Travels in Zanzibar, Part IV: Diving

A particular highspot on my jaunt to Zanzibar was learning to SCUBA dive and I'm very proud of the fact that I'm now a PADI-certified Open Water Diver. Diving has been a fascination since my early childhood when I used to beg to stay up late to watch Lloyd Bridges in Seahunt. But for any number of reasons I'd never got around to trying it in my youth. Cold water was always a deterrent and also a fear of Kraken and other such monsters of the deep. But in the 28°C crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean it was impossible to find an excuse. The photos here are from my final dive: investigating the wreck of a British cable laying ship, the Great Northern, that went down off Stonetown on New Year's eve, 1902. The remains of the ship have formed a magnificent artificial reef and it's a popular site for diving expeditions. Thanks to divemaster, Yannis, for some of the pics.


MD geared up: the equipment is heavy and in addition I carried 8Kg of lead weights to achieve negative buoyancy


Going down...


Continuing the descent -note left hand on the buoyancy control button


The hull of the Great Northern appears


The shipwreck has formed an artificial reef


"Name the creature" competition. I've no idea what it is but it's very well camouflaged. Any ideas, Chuck...?


Iron ship parts and debris was everywhere


Our dive party plays follow the leader through the wreckage


Pipe fish


Party fish

Travels in Zanzibar, Part III: Dolphins

This clip is self-explanatory and was one of several sightings of these fascinating creatures. At first I thought the dorsal fin was a shark but the playful and friendly behaviour announced "dolphins". Sometimes the animals engaged in spectacular and downright showoff antics such as barrel rolls off the bow of the boat (unfortunately I was too amazed to get these tricks on camera). Apologies for the shaky quality of the clip but there is only so much you can do with a little point and shoot camera designed for still photography.

Travels in Zanzibar, Part II: Nungwi

After a few days in the heat of Stonetown I travelled to the northernmost tip of the island and stayted in Nungwi, a small fishing village. Here are some images:


Fishing dhow of the coast at Nungwi


The Dhow fleet sails out in the late afternoon:I counted more than 60 sails on the horizon


Off Mnemba atoll: have you ever seen whiter sand or bluer water?


Back on shore vegetation is lush


"Melody"


I did get some time for reading but Ulysses still defeats me!


Sunset at Nungwi


Actually there's nothing like sunsets in Zanzibar so here's another shot

Travels in Zanzibar, Part I: Stonetown

A picture may be worth a thousand words and photoblogging is considerably easier than writing so here's the first episode of my Zanzibar adventure. Stonetown is the capital of Zanzibar and has a special charm. Its muddled warren of narrow streets have been designated a World Heritage site and Freddie Mercury was born here. Take a look around:


Stonetown Port


The Sultan's Palace: the cannon weren't much use against a British naval bombardment in 1896 which has become known as the "40 minute war"


Roofscape: the towers in the background are a Catholic cathedral: several major religions are represented here.


African, Indian and Arabic influences are evident throughout the city.


Colonial doorway: to this day Zanzibaris are amazing carvers, carpenters and woodcraftsmen


Dr Livingstone, I presume?


Fortifications


Barack Obama enjoys tremendous popularity here; I didn't see any stickers for Sarah Palin, though.

Crowning Glory

Yesterday, for my sins, I had a dental crown fitted. I feel quite grateful that despite being brought up in the era of no water fluoridation and crap NHS dentistry (i.e. the UK in the 60s and 70s) I've attained a relatively advanced age without the need for these things. While I've always sought out progressive dentists I was still surprised to be offered a choice of movies (from a menu of 400+) while I prepared for my two hours of drilling and filling (but discovered subsequently that I was at the practice of "Seattle's Best Dentist"). My first request to the young but highly competent assistant was for Marathon Man (see above clip). Unfortunately it wasn't in their library and furthermore the young thing had no clue what I was talking about. My first reaction was that she didn't understand my twisted sense of humour but to be fair she was certainly born well after Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier and Roy Scheider were chewing the scenery off the walls in this flick. In the end I settled for The Maltese Falcon. At the time I didn't realise what a great choice this was: I'd completely forgotten about lines from Bogie such as "...talk like that can get a guy's teeth knocked out...". Classic stuff but let me assure you that when you have a head full of anaesthetic, a rubber dam in your mouth and the ultrasonic drill is screaming away, script of this nature can easily give you an attack of the giggles. My dentist didn't get it until much later when I had the bloody dam out of my mouth and could explain. Anyway in the course of my fun filled two hours I started to think of other films that would be appropriate for viewing while in the dentist's chair. Here's my list:

