Twixt Here'nThere

2011-02-24T10:47:00.003Z

Almost a year since last posting to this blog!! Yes, I'm still here - now a 'pensioner'!
Still maintaining the Humber Yawl Club website/blog at http://humberyawl.wordpress.com (the domain at http://www.humberyawlclub.com is down at present). the Navasola blog on wordpress is as out of date as this one. My newish Quaker blog/website continues at http://notoats.wordpress.com

I do find Wordpress more useful but ought to dip into the 'easier' blogger from time to time.
Catch up later!

2010-03-03T18:45:00.005Z

As I've just had an email from Kevin about him and Bing in the Philippines on Blogger, I thought I might as well record that here. Have also just updated the pictures of HYC Winteringham weekend (July 2009!) in the HYC website - delay partly caused by FTP client playing up - and now dumping pictures in Picasa Web.

2010-02-19T18:44:00.003Z

So, for the first time since I first mentioned it, Blogger now seems to recognise that I'm logged in.
Now in Barton since Tuesday after a brief visit to Manchester, Skelmersdale and Martin Mere. Expect to return to London tomorrow and depending on the weather, might call on Shaun on the way.

2010-01-09T16:35:00.004Z

Well, maybe 'spasmodic' means every six months? Happy New Year, Feliz Ano Novo, Feliz Año Nuevo.
In 2009 the above mentioned Pedro Coelho passed away about 6 months or so ago, being found stiff as a board unexpectedly in his kitchen dwelling house one morning - now interred in the garden.
Max soldiers on as he has been for almost 4 years since his unfortunate health decline then. Tigger is still active if somewhat overweight from constant eating. Today is Theo's birthday.

I am acting as 'Cover Supervisor' (supervising classes for sick or otherwise absent teachers) at Guru Nanak VA Sikh Secondary School where Georgina continues as Head of English.

2009-07-13T15:35:00.002+01:00

Still looking as if Blogger doesn't think I'm logged in on this blog when I am and doesn't register Quick Edit setting. I wonder why?

2009-07-13T15:07:00.002+01:00

Filling a form at the bank today, it occurred to me that today was my father's birthday. He would have been 93 today but died in 2001 aged 84. For Dad, '13' was his lucky number. Mum survived him by a year and died in 2002 a little short of her 87th birthday (in August). Mum's twin sister, Sheila, who was very close, had died in November 2000 aged 85. That year (2001-2) I think we had a dozen funerals in as many months.

At 63, I wonder if I have another 20 years or so left? I notice that Blogger seems at least in part to think I might still be editing in Hindi.

2009-05-09T12:51:00.002+01:00

Just checking that I'm still here!
Strange, but the little 'edit' pencil has disappeared and Blogger doesn't seem to recognise on the page that I'm logged in when I am!

2009-04-29T15:04:00.002+01:00

Strange, but there doesn't seem to be a post title box for this post - what happened?
Oh well, not using this for a while I'm getting mixed up between blogger and wordpress!

2008-09-12T15:27:00.002+01:00

I'm just adding this Picasa (Google) slideshow of earlier photos as an experiment/test for future use.
Ooops! I forgot to add the code: here 'tis:

2008-07-24T17:35:00.004+01:00

Interested?

More interested?

2008-07-24T17:17:00.002+01:00

Out of order? - but a few shots from our field trip Sierra de Aracena 14-21 April 2008

Puente del Sillo, 16 April 2008 - the Roman? bridge.

2008-07-24T17:07:00.003+01:00

The passage of time.

The profile picture of me was taken about 10 years ago or more. This one taken on the Suffolk coast near Aldeburgh about 2 years ago.

2008-07-18T22:09:00.002+01:00

Oh well, that's pretty extraordinary - after almost 3 months it seems I can still remember my password! The navasola.wordpress.com site hasn't been updated in a long time either but I have kept up with the HYC site at (Wordpress via) www.humberyawlclub.com

Will upload some pictures from Spain (and Portugal) if I recover from this weekend's sailing trip/BBQ.

But also to experiment, here's a link to the Tao of Mac as I found that fascinating today and have a longing for Lisbon.
(Tenho saudade por Lisboa?)

2008-04-27T22:32:00.005+01:00

Now I'm torn between re-visiting this blog and updating it or revising and updating its sister at navasola.wordpress.com
Our second 'experimental' week at Navasola from 14-21 april went very well with three clients despite the abominable weather in the region of Western Andalucia. We were in fact very lucky with enjoying some fine days and managing to avoid the rain most of the time for fieldwork and picnics.
One client's feedback to date:
It still seems bizarre that we should have been so unlucky with the weather -- It would be dishonest not to admit that it rather spoilt the week though fortunately it didn't ruin it -- we fulfilled objectives reasonably well.
What we did and saw was interesting (to us) and in line with what we had expected. In retrospect, if cars can now be rented in Aracena, you could put a day in Merida as the day off option -- it seems silly to be so close and not visit and the drive there is not arduous and is through great scenery. Otherwise, I hope that you feel you got some benefit from running an economically non viable week for us, that will help in the future. Brian was excellent in the Donana but the weather certainly deprived us of seeing certain species -- indeed I suppose we'd have seen more raptors overall.

2008-03-24T18:40:00.001Z

Stuff White People Like
Oh, I had some indirect links to this below but it continues to be hilariously funny and sort of deep and meaningful at the same time so here's the direct link.

2008-03-24T11:00:00.001Z

NO2ID:why not?
A succint summary of why everyone should refuse to participate in the ID scheme - not a lot to choose between this and the Gestapo's/SS yellow stars for Jews. (Think about it! "Who are you?" "I'm ME!" "No, you're who we say you are on this piece of paper and in the records of the state police!")

2008-03-24T10:54:00.001Z

NO2ID:stop ID cards and the database state
See the 'all recommendations' BROKEN on this home page.

2008-02-29T21:36:00.001Z

Preemptive Karma: Stuff White People Like - the blog

2008-02-29T21:33:00.001Z

Planet Grenada: stuff white people like

2008-02-29T21:30:00.001Z

Planet Grenada

2008-02-29T21:24:00.001Z

third resurrection

2008-01-26T19:17:00.000Z

Not much visited just now as most effort has been put into the Humber Yawl Club website and blog and an experimental Navasola blog at Wordpress.com, with some editing of the HYC official site.

Interesting to see that Blogger now offers Arabic, Persian and Hebrew - when I've not long finished reading Salam Pax - the Baghdad blog - the book (about 5 years too late!). An interesting experience when combined with reading Brian Keenan's 'An Evil Cradling' just afterwards. (Recent illness with a nasty and lingering cough has led to rather more reading than usual so I've also read Paulo Coelho's 'Veronica Decides to Die' and Matt Lowe's 'The Family Friend' and dipped into Horace Dobbs' (North Ferriby at International Dolphin Watch) 'Journey into Dolphin Dreamtime'.)

Curiously, all five books deal with sex or masturbation at some point (at least, I think that's what Brian Keenan is obliquely referring to in contrast with Paulo Coelho's celebration). And what a contrast between Coelho's open spirituality (and sexuality?) and 'Islamic Jihad' or the Taliban. (Hear Coelho speaking at the Dubai International Film festival 2008 on his blog yesterday). (Now, where would that put me in the search results? Yesterday, two clicks took me from feminine lubrication to The Living Rainforest in Berkshire!).

I'll maybe pass by later and add some Amazon or better links to the books above.
Meanwhile, visit the Navasola website for updates there.

2007-12-20T21:16:00.000Z

Mari
São Paulo, Brazil

2007-12-10T16:13:00.000Z

A flying visit to sister Josie's gym club:

Surrey Borders Gym Club home page

2007-12-06T17:00:00.001Z

A quick test visit! The weather for Seville:

Navasola Nature’s Weblog

2007-11-13T12:41:00.000Z

Navasola Nature’s Weblog

2007-10-15T14:54:00.000+01:00

Have now copied blog over to navasola.wordpress.com to try out some of the wordpress features.

Otherwise, Grimsby Lock Tower is now known as 'Pete's Tower' in some quarters and I'll be off to Spain for 3 weeks from Thursday.

2007-08-18T17:43:00.000+01:00

Heston
Just a quick post whilst still in August and still in London.
Here's a picture of Peter and Georgina sailing on Uldra before Pete took her (Uldra) to Grimsby.

And here's one of Roger and Andy working at Winteringham which will also appear on the Humber Yawl Blog and website shortly.

2007-07-20T15:56:00.000+01:00

YouTube - Experiment -Being a Nudist- This is beautiful and hilarious - whither the web - but the comments are rather sad.

2007-07-20T15:34:00.000+01:00

Gemma's World Teaching Journal

2007-07-20T15:29:00.000+01:00

Vagabundeando por el Mundo - travel blog from Spain?

2007-07-20T13:41:00.000+01:00

BLOG DOS QUADRINHOS - UOL Blog
Cartoon News from Brazil

Humber Yawl Club

2007-07-16T13:47:00.000+01:00

Not sure if I've posted this blog here before but just to do that and report and remind myself that the fire-brigade had to extract me from the bathroom window at 7.30am yesterday - so no sailing in the pouring rain for me that day! (Gather this has made a line in today's local paper!)

