Last Thursday, I unfortunately missed the postman who was bringing me my big box of Amazon goodies (books, CDs and DVDs) to enjoy over the Xmas period. If he can’t put the package in my frankly gi-normous post box, he usually leaves it outside my front door or, at worst, with the security guards on the gate (as per my instructions) but no, he chose to leave me a dreaded yellow slip and take my box away. Friday, there was nothing else for it but to brave the huge queue in the local post office to rescue my package.

After waiting 20 minutes I handed over my yellow slip to the clerk who then rummaged in a manual register. Alas, the postman had failed to enter my package into this registry and equally he had failed to put the reference number on the slip so they were unable to locate the package. I tried to look suitable unimpressed. They took a copy of the slip, promising to look for it when they had some free time and said they would call me.

From previous experience, I know that a promise from the Post Office to give you a call ranks right alongside “the cheque’s in the post”. Having heard nothing from them, on Monday I went on-line and got the tracking number from my Amazon account before re-tracing my steps to find an even longer queue.

When it was eventually my turn, I explained what had happened and this time the clerk managed to locate my tracking number on the computer system, but to no avail. The whole process rests or falls on the correct manual entry being made in the registry. This time I stood firm. I said the delivery contained Xmas presents (I didn’t mention they were for me) and I wasn’t leaving until I got them.  You could hear the collective groan in the very long queue behind. I apologised but said it was unfair to inconvenience me simply because one of their colleagues had not followed their own procedures.

After my bold stand, none other than the Post Office manager was dispatched to look for the parcel. Lo and behold, he was back within 15 minutes barely managing to hold a rather heavy and sizeable box – a result.

All this snow (and the next batch coming this weekend) will make the snowmobile trails great for riding. At Zweber Farms we want to remind sledders to be careful when out on the trail. Riding near farm land can be particularly dangerous. Buried fences, hidden culverts, steep ditches and more can be hazardous to riders.

It is very important to stay on the trail to ensure your ride is as safe as possible. On our farm, we have trails on two boarders. These trails are well marked and take riders around dangerous areas. Nonetheless, there are always some riders who believe that they don’t have to follow the trail and can “make” their own. Last year, a snowmobiler decided to ride the large hill north of our driveway. He then proceeded to jump the driveway and land into a high tensile fence. The fence tore through the hood of his sled and was inches from slicing him open.  If this unlucky rider would have stayed on the trail, he would have bypassed our fence safely. He was lucky to be unhurt.

Snowmobile clubs work each year with land owners to make sure the trailers are in good spots. Please make sure to respect the landowners wishes and ride only where the trail is marked. On our land, snowmobilers annually damage alfalfa and other grasses by riding in the wrong spot and when there is a minimum amount of snow.

Have fun when you are out riding on your snowmobile, but remember to be safe too. If Tim gets his snowmobile fixed we will be out there too!

December 21, 2009 By BULLIT MARQUEZ  http://www.activeearth.org/SpecialContent/Volcanology.asp?fe=1 for this update and others that may follow

Previous article

The emission of sulphur dioxide – an indication of magma rising inside the volcano – jumped to 6,000 tons per day from the normal 500, said the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. It also reported “audible booming and rumbling sounds” in the eastern flank of the volcano, accompanied by intensified crater glow at night. Lava fountains bursting from the cone-shaped volcano overnight rose 650 feet (200 meters) in the air, the institute said. Scientists said red hot lava flows had reached 5 km from the crater. A major eruption could trigger pyroclastic flows – superheated gas and volcanic debris that race down the slopes at very high speeds, vaporizing everything in their path. More extensive explosions of ash could drift toward nearby towns and cities.

Many thousands of people have heeded the call to evacuate but 3000 are still holding out

I’ll start with a classic. A very recent classic.

An Ukrainian student was chewing gum, when his mouth suddenly exploded. He had a strange habit of dipping the gum into citric acid before chewing it. This particular instance might have involved prolonged exposure to citric acid or unusually highly concentrated citric acid. Who knows.

Though I’ll be sure not to chew gum for at least an hour after I finish my morning OJ.

Will this affect your gum chewing habits? DISCUSS.

