Hardly had time to lift my fingers to the keyboard lately, things are so frantic. It seems unfortunate to me that Christmas and all the social activities that go with it are during the busiest time of year for wildlife and for construction in the southern hemisphere, so our household is currently in a state of frenzy not seen since the young lady came into the world.
All good though.
Family first. Grandma is visiting and so I have been trying to show her a fun time. We have already been around the base looking at ponds and grasslands with her early present of a new fold-out ID guide to Falklands feathered friends, took a boat trip from the harbour where we saw dolphins and a selection of birdlife and there is a lot else planned.
Big Man is still working hard and preparing to yomp across the island this week in boots to raise money for charity - http://www.soldierscharity.org/news/2011/12/12/sappers-slog-retraces-falklands-journey-of-british-forces
Thankfully Movember is now a thing of the past and facial hair is off the menu once more!
Madamoiselle is developing beautifully and has entered a more peaceful phase. She is going to be 3 soon and eligible for a.m. preschool sessions which will be a wrench, mainly for me. If her current love of preschool is anything to go by, she'll love it. Sniff.
So as for me, time to gestate my new project, the book. Recently turned out there could be funding so I am pressing on with photographing plants at every turn.
Also been having spanish lessons ahead of our Chile holiday so that instead of ordering diesel (gasoleo) in a restaurant, I can try lemonade (gaseosa) to drink instead!
The polytunnel continues to be a raving success, lots of people have massive amounts of fresh produce to eat; lettuce, courgettes, peas, carrots and more almost ready for harvest.
All is not so rosy in the hen house however, one of the black birds (still can't tell them apart *blushes*) is broody and has been hiding out under the house (the houses are slightly raised on concrete pillars) so as I have not seen her for a little while I am getting worried. Advice on a postcard please. Already tried torchlight and a foray with a super-soaker (!) to no avail.
Most likely thats all for now - will be back to chirp more in 2012!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
xxx
Monday, 12 December 2011
Friday, 18 November 2011
Falklands: Fact or Fiction?
Since the war in 1982 there have existed a few myths and misconceptions about the Falkland Islands, probably due to the distance and lack of communication for many years.
I would like to bust some of the myths and confirm some of the truths right now, starting with 7 popular assertions. See how you score!
Statement # 1. The Falkland Islands are found somewhere off the coast of Scotland.
FICTION. They are located off the coast of South America in the South Atlantic Ocean.
Statement # 2. Penguins comically fall over backwards trying to crane their heads upwards when fighter jets fly low over their colonies.
FICTION. They do no such thing.
Statement # 3. There is only one newspaper on the islands, called the Penguin News.
FACT. The Penguin News is published weekly and contains the usual news and soundbites and also anything locals want to share with the rest of the community, personal or trivial!
Statement # 4. All Argentinians believe the islands belong to them and want to come and reclaim the territory for themselves.
PARTLY TRUE. Thorny but the way it appears to me is that there are those Argentinians who believe that the islands should fall within Argentinian government and the current leader is of that ilk and those who have been misguidedly led to think that the locals all want to be Argentinian and are being oppressed. However there are plenty of friendly supporters too.
Statement # 5. The place is wall-to-wall penguins and residents are almost tripping over them on a daily basis.
FICTION. While there are many healthy-sized colonies of several species of penguin on the islands, it can take some arduous off-road driving, hiking or travel by helicopter to view them.
Statement # 6. There is nothing else to do on the Falklands except get drunk and all the locals revel in this.
FICTION. Although alcohol is cheap and entertainment is naturally more limited than in the UK, recent efforts by senior staff on the military base have led to a reduction in late hours drinking and anti-social behaviour (also known as 'fun') and the bars in Stanley keep closing at odd times preventing a decent all-dayer or lock-in. Parties of a frisky nature do still occur, not often including us old fogies with kids of course, but it is not quite the scene it might once have been.
Statement # 7. The Falklands are within the Antarctic convergence and are often bathed in snow and sub-zero temperatures, with an overall climate much colder than the UK.
FICTION. The islands are the same distance from the south pole as London is from the North Pole so the climate is broadly similar. However, the effect is moderated by the presence of a LOT of wind, which cools the maxium temperature, blows the bejeesus out of people on average one day a fortnight and often whips away the clouds, leaving a bright and sunny overall experience.