1. Marathon Man
2. Thomas Crown Affair
3. Jaws
4. Drillbit Taylor
5. Mona Lisa Smile
6. Jewel in the Crown
7. Raw Nerve
8. Any James Bond(ed) -geddit?
   
9. Novocaine (yes, there really is a flick with this title)
   
10. Decay (as for #9)
    

I'm sure there must be more as I compiled this list while in the chair and not exactly compus mentus. Please let me know you're suggestions...

Rapacious Bastards

Bock sums up the current global financial crisis and the contribution to it by weery greedy bankers perfectly. $300 million in compensation over a mere 8 years for doing nothing more than screwing up and decimating the savings and pensions of countless individuals?  And then wanting a bonus out of the government bailout?  Anybody in the financial sector heard of Performance Related pay? Enough is enough  -time to bring back the stocks.

A Nobel Cause

Prof. Luc Montagnier, Nobel Laureate, 2008 (photo taken from Wikipedia and used under a creative commons licence -original photo from Proline)

The announcement that Luc Montagnier and Françoise Barré-Sinoussi (for the discovery of HIV) along with Harald zur Hausen (for linking HPV with cervical cancer) have won the 2008 Nobel Prize in Medicine is long overdue. At the risk of name dropping, Prof. Montagnier is one of half a dozen Nobel Laureates I have actually met although I suspect if we bumped into each other today he would say either "Qui sont vous, mate?" or "Vous êtes le bloke qui nearly ruined my lecture at UCSF in 1986 when you knocked over the projector: quel plonker!". Perhaps what is more significant about this year's award is who didn't get the prize. I've already seen predictable carping to this effect. All I can say is that bullying and misconduct should never be rewarded. Those in the biosciences will know who I mean; to lay readers please forgive me but I'm withholding names to protect me from the lawyers of the guilty!

Back in the USA

MD looking more crazed than usual

Despite the best efforts of Kenya Airlines (remember you get what you pay for) I'm now safely back in Seattle having survived all manner nasties over the past three weeks.

Essays on the subject of "What I did on my Holidays" will be forthcoming over the next few days when I get over the jetlag.

On Me Hols

Now I really am On the Road to Zanzibar. Yay!

In the unlikely that my accommodations have wireless internet, blogging will be non existent for the next two weeks. Fingers crossed I don't get Dengue Fever, Malaria or some other tropical nasty. And that the jellyfish and Kraken leave me alone.

Back in two weeks...

14th September 1918

The late Major A.W. Morrow, MA, Royal Army Medical Corps with Mad Pup, c1951

This is an early post as tomorrow I'll be on the road (or in the air) but I couldn't let this milestone go by without comment. September 14 is my late Father's birthday. He would have been 90. It's hard to believe that so many years have gone by without him. He was a gentleman, scholar, athlete, scientist and warrior. He had the patience of Job and the highest standards of integrity. Truly a lovely man and great role model. Happy Birthday, Dad, -I miss you and think of you everyday.

Snake Oil Salesman

Royal Holloway College, University of London

I'm currently attending a conference here. It's one of the most astonishingly gorgeous Victorian buildings I know. The university knows it too and apparently the local fire brigade are retained primarily to protect the place. It was built by this man:


Thomas Holloway, 1800-1883

Thomas Holloway was a philanthropist and made his money in advertising, an industry in which he was a pioneer. He also made a pile by selling medications, notably this "general purpose ointment":


Holloway's General Purpose Ointment

Modern analysis of Holloway's medications have revealed that they contained no known efficacious ingredients. So there we have the secret to success in the pharmaceutical industry: identify a marginally effective (if at all) medicine and hype its properties to death through weasel advertising. I'm sure Mr Holloway must be laughing in his grave in the knowledge that nothing has changed since his era. But thanks for the building...