Humber Yawl Club

2007-07-08T00:11:00.000+01:00

Barton on Humber 8th July 2007
Peter has made a quarter century.
Here's a picture of juvenile 'javali' - young wild boar - taken near the well a few weeks ago:

2007-07-05T16:46:00.000+01:00

One for the Taliban

Body in Mind : Ideas of Female beauty
With serendipitous link.

And a couple more:
This is old whine in new battles. (I couldn't resist this quote)
Body in Mind Blog with story from Al Jazeera

Moimenta da Serra

2007-07-02T22:05:00.000+01:00

Moimenta da Serra

Bubba Gump

2007-07-02T19:31:00.000+01:00

Extraordinary cartoon art from Brazil.

Bubba Gump

Cri_gatinha: Julho 2007

2007-07-02T18:27:00.000+01:00

Just a quick post to add another blog in Portuguese from Brazil - para practicar o meu Português.

*Cri_gatinha*: Julho 2007

2007-06-22T18:11:00.000+01:00

Absenteeism
Have I been 'away' so long? With the fairies perhaps? As I've commented here before, keeping a blog on a daily basis is something of a tedious chore unless you live constantly by a net connected computer - which I don't.
And, there's sometimes so little to say at such frequent intervals. Then again, leaving it for 3 months, as I seem to have done, leaves too much to fill in and it's a chore once more.

Where have I been? A month in Spain for the whole of April when Georgi and I with Teresa Farino ran a week's "Natural History of the Sierra de Aracena" tour/trip/course?/holiday. Fully booked with 7 clients, five of these happy at the end of it but 2 not so happy as, despite the clarity that this was not a one-specialism tour, they weren't really happy unless they were bird-watching. Still, it was quite an experience for us, we've learnt a lot through Teresa and "lessons have been learned" as they say.

If we did it again, I rather fancy we'd go for the much less exhausting level of input of the kind found here for example.

May must mostly have been in London or Humberside, returning to Spain and Portugal on 2nd June with a flight to Faro to be collected by Josie and David. A day in Cabanas and then off to Fuenteheridos. Twelve days there passed quickly including a further 4 day trip back to Cabanas and the drive back on the 'scenic' route via San Telmo.

Then, instead of flying back from Seville on 14th, I waited until the 16th to drive back with Colin in his 'retro' Chrysler which he needed to return to the UK from Cabanas. From 14th until 17th it rained virtually non-stop in Western Andalucia and Extremadura but this stopped once we were north of Salamanca. (We stopped in or just before Salamanca, in Angouleme and finally Calais after being caught for an hour or so in the heavy traffic, much of it from the UK, making its way home from the Le Mans 24 hour race.)

It must be time for tea and I'll add a few more links or pictures to this 'travelogue' a little later.

2007-03-24T14:50:00.000Z

walking lightly
Added only to test revised Blog This! feature.

2007-03-23T14:13:00.000Z

I've now spent far too long this morning blogging (addictively) so it's now afternoon.
But, how do these Americans do it? I really miss the Blogger "Blog this!" button which seems to have disappeared (any ideas anyone) but here's an interesting blog from an American geek Alcoholic (Andrew from Houston).

http://4thavenueblues.blogspot.com/

All socialising and no work?

And here's a thought for the day!!

2007-03-23T13:42:00.000Z

Another opportunity to practise my Portuguese - from Canada:
The Red Room

And a link to the Humber Yawl Club blog

2007-03-22T00:04:00.000Z

Heston
Just a quick entry to prove I'm still here and see whether I can get through the new Google sign in process - offered 'Picassa' photo album but what a wate of time in navigation!

2007-03-10T22:30:00.000Z

Heston
Krrrumbs! A month in Spain and nothing added here. It does sometimes seem a chore when you're away from regular internet access.
Having been forced (forced!) into the 'New Blogger' and to open a Google Account, what will happen next?
Hate things being changed or updated. When I was a lad and the internet was in the back of the cave...
Now they say it'll all go pear shaped soon because of all this video stuff ... who the heck wants video!
Might as well go and watch the rubbish on TV.

Here's a link to HYC - will they get beyond the picture any time soon, ten years since I started nagging them to get on line!

Now I'm getting the (viagra and other) spammers trying to add comments - READ BEFORE YOU PUBLISH!
I hope this 'new' blogger still holds comments for moderation.
More soon.

2007-01-18T14:02:00.001Z

Found this, looking for:
Ivan Illich

2007-01-04T17:11:00.000Z

Aracena
Oh well. Didn´t get the review of 2006 finished and uploaded. Perhaps I´ll get round to it this week whilst I´m in Spain.
Sunny and therefore warm by day but cold at night at present.

2006-12-23T13:40:00.001Z

Heston
Uploaded comments from Syam Prasad Mallampalli and Thiago Nascimento.
May have to edit this in Firefox as Safari doesn't seem to give all the required options.
London fog has largely disappeared and the planes have been landing once again since 5am this morning.
Seasonal news and review of the year shortly!

2006-12-23T13:40:00.000Z

2006-12-15T12:31:00.000Z

o sexo dos anjos:
A nice long list of blogs and links in Portuguese

2006-12-13T23:08:00.000Z

Barton on Humber
It continues to be windy and although mild for December is not very pleasant.
Bought an anchor and sailing boots but missed out on the wind turbines at the auction of Clapson's stock.
Removed sails from Uldra. Still wondering whether the storm jib was wrongly included in the above auction.
Went to Grimsby and saw Bill Culshaw in hospital.
Email from Barry and chat with Mike on phone to learn his father died in October.
Meal out with Mark last night.

2006-11-20T16:13:00.000Z

I'm going to dump (interesting technical term) my Navasola diary for October/November here and hope there'll be no regrettable consequences.
Pleased to hear from my two readers in South America and one in Yorkshire!

The Computer diary. Day 1, Monday 9th October 2006, Navasola, Fuenteheridos, Sierra de Aracena, Huelva, Andalucia, Spain. 10:15 am. Temp 15° C. Fine clear morning. Sun rises over trees 10am.
iBook 99 to 97%. 10.22 95%.

Later that day: 20:30 UK, 21:30 here in Spain. iBook 95--> 94%. Plugged in charger from inverter.

Max. temp today 20° C at 17:00. Was 18° C at mid-day (14:00). Reached 19° C between 11:30 and 12:30. Minimum temp 9° C (08:30). Sunrise c. 08:00. 'Second sunrise' (above trees) about 10:00.

Had 'desayuno' at Bar Diablo. (¿Como es por falta del Diablo viejo?). Bought essential supplies in shop.

Peter rang with problems at HYC. Whilst talking to him, had magnificent view of male Greater Spotted woodpecker flying on to olive tree just inside gate.

A few butterflies still about: small white (F Orange tip?), fritillary (small, meadow?), male brimstones, large white, skipper (dingy or mallow?), Wall.

Reminds me of hurriedly repairing a section of wall down again from last visit. the walls are not built like those in England where I was told that walls like these (with very little 'batter' or inward slope, and no mortar) will fall down - they do!

Quite a bit of evidence of wild boar (possibly badger?). weather fine but quite cloudy/overcast tonight and feels a bit like rain. Just found a long-dead wood mouse in trap behind cooker. iBook doesn't seem to be increasing charge (still 94%) but isn't losing it either. Now save as html. Afraid Text edit isn\'t inserting html codes for special characters, so will probably look wrong on a PC

22:20 (21:20 BST). Feel like bed.

Tue. 10th October 2006, Navasola, 09:30 am, Temp 15° C, Min. 14° C. iBook still shows 94% after overnight charging and seems incapable of calculating remaining time.
Overnight temperature 5° C milder than last night (because of cloud cover/air mass?). Can hear bees on Medronho (Medroño?) through kitchen wall/roof/window? Can also hear beetles in timber. To breakfast - 'o pequeno almoço' as I was in 'Português' but had to switch to 'British' to get the 'ç'. 94%! Portuguese keyboard also different which is tricky (azerty?) and switching language doesn't switch the dictionary - and then all the highlighted 'errors' have to be clicked in to remove 'error'! Amazing though what this TextEdit can do with an extraordinary range of international (and UTF/Unicode) special characters, typing languages and dictionaries for the spell-checker. Now, what was that about breakfast? (10.15 am).

10.40 pm Managed to run generator for an hour (or was it 2 hours?) without the charger plugged in! then charged battery for 1 hour. iBook at 92% charging.
Good day, max temp 21° C from 2pm to 5pm. Min. 14° C. Largely cloudy and overcast, some sun in afternoon. Also slight rain at 5.30 and in evening. 2/3 water drained out of pond (c.250 litres) but not much after that so not leaking in bottom (below bridge). Lots of noise from roof at present - bats, rodents?? (saw gecko in toilet yesterday).