P.S. I kid you not. Here is the link.

http://en.rian.ru/strange/20091208/157160984.html

About 5:00 pm on September 30th, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck just offshore of the town of Padang in Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake toppled buildings and started many landslides, smashing homes and swallowing up entire villages. If you want to see the graphic impacts, go and have a look at 40 horrific pictures taken after the event.

Here is one of them

Link to previous article about this quake

Impacts

Tremors from the first earthquakes were felt in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, Malaysia and Singapore. The management of some high-rise buildings in Singapore evacuated their staff.[

A tsunami watch was triggered and there are reports of house damage and fires.] Hotels in Padang were destroyed, and communications to the city were disrupted.

Local news channel Metro TV reported fires in Padang where panicked residents had run onto the streets as the first quake hit. Teams of rescuers from nearby branches of the National Search and Rescue Agency have been deployed to Padang. Large buildings came down in the earthquake. It was also reported that some water pipes in Padang were broken and there was flooding in the street. There have also been reports that at least two hospitals and several schools have collapsed as a result of the earthquake.

Padang’s Minangkabau International Airport suffered minor damage, with parts of the ceiling in the boarding area falling down.The airport reopened on 1 October.

Responses

Indonesian officials have suggested that the death toll is likely to rise sharply, because of the large number of people trapped in collapsed buildings. Authorities announced that several disaster management teams were en route to Padang although it took several hours for them to reach more remote areas.  Rescue workers pulled dozens of survivors from the rubble and rushed them to Djamil Hospital. The hospital itself was overwhelmed with patients, and many patients were treated in tents set up outside the hospital. A man was trapped beneath a flattened hotel for 25 hours with a broken leg before rescue workers pulled him free. The Indonesian military deployed emergency response teams with earth moving equipment to help move rubble and recover trapped victims. Rescue workers and volunteers searched the rubble of a collapsed 3-story course building, rescuing survivors and recovering bodies while parents waited nearby. Indonesian villagers used their bare hands to sift through ruins and try to find survivors. On October 5, Indonesian rescue workers called off their search for trapped survivors and increased efforts to recover bodies, clear rubble, and provide aid to survivors. Indonesian authorities used helicopters to airdrop instant noodles, blankets, milk, and dry food into remote areas, and to bring the wounded from these areas to hospitals.

Australia : 10 army engineers a civilian search and rescue team.,  a Royal Australian Navy hospital ship and a helicopter.- +$A350,000

China   Emergency aid worth $500,000.

Denmark :A six-man crew and camp material

Estonia : an information

European Union :Aid worth 3 million euros

Germany :Emergency aid worth 1 million euros

Hongkong :HKD 4 million

Ireland : Red Cross volunteers are working to rescue people and provide food, clean water and shelter.

Japan A team of 60 search and rescue workers and 23 medical personnel and emergency goods such as tents, sleeping mats, blankets and power generators.

Malaysia : two-member team to Padang on October 1 to conduct an on-the-ground assessment and an initial total of RM 100,000 emergency aid. Malaysian Red Crescent Society sent five-member Regional Disaster Response Team consist of a doctor, a nurse and relief officers . State Government of Selangor sent RM 500,000. Mercy Malaysia will deploy a surgical and medical team consisting of an orthopaedic surgeon, a general surgeon, an anaesthetist, general practitioners (GPs) and nurses The team brought with them surgical sets and primary healthcare kits worth a total of RM 100,000.  Malaysian Search and Rescue Team (Smart) with 39 members had left for Padang. A medical team sent  comprising 17 officers from the Malaysian Armed Forces medical corps, 8 officers from Malaysian Health Ministry. University send 14 volunteers in the relief efforts.

Netherlands     Emergency aid of 500,000 euros

Norway            Norway pledged a total of NOK 20,000,000 for emergency relief efforts.

Russia             Two aircraft, logistical supplies, medical supplies, doctors, nurses, and a search and rescue team with sniffer dogs

Saudi Arabia    has sent a plane carrying two units of trucks, one ambulance disaster response unit, a Search and Rescue (SAR) team, medicines, and four sniffer dogs

Singapore        Has pledged temporary shelters, blankets and medicine. It has also sent a 54-member medical team from the Singapore Armed Forces, 42-member Civil Defense Force search, rescue contingent and three helicopters.

South Korea    A 43-person search and rescue team and $500,000 in aid

Switzerland      A search and rescue team , and an aircraft, search and rescue team, logistical supplies

Taiwan donated $150,000 to the effort.