PS "Happy Birthday to Me, Happy Birthday to Me..."

Big Bang

Large Hadron Collider, CERN

Later today scientists at the CERN particle accelerator will try to re-create conditions in the universe immediately after the Big Bang. I'm not quite sure what they are hoping to observe but certainly they will be on the lookout for the elusive "God Particle". There is a concern that there is a finite risk of creating a black hole into which we will all fall and collapse under the weight of our own nuclei. While the latter event is unlikely I can't help thinking that this experiment is the grown up equivalent of me mixing potassium chlorate (weedkiller) and sugar together and observing what happened when I ignited the mixture. Did I destoy the garden shed? No, but I certainly singed my eyebrows...!

Wallpaper

Durham Cathedral

With the dog days of summer I always seem to become nostalgic for England's green and pleasant land. Something to do with the change of seasons, I think. Summer to autumn is a very special time that evokes all kinds of memories, usually associated with positive change. So for no particular reason here's a nice picture of a particularly lovely edifice. Quintessential Britain, I think.

Happy Blog-iversary!

Amazingly, this blog is celebrating another anniversary. 447 somewhat erratic posts containing an annoying number of typos and grammatical errors in four years. I hope some of you have found it entertaining. Now on to year five: champagne anyone...?

Plain Sailing

MD with Henry in Ensign class dinghy, San Diego bay.

Here's another postcard from my trip to San Diego last week. Old friend Henry and his charming wife, Lupe, treated me to a splendid lunch and bit of sailing around SD bay. Perfect! The reality of coming back to a rainy Seattle was harsh. I'm still plotting how to get a small sailing yacht and an apartment in the Ionian Islands.

Happy Birthday!

MD offspring in Seoul, Korea, June 2008

I can't believe it's been 24 years since I cut that umbilical cord.

Happy Birthday, Olivia!

Bon voyage, too: we'll celebrate when you are back.

Irony

Sadly, the excellent saxophonist, LeRoi Moore, from the equally excellent Dave Matthews band has succumbed to injuries acquired earlier in the year following a vehicle accident. While Mr Moore was recuperating, his place in the group was taken by Jeff Coffin. Is somebody Up There taking the piss?  RIP, LeRoi.

The Cat's Meeow

I hope I'm not overdoing these video clips but while I was in California a new automotive project (or rather an old one that has been resurrected) was coming to fruition. This sound is quite the business don't you think? I've mostly missed the US rally season but next year will be a different matter...!

Without cheating, do any of you know what the car is? Gilly and Chuck are excluded from replies.

Thanks Mel, you've done a fantastic job. Now you'd better fit that exhaust pipe!

Jethro Tull Live: Bourée

Ahhah, got it at last! This YouTube upload process can be tricky, especially with a slow internet connection. Anyway now I'm back in Seattle things have moved a bit. So here for your viewing pleasure is a video clip taken by yours truly of Ian Anderson et al. playing their old warhorse, Bourée, at the San Diego concert last Thursday. It was not a bad 40th anniversary gig even though I wasn't invited backstage. I have to say that while Mr Anderson did a virtually note-perfect solo, David Goodier's bass playing wasn't a patch on Glenn Cornick's original. Oh, well...!

PS Sorry about the less than professional vid quality but you can't expect too much from a 5mp Canon Elph still camera. And considering the above, the sound quality is quite amazing as I was recording from a distance of around 100 ft.

Performing Arts

MD making shadow creatures on the wall of the Orange County Performing Arts Center yesterday evening.