Fewer butterflies today but think 'small white' might be 'Bath white' or similar (strong grey patterning on underside of wings). Saw flock of bluetits and of long-tailed tits around pond. Also bird thought was Goldcrest but perhaps Pallas's Warbler? Used 'desbrozadora' for an hour and got very hot and sweaty so used shower (working extremely well, shared with large beetles). Cleaned house a little.

Went to seminar on 'Agricultura Ecologica' (or Biologica) = 'Organic Farming' in Fuenteheridos Ayuntamiento. Arrived at 7.15 as thought started at 7.30 but had in fact started at 5pm. A little boring in presentation - very politico-polemical about the benefits. Understood tables in slides if not too much of talk but understood something about 'sacred' principles and 'metales pesados' in environment, 'respeta por la vida' etc. Met Luis Moya again and afterwards (9pm) everyone went to Meson la Posa for drink and tapas (jamon, lomo and chocos) presumably on the Ay'to. Luis commented 'ningun juventud!' - at 60 I might have been below the average age! One of speakers (from cataluña) has 80 hectares of encinas, alcornocoques and olivios near Cortegana. Apparent 'organiser' Manolo young man with small finca at Los Marines. Luis claimed 100,000 litres an hour from his 80 metre borehole on huerta of about 5 ha in finca(s) of 35 ha. Gave me his number as I asked to see the huerta. Lives at 11 Charneca and seems not now to spend much time in Seville. 97% and charging but 'time' shown as 0:15 (minutes?) now 13 - minutes to charge?? 98%. (Showed 4h54m before shutdown at 100%. Lopgging on next day, shows 4h7m (rising) and 98%)

Wed. 11th October 2006, Navasola, 10.40pm. Quite a dull day (sunshine mid-morning with clear sky). Max 19.5° C at about 14.00 but dropped to 16-17° C in late afternoon rain. Greater Spotted Woodpecker saw me before I saw him and made a lot of fuss high in tree. (Squawking and flicking wings held down alongside body). Saw 3 people walking across finca - one probably over wall between house and studio, the other probably one person walking one way then back across bottom (N'n boundary). first with basket so probably after mushrooms. Fire plan from ASAJA was a shock - want 19.5 metres cleared to ground by machine all way round comprising 2.6 ha or 65% of area! (boundaries and calculation as usual for anything 'measured' in Spain wrong - probably about 1.8 to 2 ha or 50% of area). Manuel's sister Maria made me an appointment to see him next Monday at 7pm so will ask him about this as we can't afford it every year. (It's the other sister who speaks good Portuguese because her 'padrinos' are Portuguese (god-parents).

Min temp last night possibly 12° C (minimum gets pulled 'down' = up! by mercury). can smell burning woodsmoke unless it's rain in chimney. saw Derek and Linda+ Fred briefly in Bar Dama. 11pm (put watch on today) and time for bed. a holiday tomorrow so can't get anything done in Aracena and can't get extra poles needed for fencing. Will call Pablo tomorrow.

Thur. 12th October 2006, Navasola, 11.22 pm. Min. temp last night <7° C. 9.30 7.5° C. Max 19+° C late afternoon. Beautiful sunny day with clear blue sky all day. Just now I'm in bed with the laptop. Spent a couple of hours strimming top SW corner about 17m x 3m (to 20m along north wall) and then 20m x 2m away from wall (half way across SW end). Takes about 1 minute per 2 square metres so 2.5 ha would be say 13000 minutes or 220 hours. Presumably the machine would be quicker but there are very many places where rock would make it impossible. Will ask Nicholas Winer about it as well as Fidel and Manuel. also speak to Sasha about it. Clearing 19 metres all round in this way would completely destroy its character as well as most of its valuable wildlife habitat. Saw Tufted Marbled skipper (male), Small Copper, Brimstones, a blue (brown female), Wall, Painted lady, 'Bath white' again, Blackcaps and Willow Warbler in tree and young jay right by house. Greater Spotted Woodpecker again making a fuss from dead top of chestnut some distance away. Long-tailed tits (and blackbird) again in pond. Similar flock of long-tailed tits yesterday about same time (6pm) with blue-tits and possibly a Pallas's warbler. Too tired to write any more.

Fri. 13th October 2006, Navasola, 10.50 pm. Min. temp 10° C. Max. today 20° C at 4pm. Clear sky, sunny day (24.5° C in Aracena/car) except cloudy between 7 and 8pm.
Discovered car had no oil in it at 12 - needed 3+ litres to show on stick. Saw Tufted Marbled skipper again, brimstones, large colourful brown butterfly (could have been painted lady again but looked larger). Went into Aracena - getting oil!, gas and petrol. saw Inigo and made appointment for next Tuesday at 10. saw Sylvia and Juan and collected tax form (for 63 eurocents - Juan says nothing else to pay). Will check with Barranca. rang Nick Winer (spoke to Nicola) and should have rung this evening but forgot. Must ring him and Jago tomorrow morning.

Went to Castaño at about 6, saw Richard and Dina and met Mike Fox. Saw Sasha and 'happy birthday' to Gala today. Sasha told me Opel garage is in Rio Tinto and much cheaper than in Aracena. (there is an Opel dealer in Pol. Cantagallo in Aracena so get price for battery tomorrow.) Moved 'hincos' to front of house with car - get a few more tomorrow. Need to set alarm! Have had gas fire on.

Colin and Ros 'texted' and rang from Béjar - coming here tomorrow and think it will be about 2. Want to stay night so will have to tidy up. Saw mouse whilst they were on phone. Bat making a terrific racket in roof. Kept me awake a lot on Wednesday night. Georgi rang and seems in better spirit than last night. Emails from Jennifer re 4 weeks next year and Margaret Hancock as poem about Gnomes at White Cottage. Also strange email from Peter. Now 11.30pm.

Sun. 15th October 2006, Navasola.
Colin and Ros arrived about 5pm on Saturday. Min. overnight temp had been 8°C. Max 21°C. A beautiful sunny day. Temp upto 24°C in Aracena. Went to bank at 1pm and signed off transfer. Asked Ignacio re deposit account. Had scheme for investment over 27 months with 8% return? But for instant access best was 2.5%. Will email if something new comes up. Bought chair and table but forgot vegetable rack! Spoke to Nicholas Winer who said ignore the fire-plan - normal to put 2 m/c widths or about 8 metres round - see Sunday. Spent 3 hours vacuuming and cleaning bedroom and elsewhere. (I hadn't slept in 'casita' since March and didn't relaise it was so dirty. Also found mouse had again excavated two holes in foam to make nest.

Had walk round finca wioth Colin and Ros, then, in evening, went to Almonaster la Real to see 'Jornadas Islamicas'. Went to Mesquita just as getting dark. There was some kind of concert follow-on with prayers, calling the faithful and explanation of the importance of a daily family meal. Bought 'shwerma' with chicken (we think). Bumped into Sasha with Julia and Gala and gave gala a 'singing frog' - small wooden model bought on stall. Gala's birthday on 13th. Saw house Georgi and I had been looking at in Almonaster. Then came back via Alajar and went for meal to Campsite, returning about 11pm.

Sunday. Min. temp 11°C. Dull and overcast. But Max. 20.5°C (3pm). Tried to rain and Colin worried about getting out. Had Colin's meusli porridge for breakfast. Went for walk around finca including over rock behind studio. They seemed to have slept OK and been quite comfortable and warm. Both had showers. Took a few chestnuts and left about 1.45 through campsite. (Colin very worried about his car). Became sunny in late afternoon (about 6pm?).

Walked right round finca again. From map believe boundary is about 1100 metres and only 350 metres of this would it be possible to 'plough'. Rest is too rocky or difficult access, slope etc. to reach. About 4pm on south boundary wall, suddenly saw two enormous owls fly out in opposite directions from Chestnut. So large that I feel they must have been a pair of Eagle Owls. (At least 2 feet long with quite long tails. Plumage appeared grey and white spotted or streaked from underneath. Slight suggestion of horns on head but only saw for a couple of seconds and were flying in opposite directions. Went back later to see if had returned to same tree but no sign of them. saw bat in roof after supper (of cauliflower cheese and vegetable casserole again!). Georgi had been to Richmond Park and seen something about compost from Bracken in leaflet. Season for Red deer rutting. Max not very well. Asked her if she could get recipe for Quince jelly. (To use the 5 large quince/membrillo/marmelas I have picked). She suggested last night that 'izzy' Sue might come on the April course. 11.35pm.

