ain't got many desal engineers an' dey can name their salary ...and youse gots to BELIEVE me right now!...'

aw, hell...but I'se gots folks dyin' at home in Thailand and I haven't seen the kids in 4 years an' deys gettin' big...I'm gettin' to be like Fred C Dobbs wid de pots ob gold gettin' bigger and bigger...later to find ignominious death in the saudi desert from greed (some jihadi wid an AK47 yellin' about stinkin' badges)...the implication of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a timeless dilemma....

but, it ain't all good...the HyperPanda ain't got a good cheese selection...I'll haveta make do with the halloumi and the local feta from the deli counter...10 different kinds of olives but no good sharp cheddar...

Hope you are ok toots.

thanks fer yer concern pats...but I'se been around and can endure...I just got to shake 'the pots ob gold gettin' bigger and bigger' and go home and hang wid de family in Suphanburi where I belong...

the little niece: 'see? have a look...I'm a big girl now...' tutsi smoulders and sez: 'don't you give me that jive, girl...I got the same shit from yer sister an' look where that got her...in fact, if you don't finish matayom then I shall punish you!...'

sigh...de pain ob lebben...

Found some limburger in the back of my fridge.

Been there for six months, wife makes me brush my teethes and hand twice.

I like cheese, occasionally.
I hope the content of this post will suffice. I am feeling rather uninspired.

I like cheese, occasionally.

I hope the content of this post will suffice. I am feeling rather uninspired.

If you dip your head in the fondue Poorsucker will lick it dry.

That should wake you up a bit.

It is so bloody cold here in Swiss land - i am going to eat a fondue this evening!!

I like cheese, occasionally.

I hope the content of this post will suffice. I am feeling rather uninspired.

If you dip your head in the fondue Poorsucker will lick it dry.

That should wake you up a bit.

Oo-er... My oh my. I'm slightly going off cheese now...

There's a great little Swiss restaurant where I live here in Cambo, Patsycat. They do fondue and raclette. And right across the road is a french Wine bistro with a great selection. It's like being in Geneva or Haute-Savoie or something.

Mmmmm dripping Raclette on sourdough toast...mmmmmmmmmmm!

It is so bloody cold here in Swiss land - i am going to eat a fondue this evening!!

A whole pot?

That's at least a two bottle session. Red or white?

Always white. with a widdle glass of kirsch to dip your bread in. before you dip it in the cheese.

Or if you are a non alcohol drinker you can sip tea with your fondue.

If you drink fizzy drinks you may have a sore tummy.

Mmmmm dripping Raclette on sourdough toast...mmmmmmmmmmm!

Raclette is eaten with potatoes.

here in Yanbu on the Red Sea coast of saudi they now have Kerrygold Extra Mature Cheddar at the Star supermarket in the Royal Commission...

they also have a nice imported feta that I've been crumblin' onto my nightly salad of romaine and tomatoes...don't even haveta use any oil, just a squeeze ob lemon...

oh, home on de range...

here in Yanbu on the Red Sea coast of saudi they now have Kerrygold Extra Mature Cheddar at the Star supermarket in the Royal Commission...

they also have a nice imported feta that I've been crumblin' onto my nightly salad of romaine and tomatoes...don't even haveta use any oil, just a squeeze ob lemon...

oh, home on de range...

Star supermarket have edibles? Oh, how things change.

I used to fly down to Jeddah for my comestibles every week - but last time I was in Jeddah that too had changed - I am definitely getting old!

here in Yanbu on the Red Sea coast of saudi they now have Kerrygold Extra Mature Cheddar at the Star supermarket in the Royal Commission...

they also have a nice imported feta that I've been crumblin' onto my nightly salad of romaine and tomatoes...don't even haveta use any oil, just a squeeze ob lemon...

oh, home on de range...

Star supermarket have edibles? Oh, how things change.

I used to fly down to Jeddah for my comestibles every week - but last time I was in Jeddah that too had changed - I am definitely getting old!

yeah...and from Yanbu it's now possible to fly direct to Dubai and Istanbul...but, I'se gwine finish up here soon and the next flight out will be my last...inshallah...back to the Mainland cheese selection at the changwat suphan tescos...

anybody ever see the 'german meat product' brand liver sausage on offer at tescos?...mmm good...

an'...my little grand daughter now likes ham sandwiches! 'tussi, tussi...ham...ham...'

Mmmmm dripping Raclette on sourdough toast...mmmmmmmmmmm!

Raclette is eaten with potatoes.

"All cheese works on toast"

That is my motion of the week.

Sometimes I even melt cheese on toast, call me biased.

I like cheese inbetween my burgers.

I don't like cheese in between my toes, though.