Sunbury to San Diego

Programme from the 8th National Jazz and Blues Festival, Sunbury, August 1968

Exactly forty years today, on Sunday 11th August 1968 (don't nitpick, I started to write this post yesterday) I made my way with friend Nick Williams to the racecourse at Sunbury-on-Thames, near London and paid 15/- (that's 75p for those born in the decimal era) to attend my first ever rock concert. I only attended for one day (Sunday) but despite missing great acts such as Ten Years After, Deep Purple and Arthur Brown on the previous day the lineup was still tremendous. Traffic, Spencer Davis, John Mayall, Chicken Shack, Al Stewart and Fairport Convention were all in attendance and to my impressionable young mind were simply great and this probably explains why I have so many of their CDs in my collection today. In addition the late, great, John Peel was compere on a secondary stage, actually a tent, of unbilled smaller acts that included a young, dynamic, piano player by the name of Reg Dwight who went on to achieve fame as Sir Elton John.
While all of these bands were exceptionally good, to my mind one stood out above all the rest -the hitherto unknown Jethro Tull. In fact I would say they stole the show although I'm not sure why. Perhaps because on an afternoon/evening that was replete with guitar virtuosoity from the likes of Stan Webb, Stevie Winwood, John Mayall and Jeff Beck, Tull's use of the flute as a lead instrument was fresh and very different. To this day they are pretty much the only band to take this approach and while Ian Anderson's technique was somewhat limited (it has improved immeasurably over the years) the attack was amazing. Dharma for One is still one of the most aggressive instumentals I know. Perhaps also because I was learning to play the flute at the time and JT's sound, particularly the percussive overblowing technique, offered a more macho alternative than the drippy, saccharine styles frequently offered by other flautists.

Anyway I've been a fan of Ian Anderson/Jethro Tull ever since and on Thursday I'm going to see them again in San Diego, California. Back in the heady days of 1968, I'm absolutely positive that neither the band or I would have dreamed we'd be doing the same thing 40 year later. Let's hope we may be doing this again in 2048!

Hiroshima Mon Amour

Genbaku Dome, Hiroshima: Ground Zero.

Twenty five years ago to the day I was in Japan attending a conference. The date was also very close to the anniversary of the atomic bombing of that country. I took a side trip to the city of Hiroshima to view the site of the first nuclear attack. I've visited many battlefields in my life. All have a poignant vibe but this city seemed to physically resonate with the agonies of tortured souls*.


August 1983: MD rings the Bell of Peace.

At the time of writing this post (August 9th) it is the 63rd anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki. I'm hoping that mankind remembers clearly the horrors of nuclear weaponry and that they will never be used again. But somehow I doubt it.

* Statistics. When the Enola Gay dropped Little Boy, a 13 kiloton firecracker compared with the superpowerful megaton devices now in the arsenals of perhaps eight countries or more, 80,000 people lost their lives instantly and another 60,000 died of burns and radiation injuries quite soon after. It is likely that a further 50-60,000 individuals died of radiation induced cancers in the post-war years.

Solzhenitsyn

Well it's do svidanija to Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn, novelist, nobel laureate, cancer survivor, Red Army veteran and crazy dissident who departed for a better place yesterday. The Gulag and the rest of us will miss you.

And While We're on the Subject

And while we're on the subject of things martial, this has to be the funniest advertisement I've seen in a long time.

Iaido

It appears we have been in the news (for the eagle eyed there are a couple of quick shots of Mad Dog in Technicolor) -hopefully not with poor technique enshrined in celluloid (or whatever digimedia is) for posterity.

Parking Lot Observations

I drive to work and park in a lot across the street. Yesterday as I walked the 200-300 yards or so my place of employment I noted the following items on the ground (i) a dead rat -squashed flat (ii) a used condom (iii) a used syringe (no needle). Previously I've come across a 9mm cartridge* case. Two years ago there was the brick incident and all this is just five blocks south of Seattle's famous Pioneer Square. I'm re-considering my parking options...

* As an explanatory note for gun-free Brits who may not be familiar with such descriptions, this is the expended case of a fired bullet.

Independence Day 2008

Happy 4th July everyone! (and don't mention tea)

I'm off to do something frivolous....

What Manner of Bollockery is This...?

The grand front entrance of the Middlesex Hospital, sadly boarded up a year ago (picture from DerelictLondon).

Today happens to be the 31st anniversary of the start of my career as a professional scientist when I nervously began as a very wet-behind-the-ears postdoc at the Middlesex Hospital Medical School in London. It's really hard to believe I'm that old. But complaining about my decrepitude is not the purpose of this post. What is more shocking is the fate of the hospital itself. The Middlesex merged with the mighty UCL in the 1980s and despite some rationalization of services, the new entity continued to operate on both sites until relatively recently. However following the opening of the new UCL hospital on Euston Road a couple of years ago, the old Middlesex building was closed and put up for sale. Yesterday I was shocked to receive from reader Gilly (a friend and fellow inmate at the medical school all those years ago) these photographs:


The Woolavington Wing has gone as well as the little bridge to the Courtauld Institute in Riding House Street.


