Ships that pass in the night?

I find that I'm more easily brought to tears as I get older! What a wuss, eh, Dear Reader? It happens while I watch "pretend" things on the telly, or when I remember particular (mainly family) things. I know that it's stupid, it's just that I cannot control my emotions as well as I used to be able to.

Friends in trouble, of whatever sort, can bring this flood of emotions to the surface too. And then; who do we count as a "friend"? I've always been a bit of a sucker, as far as making friends goes. A few have turned out to never have been any such thing, and cost me cash as well as heartache. But mainly, I manage to rub along with most of the people whom I would refer to as "friends".

This subject has come to light, and to the forefront of my thoughts, just today, after meeting with a friend for a cup of tea at the Winter Palace. This particular friend, we've known for a few years. She's a regular visitor here, we've had no commercial dealings with her, but we have a common love of "Things Egyptian", I don't know how else to put it. We aren't actually bosom buddies, more like the "Ships that pass in the night" of the title, but our relationship is important to me, and I/we do care about her and her situation.

As you can imagine, we've made many such friends through being here in Luxor, and even one or two by them reading the rubbish which I occasionally write on here! So different too. Each and every one seems to have made a little home in my heart, don't ask me why; that would be something else to add to the ever growing list of things which I just don't know!

Two ladies whom we've met here, and grown very attached to, will not be back as they are both desperately ill, in fact, I don't even know if we'll ever see them or hear from them again. That makes me so sad, that if I allowed myself to dwell on it, I would soon find tears trickling down my cheeks again! Another (a real Egypt lover, and I'm not talking Egyptian man there!) is not able to return because she just isn't fit enough to cope with it all. She'd be here tomorrow, I'm sure, if she was able. Her sadness at not being able to travel also makes me so sad. Will we see her again? I very much doubt it. Although we do still email I imagine that she finds even that a bit upsetting.

Other, regular, travelling friends who seemed to belong here (as visitors, I mean) no longer come, and I've no idea why, I'm saddened that they don't reply to my emails and text messages. Ships that pass in the night, again. I know that some have moved on to pastures new, as I see them posting here and there on the Internet, but I'm sad that their ship won't come back this way, and that they seem to be able to easily forget about those whose lives they've touched along the way. I cannot do that!

Twice in the last two days we've supped tea or coffee at the Winter Palace, both times with English friends which we have made here in Egypt. Here's a little video of someone else having "Tea at the Winter Palace", but they didn't have to pay!

Cheeky little Blighter!

Yes, Dear Reader, we've made a lot of these friends in Luxor, many different nationalities, single, married, living in sin even!!!! But they've all made their mark on this overly emotional old man who sometimes records his experiences or feelings here.

We walked back from the WP, out of the back door and along Manchiya, past the station and down our street. On the way, I couldn't help but notice the following anomaly. Only in Egypt, once again, I fear:

Now, I don't find that sad! But I'm not sure of exactly why you would want to build your house around a lamp post/telegraph pole.

I'm off now Dear Reader, as it's turned 1 o'clock. But don't you be content to just pass in the night, like ships on a dark sea, cherish your friends for as long as you have them. They won't always be there!