Wed, 18th October 2006, Navasola. (92%., 12.05).
Monday: Min. 11.5°C (I think originally misread at 8.5°C). Max. 19°C.(1pm). Very windy. fast moving clouds from south/south-east, later south-west. Dull, overcast, typically 15-16°C. Started raining about 11am. Very dark. Rain at times very heavy. went into Aracena in evening. Saw Manuel. Met Derek and then Jago who I'd been trying to contact by phone all day. Will speak to Fidel and knows of possibility of selling chestnut crop to Galaroza co-op and they look after trees. Painted hinges in loo bright green. Meal in Gran Via.
Tuesday. Min. 13°C (9am). Max. 18°C (2pm). Still dark, overcast and raining heavily most of time. Some respite and brightness in afternoon but torrential rain again at 7pm on road from Aracena. More water in pond. Gale force winds. Took Pablo to Aracena in morning and saw Iñigo at 10. Arranged with Gemma to meet Manuel at 11am next Monday. I(ñigo and César to start work. Possible site visit next week, otherwise in November. Expensive quotes for replacing fan in car but 89€ for service and later bought second-hand fan in Galaroza's 'desguace' Melli for 20€. (Otherwise a new non-Opel fan 200€). Tyres from 35€. Battery c.50€. Met Derek and Linda, saw Mick and Jan and met Sasha (Sasha to ring Opel in Rio-Tinto for me). Pablo likes to go in jamon café to practise Spanish rather than English. (A good Norfolk/London lad!). Toilet broken and went to San Blas twice but neither of two replacement ball-cock mechanisms really suitable. No toilet or water (as valve on loo also not shutting off properly), but eventually repaired (welding plastic kept failing) with wire and will serve for now. Spoke to Teresa who was keen I should get some pre-course instructions done. Left message on her phone later to ask if she could send me specimen as I haven't got it on this m/c before she goes to UK early Wed. Now leaks from base of filler pipe!

Wednesday! 8am 14°C. Min. 9-10am 13°C. Enjoying the weather! There's light/moderate rain, heavy rain, very heavy rain, very very heavy rain, torrential rain and something else. Has been raining most of time for 48 hours. Not quite so heavy Tue. night but torrential rain, storm with thunder and lightning from 8-8.45 this morning. Heavy rain most of time since and exceptionally heavy about 11. Some leaks over door and in front of fireplace. Pablo rang at 10 when I'd gone back to bed with tea. Wanted number for Sierra and Walls but can't find it and not sure if it's in car. Still raining now (12.35), sometimes heavy. Have had several rain showers - saving water! and very stimulating - feels warmer at 14°C then having a hot-shower in the house (which feels cold afterwards). Slippers and flip-flops drying on gas fire which have moved into bedroom (with door ajar!). Had ('Colin's') meusli porridge and toast for breakfast. Running out of matches so have candle alight in miniature bucket candle holder. Too wet to do anything and too dark in house to do much. (Have had lights on in day but will need to re-charge, better if it stops raining). More rain so will have another drink and lie down to warm up. Paint hinges again and do paper-work, tidyhing and possibly electrics later. (80% 12.45). - suggests over 5 hours or 4 hours now. (m/c says 3h55m).

More torrential rain and storm putting out lights in Aracena 7-9pm. Electrobrico wants to fit 2 new tyres. Spent 2 hours at Sierra Walls - 5 minutes to check and fit fan, then 2 hours whilst tried to fix electrics (fan not working on temperature). Gave up at 9pm (after trying new relay), and asked me to return about 4 tomorrow. Saw Linda to collect washing and then had snack in Noria under TV for Chelsea v. Barcelona. Temp. at 10.30, 13.5°C. Forgot to ring Sasha again or Jago. Rang Pablo who would pick me up if necessary. 11.25.

Sat. 21st October 2006, Navasola.
Lot of rain last 3 days, especially on Friday when rained much of night and all day, sometimes torrentially. Min. Thur. 12.5°C, Max. 16°C. Fri: Min 13°C, Max 19°C (but generally 14-17). Today, Min. 11°C, Max. 19°C. Some sunshine in Aracena pm. Had 2 tyres fitted am Thur. Couldn't get fan/electrics sorted - maybe Monday? (ditto for tracking). Went to Laura and Pablo's pm Thur for battery and had meal with them. Laura showed me current and past publishing (dtp Quark) work she has been doing. Battery seems to be OK but have Pablo's as standby. Linda rang at 11.45 to say police came to say Derek had fallen and broken his shoulder - taken to Rio Tinto by ambulance and brought home about 3.30am. On Friday, took him and Linda from Bar Dama to Centro de Salud - then sat in Gran Via before taking him home.
Inverter battery low-voltage warning went off late last night as not used Generator much (couple of hours since Sunday) so put on today for 4h 35m (+ half-hour for drilling for door lock on bathroom).

Very poor signal on phone at finca since bad weather. Have been unable to get Georgi today although she did send me a text message but hasn't rung. Went into Aracena late morning - shops all closing at 2. Bought paper and psychology magazine with book. Also bought vegetable rack and book on Spanish cooking and a few more provisions from Dia including a couple of persimmons ('pronto a comer') one of which collapsed but has been eaten! Found CD-R couldn't be written to after recording files on it in internet shop on Thursday. Hope CD-RW which now has files on it can be used between Mac and PC OK. (Had thought CD-R would be multi-session but 'Read only' on Mac - permissions). Raining again just now and forecast to rain tomorrow and Monday. Met Pablo and Laura with Titus and friends in Aracena this afternoon. Have seen (and heard!) the wood mice quite a bit. Bats also noisy and sometimes disturb sleep.

Appleworks on here won't re-open files once they have been saved in Word format, so this is quite a problem. Also deletes all content from some files saved as rtf (tables?) but seems to be fine with html. Have put together pre-course information as requested by Teresa but can't reliably save it as Word. Have saved itinerary as html.

Fri.27th October 2006, Navasola.
Can't believe Georgi has been here 5 days (since Sunday) and has now, today, gone back home on the first day without rain (so far!) in 11 days. What a week! The car breaking down on the motorway out of Seville at 11pm on the Sunday night in the pouring rain after a delayed flight was not a nice experience. How lucky we were to get such a helpful 'grua' driver who got the car back to Aracena and us to Fuenteheridos in rain and fog at nearly 2am.

Now the car needs a new 'junta de culatra' (head gasket) it's a painfully expensive experience. Then being without the car all week and the weather being so dreadful with heavy rain most of the time all this week has completelyu changed any plans for the week: hence no visit to Portugal and the car probably not fixed now until the week after next. It was really helpful of Richard and Dinah for Richard to run us to the airport this morning and of course it was a fine day for Georgi's departure.

At least the well is now full and even higher than it was last April - just above the first step.Running Generator again now as discovered had not charged when run for over 4 hours last week - output plug from charger loose. Should be up to 12 hours since Monday afternoon when discovered problem (as charger cold and fiddling with plug suddenly brightened lights and clearly raised voltage). Met Michael in Fuenteheridos last night and he very kindly offered to get me a gas cylinder which he has done while I was in Seville.

Unfortunately I seem to have lost the maps and papers relating to the firebreak (and annual tax) and may have left them in the bank, bar Gran Via or elsewhere in Aracena last week. Hope I'm able to recover them. Found yesterday that neither the CD-RW or the new CR-R I bought will accept new files. Hope this is due to not seelecting the right options in the Disk Utility CD burner - but what a faff compared with using a floppy - why not default to multi-session?

Georgi should be back at Heathrow or even home by now so hoping she will call. Is talking about us coming out ion February if the new 'Clickair.com' flights are available. Suspect this is Iberia in disguise trying to put one over on their pilots and Ryanair.

Sat. 28th October 2006, Navasola. Max. <20°C late afternoon, also 18.5°C after 8pm but 17.5°C 7pm. 18°C at 10pm.
Generally warm sunny day (24-25°C in Aracena). Lift into Aracena from Craig and Sasha at 1pm. Saw José Miguel at 'Sierra y Walls' but adamant problem is with head gasket. Will give only 6 months guarantee. Unable to get hold of Opel in Rio Tinto but Craig will ring them on Monday morning. Abbeygate say Abbey Road should be prepared to take car to Rio Tinto for me.

Saw Derek and Linda at home. Derek seems somewhat better even if hand a little swollen. Gave Maria the Snowy Owl and chocolates and Marmite to Sasha. Got shopping in Logardi and met Craig and Sasha again in Gran Via, then went to Derek's. Later walked with him to Betis bar and then on to bus station for bus to Fuenteheridos. Got back to village at 6 when Colin rang to ask me to book him two rooms for Monday night which I did at Pedro's. Watched DVD, had pasta and vegetables from yesterday plus fruit, yogurt and cake. Believe clocks may go back tonight. Will be interesting to see if computer adjusts itself.

Found 'lost' maps and fireplan on kitchen table. Georgi rang at 1pm after talking to Vinay about repair job. Also got quotes for 7 day and 12 day car-hire.
Larger bat (bigger than pipistrelle) flying about in house. Found him scrabbling along beam by bathroom windows. Left door open and not sure if he's gone out. Lot of noise in roof including something running about on top. Colin rang to say coming Monday lunchtime until Tuesday with Vic and Olive.