Apparently only the chapel from the hospital remains.


What marketing genius thought up this rubbish name?

At first I couldn't work out what was happening and then I realised that the old hospital has been demolished. What a shock; I thought it was a listed building. Even more shocking was image found at the nohosquare.com URL emblazoned on the fencing. Heaven help us -how could this lovely old building be razed and replaced by such an abomination?


The new development: is that a golf course on top?

Generally I like modern architecture but this thing looks like an egg carton on steroids. And what's that horrid green Astroturf toupée on the roof? I suppose I shouldn't expect too much from developers who describe this monstrosity as "a new way of living and working in central London" (what could that be I wonder -sleeping vertically in a closet, perhaps?) and that the new complex contains a "destination restaurant". Any firm that resorts to such stupid, hackneyed, marketeer cliches shouldn't be allowed control of a bricklaying trowel let alone a bulldozer...(2000 word diatribe deleted). Must go now, it's time for my medication!

A Divine Wind: The Best Rock and Jazz Flute Pieces Ever

Mad Dog tries to impress gullible bystanders with his overblowing technique, London, c1996.
For more years than I care to remember I've owned a flute with the idea that one day I'll be a jazz musician. Currently it's rusting away in my study and the way things are going I probably won't get time to reintroduce myself to it until retirement. Anyway I've always loved this instrument so when Josephine in Brussels enquired if I knew any examples of the flute being used in rock music I thought this would make a great topic for a post. Specifically she asked: "...I'm looking for pop and rock where the flute gets nice solos as a part of the whole piece next to vocals and guitars etc...."

Well Josephine, your question is excellent and I don't know if have the answer. In the 70's there was quite a bit of progessive rock and jazz fusion music that featured the flute. In the 60's there was some great jazz. Jethro Tull (we're not worthy) is just about the only band to have featured the flute consistently as a lead instrument in a large portfolio of eclectic music for the past 40 years. So from the top of my head, here are ten artists that might meet your criteria (note that the flute part does not appear until quite far into these pieces -be patient).

Soft Machine: Facelift
This clip is Part II of this piece. It's circa 1970. You might want to find Part I also (there's no flute but it's great) -I always thought this band was very underrated.

John Coltrane: My Favourite Things
Fan-bloody-tastic 1961 classic by the tenor sax master. The most excellent Eric Dolphy takes the flute solo.

Barbara Thompson: The Adventures of Water
At Ronnie Scotts club in the mid-80's. Possibly not the most exciting song in BT's repertoire but her only performance on YouTube featuring her playing the flute.

Quintessence: Giants
Ah, Quintessence. Possibly the British equivalent of the Grateful Dead but with loads more talent and much more exciting (I've seen both bands live). Filmed at the second Glastonbury Festival, 1971, and a lot more interesting to watch than the wretched Amy Winehouse punching a fan (I wonder if she'll be Dame Amy in 40 years' time?).

John Mayall: Dream with Me
Offering from the bluesmeister from 1970. The brilliant Johnny Almond is on flute.

King Crimson: Court of the Crimson King
Super lead vocals and guitar by the peerless Greg Lake, c1969. Flute by Ian McDonald (I think).

Yusef Lateef : Love theme from The Robe
Perhaps my favourite jazz flute piece ever. Elegant simplicity.

Rahassan Roland Kirk: Serenade to a Cuckoo
All time classic from amazing multi-instrumentalist, the late RRK.

Jethro Tull: Bouree
I couldn't write a piece on the flute without mentioning Ian Anderson et al. The above solo is from a performance in 1976 but this one is contemporary.

Bullitt: Soundtrack
The flute pyrotechnics in this piece impressed me as much as Steve McQueen's driving when I first saw this movie (was it really 40 years ago?). In more recent years I've been told that the composer-jazz musician, Lalo Schifrin, actually played the flute part and that the female hottie in the scene was just "acting" (this story may be apocryphal as I'm not aware that Mr Schifrin is a flautist). I think the bass player is Charlie Mingus doing a cameo -can anybody confirm this?

