What It's All About

21 and 22 and 23 December - People kept on yelling at me in the morning which is never a pleasant way to go about the day - didn't seem to get much better and although I've committed to task myself with tasks over the upcoming period I did get the definite sensation that things were certainly winding down with a good percentage of the people around me gearing up for apparently well deserved breaks.  A cancelled race slowed down the evening somewhat although a fair amount of riding was done - some inappropriate evening entertainment mulled some tension that was building up and a morning of mucking around and an afternoon of cleaning served to be rather therapeutic.  However, there's only so long a gentleman can spend in that particular endeavour and with the sense of holiday period building an evening at pub followed by gargantuan meal in the apparent style of the homeland.  There aren't too many Slovak and/or Czech restaurants in this town but there is certainly one - mumbling the few Czech words I knew I haphazardly ordered both entree and the largest sounding main they had and was rather shocked at the sheer volume that beheld me even from the first dish of crumbed and deep fried foodstuffs - I don't quite recall ingesting this meal in any of my visits to the centre of Eastern Europe but I am sure that it is eaten there.  Couldn't even bring myself to finish the starchy carbohydrates and was floored by the main - pork steak, pork schnitzel, a kransky sausage, more fatty roasted pork, potato dumplings, bread dumplings and sauerkraut in both green and red varieties - I did drink a few beers prior to consumption but hadn't eaten since substandard pancakes in the morning - I was bested by the meal ... soundly.  I managed to force myself through the lion's share of the meat (although there was plenty to feed a pack of hyenas should they have cared to be wandering through the Cross) and at least sample a portion of the extras but there was plenty left afterwards and i was wimpering as the meal was forcibly removed me - unable to take the defeat.  Cleared my head with a ride but still couldn't get the taste of ash (and pork) from my mouth.  Relatively bleary in the morning but once again the ride cleared me right up as I prepared myself for a morning of snorkelling at Clovelly - pretty murky water which wasn't helped by the sight of paper disintegrating right before my eyes (one can only guess what that might have been) but there were fish, I got wet, I didn't swallow too much water and it served to create the best cigarette I can remember smoking in an age ... this is what the habit is all about!  When people ask you why you smoke and you can only shrug back because for the life of you you can't imagine why you think you enjoy that vapourising tobacco you've just inhaled.  Occasionally, just occasionally (unless you're one of those lucky one-a-day-ers who mock you with their control who enjoy each and every coffin nail) you get one like this.  And it's awesome (but yes, not exactly worth it).