Thur. 16th November 2006, Navasola. Min 11°C (am) but now at nearly midnight down to 6°C. Max. c. 13°C
Very wet again since last night and that must have been wettest day so far with possibly 4-6 inches of rain overnight (wheelbarrow full). Small stream appeared this afternoon at bottom point of path up to house and runs down towards huerta. Well at highest yet with water nearly upto 4th step from bottom. Now difficult to believe almost three weeks has passed and keeping a computer diary has proved a chore. Russell was here (and in Portugal) for 4 days last week and helped me put new beam in by fireplace. Old one was extraordinarily rotten and largely eaten away by large grubs which Inigo says are 'Carcoma'. Still don't have car back which now needs a new cylinder head but hope to get it back tomorrow for about 1000 euros. Have had hire car - a Peugeot Partner 5 seat 'van' very similar to Citroen Berlingo. Lots of room except load platform a little shorter than Astra with seats down.

Saw Fidel this evening but looking doubtful if chestnuts will be picked. He thought Pedro's idea of ploughing with Mules would be expensive and would be OK to plough outer field (cleared last spring) with machine. Will cut chestnuts which are down for me.

Collected Pablo from Seville Tuesday night and Linda's mum from there last night, returning in heavy rain. Visited Lidl with Laura, and Leroy Merlin and nearby Carrefour with Linda. Derek in hospital since last Saturday with Pancreatitis and will be in for some time. So have visited Rio Tinto a couple of times. Have fires tonight in both hearth and bedroom stove. (16.5°C in casita).

2006-10-06T16:38:00.000+01:00

Heston.
Just a quick update having stayed here another week before leaving for Spain (at 4am?!) on Sunday morning.
Here's (I hope) a view of the advert for the November issue of the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust magazine:

Well, no. I can't upload a pdf directly and my new computer doesn't have the stuff on to convert it so I'll have to play around for a bit.
Here goes again: Click on image to see it full size-ish.

Meanwhile, all the key pages on the (now) 'Navasola' and Cabanas website have been updated.
BFN!

2006-09-30T16:59:00.000+01:00

Heston
Updated Navasola Nature home page today with revised details of our April 2007 Natural History of the Sierra de Aracena tour. Watched the BBC's "Galapagos" last night, missing the first 20 minutes of the fascinating geological history.

However, as I've now changed my flight to Spain tomorrow to the 8th of October, perhaps I'll be able to watch next week's episode. I guess Georgi and I would be somewhat envious of Teresa's opportunity to go there by leading a tour. But, with Georgi's brother having been one of the first 'guinea-pigs' to visit Vorovoro in Fiji with the tribewanted 'escapade?' - pictured in last week's Guardian Travel, and our desire to visit both the Galapagos and Easter Island as well as other parts of the Pacific and perhaps the other Trevor Bending in Tonga, perhaps we'll get there one day!

Just run that last sentence past the Word grammar-checker!
And out of the blue this morning, Vic rang me from Plymouth about driving to Spain via Santander and enquired if I'd be interested in cycling (from Plymouth) to southern Spain or the Algarve next May. He may be over 70, but I'll need to give that some thought!

Now, I really must get on with that tax return and 'packing' for next week, or I'll have that nervous breakdown anyway.

2006-09-27T21:59:00.000+01:00

Spent the weekend in Bath with Bill, Kevin, Mike, Pete, Jean and Bet (+Will and Simon) from 4SK days. Will see if I can add a picture later (being organised to do all this across two computers is tedious and time-consuming).

On Sunday afternoon Georgi arrived and we later went to Westonbirt arboretum where pleased to discover that my 'Kew' card, unused since last January, gained us free admission. Time is now running out to do all the jobs I ought to before leaving for Spain on Sunday next. Coincidentally, Bet, (see above) will be in Seville (and Cordoba and Granada) from 26th October, so perhaps we can try and meet up.

2006-09-27T18:44:00.000+01:00

Heston

Just a quick note that my home page has been updated to show Navasola Nature which, amongst other things, links back to the post below concerning the wildlife course in April 2007
Navasola Nature at www.humber.co.uk

2006-09-18T23:39:00.000+01:00

lucidez embriagada
Another fantastic opportunity to practise my Portuguese, from Brazil I think
Um outra opportunidade fantastica a practicar o meu Portugues, creio que e do Brasil. Se faz favor, corrige o Portugues!

2006-09-18T23:27:00.000+01:00

Barton on Humber
As I've just put together an edited version of a forthcoming webpage to use as a promotional flyer for a first Navasola course or tour, I guess I might as well post it here - see post below.

Otherwise it's time to go!

2006-09-18T23:09:00.000+01:00

Navasola Nature
Living with Nature Breaks
Courses - Holidays - Retreats
Natural History of the Sierra de Aracena
Spring flowers, birds and more in Western Andalucía
(including visits to Doñana, Extremadura and Portugal’s Alentejo)
2007 Dates:
Sat 14 April - Sat 21 April
This week will be our first based in Fuenteheridos, for which we are delighted to be accompanied by guest leader Teresa Farino:
As you will know , the success of any special interest holiday depends crucially on the abilities and experience of the tutor or course leader. Teresa lives in the Picos de Europa, in northern Spain, and has been leading very successful wildlife tours in Spain and Portugal since 1989, for some of the leading companies in this field. Teresa knows Andalucia well and amongst her many publications is Travellers' Nature Guides: Spain (co-authored with Mike Lockwood), which was published by Oxford University Press in 2004. She describes herself as "probably a botanist first and foremost", but is very knowledgeable about all aspects of Iberian wildlife, particularly butterflies and moths.

The Sierra de Aracena Natural Park lies at the extreme western end of the Sierra Morena Biosphere Reserve, abutting Portugal to the west and Extremadura to the north.

During our week in the Sierra we will visit all the principal habitats of the park from our base in Fuenteheridos. An exploration of Trevor’s quietly secluded finca nearby will give us a good introduction to the flora and fauna of the chestnut groves and evergreen forest. We will be ranging further afield to take in the colourful limestone vegetation of the Peña de Arias Montano, the evergreen oak dehesas (wood-pastures) of the Sierra de las Contiendas and the riverside pastures of the Río Múrtiga and the Rivera de Huelva.

A trip to the Gruta de las Maravillas in Aracena itself is a must, where water trickling through the subterranean limestone cave system for millennia has given rise to crystalline deposits, stalagmites and stalactites, forming one of the most spectacular caves in Europe. We will also visit some of the more picturesque villages, hamlets and chapels of the park.

In spring, the Sierra de Aracena bursts into life. Chestnut groves and dehesas are carpeted with drifts of western peony, pink, blue and yellow lupins, Spanish bluebell and Barbary nut iris, Fritillaria hispanica, mirror ophrys and conical and naked man orchids. Colourful migrant birds have already arrived by April, with bee-eaters busy staking out their nest sites in roadside banks, and red-rumped swallows investigating the many stone bridges of the park.
The chestnut groves are teeming with migrant passerines at this time of year, and are renowned for their breeding lesser spotted woodpecker, woodlark, Iberian chiffchaff, redstart and rock sparrow, while the dehesa harbours black-eared wheatear, crested tit, short-toed treecreeper, woodchat shrike, Iberian azure-winged magpie and cirl bunting.

Black storks feed in the marshy grasslands along the River Múrtiga, to the background accompaniment of myriad nightingales and Cetti’s warblers, while in the skies above, the huge silhouettes of black vultures are a frequent sight, on foraging expeditions from their stronghold in the nearby Sierra Pelada.
Griffon and Egyptian vultures, black and red kites and booted and short-toed eagles are also seen regularly, with other vertebrate denizens of the park commonly encountered including Iberian hare, large psammodromus and Bosca’s newt. Butterflies on the wing at this time of year include the delightful Spanish festoon.

As a complete contrast of habitat, one day will be spent in the internationally renowned Doñana National Park, where the bird-rich wetlands support spoonbill, glossy ibis, squacco and purple herons, purple gallinule and marsh harrier, and we will also visit the extensive arable plains of Extremadura, close to the Portuguese border, in search of lesser kestrel, Montagu’s harrier, great bustard and roller.

Price: £699, to include en-suite bed and breakfast accommodation in Fuenteheridos, evening meal, picnic lunches, minibus/4WD transport throughout, all entry fees and the services of Teresa Farino and Trevor Bending as leaders. Two persons sharing (twin or double) qualify for a 10% discount, taking the price per person to £629, with a 5% discount applicable to two or more bookings in single rooms (£664).

This is a land-based tour (Seville-Seville). Flights and travel insurance (obligatory) are the responsibility of the client.
Pick-up details: The tour will commence at Seville airport on Saturday 14 April. Trevor will meet evening Iberia and Ryanair flights from Heathrow, Liverpool and Stansted, subject to schedules (available in the autumn of 2006, in the case of Ryanair), which currently arrive in Seville between 20.20 and 21.00. It may also be possible to meet clients arriving on earlier flights, who would then spend the afternoon in Seville. Please do not book flights until final course booking is confirmed in December/January.