Josephine, I hope that one or more of these pieces may fit your bill. As you mentioned the lyrical Moody Blues and the attacking Focus I haven't cited them again here. Besides I think I've written about them in other posts. Other bands featuring the flute you might explore include the eccentric Stackridge (now reformed), Audience, Blodwyn Pig, If and Ginger Baker's Airforce. And Herbie Mann should be in there too. All offerings from the 1960's and 70's I'm afraid but I'm not aware of any modern bands playing this instrument.

Dead Person Watch: Cyd Charisse

I must apologise on several fronts. First, the paucity of recent post has been due to several rather challenging events on the personal front (don't ask, I'm not going to bore you with the details) that have depleted my time and reduced my energy levels. Second, today's post is yet another YouTube clip (these things become shiny in the seat of the trousers very quickly) and third, today's topic is about another unfortunate demise -sometimes I think this site specialises in obituaries, but then I would be remiss to not remark on the passing of the totally wonderful Cyd Charisse who is now dancing in the clouds. And if you are not convinced of her talent by the above excerpt from On an Island with You take a look at this exquisite piece from Silk Stockings.

News Roundup

London
Surprisingly, newly elected Mayor and Tory buffoon, Boris Johnson’s first act in power was to do something of which I wholeheartedly approve, namely banning the consumption of alcohol on public transport. Back in the dark days of the mid 1990s I actually contacted the office of London Transport to suggest this after witnessing a late night encounter with an aggressive drunk on the Tube (my protestations didn’t have much effect). Surprisingly there was a lot of resistance to Boris’ legislation and on Saturday a large number of individuals decided to hold a party on the Circle Line to show that they could drink responsibly. And what did they do? They started fighting, abusing LT staff, vomiting and trashing the carriages. I rest my case.

Dunkin Donuts
So junk food purveyor, Dunkin Donuts, has pulled an advertisement featuring celebrity cook and pitchperson, Rachael Ray, because she was wearing a scarf that resembled an arab keffiyeh. The campaign against the scarf was largely orchestrated by strident right winger, Michelle Malkin (no, I won't provide a link) who referred to Ray's scarf as "a regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and hostage-taking videos". If this McCarthyist nonsense from a vicious harpy wasn't enough, Dunkin Donuts actually caved in and dropped the ad, presumably because they didn't want to offend customers with racist tendencies. Well DD you've certainly offended me with your spineless stance and I will make every effort to never darken your doorways again.

Max Mosley
What ever happened to honour? Or shame? Max Mosley, president of motorsport's governing body, the FIA, and son of fascist leader, Sir Oswald Mosley, has survived a vote of confidence after being participating in a Nazi style orgy and frequenting prostitues. After being caught quite literally with his pants down what does he do? He hires a legal team and goes on the attack and sues News of the World (a scurillous rag but not always wrong). There was a time when individuals resigned in these situations. And aside from the revolting Max, who are these people who gave him a positive vote of confidence? I presume it's all about money. Well until the FIA elects a new president I'm going to suspend watching F1 races (ok, I don't suppose anyone is quaking in their [jack] boots by that threat but it's about the best I can do).

Bo Diddley: 1928-2008

RIP -you were the greatest and copied by just about everybody. How we loved that clave beat and that twangy Gretsch guitar, too.

Friday Music Blogging: The White Stripes

We haven't done one of these music vids for awhile and in order to show that I do listen to modern bands on occasions here's a good one (although they are playing a 30 year old song). The sounds that this duo get are just amazing.

Zanzibar

I heard this ditty years ago, so now courtesy of the Mad Molly Songbook:

The Zanzibar Clap
(to the tune of "This Old Man")

Zanzibar, Zanzibar,
Zanzibar is very far;
You can't get there driving in a car;
it's too far to Zanzibar.

Molly team, on safari,
Headed east in a red Ferrari.
Hope and Crosby didn't use a car
On the Road to Zanzibar.

Woly Mol took White Owls
To Zanzibar wrapped up in towels;
Those White Owls turned out to be cigars
Which we smoked in Zanzibar.