Thailand sent  a plane on October 3 with relief supplies

United Arab Emirates A 56-member search and rescue team, medical supplies, heavy equipment

United States Emergency aid worth $3,000,000, a Hercules transport aircraft and crew.

United Kingdom:  equipment including plastic sheeting, medical and water purifying equipment. The search and rescue team of 65 firefighters, 10 volunteers from the International Rescue Corps taking specialist equipment including listening devices and camera systems .S.A.R.A.I.D. have mobilised a team of 10 personnel and over a ton of technical equipment to the city of Padang to assist in the rescue efforts. Gloucester-based Rapid-UK has already sent a 16-person team of rescuers and medics to the area.

]]> http://lindym.wordpress.com/2009/12/20/mt-mayon-raised-to-level-4-alert/ Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:55:30 +0000 lindym http://lindym.wordpress.com/2009/12/20/mt-mayon-raised-to-level-4-alert/

Full article see here. This is the update on the phillipino earth quake where already 1000s have been evacuated.

Link to previous article

A week or so ago I had a dramatic spike in viewing figures. Nearly 300 people viewed my site over two days, rather than the usual 1-12.  At first I couldn’t figure out why. Evidently, one of my posts “Hot, hotter, hottest” had a similar title to a new site which features hot looking, scantily dressed  ladies performing certain acts. In fact, the sort of site where you might find a Cherry Whipley!

Now, I am generally very careful both with the content and titles. In fact when we were first discussing appropriate titles for the site some wit came up with ” No Panties Required”. It’s true that one doesn’t require underwear on a bike, nothing should come between you and your pad. But I did feel that it was a tad inappropriate and many viewers might come away sadly disappointed, despite the plethora of lycra clad lovelies, that there was nothing more scintillating than the cycling adventures of a middle-aged woman.

This week has been very cold, rarely reaching 10 degrees C at midday. However, by muffling myself up like Michelin Man, I’ve managed a couple of hours on the bike most days. Yesterday, however, we awoke to a winter wonderland and icy roads. Time for the hometrainer to put in an appearance.

Today’s pointage is over at Roquebrune Cap Martin but as the roads will be  icy until well into the morning, we’re going to pass on this one. Additionally, I’ve got a sore throat and impending head cold. Just what a girl wants for Xmas. I spent most of yesterday curled up on the sofa, under a throw, trying to stay warm and sinking plenty of hot lemon with honey and even a wee dram of whisky – my sure fire cure for a cold. Indeed, I’m feeling much improved this morning.

My boys in claret and blue are still hogging a Champion’s League spot after beating Stoke 1-0 at home yesterday, I think it’s fair to say they rode their luck but got the desired result. Meanwhile, OGCN stopped the rot with an away draw at Grenoble.

As a result of the disastrous tsunami just 5 years ago, one NGO, Save the Children, has worked there throughout that time. Initially they went in to provide emergency relief to the worst hit areas in Indonesia. However since then they have been working with schools and adults to find ways to prevent such a disaster have such an impact again.

They have achieved this by

Working with community to develop an early warning system and disaster alerts

what is the scale of the earthquake? Will it trigger a Tsunami? Where to? Communication is by mobile phones between communities, and a system has been developed to communication within the communities.

Education for disaster readiness

Children map communities for danger areas and safe routes out

Adults are taught to have emergency paper and important stuff kept together and safe in case of evacuation

The full article

Check out my latest Hump Day Hazard at Kobold Quarterly dot com!

Source: Kobold Quarterly.com

Vestige of Apathy

If you like what you see, why not subscribe to their award-winning print or PDF magazine!

By JIM GOMEZ (AP) – 6 hours ago (as of 17.00 UK time)

MANILA, Philippines — Authorities moved thousands of villagers from harm’s way near the Philippines’ most active volcano Tuesday after it oozed lava and shot plumes of ash, and said they probably would spend a bleak Christmas in an evacuation center.

State volcanologists raised the alert level on the cone-shaped, 8,070-foot (2,460-meter) Mayon volcano overnight to two steps below a major eruption after ash explosions and dark orange lava fragments glowing in the dark trickled down the mountain slope.

Nearly 50,000 people live in a five-mile (eight-kilometer) radius around the mountain, and authorities began moving thousands of them in case it erupts, Albay provincial Gov. Joey Salceda said.

