At the Villa Diletta - Day 149

It was a quiet Friday. Hassan showed us the ducks and chickens which live in the shed across the street and he received a baseball hat as a token of our appreciation. He may have to grow into it.





The weather during the whole day and night has been perfect.

Ramla Kitten Hospital - Day 147

The title is a little misleading for there's only one patient and we're in exactly the same building we've lived since mid-November.

It just feels appropriate as we watch a small cat on the road to recovery. I guess as it is so young, it may be able to overcome its present difficulties. The young cat which we found a few days ago near death on the side of the road seems now to be slowly recovering. It seems very determined and now extremely doted on. (We've decided not to name him as it will already be hard enough to say goodbye in a few weeks.) The Taiwanese girls, who are the tourists staying upstairs for just a few nights, are big supporters as well.

Thank God for the Nile - Day 144

There'd not much in the way of green around here without it.

Another Temporary Cat - Day 142

We've had several friendly dogs frequently visit us this winter. They are from the neighbourhood but come to our place expecting bread sticks and chicken scraps. Up until recently we've had no contact with local felines as most seem fairly feral.

Now, we have only three weeks remaining of our five months stay at the Villa Diletta on Luxor's West Bank. It's ironic that we have now befriended a kitten that was born in the neighbour's chicken and duck shed. We fed it a bit before we went down to the coast this week.


Over the last few days, however, it's become pretty confident. It likes the chicken scraps and Jay boils eggs for it. It likes being petted and picked up now.




We don't want it to become too dependent on us. Yet, we want to ensure that it can cope by being friendly with the many tourists and locals in the area. It'll have a better chance getting food and affection in the future if it trusts people.

It's Growing - Day 141

Perhaps there are some unwritten rules about a connection between retirement and gardening.

As proof, we have found one of the best things about the place we're staying this winter to be the little garden in front. Watching plants grow has been a pleasure. The larger tree in the center is a source of interest as it attracts birds, salamanders, and even frogs. Jay like to water all the vines and we like feeding the birds uncooked rice and bread sticks.

When Mohammed and Roberta came back from a trip to a desert oasis, they had a sizable bit of vegetation to transplant.

After planting, the new cactus stands in the garden about waist high. It's only been in the ground a few weeks. We noticed it took root almost immediately.

After our few days away down at the coast, we came back to see numerous new shoots.

Standing Tall - Day 121

It was a quite a quiet Friday as they often tend to be. We walked a lot yesterday, so we simply meandered to the village in the evening. The little aloe vera plants seem to have been doing a great deal more work than we lately. I look forward to seeing the flowers open up soon.

We did have gusty winds the other evening and it blew around the bougainvillea. I'm not sure the type of tree in the garden but it loses its leaves at this time of year, so it can grow hearty replacements before the heat of summer. Having the garden has made our stay here quite pleasant.

Recuperation - Day 108

There used to be a time when we ran from place to place as tourists and never slowed.

Now, even after a leisurely few days away, I need to claim a bit of recovery time. Well, after-all, there was a lot of laundry to wash. The machine did most all of the actual work but I can claim the effort. Jay did a lot by getting food ready and even walking to the fruit and vegetable shop to buy more.

I caught up on my blog, and before I realized it, it had become evening.

Outside Space - Day 94

I love my little patches of outdoors.




It was a very low-key day today. We didn't do much except hang around. The garden here is a great little area. Jay feeds the birds and so there is always cheerful chriping. Today the good weather continued although it may have only reached 24C in the afternoon.

I did check on the Egyptian National Railways website to see about taking a short trip to the city of Qena. It's only about 80 kilometer north of here. We saw a bit of it from the bus windows when going to Hurghada in December. The trains take about 65 minutes to go between the cities. We can jump on the 9:30 AM and return on the 5:10 PM trains. Perhaps we could take in the Dendera Temple and have a nice lunch in town as well. This type of planning comprised the hardest part of my afternoon. So the outside offered a welcomed place to spend the day.

On a day back at home, I'd be confined to a smaller area. I do love our apartment balcony and spend a lot of time on it when in British Columbia. At this time of year; though, it would likely look like this old photo.


Taken on January 6, 2011 at 2:39 PM

Some Sun - Day 89

February's weather is off to a good start here in Luxor. January had some days much cooler than I had anticipated. This Google screen graphic, however, shows that we are in for a pretty good upcoming week. Nights will still require an extra blanket though.


We didn't go far today.

Jay seems to really like maintaining the garden. He enjoys watering the plants both inside the garden and outside. Of course he did grow up with jungle as his backyard. This could be why he likes taking care of plants.

He has also trained most of the birds from the West Bank to fly here for bird-food. A few sets of doves are most always here. He also has dozens of finches stopping by at regular intervals.

Personal Quote #105

"One of the only things which can make a warm, sunny afternoon even better is a 45-minute nap in the middle of it."

Dennis Sylvester Hurd (1959- )

Today was just 19C (66F), but the sun felt strong in a cloudless sky.