I would like to bust some of the myths and confirm some of the truths right now, starting with 7 popular assertions. See how you score!
Statement # 1. The Falkland Islands are found somewhere off the coast of Scotland.
FICTION. They are located off the coast of South America in the South Atlantic Ocean.
Statement # 2. Penguins comically fall over backwards trying to crane their heads upwards when fighter jets fly low over their colonies.
FICTION. They do no such thing.
Statement # 3. There is only one newspaper on the islands, called the Penguin News.
FACT. The Penguin News is published weekly and contains the usual news and soundbites and also anything locals want to share with the rest of the community, personal or trivial!
Statement # 4. All Argentinians believe the islands belong to them and want to come and reclaim the territory for themselves.
PARTLY TRUE. Thorny but the way it appears to me is that there are those Argentinians who believe that the islands should fall within Argentinian government and the current leader is of that ilk and those who have been misguidedly led to think that the locals all want to be Argentinian and are being oppressed. However there are plenty of friendly supporters too.
Statement # 5. The place is wall-to-wall penguins and residents are almost tripping over them on a daily basis.
FICTION. While there are many healthy-sized colonies of several species of penguin on the islands, it can take some arduous off-road driving, hiking or travel by helicopter to view them.
Statement # 6. There is nothing else to do on the Falklands except get drunk and all the locals revel in this.
FICTION. Although alcohol is cheap and entertainment is naturally more limited than in the UK, recent efforts by senior staff on the military base have led to a reduction in late hours drinking and anti-social behaviour (also known as 'fun') and the bars in Stanley keep closing at odd times preventing a decent all-dayer or lock-in. Parties of a frisky nature do still occur, not often including us old fogies with kids of course, but it is not quite the scene it might once have been.
Statement # 7. The Falklands are within the Antarctic convergence and are often bathed in snow and sub-zero temperatures, with an overall climate much colder than the UK.
FICTION. The islands are the same distance from the south pole as London is from the North Pole so the climate is broadly similar. However, the effect is moderated by the presence of a LOT of wind, which cools the maxium temperature, blows the bejeesus out of people on average one day a fortnight and often whips away the clouds, leaving a bright and sunny overall experience.
Monday, 7 November 2011
Reflecting on the little differences
We are fast approaching the halfway point in our stay here in the Falklands so I have written down a few of the things that make life different out here.
Things I miss:
Family and friends
Wind-free walks
Decent shops
Woodland trees
Fresh fruit and veg
Unlimited internet
Playing hockey
Fresh milk
Pub beer gardens
Beautiful British landscapes
Chippy tea
Sky +
Organic poultry
Guaranteed posting dates
A non-ulcerated mouth
Reading proper newspapers and magazines within 2 weeks of publication
Things I don't miss:
Rain
Crime and fear of crime
Certain supermarkets
Traffic and motorways
Rushing about
Working too hard
Stairs
Cars as status symbols
Paying for parking
Traffic wardens
Doorstep sellers
Anonymity and thoughtlessness of general British public
Things that will take some getting used to when we go back:
No-one acknowledging as you drive by ('Falkland Finger')
Roundabouts
Driving in lanes
Bridges
Trees
Humidity
Multi-storey car parks
Shops being open 24 hours
Being able to order takeaway food
Pubs and cafes without boxes of toys
Going round supermarkets without child-sized trolleys
Hearing neighbour's noise and not the roar of aircraft
People (hopefully) coming to visit and it costing less than £2000!
Things I miss:
Family and friends
Wind-free walks
Decent shops
Woodland trees
Fresh fruit and veg
Unlimited internet
Playing hockey
Fresh milk
Pub beer gardens
Beautiful British landscapes
Chippy tea
Sky +
Organic poultry
Guaranteed posting dates
A non-ulcerated mouth
Reading proper newspapers and magazines within 2 weeks of publication
Things I don't miss:
Rain
Crime and fear of crime
Certain supermarkets
Traffic and motorways
Rushing about
Working too hard
Stairs
Cars as status symbols
Paying for parking
Traffic wardens
Doorstep sellers
Anonymity and thoughtlessness of general British public
Things that will take some getting used to when we go back:
No-one acknowledging as you drive by ('Falkland Finger')
Roundabouts
Driving in lanes
Bridges
Trees
Humidity
Multi-storey car parks
Shops being open 24 hours
Being able to order takeaway food
Pubs and cafes without boxes of toys
Going round supermarkets without child-sized trolleys
Hearing neighbour's noise and not the roar of aircraft
People (hopefully) coming to visit and it costing less than £2000!