More than 20,000 people were evacuated to safety by nightfall Tuesday, Salceda said, adding he has placed central Albay province, where Mayon is located, under a “state of imminent disaster,” which will make it easier for him to draw and use emergency funds.

“Whatever the volcano does, our target is zero casualty,” Salceda told The Associated Press.

Full report : here – watch this space for further news

For fantastic pictures of what an active volcano looks like as it is preparing to… who knows what? Go here

First of all, Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukkah, Happy Kwanza, and Happy New Year.  I hope everyone is able to have fun while be safe with their friends and families.

Even though this is an extremely busy time of year, please don’t bypass washing hands and food as often as possible.

Holiday Tips from National Poison Control Center:

Seasonal Plants:

Pet Poison Awareness from National Poison Control Center- Pet Tips:

Numbers to keep handy:
National Poison Control Center: 1-800-222-1222
ASPCA Poison Control Center: 1-888-426-4435, a $60 consultation fee may be applied to your credit card.

Hint: The human poison control center may answer pet poison questions if they are not busy.

Winter weather presents new hazards for your pets. Find out how you can keep your pets safe this winter by visiting:

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=463

I awoke this morning to a truly spectacular sunrise. As I looked out of the bedroom window, from the bed, I could see a pewter ribbon of water edged with liquorice before a burst of Euskatel orange which faded through Sammy Sanchez gold to watery turquoise and pale grey. This foretold of further fine, riding weather. No good to me though, I’ve been grounded for a few days.

I’ve been nursing a saddle sore for a while and, as a consequence, have not been riding properly astride my saddle, which has put pressure on my left knee and right hip. Saturday, the sore spectacularly erupted. Obviously, I had to ride on Sunday, in defence of our championship (still awaiting news of whether we managed to successfully defend it – I fear not), but had to cut short my ride as there’s a limit as to how long I can ride out of the saddle.

Since then, it’s as if I’ve got my nose pressed up against the window desperate to be let in, or, in my case, out. I’m even more desperate since seeing the long range weather forecast for next week: rain, rain and more rain.

On the plus side, this has allowed me to spend more time in the gym as I enter the last week of my 6-week challenge. I don’t think that there’s been any momentous change but my jeans are definitely a lot looser. In one way this is good, in another it’s not. My jeans now have a tendancy to slip off all of their own accord as I discovered yesterday evening when I bent down to get something out of the car. Fortunately, it was in the dimly lit garage and there was no one around to witness my humiliation.

I dropped my beloved off at the airport yesterday morning and am now enjoying some peace and quiet. He’s back briefly Sunday evening before departing again on Monday. This lengthy respite should allow me to clear all the jobs on my “To Do” list, including the ironing mountain, and ready the apartment for Xmas.

Go to this site and check it out – my home in Rhayader has a 2.5% chance over the next 5 years – on that basis I could wait 200 years for one to turn up!

Follow this link

You may need to add your country (in my case UK) to get an answer.

20 November 2009 Original article: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=87126

Two years after Cyclone Sidr hit the southern coastal districts of Bangladesh, many of the survivors are still homeless and at severe risk from further disasters, officials say. Cyclone Sidr lashed the southern coastal regions of Bangladesh on 15 November 2007. Thirty districts were affected, with more than 3,400 deaths (yes I know – the numbers do not add up – but some died afterwards indirectly from Sidr itself from from waterborne diseases et)c. Damage to property, livestock and crops was estimated at US$1.7 billion, with half of that in the housing sector, according to the government.

Despite aid efforts, more new homes are still needed as are cyclone shelters. Meanwhile, crucial work to prevent flooding remains under-funded.

Extensive flood embankment networks provide this region with critical protection from these natural calamities, but Sidr damaged a large part, leaving the inhabitants of six coastal districts vulnerable to tidal waves and storm surges. According to the Bangladesh Water Development Board, which maintains these embankments, about 46 percent or 2,341km of the 5,107km of flood embankments protecting the southern regions were partially or completely destroyed by Sidr. Repair work to the embankments has yet to begin properly, with a lack of funding cited as the primary reason. About $100 million is required.  The money is being provided and repai should begin soon.