On the return trip on Saturday 21 April, Trevor will drop clients at Seville airport at lunchtime, to connect with Iberia flight IB4144, which departs at 14.05, arriving at Heathrow at 15.40. Clients travelling on later flights may spend the afternoon in Seville. (Please enquire for further details once schedules are published and before booking your flights.) Find out about flights on the Iberia and Ryanair websites - www.iberia.com and www.ryanair.com
Alternatively, those travelling to Fuenteheridos or Aracena independently can arrange to meet the group on the first evening.
Group size: maximum 7 persons.
Booking information: please contact Teresa Farino or Trevor Bending for further details and a booking form, or if you have any queries about this tour.
Trevor Bending
E-mail: trevor@humber.co.uk
Office phone (UK): 0208 572 6790
Mobile phone (Spain):00 34 690 747987
Address:
70 Westbrook Road
Heston
London TW5 0NG UK

Teresa Farino
Email: teresa@iberianwildlife.com
Office phone: 00 34 942 735154
Mobile phone: 00 34 656 337129
Address:
Apartado de Correos 59
39570 Potes
Cantabria, Spain
www.iberianwildlife.com

2006-09-17T23:51:00.000+01:00

Barton on Humber
Thanks to Graciela for her reply from Argentina which I'll forward to Georgina for her to read Plan de fuego. By coincidence, we have to have a plan de fuego (or more precisely Un Plan Contra-incendio) for Navasola in Spain

Thanks also to the Otley and West Yorkshire branch of the Dry-stone walling association and the Friends of Calverley Woods for the day spent walling at Calverley in Leeds on Saturday.

For our reader in Gomersal ;) , it will be great to see you in Spain in November!

2006-09-15T00:11:00.000+01:00

murderfreejamaica - and this I have to put in by subterfuage as somehow it didn't have the vital 'Blog This!' button - I wonder why?
But let's wish it/them all the luck it deserves. Then before my transformation into a frog/pumpkin/glass slipper is complete (gone midnight here) I'm off to bed. Goodnight!

2006-09-15T00:02:00.000+01:00

Well, it seems Graciella might be from Argentina - her website at
http://www.fundacionacuario.org/

2006-09-14T23:54:00.000+01:00

COUNSELING
Well, like I said, the 'next blog' that's fascinating. Here's one for Georgi - is it an Italian agony aunt that's writing in Spanish? Guess I should comment? and hope for an answer?

2006-09-14T23:35:00.000+01:00

Barton on Humber
Oops, crumbs, crikey and other 30's talk. After the picture of the cat, obligingly called 'tigger', what else is there to keep going on a blog?
I'm beginning to think it's a crazy idea.
So much less flexible than a webpage with its rigid linear chronological structure (all the interesting stuff that's now beyond the limit of anyone's scrolling patience).
If it's a diary (notes to onesself from a small place) do you (does one?) want anyone else to read it before I'm dead?
At leat I'm so old that 'mum' has passed on so she can't read it. But then sprogs might read it (offspring for our large overseas audience) - so still have to be careful what you say.
Then, will it help all those skulking stripy jersey computery identity thief types crawling out of their hard-drives?
Will anyone chancing upon this entry find it as fascinating as I sometimes find those I chance on by hitting blogspot's 'next blog' button?
Anyway, the radiator's been fixed on the car in Spain. I've been put down for a 'batty walk' (bats I think) at Barnes wetlands next Thursday and might be doing some dry-stone walling in Leeds on Saturday. Which reminds me I've forgotten to ring ...
and to renew my WWOOFing membership, and am I/are we going to Bath next weekend etc. etc.
Now this peculiar rendition in 'Safari' has now popped up with the editing options but I still can't see the html option.
Let's go!

2006-09-02T23:29:00.000+01:00

Heston

A week in Aldeburgh.

Did we try to do too much in six days spent in this leisured (or bank holiday frenetic?) little town on the Suffolk coast? That there is so much to do (or that can be done) here and hereabouts is remarkable. Family visitors on our first day came via Snape Maltings. Perhaps they didn't want to risk too much time in our company after a longish drive and preferred to squeeze in a visit to Snape with coffee and probably advance Christmas shopping. In our week we didn't make it to Snape, even for coffee, just passing through on our way back from Orford on our last full day.

We did manage the shops and galleries with our visitors in Aldeburgh and they bought quantities of fresh fish from the beach and we all bought some marsh samphire (of the glasswort variety). Later we walked Lettie my cousin's ancient Labrador near the "sea shell on the seashore" - looking through all the 'literature' we brought back with us now I can't find any guide for Aldeburgh let alone the sea shell sculpture - perhaps it's in the car, the guide that is. I was spared the queue for the "world famous fish and chip shop" (like the sailor's girl, there's one in every port) but back at the cottage (some people stay in cottages in Aldeburgh rather than ranches) the fish and chips was worth waiting for when they finally got back. We didn't need the salad or tuna and potato mayonnaise lunch left-overs but tea and strawberries and yogurt (with a few sharp red-currants) from the new Co-op just short of town rounded off supper very well.Then it was time for visitors to leave as Mike had to get up early on Sunday to take his sister for a short flight in his ancient Cessna recently licensed after importation from America.

Adding some informative links to this later should be interesting - we'll see.

Sunday was to be the day of rest and by and large it was with extra time in bed, reading papers, a third visit to 'Peter Williams' selling his excellent paintings and prints in the High Street and a look round the photographic exhibition at the Slaughden (Quay?) Sailing club before a walk round the sea-wall and back via town with detour in search of sculptures and an alternative route for future reference. The weather continued blustery and showery but the umbrella just survived. We saw an egret, probably a little egret I learnt later, apparently larger than the Cattle egret I had surmised. And a swan attacking a dog which had swum too close with a cygnet nearby.

Monday was Minsmere day. We bought a couple of prints from Peter Williams and then travelled across country (ie. not on the main roads) via Eastbridge to Minsmere where we eventually spent the rest of the day. Having been a member of the RSPB aged 10, it had taken me 50 years to get to Minsmere (but I'm not a member now so entrance was quite expensive though I did take advantage of a 'senior citizen' ticket.) It was useful to be able to examine various binoculars and discuss their merits in the shop as I need to buy a new pair of at least half-decent lightweight binoculars suitable for wildlife watching. It seems probable that a pair from about £150 might do, rather than the £1000 it is possible to spend, but not those at about £100. We visited most of the hides but got caught in rain showers a couple of times as heavy storm cells kept passing through at half-hour intervals. Whilst in the hides the downpours were torrential at times and later in the tea-room and shop we heard they were quite exceptional as the steps from the car-park had never before turned into a waterfall.

Young Marsh Harriers perched on posts proved to be quite different in colour (with lots of gold) and much smaller than the enormous dark adults I'm used to from the Humber. Otherwise we saw Canada geese, Barnacle geese, Greylag, a White-fronted goose, heron, tufted duck, one ruddy-duck (the RSPB's favourite bird), cormorant, Great-crested grebe, little grebe, and others too common to mention. My highlight was seeing a kingfisher hovering in the fading light although we did also see a hobby. Brooding over the scene in the distance the great white dome and square block of Sizewell nuclear power station. In the tea-room we shared a table with a woman also from Humberside (so yes, it's a small world) but with local Suffolk connections. the nearby bird-feeders were very well patonised by greenfinches, chaffinches, blue-tits, great-tits, robin and possibly coal-tits. On the way back we caught sight of a muntjac deer foraging in the bushes behind the roadside verge.

The next day we visited the Otter Trust at Earsham and found the British and the Asian short-clawed otters enthralling whilst we also saw the wallabies, muntjac and a pair of tiny harvest mice in a glass cage who seemed quite happy and relaxed though quite what these have got to do with otters isn't clear. (Well, if you consider the hand-tame fallow deer too it's quite clear, educational or not, it enhances the day out and encourages the paying public needed to raise the funds.) After lunch we drove north of Norwich and visited the villages of Sparham, Reepham and Cawston which Georgina thinks were the birthplaces of her maternal great-great grandmother's family before they moved to Sheffield. On the journey home we came via Caister on Sea - a bleak bit of sand behind the sea wall and very run down village, before calling in at Great Yarmouth whose neon-lit sea-front is clearly the perfect seaside holiday location for some, if not for us.

On Wednesday (the 30th) we managed a very slightly earlier than usual start (about 11!) to go to Orford and take the boat to Orfordness. What a truly weird and wonderful place this is. First World War fighter airfields and bombing test ranges; the birthplace of Radar and Radio Direction finding; World War Two bombing tests and navigation developments; test sites for all the non-nuclear (they claim) components of Britain's first atomic and hydrogen bombs including bombing tests (these obviously were non-nuclear!); a 'top secret' "over the horizon backscatter radar" operated by the US/UK until 1973 with its huge fan shaped array of aerials (radar antennae) and large building which even today houses the BBC World Service transmitters. All this surrounded by miles of shingle and marsh seemingly in the middle of nowhere with an all-round horizon of sea, marsh, shingle and river which provide habitats for a wide range of rare plants, animals and birds. For me it was too much to take in all the detail and sufficient to feel the place as a whole - I forgot to mention the 800 year plus history from Henry II who drained the marshes for grazing and built nearby Orford Castle to defend the realm from foreign invaders. Today, the views of Orford Castle and church and the numerous sailing yachts on the River Ore add charm to an otherwise surreal landscape. Far to the north can be glimpsed Aldeburgh and beyond that the white dome of Sizewell.

