A thought on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico

This ghastly BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is giving me nightmares along with everyone else.

How much longer can we bear to look at the pictures of the oil saturated wildlife suffering so badly. The pelicans, the sea birds, the turtles. The total wipe out of the shrimps and the fish, not to mention the disastrous effect on the beautiful coastline and the people who work there and make their livelihood from the natural richness of the area - a richness with is now left in virtual rags. Everything is lost. It will take decades to recover.

Why is it taking so long to stem the incessant flow of oil? Before they were allowed deep sea drilling didn't BP have a contingent plan in place for quick action in the event of a tragedy on this scale? Did try think they were infallible?

That it begs the question as to whether we should be so reliant on the oil industry for our day to day living is a given. Surely now western societies will think again before they become so willing to pillage the oceans and the natural beauty of the planet.

If no one learns a lesson from this calamity, then surely they don't deserve to have the relative riches that the wealth of oilfields, both in the oceans and on land affords them.

Please say a pray that a solution will be found and implemented soon. The people who live and work in the affected region do not deserve this. The wildlife in the area does not deserve this. The planet which is home to millions of life forms as well as our own does not deserve this.

Please God let it be resolved soon……

A day in Padstow, Cornwall

A trip to Padstow for me today. Got on the bus with a dozen people, all of whom i know, and so we rattled along the narrow coastal lanes. Rattled? ….Yes, indeed. Ever tried public transport in Cornwall?…ouch my back….

Padstow is the quintessential picture post card Cornwall. Narrow winding streets. Quaint cottages and shops on each side bedecked with colourful hanging baskets. The shops are a delight. Pouring with gifts and all sorts of trinkets and memorabilia that you can find only here in Cornwall.

For a fishing resort on the rugged north coast of Cornwall, it is unusual. It is more like the fishing villages on the more gentle south coast.

Today the sun was shining. It was bright and it was windy, taking some of the heat from the sun. The harbour was full of boats of every shape and size and colour. Tourists flocked and sat everywhere.

Finding a restaurant with an empty table big enough to seat eight of us (the group had split up), was a problem, but eventually we ate outside at the Old Ship Inn. Charming. I had fish and chips, well I was a tourist! Seagulls glided overhead and eyed my plate with what seemed to be a combination of determination and sheer malice. Okay, I like seagulls but I was not about to give up my lunch to them. I was hungry. I'd travelled all the way from Newquay…..

After the meal, a leisurely browse around the fascinating shops. And finally a spot of sunbathing, all the while being serenaded by a street busker playing a guitar - and very nicely too.

Back on the old bone rattler and forty minutes later we were back in Newquay. A tad windswept but happy and ready for a nice cup of coffee.

Vuvuzela....Ella

ZZZzzzzzzzzz…..ZZZzzzzzz…ZZZZzzzzzzz

No it is not likely to get to number one in the charts, and no, it won't ever find itself in an orchestra outside of Africa. Played alone it maybe okay, relaxing even??? But blown by thousands simultaneously and droning on and on and on during the 2010 World Cup matches is, well, not on. At least that's my humble opinion.

When it is being blow by tens of thousands in this relatively confined space, the sound resonates at 144db. Louder than a jet engine at 137db. Experts have placed 137db as the limit to which the human ear should be exposed, or permanent deafness may result.

ZZZzzzzz…..ZZZZzzzzz…..ZZZzzzzzz

So pity if you will the poor player. France blamed their poor showing in their opening game as a lack of concentration due to the loudness of these horns, making it impossible for players to communicate with their managers sat on the benches, and vice versa. Still the horns go on….C'est la vie. La vie often sucks.

Green…and that slippery fingered goal that managed to oil (no pun here) it's way through his inept looking hands - the hands that made a unique gift to the USA…the dreaded equaliser - Vuvuzela stress? Hmm. Well maybe. If it was he aint admitting it yet.

ZZzzzzz……..ZZZzzzzzz…….ZZZZzzzzzzzz

The vuvuzela is part of the South African culture. I am informed that it had it's genesis in the kudu antelope's horns and was was originally used to summon the villagers to their regular meetings. So far so good….that was many years ago. Now it's made from plastic in Chinese factories. Welcome to the 21st century.

ZZZzzzzz….ZZZzzzzz…..ZZZZzzzzz……

To those in the stadium it's has to be deafening. Drowning out any singing coming from the terraces by the fans. A traditional feature of the World Cup which we have all come to ..er…love? Maybe the Australian team should send their Kangaroos to jump on all vuvuzelas and crush them into the ground. Harsh? you cry…Bliss I cry….

For us watching on our TVs it sounds like the droning buzz of a gigantic swarm of angry bees. On….and on…..and on….

Where's the fly swat ???

ZZZzzzz……ZZZZzzzz…..ZZZzzzz….SPLAT !!!!

World Cup Music

The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa kicked off last night (Friday 10th June 2010) with a superb concert. I watched it on my TV whilst sipping a glass of red wine.

After the great Black-eyed Peas opened the show with 'I gotta feeling' and Alicia Keys tinkled the ivories in great style and got us in the mood with her 'Empire State of Mind', - USA have a strong team here- Shakira arrived onstage to grace our TV screens accompanied by an elaborate rift on the piano keyboard.

What have these two great ladies in common? Rhetorical question - you guessed it, yes, a great sounding piano. Well maybe you didn't guess it. But seriously any female who's dominant in the pop world today seems to have a dramatic piano accompaniment.

Remember Lady GaGa at the Royal Variety Show last year? She sang 'Speechless' seated at a grand piano which had by far the longest legs in the entire history of the grand piano; almost upstaging herself in the process.

And so, pianos and all, although the concert last night was really dominated by US pop icons, African music also gave us an unforgettable sound throughout and happily the ambience of this great continent shone through. The World Cup opening concert belonged to Africa.

Africa has an abundance of unique music along with it's rich tapestry of culture, and I'm sure that we will all be entertained to the full during this month of sport, drama and colourful pageantry.

Africa Football Fever

So here I am with my own blog page. Ha. I may look like I know what i'm doing. Who am I kidding? Not you of course. Well here goes.

The countdown has begun to…yes that great colourful festival of drunkenness, yobbishness, elation, pain, heartache and of course national pride. Yes that's right. Football. or soccer as some prefer to call it, is upon us at it's dizzing pinnacle. And I for one am deliriously looking forward to it.

Funny thing is, I'm not really a soccer…er…football fan. Until it comes to the world cup that is. Then I go soccer…er football crazy.

My phone has to have world cup desktop paper. My laptop has a world cup widget. i have a "Come on England" world cup T-shirt and World cup WAG bag.

And that's not all. I shall be cheering for no less than four teams! England, of course I am English. Then USA - I consider it my second home. France, because I believe in re-incarnation, and I am sure I was French in a past life. i sometimes dream in French and often wake not knowing what it was all about! Brazil is my other passion, because I know a young(ish) Brazilian man whom I love. Well, that's as good a reason as any I reckon.

So there I'll be, mostly in from of my TV with my flags, my T-shirt my noisy horn and last but my no means least my beer. The South African rainbow will be working over time in my humble abode.

But I will venture into the pub next door - The Red Lion - to shout, scream, hoot, drink and occasionally (I hope) bang my head on the table in frustration with the best of 'em.

Let the fun begin.