In the worst affected areas tidal seawater inundated their land. “Every day, during the tides, brackish seawater gets into the croplands, fouling up the fertile topsoil. Soil salinity is increasing alarmingly. Almost 1,400ha of croplands and is now vulnerable because of the damaged embankments.”

Lacking proper shelter: “Nearly half a million people who were displaced by Sidr are still without proper housing and need rehabilitation,” said a representative of  Bangladesh Red Crescent Society.

Farmer Jainal Abedin lost his father, his home and all his possessions to Sidr. “I am still living in a hovel made of plastic sheets and debris. I had to spend my housing grant money ($73) on food after the storm.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has built 1,250 cyclone core shelters, sturdier homes that can withstand a cyclone.

The district of Bagerhat is very short proper cyclone protection shelters. It needs 490 for the population but only has 130, which can protect about one third of the people who may need them.

Full articles: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/28/four-years-after-katrina_n_270944.html

Date: 28^th August 2009

NEW ORLEANS (Associated Press) — Shelia Phillips doesn’t see the New Orleans that Mayor Ray Nagin talks about, the one on its way to having just as many people and a more diverse economy than it did before Hurricane Katrina. How could she?

From the front porch of her house in the devastated Lower 9th Ward, it’s hard to see past the vegetation slowly swallowing the property across the way. Nearby homes are boarded up or still bear the fading tattoos left by search and rescue teams nearly four years ago. The fence around a playground a few blocks away is padlocked.

“I just want to see people again,” she said recently, swatting bugs in the muggy heat.

On paper, the city’s economy appears to be thriving, with relatively low unemployment, home repossessions and bankruptcy rates. But in post-Katrina New Orleans, whole areas of some neighbourhoods are sparsely populated, even desolate.

There are other causes for optimism: the overhaul of New Orleans’ long-dismal public school system, an influx of college-educated residents, the greening of neighbourhoods as they rebuild, and the elevating of more homes to help protect them from future flooding.

After Katrina, the mayor started talking about a new New Orleans. What he meant, he said recently, is a “better New Orleans; an updated New Orleans, one where we basically updated all of our critical assets but respected our history. “I definitely think we’re on track to realizing that,” Nagin said.

Some analysts believe the economic resilience powered by tens of billions in federal rebuilding aid is unsustainable. Once the money is spent, they say, the tourism-based economy and lower-wage jobs that dominated before Katrina are likely to re-emerge.

However areas like Lakeview, which saw some of the worst flooding, has come back stronger than other New Orleans’ neighbourhoods largely due to its relative pre-storm affluence and residents’ will to take charge of Lakeview’s recovery. As Lakeview residents invested in homes and businesses, government dollars followed. The post office has reopened, main streets have been or are being rebuilt and a business district is thriving. It’s one of the best examples of Nagin’s market-driven approach to recovery, where money follows money.

Side streets such as Bellaire Drive, a frequent bus route taking camera-toting tourists to see where a flood wall failed, are pocked with dangerous potholes. The public school is empty. Vacant houses dot many blocks.

By one estimate, 36 percent of New Orleans’ housing is empty and  there is no clear indication when or whether they will be rebuilt.

Many home construction workers had more work than they could handle in the first two to three years of the recovery. Now, small groups can be found gathered outside building superstores and at busy intersections well into the afternoon, still looking for work.

Flozell Russell, 38, a welder before Katrina, said he’s out looking for work around 6 a.m. each day; one recent day, he was among about two dozen men on a patch of grass near a busy intersection, the smells of po’ boy sandwiches mingling with the roar of heavy equipment. Seeking work as a carpenter, welder or construction helper, he said he’s sometimes lucky to make $50 for a day’s work. “It ain’t getting better. It seems to be getting worse,” he said, a pencil behind his ear, a spare pair of work boots handy. Russell said he lives in a friend’s tool shed because he can’t afford rent.

Russell’s experience seems contradictory to New Orleans’ relatively low unemployment rate — 7.3 percent in June compared to a national rate of 9.7 percent. But the area’s rate is low in part because many of the poor who left after the storm never returned. And because there is a need for engineers, project managers and social workers, New Orleans is attractive to recent college graduates.

Trevor Acy, 24, moved to New Orleans from Mississippi early this year to work as a grant specialist. It was the only place he could find a job after college.

“Coming in I had a lot of preconceptions about New Orleans,” Acy said, referring to the city’s long-standing reputation for crime, poverty and a roaring nightlife. “But I’ve found the people to be really genuine, really warm.”

