A dismal, but dutiful update...

I hate lazy bloggers for their neglect and abandoned blogsites, but I feel I've almost become one myself. It's not that I'm short of inspiration, but (I excuse myself) I am missing some subject photos (of beach weddings at Baan Bophut and others) Above all, I've been lacking sufficient enthusiasm after a day's work, absence abroad on business or after traveling back, to marshall my diminishing creativity to sit down and write something. But here goes. Duty calls, with no particular subject in mind.

You want the good news first, yes? Olwen comes out of hospital today. She's been in UK for a short visit to coincide with Lucy's European trip, but left early from Dubai because I was going to be traveling so much during October. Anyway, she fell down the stairs in her brother's house fracturing her right wrist and calcaneus - the heel bone; the biggest in the foot, and normally requiring terrific force of impact to do it damage.

She had surgery to set her wrist yesterday and is to be discharged today with nothing more than a bandage to her foot, and instructions to bath it frequently in iced water to bring the swelling down. Olwen has been told that it's a stable fracture, but has yet to learn what future treatment is in store once the swelling reduces. Doesn't sound good to me.

Lack of mobility is going to be Olwen's biggest difficulty for the next few months and will complicate her November travel plans to Scotland, and my brother Simon's gite in France with Lucy and my siblings, as well as her scheduled return to Dubai in a month's time. And our flights booked to Samui in December. Bugger, bugger.

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I'm still trying to understand how the World's economy has gone into meltdown so quickly. This of more than of casual interest to me. There remain the shares I was unable to pillage to build the hotel, locked-in to my private pension plan . Not much then, but I bet, a darn sight less now - I daren't look.

The US sub-prime crisis I can understand, but how have the stockmarkets in the Middle East been affected? And Japan - that's had no exposure at all to the scams the Americans have been up to?

And why, somebody PLEASE tell me, have banks been allowed to buy a bundle of toxic debt from another bank and show them in their own books, as an asset for crying out loud! I curse all 'special investment vehicles' and fat cat bankers. Defenestration (a great word! - look it up) is too good for the worst of them.

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It's Lucy's birthday today, and from what she tells me it's been lunch with Jonny at Ocean's 11 in Ban Rak and a quiet evening organizing themselves for their flight tomorrow night to Dubai, on their way to UK. Actually, they arrive in Abu Dhabi, about an hour away, on the fast improving and well priced Etihad Airways. So, something for me to look forward to and about 36 hours to get my act together before their arrival on Saturday PM. Getting excited.

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