I have not fixed the dishwasher after all and have had to call for reinforcements. I have stemmed the flow somewhat and can wash dishes if I put a large towel underneath the dishwasher door.

Cate arrived back from India on Saturday at the crack of dawn and is not going away again for weeks. She has to go to Istanbul in December and we have decided that I will go with her and we will spend a few days mooching about - and also go to Gallipoli.

We walked through Stadtpark on Saturday night and there was a cat stalking the ducks. I assume it was feral cat as cat owners are not likely to let their cats roam the streets.

Now I understand where all the baby ducks went this year. One day there were hordes then just a few bobbing about with their mothers.

There must be local agency that attends to feral animals. Merisi?

On Sunday night a woman came to the door and said that she lived in an apartment downstairs and needed to borrow €15 because she was in danger from three bad men. She said her mother would come by and return the money in half an hour.

I thought it was such a good story that made absolutely no sense at all that it would have been churlish of me to refuse – so I gave her the money.

Cate wondered why I did this but I pointed out that €15 to save a lady from three bad men was not such a bad investment – I mean it’s only €5 per man. But what sort of bad men problem can be solved with the amount of money? They are probably from Eastern Europe and just don’t know yet how expensive Vienna is.

Cate asked me a lot of questions about the woman and why she needed the money (Cate didn’t believe the bad men story) and why €15. This is a good point – what can you do in Vienna on a Sunday night with €15? Nothing is open and if it was you wouldn’t get much for that amount of money.

The most exciting thing about the transaction was that Sissi escaped and hurtled down six flights of steps in a (failed) bid for freedom and was taken back upstairs in the elevator (to avoid any bad men on the stairs)

I just don’t understand many of the weird things that happen to me and just have to let them wash over me.

And another thing. The gunman at Fort Hood in the USA was shot (finally) by a police officer from the local police force. This was on a army base. Aren’t they supposed to have guns there? If they don’t have guns at Fort Hood it would be the only place like that in Texas. If this dude had tried this in the local shopping centre he would have been filled full of lead in seconds.

Now – if that woman’s mother would pop by with the €15 I can go shopping.