New Orleans has regained about 75 percent of its pre-storm population, though a recent reports said slowing of school enrolment suggests those moving in are single or childless couples. While Nagin believes the roughly 455,000 here before Katrina can be recovered in the next few years, some experts are think it could be 20 years before the population tops 400,000. He cites as challenges facing the city a lack of major new commercial development and slow job growth.

Residential addresses actively receiving mail

2000 total: 188,251

2008 June: 146,174

2009 June: 154,592

School enrolment

2003-2004: 186,901

Feb 2005: 108,573

Feb 2009: 140,822

Hospitals open

Pre-Katrina: 100% (39 hospitals)

Jul 2006: 56% (22 hospitals)

Jun 2009: 69% (27 hospitals)

A number of my French friends have enquired whether my beloved and I are returning to the UK to spend Xmas with our families. The answer is  unequivocally – NO!

I recall reading somewhere that the most stressful events are, in no particular order, death of a spouse or immediate family member, divorce, moving house, a family holiday and spending Xmas with your relatives. Inviting more people than you can happily seat or cater for to a blow-out Xmas Day luncheon challenges even the most gifted hostesses. 

When we were growing up, we regularly spent Xmas with (childless) friends of my parents. You might be thinking my parents did this to avoid alternating Xmas’s with the grandparents. But this wasn’t an issue for us. My Dad’s an orphan and I saw my grandmother, who lived with my aunt and uncle, every week.

When we married, we spent our first Xmas with my beloved’s recently widowed mother (aka the outlaw) and Boxing Day with my parents. I believe I may have mentioned that my mother-in-law’s cooking carries a government health warning. Her modus operandi is to nuke everything. So, no weight gain that Xmas.

The following Xmas we were aiming for a similar arrangement but in reverse order: Xmas Day with my parents and Boxing Day with the outlaw. On Xmas morning, my beloved cracked his head open on the door lintel prompting a quick trip to A&E where they patched him up, gave him a tetanus injection but forgot (or so he claimed) to tell him to steer clear of alcohol. Cue Boxing Day morning and my beloved was feeling too unwell to travel to the outlaw’s.

Xmas number three and, fearing we were heading for a precedent, which might be difficult to break, we decided to visit friends in Hamburg. Indeed, most years, work schedules permitting, our preferred option has been to take vacation over Xmas, and spend it skiing. Hence, fairly early on, we established that our custom and practice was doing our own thing.

Of course, we have spent a couple of Xmas’s with my family, largely at my husband’s behest. In general, it’s once every 8-10 years, where they come and stay with us and I do all the catering, clearing up etc etc etc.

This year, we’ll once again be having a quiet Xmas at home. Treating ourselves to a little of our favourite foods while burning off any excess calories on the bike. I will endeavour to restrict my beloved’s access to our home office to an hour or so a day, leaving us plenty of time to tackle outstanding jobs, such as hanging our new artwork.

Jump on over to Kobold Quarterly to check out my newest Hump Day Hazard: “Famine Mist.”

http://www.koboldquarterly.com/k/article3112.php

While you’re there, why not subscribe?

Rick held his endorsement rally at Southern Methodist University this afternoon. Many attendees took necessary precautions, the SMU ballroom being well-known for the debris which frequently falls from its ceiling:

(picture via Anna Tinsley)

My regular reader(s) knows of my obsession in planning as much as possible, as far ahead as possible. I’ve volunteered to help out at the World Road Race Championships in Melbourne 2010, and I’ll be going irrespective of whether or not they avail themselves of my services. The challenge is to find the lowest club class fare. Yes, I know economy would be way cheaper but I don’t do long-haul steerage. When I get on the plane for a long-haul flight I want to either go upstairs or turn left, never right.

I confess to having been spoilt many years ago while working in the internal audit department of an American bank. At short notice, they needed someone to fly over to Hong Kong to conduct an audit of the loans department. Bizarrely, I was the only volunteer and, even as a fairly junior member of staff, I got to travel FIRST CLASS.

