Journal Entries
Lanzababy's NaJoPoMo 2014 #2 Arctic Sunrise
Posted Nov 2, 2014
The smallest of Greenpeace's fleet of ships, the Arctic Sunrise is, bizarrely, an ex-sealing vessel. It's an icebreaker, and spends most of its time in cold waters where ice is a possibility.
The ship has sailed down to the Canary Islands to bring publicity to the local protests against oil drilling off our coastlines. To see this tiny vessel making the journey to our shores was quite emotional. The Canarian government, and all the people I have come across are in one mind - we don't want the oil company, Repsol, to drill. Unfortunately, the Spanish Government has won a judgement allowing for oil prospecting. S*d the locals and their tourism, their year round sunshine, the Trade Winds that blow more or less constantly. So, no push for renewables, just this crazy desperation to get the last of the oil from beneath the sea floor.
It's daft, from my perspective. Added to the mix is the fact that there is a lot of seismic activity in the region. Small quakes are frequent. We also have whales, dolphins and turtles in the seas around here. Honestly, the locals are quite beside themselves at the thought of a view of oil rigs from the beaches.
But Spain is in a financial mess, and corrupt politicians are rumoured to be hand in glove with the oil company. And, because of lethargy where the development of alternative energy provision has been concerned - there is no case that shows the islands are anywhere near self sufficient from the need for oil. In fact, all our electricity and water supplies are obtained from oil generators.
This IS madness right? Would you imagine that all of our sunny roofs have nice new solar panels, solar water heaters and the upper slopes of some of the volcanoes have wind turbines? Think again. In fact it is incredibly difficult to get photovoltaic panels - I am told that you have to pay a tax. Words fail me.
So, thank you Greenpeace, for sailing this far south in a tiny ship that doesn't have a keel. The crew say it is like being in a washing machine, as the design is meant for the ship to sail onto thin ice and then break through it with its own weight. I hope it makes some difference to our plight. But I doubt it.
I asked, on behalf of h2g2, for more information and was sent a press release, in Spanish, and a link to these photos and videos.
Even if you don't understand the Spanish, you can see a bit of their protest.
http://greenpeace.smugmug.com/Prospecciones-NO/Renovables-S%C3%8D-Torre-Lanzarote/i-dR7hTzM
You can also try and spot me on this photo - all the visitors to Arctic Sunrise were asked to be photographed in order to show how many people were supportive. The ship docked in Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and is now in Gran Canaria.
http://tinyurl.com/n98pbqk
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Latest reply: Nov 2, 2014
Lanzababy's NaJoPoMo 2014 #1 HumbleBrag
Posted Nov 1, 2014
I only discovered the word HumbleBrag very recently. Not being Down with the Yoof, or insufficiently intellectually-stimulated by current memes. I'd never heard of it until it came up in a list of new words that have been added to the English Language Dictionaries.
So, basically, the reason it appeals to me is that I've found myself mentioning things about day-to-day life here on this desert island, that end up sounding exactly like a humblebrag. So I shut up and say nothing at all. It's hard, because the problematic situations, or interesting things I might want to mention, are so different from those back in the UK. I guess you'd say a lot of them were 'First World Problems'. And indeed you'd be correct.
So, excuse me if many of the journals this month end up on the bragging end of the spectrum. I'm just trying to think of things to write about that may interest any readers that have got this far down the page, and that I have the enthusiasm to write about.
Wish me luck and a following wind as I attempt to locate my writing mode. Do they have an app for this? No - it seems I have to do it all by myself.
Okay, you can all stop reading now. I'll try harder to be coherent tomorrow.
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Latest reply: Nov 1, 2014
Vamos a Madrid!
Posted Feb 1, 2014
"Let's go to Madrid!" - said Milla
So we're booked. 
Only for two nights, and it's a micro h2g2 bit of Researcher fun.
So, having never set foot on the 'peninsula' as it's called here in the Canaries, I've been asking around for recommendations.
Here is a thing... http://www.esmadrid.com/en/mercado-san-miguel
Also apparently, the open-topped bus tour from which you can alight and then rejoin.
We'll never see it all in 48 hours, but we'll give it our best shot. And, dear readers, we're doing it all for you! Or rather the Guide.
Goya, flamenco, tapas.....
mmmmm!
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Latest reply: Feb 1, 2014
Yet more Festivities - I think this is New Year's Eve :)
Posted Dec 31, 2013
I totally forgot to write a journal yesterday. I was so busy playing with the New Who's Online and the My Conversations and looking at all the Entries we've added to the Guide this last year.
I did a bit of fresh food shopping and restrained myself to eating just the *one* chocolate. It's a good job that clothes over here (on t'moors) are very thick and baggy. Cunning disguise for extra flabby bits.
Each morning I have a coffee with Dad, and often he reminisces about the war years, particularly the couple of years he was stationed in India and Burma.
His story today was about New Year in Burma in 45/46 when the troops had some small bottles of beer imported from the US. He says he thinks it was 'Lion' beer, and it was in small dumpy bottles. Due to the clever inventiveness of people without much in the way of ordinary glasses, these dumpy bottles were turned into drinking glasses by some feat where you partly dipped the empty bottle into very hot oil for a split second or two, until the glass fractured around the circumference where the oil came up to. So they were able to celebrate with beer in a glass.
Another story involving beer, in Burma, was not to do with the New Year or Christmas, but when he had to escort some Indian soldiers into the Burmese hills, and they got hold of some beer and were very drunk. The next morning they all looked very sorry for themselves on parade and dad had to swear at them all thoroughly in English, not having the Urdu for swearing.
He had lots of adventures in Burma, and says this was the only place where he saw wild elephants grazing by a river while he was journeying through the jungle with an officer.
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Latest reply: Dec 31, 2013
Christmas 2013: Day 5, that weird day which is a Sunday between Christmas itself and New Year
Posted Dec 30, 2013
Yes, Sunday. But it doesn't feel like Sunday because all the other days recently have also had that flavour to them. But Sunday all the same and so a roast lunch needs to be cooked.
I like cooking, which may be apparent to you by now, so I am not moaning about it. But I did ruin the egg custard, I'm not sure how but it was totally borked. Imagine a sort of cross between a soft omelette and sweet scrambled eggs. Such a pity because the eggs were from a friend and the nicest sort of eggs you can get.
I'm not bored with Christmas yet though, and we have loads more days to come.
mmmm Vanilla Vodka! Thank you Santa 
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Latest reply: Dec 30, 2013
Lanzababy - Guide Editor
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