Catching the last boat back at 5pm we were encouraged by the boatman to visit the newly opened tea-room (where it looked as if you would need to paddle on a high spring tide) and later watched a catch of lobsters, skate and Dover sole being landed on the quay (from a small rowing boat). We returned via Rendlesham forest and visited the TM building site in Rendlesham where a group of East-West facing houses have been built on Vedic principles. In the evening we queued for an unbooked table at the Regatta restaurant in Aldeburgh where we argued about the order - oh dear!

The Thursday took us to the Oasis Camelid Centre at Linstead Magna (IP19 0DT). Llamas, alpacas and Bactrian camels one of which had an ageing deformed bullock reminiscent of a minotaur as its soulmate. We met the owner Ray Smith and learnt about his passion for camels and his llama trekking and breeding activities. In the afternoon we continued to Diss to spend a few hours with an elderly aunt and uncle whose farm lies alongside the Waveney at Wortham.

2006-08-10T22:50:00.000+01:00

Barton on Humber
Having been here for 5 days, just a quick note to record this.
Much of the time spent at Winteringham with Peter working on Uldra and myself on Sara Ann although I did fix a new cap on to Uldra's rudder stock.
Have seen the usual Marsh Harriers and also a Barn Owl quartering the fields on 3 evenings.
A Red Admiral also seen outside house a couple of times. Probably back in London tomorrow.
This the day on which main news has been terrorist alert at airports, especially Heathrow, with 21 arrests.

2006-08-04T23:03:00.000+01:00

Hounslow

Let's have another go at posting those images that blogger was too busy to process yesterday.

Cardinal butterfly, Argynnis pandora
on Knapweed - I think, until Teresa corrects me!

Cloud below us at Puerto de San Glorio,
1600 metres, Picos de Europa, Cantabria.

2006-08-03T18:06:00.000+01:00

Two blogs from 'Next Blog" and link to Beirut.

Humanity Alive
BloggingBeirut.com

2006-08-03T16:42:00.000+01:00

Hounslow
Seems just as easy to add a new post rather than edit the last - perhaps that's the point?
However, my Safari browser seems unable to complete uploading images so I'll have to switch to Firefox and edit this!

After 4-5 attempts with Firefox too, I'll give up on the images for now.

2006-08-02T17:16:00.000+01:00

Back online after an absence of 26 days. Spent a week of this 'auditing' Teresa Farino's "Butterflies and Moths" course in the Picos de Europa in Asturias/Cantabria, northern Spain.
Although only leisurely walking, found this quite tiring with long days on foot and problems with my back. Two couples on the course took it very much in their stride with Melvin and Maris, formerly from Hull, being engrossed in the spotting and photography and the charming American, Preston, also enthusiastic about adding to his photographs, striding along although in his mid-seventies, whilst his equally charming French wife, Mireille, walked their dog and painted in water-colours.
Teresa worked extremely hard with very long days begun with preparing the excellent picnic lunches and 'elevenses' and ending with dinner in the hotel. An eight day marathon for her when including the 3 hour collection and delivery drives to Oviedo airport (which is not in Oviedo).
Will get back and edit with some photos and news of the two subsequent weeks at Navasola shortly.

2006-07-07T20:20:00.000+01:00

Heston, London
Just a very quick note to say I'm still here, kicking quite hard, not yet packed before going to Stansted and Northern Spain (Asturias) early tomorrow. Looking forward to Butterflies and Moths course with Teresa Farino (iberian wildlife)

2006-07-04T23:57:00.000+01:00

Carnival
A blog in Italian from Mexico.
Que es el Sufismo?
Asana Index

2006-07-04T23:30:00.000+01:00

Barton on Humber

A most difficult day. Finding that a public blog doesn't necessarily meet the need for a private diary. I can say hello to friends: Hi Russell for example. But email is far preferable for many purposes, as is the phone, even the wretched mobile phone occasionally (though on balance I think we'd be better off without them).

Letters are only rarely useful for personal communication and even less so with email as well as phones. As for 'texting', however useful in extreme circumstances that's only really an everyday option for somebody with a mental age of 11-16.

Still don't understand though, given the ease of use of webpages (even creating your own by hand) and email, why mobile phones have to be so illogical and impossibly difficult to use. (Apparently designed by an even more degenerate idiot than the one responsible for video recorders).

Still a little warmer in London than Faro - remarkable for 11.30 pm on a July night.

2006-07-04T12:26:00.000+01:00

Trovercoats Dog coats/apparel
Name:Jane Aireton
Location:alderney, British Channel Islands, United Kingdom

2006-07-04T00:57:00.000+01:00

Kalahari Lighthouse - a blog from London with some interest for 'Easter Island' by 'The Moai'.

2006-07-04T00:34:00.000+01:00

Rapa Nui News

2006-07-03T23:50:00.000+01:00

Barton on Humber

Still quite hot both North and South with London still just warmer than the Algarve.
Worked on outline itineraries for courses in Fuenteheridos and dug out Hindi dictionary for Vijay as only available source of Devanagari alphabet. Took rubbish to the skip and sanded filler on Sara Ann.
Basic:
अ आ इ ई उ ऊ ए ऐ ओ औ क ख ग घ च छ ज झ ट ठ ड ढ त थ द ध न ण ञ ऩ प फ ब भ म य य़ र ऋ ल ळ ऴ व श श् श्र स ष ह
Special:
ङ ऌ � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � (not every special character!)

2006-07-02T23:24:00.000+01:00

Zikpo
A blog from or about Tibet with tibetan music, news of the new train line into Lhasa ('the highest railway in the world') and the Chinese occupation.

2006-07-02T23:14:00.000+01:00

Barton on Humber
Spent the day at Winteringham where the weather has been hot and sunny. Carried out repairs to Sara Ann and cleaned and tidied up Uldra. However, spent most of the time talking to Bill, Jake, Andy and Vijay, not having seen Andy for a month or two.

Saw Phil who is recovering somewhat gingerly from her operation. Had a chat with Keith about his trip to Holland and concerns about the handicapping system. Also spoke to Ted who had some good pictures of the trip including one with Peter talking to Norman in Volendam. Asked him to email me one if he can remember my email address. His is his sail number @ntlworld.com but can't remember the number (U5114?).

Arranged with Russell to visit Wednesday night rather than Thursday as need to be back in London by Thursday night. He is still in Scotland at present at Adrian and Heather's wedding. Must remember to ring Siobhan and Iñigo tomorrow morning.

2006-07-02T01:35:00.000+01:00

Window of Minerva's Owl
Delightful 'next blog' from Chinese Malaysian in Kuala Lumpur, partly in Chinese (I think!) and partly in English - fascinating!

2006-07-01T23:59:00.000+01:00

The first of the month and time to see the blog as diary. Forced to drive to the station this morning by son missing bus, I decided to spend some time in the wonderful 'steeltown' of Scunthorpe, (famous for steel making, the man in the "Dog and Parrot" and being inadmissible to search engines or browsers with 'decency' settings), as I'd not been there for quite a while.

Repaired to the second-hand bookshop and bought a selection of maps of India, Portugal and Spain, including Seville.
"You've no idea how many people have been in and asked for something about Portugal today." This seems interesting although much later in the day I wonder if it has anything to do with England v. Portugal in the World Cup. I explain we have a flat in Portugal and wonder if I could advertise it there.
"I think I should ask for a discount"
"Well everything is 25% off."
I hadn't seen the posters saying 25% off whilst England is still in the World Cup. (So that turned out to be the last day of the sale.)

Then visited Tom Dennis cameras where I saw the same Panasonic digital camera in the window that the fellow photographing Kestrel chicks in the Leg o'Mutton reservoir in Barnes had been using. To my surprise it wasn't an SLR but there were digital SLR's by Canon and Nikon to see (one of the latter being the cheapest at about £400 including a zoom lens). But they're still too heavy and bulky for my liking. (Actually, the Kestrel chicks weren't in the reservoir, just in a hole in a tree by the reservoir).

Next to a 'high-street' jeweller's (Ernest Jones - diamond specialists) where had a long and interesting conversation with the very acceptably buxom blonde shop-assistant about the ins and outs of diamonds, certificates, origins and other stones including sapphires, blue, pink and otherwise, rubies and others. It would appear that having a ring custom designed and made might be two to three times as expensive and in one sense not such 'good value' as an 'off the shelf' piece. However, it might be of better quality and 'heavier', not to mention the priceless? value of uniqueness and individuality. A ring ('off the shelf') for £1500 came with its diamonds individually certificated.

Later I try another 'high-street' jeweller's (F. Hinds) and pursue the same questions with broadly similar results. This chain looks a little more 'downmarket' (more reasonable, better value?) and can also have rings made to order by other manufacturers (if that's not the wrong word).