I flew first class on Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong, cocooned in the lap of luxury, where I had a truly fantastic time, largely because I was on my lonesome and could do what I wanted, when I wanted; always my preferred state of affairs. I would travel to the office each morning in the (free) air-conditioned, hotel limousine as far as the Star Ferry and then board the ferry. Evenings were spent wandering around Hong Kong’s different districts and visiting lots of wonderful restaurants, which included having  afternoon tea at The Peninsula Hotel, something of an institution or rite of passage. I also visited China and Macau.

I was then asked to fly down to the Singapore office which was having problems accounting for futures and options. I flew there on Singapore Airlines, again first class and similarly luxurious. Regrettably, I had to fly back to Blighty on British Airways.

This was in the early eighties before Lords King and Marshal had worked their magic on the airline. Suffice to say that the difference between the oriental airlines and BA was so marked that I was moved to write a letter to Lord King with a few constructive criticisms as to how he might bridge the yawning chasm, which stretched over 5 pages. I firmly believe you get what you’re prepared to put up with. So, if you’re not happy, speak up! I received a delightful, hand-written note from Lord King thanking me for my thoughts and advising that they would be taken into consideration in the forthcoming re-launch of BA. And, so they were.

On the other hand, Richard Branson, oft-cited as a business guru, could not find the time to respond to my letter outlining my dissatisfaction with Virgin Atlantic, as a consequence, I have never darkened his door again. Plus, I shudder to think how many people I have told about my dire experiences on his airline.

Contrast this, if you will, with my experience of Easyjet who refunded the cost of my flight, after a delay of in excess of 4 hours, before I had time to apply finger to keyboard . So, while I’m happy to support both Easyjet and BA, neither of these are going to get me a cheap, business class fare to Melbourne. We had planned to use our Airmiles with Lufthansa but this took us on a round the world odyssey going out via LA and back via Bangkok. The best deal I’ve found to date is on Qatar airlines, via Doha from Milan. Of course, I’ve already booked the hotels.

Postscript: Booked two club class return tickets to Melbourne on Qatar Airlines for Euros 5,224 – bargain!

We woke yesterday morning at 07:00am to find that it had been raining in the early hours but was now, thanks to a stiff wind, starting to dry out. The sky was positively leaden and, while we doubted we would make it to the pointage, after 4 days off the bike, we were keen to get out. On the way to the club’s rendez vous point, we passed a few, but not many, other cyclists.

About a dozen hardy club mates had gathered and, as we set off, it started to rain again, albeit gently. The wind was still blowing hard so I tucked in behind our former Directeur Sportif, not a good choice of protection as he’s much smaller and lighter than me, but then aren’t they all? As he dropped back to chat to someone, I went to the front of the bunch and rode alongside M Le President. The rain had now started falling in earnest as we approached the Promenade des Anglais, M Le President muttered something about his waterproof and dropped back. I forged on, head down, only to be pulled back by my husband who advised that everyone else had turned tail and headed for home. We wisely did the same.

Predictably, we got drenched riding back and it took several minutes under a hot shower to warm us up. We went out to collect the newspapers and some shopping,  returning home resigned to spending the rest of the day indoors, in the warmth. We spent a lazy afternoon watching a veritable feast of derby matches: Everton v Liverpool, Arsenal v Chelsea, Barcelona v Real Madrid. The more fancied teams winning in all three games. My two teams had both played on Saturday. The boys in claret and blue had a hard fought home draw with Spurs while Nice, away at Sochaux, were undone by a goal which didn’t actually go over the line, according to the replay.

While enjoying the football, I pottered around in the kitchen preparing some meals as my beloved is home all week and will, no doubt, require feeding at regular intervals.

We were woken early this morning by loud claps of thunder and lightening overhead and when we got up found we had no electricity. I could see that the other apartment blocks in the Domaine had lights at a number of the windows; obviously the problem was restricted to our building. Actually, it was restricted to our block of the building, although the lift and the lights in the common parts were working, we just had to wait for the problem to be fixed.

At 11:00am, I decided to investigate what progress was being made to repair the problem and, in the lift, I bumped into my neighbour’s housekeeper who lives in one of the other buildings. She advised that the lightening had thrown out the circuit breaker. I said we’d tried that already, without success. We returned to the flat, she opened the door to the fuses and pressed a switch, in the bottom left-hand corner, which we didn’t know was there, and voila, normal service was resumed. Needless to say, we both felt, and looked, more than a little sheepish.