Rain Drops! - Day 84

I was in the garden wearing headphones while streaming music. I was aligned to be exposed to the afternoon sun whenever a hole in the clouds passed overhead. My eyes were closed as I was reclining and for this reason, I didn't notice.


Jay walked to the doorway and said it was raining. In a distance, one could see a shower at cloud level which may have evaporated before hitting the ground. I did sit up to see at least three, maybe four, wet marks from raindrops on the garden walkway. Before I could answer, they had dried though.

At nearly the halfway point during our winter stay in Luxor, I can brag that we have seen rain here.

The "R" Word - Day 82

I am posting this via my phone's wifi hotspot option. We've not had normal wifi connections today. Some guess that this is because of today's date. They propose it is an attempt to quell unrest by preventing communications on the fifth anniversary of Egypt's Revolution Day. That may be the case, but I can speak from experience that service in our neighbourhood on this side of the Nile is not terribly robust at the best of times.


Earlier I did message this picture of the garden to former guests who will soon be heading back to a cooler Germany soon. They left last night to Cairo on a train. It is nice to be able to meet a few of the other guests who stay in the upstairs accommodation at our place.

Personal Quote #104

"Three recent obituaries of famous personalities: David Bowie, Glenn Fry, and Alan Rickman. None made it to see their 70th birthday. Should you really wait until you're 67 before you retire?"

Dennis Sylvester Hurd (1959- )

I did it early. I've not worked a single day in the last 15 months. I'll be 57 years old this summer. This picture is our winter rental in Luxor, Egypt.

The Laundry Room - Day 74

I've hit a new height in laziness. I washed my jeans today but never got out of my pajamas.

That doesn't mean I didn't get outside. To get to the washing machine, I have to cross the garden to this special domed-roof room. I didn't venture more than 10 meters from the gate though.

I will own it. It's not embarrassing. It felt great and I deserve it.

Two Months Already? - Day 70

The sequential day mentioned in my titles represents the number of days since we left home. I originally used this idea for long vacations, but here, they now indicate the progress of our winter. It has been 70 days since we left Vancouver. It took us a while to get to Luxor with 9 nights spent on a stopover in Dubai and time revisiting Cairo. For this reason, the times in the title don't quite seem to match up.



The week of our arrival and the garden tree this week.
Today, really marks the two-month point of moving into Villa Diletta. Time flies. Luckily for us, we're not even half way into our stay. We will leave here in mid-April. Then, on the way home, we will also spend a week in Tunis. Ceasing the appended listing of days in the title will indicate the end of Winter 2015-16 on our first morning back in New Westminster, BC.

Stayed Mostly in the Garden - Day 60

It was cool but absolutely clear this morning. It was also entirely stress free for me. Here's what the weather is like right now.

Our Oft-Trod Road - Day 56

We are pretty lucky to have chosen a great place to stay for the winter sight-unseen. The Villa Diletta is about a 10-minute walk from the public ferry on Luxor Egypt's West Bank.

First, one goes along beside the corniche and then along a dirt road that runs next to the Nile River. After, one small turn on the last road into the Ramla area, gets one to our home for the winter.

We walk the road nearly every day at least once. A few outdoor, garden coffee/shisha establishments dot the river side of the road. Between them, on the empty land, people grow vegetables or let animals graze. On the opposite side of the street, some houses, apartment buildings, and small shops line the road.




(I do so love my Nikon S9900 after managing for a few years by primarily using my phone for photos. These two images were taken from exactly the same spot near the south end of the corniche.)

The Day After - Day 54

Coming home feels joyous; being home not so much.

I hope this doesn't end up as a description of your Christmas or New Year. I was simply trying to describe being back in Luxor today. Yesterday, it felt great turning the gate's lock to enter Villa Diletta. Returning to our familiar home for the winter was comforting. Today, though, will mostly be composed of all the trivial things which must be done after a few days away. Uploading 80 pictures to Flickr isn't going to be as fun as taking them.

Washing clothes is another example that comes to mind. It's not hard but it's definitely not as much fun as a holiday adventure.

A Christmas Rose - Day 49

My title isn't discussing the common name for hellebornes. We have several real, rose plants in the garden now. I thought it was especially nice that a red blossom has decided to open so close to Christmas day.


We won't be in Luxor on Christmas day as we're heading down to the Red Sea tomorrow morning. We'll have to get up pretty darned early to catch the 7:00 AM bus to the town of Hurghada. We are staying at the Minamark for three nights. I'm ready for a bit of beach in a tourist town. We will return to Luxor and our laptop on the 27th.

I am wishing a very Merry Christmas to all my readers now.

The Local Neighbourhood - Day 48

There photos were taken on this morning's little walk. It's always nice just to see the local area. The sun warms things up nicely in the mornings. We are living in Ramla on the West Bank of Luxor, Egypt for the winter. We can live well here.

This is proving to be a nice choice for our second winter after early retirement. I never want to stop learning new things and experiencing life's immense variety. That's why we have developed a 10-Year Plan. By the time I have reached the usual age of retirement, I will have lived in more places than most people ever do.