Thanks for the reminder WordPress

Been very behind with blogging.  So a timely reminder from WordPress should get me going again.

Andalucia in a week!

How frustrating. Only a week to tour Andalucia. What an incredible part of the world. Good scenery, good food, an architectural feast, great weather. Need to do that again. For all those photographers out there, it needs a lot more time than a week to capture all that great light. Thanks to all the Flickr community who like my pictures.

Our guest – a python

Another gem from the Cyprus Observer 3-9 August this time reporting on the recovery of a 1.5 metre long baby-python at a house in Nicosia. Apparently according to the law the snake should have been destroyed, but luckily for the snake the species is under threat of extinction, but due to a lack of a zoo it was decided to deliver it to an international institution. However, while awaiting transportation ……

‘The Python, being kept in a fish tank in the Agriculture Minister’s office, was not tempted by a live mouse throughout the press meeting however it ate it as soon as the meeting was over. Ministry officials stated that the python had no further intention to hunt once it was fed……. The python will be on display for a week for interested visitors at the Veterinary Department office in Nicosia”.

Flying Crocodile

Local papers seem to have ‘gems’ of interest. How about this reported in the Cyprus Observer 10-16 August.

Flying Crocodile

‘A crocodile survived a fall from the 12th floor of a Russian apartment block after making an escape bid through a window, emergency services said on Wednesday. Diving out of the window has become a habit for the crocodile, called Khenar, with concerned neighbours saying it was the third time he had used that method to flee, the Moskovsky Komsomolets daily reported. The crocodile lost one tooth in the latest fall but was otherwise unscathed, said a spokeswoman for the emergencies ministry in the Nizhny Novgorod region of central Russia. “It seems the owner was not at home when the crocodile went out of the window, “she said. Emergency services put the crocodile in a local aquarium to recover from his fall. Within a few hours his concerned owner came to pick him up and the crocodile was last seen lying on the back seat of his owner’s car.’

Thank you to Flickr

To all those flickr users who leave comments who email me and look at my pictures, thankyou.  Gives me a reason to pick up my camera.  Very encouraging and a fantastic way of sharing.

Airport Security

Recent travel has again showed up the ridiculous procedures carried out at airports. Not comfortable with air travel, panic sets in at check-in, have I remembered to remove any nail files, sharp objects, should I put my lipstick in a clear plastic bag and carry it. Have I chucked out that half drunk bottle of water. Then comes the compulsory strip , belt removed, shoes removed, bracelets off (always set the alarms off). Re-dress, collect stuff. Move on. Forced into the shopping mal where I might add, I can buy anything I might desire as long as I tell someone my flight number! So here I am armed again with dangerous objects such as nail scissors, glass objects, at least 100 ml of liquid of a questionable nature. Through more security but now it is acceptable. A few days later leaving Istanbul airport, well organised and pleasant. I move through passport control, noting that a fellow passenger is about to pass through the same passport gate but totally covered in black robes. I stress that no part of the person under the veils and clothes was visible. you guessed it, straight through passport control. Can’t get my head around this. Ten days later flying out of Ercan airport Northern Cyprus. It just happens that the morning before the early morning flight to Istanbul was hijacked, fortunately with no dire consequences, not sure even why it was hijacked. Being concerned that security would bristle, was surprised to innocently walk through x-rays and buzzy scanners with a full bottle of water and…..a penknife; however, everyone felt safer as I did have to take off my belt and bracelets.

I’m back and blogging

I have been pathetic in my efforts to keep my blog up-to-date but here I am if only  influenced by the blog Starshun.com.  By the way the log mentioned on the blog is still in my loft.

Christmas come and gone, 2007 here.

Many New Years Resolutions. Remember passwords. Write Blog. Upload photographs. Keep swimming. If the last three days are anything to go by I have failed at all three.

It is a Green Week

Fantastic, a company that has considered the paper waste generated by endless printing. What happened to the paper free society? All this incredible technology generates more and more paper. However, help is at hand with Green Print. Allows all sorts of clever things to happen. You can print the pages you want, delete the ones you don’t want, choose text or pictures or both. Track the savings, and feel good that you are doing your bit for the environment. Top marks to the team who designed this. Get the download at http://www.printgreener.com/

Green Ticks or Skype

How comforting to see the green circle with a tick. Means you are out there and presumably friendly. As a Skype user seeing the ticks come and go with various messages is a great thing. Cousins in Brazil, in Geneva, and sons in the USA all are there at a touch of the button, and if set up with camcorder, in full techni-colour video. How fantastic is all this technology – can’t be lonely with Skype.