Molly Cow and Molly Buns
Found they had run out of funds.
They got cash by dancing in a bar
And got thrown out of Zanzibar.

Golly Molly on a trolley
Met the sailor Jolly Ollie
He's a pirate and he has a scar;
She's in love in Zanzibar.

Polly Molly heard the call-y,
Ran to talk to Hotta Molly:
"Hey there, Hotta Molly, wanna be a star?
Write bad songs in Zanzibar!"

Ha Ha Zanzibar –I’m on my way (in September) after all these years. Bookings have been made. I can’t wait…!

Getting the Point

My martial pursuits have led to a couple of musculo-skeletal injuries that are reluctant to heal. I've thus resorted to acupuncture: a technique that has long interested me but have never used. So twice a week I lie on a bed while a very pleasant Chinese Doctor sticks about 50 needles in me and I end up looking like the character from Hellraiser. Results in the short term have been nothing short of amazing but I'm reserving judgement as to the long term efficacy. I'll keep you posted...

Global Warming

The other strange thing that happened over the weekend was the sighting of this strange object in the sky. I'm having cognitive dissonance. Since last September the temperature in Seattle has been 55°F/12°C or less (mostly less) and it's been grey and rainy. The unexpected appearance of the sun on Saturday and the concomitant increase in air temperture to 80°F/27°C has come as a shock and I'm sure a large percentage of Puget Sound area residents are somewhat traumatised and scrabbling to find the tube of SPF40 that they put in the bathroom cabinet in 2004. Oh well it's only a month to the summer solstice and then the evenings will start drawing in once more...

Tabula Rasa: Qua Vos Vado?

I turn my back and look what happens. One of my favourite bloggers and regular visitor, Berkeley California-based Little Cricket, has taken down her blog. I've no idea why. LC if you read this please drop me a line. I hope all is well....

Bombing Along

Phew! Back again. Sorry for the hiatus but life has been thowing me a few curve balls of late (don't worry, they're being chucked straight back!). It's funny but I actually feel guilty when I don't post. So please be patient, it'll take a few days to get the old momentum going. In the meantime here's a picture of the last remaining Lancaster bomber (a candidate for the coolest aeroplane of all time) flying over the Derwent reservoir to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Dambusters mission.

Life: Tires and Exhausts

A Zanzibar beach

No, this post has nothing to do with cars. It's a reflection on my state of mind. I'm once again ready for a vacation. Deadlines of various types, including rallying, have taken their toll and I'm dreaming of heading off to foreign parts with a pile of books and no computer (sort of although I'll add a qualification to that comment on another occasion). September, which is a long way off, is a possibility and I'm looking at the calendar. I'm also poking around at Expedia and wondering if I really could make it to the Spice Islands...

Monte Carlo Historique Rallye 2008: The Complete Concert

It now seems like an age since I was rallying however I’m still getting interested enquiries. So below is a collection of my reports in chronological order. Enjoy!

• Prelude
• 1st Movement "The Concentration Run"
• 2nd Movement "The Classification Stage"
• 3rd Movement "The Common Leg"
• Finale
• Encore
• Acknowledgements

Other Blogs

I've added a few more entertaining blogs in the sidebar. The astute reader might notice an increasing number of sites based in the Emerald Isle -I think this reflects my increasing interest in the land of my fathers (actually my Father and Mother). Here's a summary:

Andrew Goulding
A view of the world from Down Under.

Bock the Robber
I’d love to go drinking with this guy.

Chuck Goolsbee
Great site from an unapologetic petrolhead, Jaguar fan and resident of the Seattle area. Oh, and I am going drinking with him.

Fafblog
Recently back after a two year hiatus (and still gets nearly 4000 hits per day).

Green Ink
Excellent site from the Emerald Isle.

Inside View
More Irishness…

Little House in Ise
A Seattlite training in aikido in Tokyo

LOL Cats
Frivolous and terminally cute (sorry, Ohara but I can’t resist this one).

Shite Drivers
I need to go drinking with this guy too; don't worry we'll get taxis home!

The Postman
Lovely photos of Ireland.

From My Cold Dead Hands

Epitaph.