More than 300 villagers were evacuated in the Pacific nation of Vanuatu after an erupting volcano started spewing smoke and ash on to their homes.

Hundreds evacuated as Pacific volcano erupts on Vanuatu.

Gaua, about 9,800 feet high, has erupted 13 times since 1963, tourism officials say

Residents were loaded onto fishing boats and shipped to the far side of Gaua island after the volcano, which has been rumbling for the past two months, started erupting.

“They’re evacuating people to the other side of the island. The volcano was throwing ash in the place they live,” said a Red Cross spokesman. He said police and Vanuatu’s National Disaster Management Office were overseeing the operation.

The Red Cross is providing water containers and purification tablets for the villagers, who have been hit by respiratory problems and diarrhoea caused by the volcano’s pungent sulphur fumes.

The evacuees will have to stay away from their villages until the volcano subsides, the official said. The area has been put on the second highest alert level, reports said.

Vanuatu is on the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/vanuatu/6661032/Hundreds-evacuated-as-Pacific-volcano-erupts-on-Vanuatu.html

Published: 12:39PM GMT 26 Nov 2009

Having dropped off my beloved at the airport at some ungodly hour I am now privy to a spectacular sunrise over the Baie des Anges. Truth be told, I typically head back to bed for another half-hour or so but I’ve too much to do today and have no intention of forfeiting my ride.

Yesterday, which also started bright and early, saw me glued to my office chair until the late afternoon. My husband went off for his lunchtime swim and returned, so it seemed, in the blink of an eye, demanding to be fed. I gave him money and sent him packing to a local restaurant.

When I finally managed to escape to the gym for a work out, before heading to the shops for supplies for dinner, I had a bit of an unpleasant surprise.  As I went to open the car door I noticed that it was now splattered with bird pooh, where before it had been pristine. Obviously, this had happened while it had been entrusted to my husband. There’s a series of car adverts where unfortunate things happen to friends who abuse the beloved small car of their wife, friend, husband. These adverts have struck a chord with me. I think you can see where I am going with this one.

Right before we moved to France, my husband rushed off to his local Mercedes dealer waving his bonus cheque and made a substantial down-payment on a 4×4. Having advised my husband to wait while I investigated the tax implications of such an acquisition, I was not a happy bunny. Even though Mercedes is a global company, there was no way legally we could continue to insure and pay for a German registered car while living in France. As a consequence, I had to put in train the rather long and very tedious process of re-registering the car in France which starts with parcelling up the number plates and sending them to the German consulate in Marseille. I won’t bore you with the rest of the process. The car was effectively off the road for 6-weeks.

Having, finally, successfully re-registered the car, we then had to exchange it for a new  model as we could not transfer the German operating lease. Needless to say my husband was over the moon. Me, much less so. The car was used mainly for business purposes, indeed our personal use of the car was less than 10%. I had to keep a record for the French tax authorities. In addition, despite it effectively being a “company” car, not all of the costs were tax deductible as it cost much more to run than was fiscally permissible. A point which surely rankled with me.

Finally, the operating lease came to an end and this time my husband was forcibly prevented from acquiring the car with a balloon payment. That’s right, he’s not a signatory on any of our bank accounts. A very wise move on my part. Initially, one of his clients allowed him to use one of their pool cars but that arrangement has now ended.

The thought of not having his own car, has been difficult for him to digest and he’s mulled over a couple of options which, to humour him, I have appeared to entertain. But, the other day, he conceded that we could manage perfectly well with only one car. However, I have had to point out that use of my car does carry with it a number of conditions. Yes, note the use of the possessive, it is my car, not our car.

One: when the light flashes indicating that it needs more petrol, please fill it up. I do not want to get into the car, see the flashing light and wonder whether or not I have enough in the tank to make it to the nearest petrol station. My husband has run out of petrol on a number of occasions, I have not. Two: if birds pooh on my car while you’re using it, you immediately clean it up. I keep cleaning fluid and roll of paper in the box in the boot of my car for this very purpose. Three: I do not like to be seen in a dirty or untidy car. It gets a weekly trip to the car wash where it is carefully washed, hand dried and vacuumed. If you get it dirty, you know what needs to be done. I don’t have to spell it out.

My husband knows what will happen if he doesn’t follow these three simple rules. We have been married long enough for him to appreciate that I make promises, not threats, and I have an elephantine memory.