Weekend away and a starry, starry night

Like all good Czech people do, we left the city on Friday night and ran away to Šumava.  Where the mountains and forests are.  And a river called 'Vydra'. [Otter]

It turned super-hot for Saturday, and the morning in particular was breathtakingly hot.  Even sitting in my favourite spot on the balcony in the shade, I was so hot that I had to come inside after a while because I was wilting.  It was a lovely place to have breakfast though and I was so glad I'd bought a pain au chocolat from Paul's bakery the day before, as it made for a luxurious breakfast.  All that was missing were the Saturday papers, but as my Czech still isn't up to much and you won't get any foreign papers here except German ones, which might have caused offence anyway, I skipped all the contemporary stuff and opted for trying to catch up on my San Francisco-related research, reading Armistead Maupin's 'Tales from the City' novel instead.

Try as we might, the cowboy and I can't entirely reconcile each other's differing preferences.  He likes to get up and watch TV straightaway in the mornings and has a big breakfast all in one go, whereas I prefer a slower approach.  Tea first, maybe with a yoghurt and some cereal and then later a bit of reading with some coffee and a pain au chocolat or croissant.  I need two phases of waking up ideally, but yesterday I settled for one and mixed things up a bit with a cup of tea and a pain au chocolat in one go.  It was my fault - I'd forgotten to bring some coffee because I thought I'd left some there anyway.

Oh the silly pre-occupations of the holiday-flat owning elite...It's amazing we even made it this far, considering I was convinced when we first looked around this flat, that by the time he'd bought it, he'd be with someone else.  It turns out we aren't the only (temporary) occupants though.  I just spotted a couple of swallows who seem to have made the gap under the drain piping on the roof their home. I think they were eyeing me with great curiosity earlier, as if to say, "What's she doing hanging around our house?"  At least they didn't decide I was too close and take to dive-bombing me.

Last night we came out on the balcony just to look at the stars, which were amazing.  There were so many.  I don't normally get to see clear sky like that but we're out in the country here so this is the kind of reward you get.  I couldn't make out even one pattern or cluster of stars among the whole wealth of constellations we could see.  There must be some kind of 'landmark' (or sky mark) star that helps you locate the other ones, but I'm not an astronomer, so I don't know which one it is.  

We had come back from a stroll around the 'town', tiny though it is, after eating a huge meal at the local pizzeria.  I had had the seafood pizza this time, and was rather amused and delighted by the tiny little octopus legs in it.  I must be truly evil though because the cowboy took one look at these half-baby octopi and said, "chudák" (i.e. "poor thing") and I hadn't really thought like that. (My reaction had been, "yum!") I'm clearly a seafood fiend. The pizza was delicious.  And the walk around town afterwards was truly romantic.  How gorgeous the church looks in the twilight... 

Caterpillar blues

I'm having one of those, "I can't get anything useful done today because I feel so bloody miserable" kinds of days and I'm amazed I even submitted some information for a job this morning.  I actually submitted a bid for advertised work involving something I don't want to do at all but could probably do with my eyes closed just because I'm getting that desperate for money.  (Don't worry - we're not talking prostitution or anything, though I imagine someone could do that with their eyes closed...)  I ought to be portrayed in some kind of sci-fi horror film where you slowly watch the character degenerate into something that's not quite human anymore.  Like, "The Fly" but without the transporter machine.  Or the fly.  But maybe a peppy Geena Davis character, at least, as the narrator in my head.

Except this experience is entirely human.  That's what's so sad and pathetic about it.  I am trying to bargain with myself that if I just do my aerobics this evening and call it a day and spend the evening doing nice things that I really enjoy then I can get back to feeling better, have a guilt-free conscience and start afresh tomorrow.  I also got to the point of feeling so low and so isolated today that I had to bring forward my little less-important plan of making a 'Love Folder' and printing out nice encouraging emails from people and putting them in there.

I got the idea from Marie Forleo's team when I wrote them an email with lots of love and gratitude in it myself last week and was told that I had reached the honour of being added to her 'love folder'.  I guess all of us could do with one.  Especially when you're giving out lots of love but somehow not getting the same in return.  Like saying lots of loving, supportive things to someone in a text and then getting a reply of, "thank you very much" and that's it.  And all you feel is just pure disappointment at the emptiness of the lack of reciprocation.  I guess a lot of people are in relationships like this.  I just never thought I'd be someone who would tolerate it.  Anyone out there want to help fill up my 'love folder' by way of commiseration? 

I need to stop feeling so low and remind myself of the fun things I got to do lately.  Namely, lounging in the shade on a hot day on a lovely balcony with a view of the hills of Šumava with a mini, Cleopatra-style bowl of grapes and apple slices:

and pedalling around the island known as 'shooting island' [Střelecký Ostrov] on one of those pedalo boats

followed by a congratulatory new Infinity magnum afterwards which was almost equally as good an experience.  (No photo of the magnum, as I was too busy eating it!)

And I got the cutest ever picture of the cowboy later as he sat with a contemplative look while waiting for food at a brewery/restaurant combined place (his idea of heaven) in Prague 2.  But I can't show you that either, because that wouldn't be fair on him.  You'll just have to take my word for it that he looked super-sweet!

So I'd better get myself up and into my aerobics gear and see if I can revitalise this tired little semi-caterpillar like entity and persuade it to do something energetic now.  I wish I were back in California.  I miss the palm trees.  And the beaches are a good incentive to get into shape.   I feel so landlocked in this country!