Saturday, 5 November 2011
Freebies
Just a little note to add that from 4th November 2011 for a month, all parcels under 2 kg are free to send to us. Blueys in hard copy (available from post offices) and e-blueys, which get printed out at the destination and are found at www.ebluey.com are also free to send to us at this address.
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Tantrums, tears and tiaras
Ok that's probably enough alliteration to last throughout the next century so I'll leave it at that!
Suffice to say that the wee girl has been going through a developmental leap which has caused us to have to make a few adjustments in our response to her. The main points of struggle have been bathtime and bedtime, leaving playgroups and wearing a certain pink and white dress, potentially all day every day if she had her way.
We now seem to be almost on the far side of this phase (today's double-dose dress-distress notwithstanding) and it is amazing to see how she has developed so I can only assume it was brain related, like most of her other nightmarish periods (6 weeks old growth spurt springs to mind!).
Her latest feats include: drawing a character with a face complete with eyes, ears, hair, mouth, nose and legs; getting stuck into playdough for over an hour and a half; unpacking a little buddha present for His Nibs and putting it on the shelf next to the other buddha without remark; and asking me what shape the polytunnel is - leaving me flummoxed (semi-circle in 3D / half a cylinder / answers on a postcard!!!).
Suffice to say that the wee girl has been going through a developmental leap which has caused us to have to make a few adjustments in our response to her. The main points of struggle have been bathtime and bedtime, leaving playgroups and wearing a certain pink and white dress, potentially all day every day if she had her way.
We now seem to be almost on the far side of this phase (today's double-dose dress-distress notwithstanding) and it is amazing to see how she has developed so I can only assume it was brain related, like most of her other nightmarish periods (6 weeks old growth spurt springs to mind!).
Her latest feats include: drawing a character with a face complete with eyes, ears, hair, mouth, nose and legs; getting stuck into playdough for over an hour and a half; unpacking a little buddha present for His Nibs and putting it on the shelf next to the other buddha without remark; and asking me what shape the polytunnel is - leaving me flummoxed (semi-circle in 3D / half a cylinder / answers on a postcard!!!).
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Spring has sprung!
Someone up there has flung the giant celestial switch back so spring has now sprung! Lambs are gambolling about, we have blue skies, cool breeze, some spring flowers a bit like crocuses called pale maidens and my mood has lifted tremendously. Need to lose a bit of weight and get active and enjoy the penguin-spotting season to the full!
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
Toddlers, tyres and typhoons
This week saw an epic outing which left the Monkey and I a tad tired but it was worth it. On Monday she was invited to little Johnny's birthday trip. I helped out with arrangements and took my allotted gaggle of preschoolers giggling and cavorting up to the runway in convoy behind the first car of tots and a military Land Rover. We had to stop to check tyres for debris before driving on the runway proper, which proved rather fiddly as our tyres with narrow tread held umpteen tiny shards of gravel and the chap escorting us conscientiously felt duty bound to remove them all himself. (I was amused to tell Him Indoors later that his car tyres had been serviced by a Squadron Leader).
Some 25 minutes later we proceeded round the airfield to the hangar housing a typhoon, which in case you don't know is a comparatively small, grey aeroplane with a pointy snout that can travel extremely fast, does almost vertical take-off and makes a LOT of noise whilst doing so. [For example, today I was on the phone and had to stop speaking for some time while a typhoon took off as it was pointless trying to say a word].
It was an interesting experience at the hangar. We went up a steep ladder to have a look in the moderately sized cockpit replete with an abundance of small technical-looking buttons, noting particularly the yellow and black handle between the legs (ejector) and lack of cupholders. Found out that each typhoon carries enough fuel for either 3 and a half hours flying or 12 minutes (!), depending how economically it is flown. Back in the locker room we were shown the pilot's helmet, night-vision goggles and anti-G-Force suit which inflates to counteract the movement of blood away from the head.
At the conclusion of the tour I was pleasantly surprised to find a ladies toilet within the building and further chuffed to be sent away with loads of crisps and chocolate bars ('we are all on a diet you see').
Kelly McGillis eat your heart out.
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