Thence to my second (excluding bookshop) 'second-hand' shop of the day (The British Heart Foundation) where, not having bought a pair of shorts for three pounds in the hospice shop, I buy 'Disgracefully Yours' - about ladies growing old disgracefully; The Road Ahead by Bill Gates et al with a nice explanation of email (1994) (my spell-checker doesn't like 'email' and suggests 'Emil', 'mail' or 'Em-ail' (sic) - Cupertino as bad as Seattle); and a little pocket book of the sacred symbols of The (bloody) Maya. There bump (almost literally) into Dave the trusty mechanic from South Ferriby.

Walking past the bookshop again I decide to pop in and see if they have any books by Thor Heyerdahl.
"Who?"
"I think I'm going to fall over, you haven't heard of Thor Heyerdahl??!!"
"No"
"I looked on the internet about ten years ago", (shop-assistants then barely in secondary school), "and found about 50,000 references for Thor Heyerdahl - I guess today it'd be about 5 million".
"Well what does he write?"
"Difficult to explain."
I try to explain anthropology and "Kon-Tiki".
"How do you spell higher-darl?"
I spell it and it's typed into the database:
"Oh, we had a copy of Kon-Tiki but nothing now unless it's on the shelves and we don't know about it."
"Where would anything like that be?"
We settle on travel or biography but find nothing except I notice "Out of India" by Tim Pigott-Smith and I decide to buy that with the 25% discount so it's only three pounds. Perhaps I should have had a good look at the Taschen coffee-table erotica bearing in mind the 25% off but I didn't. So little time! And it's a hot day.

Returning home I have to turn round when I bump into the tail-end of the Winterton Show parade. At home I snack on fruit and fruit-loaf and spend a couple of hours reading The Shooting Gazette which son has bought 'for a hoot' but left in the car.
It's all fascinating stuff. A different world of 'conservation minded lovers of the wild' who spend their time blasting hundreds of pheasants, grouse, partridges, duck, deer, dove, wild boar, foxes, hares, zebra, wildebeest and impala - to name a few out of the sky or landscape.

It's a fascinating read with all sorts of interesting articles on conservation, guns, dogs, duck punts, arts and crafts and clearly the gentry, from a totally different perspective - but why the hell do they do it? Perhaps I should have bought that biography of Peter Scott in the BHF shop for my possible enlightenment since he, I believe, was once a keen 'sportsman' but gave up shooting in favour of conservation.

Finally to the club (no, not Piccadilly, but the Humber Yawl Club, founded 1883, in Winteringham) for a little chitter-chatter. Show Vijay my Hindi printouts from Google in Safari. Discover England lost but a Portugal-Brazil final is not possible as they would meet in the semi-final (later Brazil are beaten by France so it's an all European semi-final with Italy and Germany besides France and Portugal I think.) No, I'm not interested in football but let's hope Portugal win.

Then a conversation about engagement rings with Lynne. Will I/Won't I buy one before going to Spain and Georgi coming out - perhaps we buy one in Spain?

'Nough for nough (ough nough nought that again!) and at 1.15am time for bed - will backdate post later so it appears under 1st July and not the second.

2006-07-01T18:06:00.000+01:00

Satyam Sivam Sundaram

A South Indian blog from Kentucky USA
This is almost as much fun as using the internet in 1996 with late night IRC and all that stuff before the "Great Commercialisation" took place.

Not sure why the nude image blog below (Thursday June 29th) appears in Safari but not in Firefox (Mac). Does it appear in any browser on a PC - any ideas anyone?

Anyway, thanks to Satyam Sivam Sundaram (a medical man) for the link to Picasa.

This gets curioser and curioser. I now find the Picasa page (Google) is for me currently in Hindi in Safari but in English in Firefox. It follows that Google must be gathering, from Safari, that I'm desirous of having my web pages in Hindi, but not from Firefox.

2006-06-30T23:58:00.000+01:00

What to make of all this?
Suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, 'Google' is presenting pages to me in Hindi.
That is to say, the comments and instructions, labels and metalanguage of the Google search pages are now in Hindi.
Where did Google get that idea from?
Just because I'd been playing with the language and font settings in the Apple operating system, text editor, appleworks and the browser language settings and trying to type some material in Hindi (and Punjabi), the browser or the operating system have communicated to Google that my preferred language is Hindi.
Was that only because when I started up last time, the OS menu system appeared to be set in International - Devanagari . I changed it back to English before starting Safari but up came the Google pages in Hindi.
Will it revert to English next time?
If it's still in Hindi, what will happen if I use Firefox instead which doesn't display Hindi?
If I've been 'cookied' permanently for Hindi are there settings in Google to change it back again?
I had already noticed in the OS that a small superscript Devanagari character had been substituted for the apostrophe - weird.

If I don't post a blog entry before midnight, can I edit it to show yesterday's date?

Searching for 'albergues' and the Junta de Andalucia brought up some really interesting pages for Islam in Spain and Spanish North Africa.
If my Spanish was better, I'm sure I'd have found the article on Sexuality, Catholicism and Islam even more interesting.The gist appeared to be that sex was a sin in catholicism, the work of the devil, and this was either approved of or the opposite in Islam - or did I get that all completely wrong?
I'll try and put this up with some
relevant link and
another tomorrow.
and
Sufism

As DODG used to say: Goodnight all.

2006-06-29T14:31:00.000+01:00

Rio Selvagem

A magical blog from Portugal
Uma blog magica do Portugal
with links to
Campanha Global Dove por Beleza Real and
www.olhares.com

Portuguese doorway and nudes at olhares.com

2006-06-29T13:48:00.000+01:00

Hough nough broughn cough
(हाउ नाउ बराउन काउ)
Doughn't cough tough loughd, they might hear yough.

Oughd tough Betjeman:

Droughve through Slough and thought ough yough
Let friendly boughmbs foughl oughn Slough
Nough thought ough Betjeman nough

(May be mough tough foughllough)

2006-06-27T12:16:00.000+01:00

Mi burbuja
And here's another Spanish one which would be fun but for the huge overload of images.

2006-06-27T12:08:00.000+01:00

El rincon de las confesiones.
An occasional diary in Spanish so Georgi can practise!

2006-06-27T11:03:00.000+01:00

alcatruz
Found this interesting blog in Portuguese as the 'next blog' today.

2006-06-26T23:35:00.000+01:00

Mast Family Farm

2006-06-26T23:22:00.000+01:00

So now I've found the Devanagari appears in IE on a PC and in Safari but not Firefox on the Mac. So I entered it 'blind' in blogger in Firefox and it magically appears in Safari or on a PC. Changing the Firefox settings to UTF 8 doesn't seem to do the trick. Any answers? Does it appear in Firefox on a PC?

2006-06-26T14:19:00.000+01:00

Just a note to point out new sub-title. More to follow later I hope.

2006-06-25T13:56:00.000+01:00

A hot Sunday in London.
3days elapsed and finding this blogging software inflexible and difficult to use.
And now we have a personal problem!

2006-06-25T13:50:00.000+01:00

sharegreatrecipes
dailyablution.blogs.com

2006-06-23T00:36:00.000+01:00

जाइ गुरु देव । मेरे नाम टरेवोर बेनडिण हे ।
Well, that's not quite right but it'll do for now.
(साब भुल गाया!)
Agora um pouco Português, y Español (oh, so I have to change from Portuguese to English to get the 'ñ' in Spanish!)
But all my 'end of another day', missing the 'blogging' deadline (so now it's tomorrow), got lost in crashing the application by messing around like this!
Seems tricky to set the typeface. Comments welcome on whether the 'e circumflex' and 'n tilde' show correctly on your PC (it's not in the html so I suspect not).

Giving up on the devanagari for now (the rows of question marks).

Tigger in bed
And so now it's time for my bed.

2006-06-22T18:24:00.000+01:00

Poética

2006-06-22T12:10:00.000+01:00

God, this is inflexible and confusing. So previous comment should read:

So now the time is showing BST/UTC+1 but then it wasn't so 9.01 am should read 1.01am (which it does on the 'view post' in comments)and be BELOW the SECOND post.

So there you have it.

2006-06-22T11:30:00.000+01:00

Let's try pasting text from TextEdit.
Just going to 'ave a look at
casaserviço's website
Finished reading "The curious case of the dog in the night" which started me thinking about "Vernon God Little" and it struck me that they're quite similar in a way (inside the narrator's head and not a lot else).

Won't let me use special Unicode characters so we'll try another way later.

2006-06-22T09:01:00.000+01:00

Well, Georgina, if not Georgia, was on my mind. A new day, nearly 10 to 1, hunched over an iBook and not doing my back any good.

News of and from 'Navasola', our beautiful spot in the hills of Aracena at Fuenteheridos; from Cabanas de Tavira in Portugal; from the cool cool banks of the muddy Humber; and from Pedro (Coelho), Max (Happydays), Tigger, Georgina (my Georgi girl) and Theo and friends in the Great Wen.

Please add your comments and we'll see what the 'morrow delivers.

2006-06-22T01:48:00.000+01:00

Nearly an hour gone by but I've updated all the settings I think I need for now so it must be time to shut up, shut down, shut eye.