Haven't a clue where the last two months have gone, maybe it's the short days of European winters. Can't complain though, despite the wintery short days it's been really mild.
I have had stacks to write about, and have come up with many blog ideas. In the last two months you nearly got to hear my evil wishes for the train drivers, together with the exposure of the RATP (Paris trasport bunch) as a training ground for the secret police, ponderings on the most riduculous road rule: discovered here in France, of course the ever present Sarkozy circus (always good for a cheap shot) and then there's been Christmas in the sun with family and a trip here or there thrown into the mix.
I guess the latest big change is that we're mobile again, yes, bugger global warming! I'm commuting alone, in a car, no more snuggling up to some stranger in the RER; a form of public transport that passes through Paris and smells like a giant armpit. In fact, I reckon that I am helping with global warming. By driving a diesel, I spew out all those little particulate goodies (yes the ones that make for beautiful sunsets), those very particles that are needed to shield us from harmful rays. Travelling the giant armpit makes you realise that the sun has nothing to do with global warming; For much of the route you are underground, and it is much hotter in there than being in the sun, thanks to the 100 odd watts that each of the commuters glow by just being. That, together with the inexplicable inability for a supposedely intelligent being not to fathom the window mechanism = instant sauna. Proof, global warming is caused by humans themselves, more reason why we need the populous India and China on board for climate (read population) control. So no more elbowing that granny for the last spot on the train, peace in the traffic rather, needless to say the other drivers will turn me nasty, but at least I will only be hot under the collar.
Speaking of hot, we escaped winter for some Cape Town sun, what a pleasure hanging out with the family, what a spot! 3 weeks of thawing out, recovering and sleeping late. According to the Sout African papers, lately quite a few peole have been sleeping more, going to bed earlier since there is none of that useful electricity stuff; no lights, TV etc... Well, they have a long way to go to catch up with the government that has been sleeping for the last 10 years. What? plan? think ahead? maintain? Don't be silly we can just get fat, isn't that what running a country is about? Their incompetence and unashamed croneyism is disgusting! Hopefully when the vote comes around the people won't be sleeping too, here's hoping... One of the greatest countries in the world deserves better.
Done ranting now, so what's been happening the last two months? A couple of photos to summarise:
Le renard et l'enfant is a French film that has just be released, haven't seen it, but in the trailer one gets a great view of this little lake in a rather remote spot in the east of France. This is last year Novemberish before the snow and real cold set in.
I have had stacks to write about, and have come up with many blog ideas. In the last two months you nearly got to hear my evil wishes for the train drivers, together with the exposure of the RATP (Paris trasport bunch) as a training ground for the secret police, ponderings on the most riduculous road rule: discovered here in France, of course the ever present Sarkozy circus (always good for a cheap shot) and then there's been Christmas in the sun with family and a trip here or there thrown into the mix.
I guess the latest big change is that we're mobile again, yes, bugger global warming! I'm commuting alone, in a car, no more snuggling up to some stranger in the RER; a form of public transport that passes through Paris and smells like a giant armpit. In fact, I reckon that I am helping with global warming. By driving a diesel, I spew out all those little particulate goodies (yes the ones that make for beautiful sunsets), those very particles that are needed to shield us from harmful rays. Travelling the giant armpit makes you realise that the sun has nothing to do with global warming; For much of the route you are underground, and it is much hotter in there than being in the sun, thanks to the 100 odd watts that each of the commuters glow by just being. That, together with the inexplicable inability for a supposedely intelligent being not to fathom the window mechanism = instant sauna. Proof, global warming is caused by humans themselves, more reason why we need the populous India and China on board for climate (read population) control. So no more elbowing that granny for the last spot on the train, peace in the traffic rather, needless to say the other drivers will turn me nasty, but at least I will only be hot under the collar.
Speaking of hot, we escaped winter for some Cape Town sun, what a pleasure hanging out with the family, what a spot! 3 weeks of thawing out, recovering and sleeping late. According to the Sout African papers, lately quite a few peole have been sleeping more, going to bed earlier since there is none of that useful electricity stuff; no lights, TV etc... Well, they have a long way to go to catch up with the government that has been sleeping for the last 10 years. What? plan? think ahead? maintain? Don't be silly we can just get fat, isn't that what running a country is about? Their incompetence and unashamed croneyism is disgusting! Hopefully when the vote comes around the people won't be sleeping too, here's hoping... One of the greatest countries in the world deserves better.
Done ranting now, so what's been happening the last two months? A couple of photos to summarise:
Le renard et l'enfant is a French film that has just be released, haven't seen it, but in the trailer one gets a great view of this little lake in a rather remote spot in the east of France. This is last year Novemberish before the snow and real cold set in.
As winter rolls in, Paris gets quite picturesque with the yellows of the trees that seems to complement the greys of the buildings. Les Invalides from the 'other side'.
Winter seems to make for much lousier commuting, you're dressed for outside, but someone forget to tell the guy with the heater switch. Here a reflection on commuting:
On the way to work the doors opened and it made me think of the primary colour world of old gangster movies, a little grimey and sooty thrown in for good measure. Why is it that the tunnels are so dirty even without the old coal soot? Next great invention; dust free brakes...
Also squeezed in a work trip to London. Great to see friends there! It has such a different feel to Paris, it seems so much more modern, cleaner and organised, but a little less charm perhaps. I also couldn't believe how the health and safety officials had managed to strangle all common sense and the assumption that one is dealing with reasonable human beings. The base case for working out any HSE policy seems to be the cretinous human with half a brain cell at the bottom of the food chain. Back in the old days they would have just been eaten, but now that they're amongst us, we have to protect them and stop them from graffiti'ing the underground in case they electrocute themselves and their family sues the railways. I say up the current rather...
Speaking of railways, the faster Eurostar now goes to St Pancras, which is great if you want to visit Newcastle, but sucks if you have to go out west of London. The fifteen minutes you gain you spend gawking at the underground map trying to negotiate your way through the Picadilly, Victoria and Jubilee lines. The station at St Pancras is cool though, very cool! Worth the inconvenience.
Speaking of railways, the faster Eurostar now goes to St Pancras, which is great if you want to visit Newcastle, but sucks if you have to go out west of London. The fifteen minutes you gain you spend gawking at the underground map trying to negotiate your way through the Picadilly, Victoria and Jubilee lines. The station at St Pancras is cool though, very cool! Worth the inconvenience.
So to escape the short days and stock up on vitamin D we headed south to Cape Town for Christmas. You don't see that many agapanthus in Europe.
And of course, you don't see that many table mountains either ;) View from the V&A Waterfront.
The old clock tower at the Waterfront.
Butterfly world, a sort of greenhousey looking place on the Klapmuts road that I have always just driven past thinking it looks kind of sad from the outside. Actually, inside it is quite nifty, some beautiful flitting creatures.
Christmas, luckily the reindeer can handle the warmth of a summer.
Cool to see Tatters again. What a pretty girl!
As a brief interlude we decided to try kill ourselves using nothing but the sun. The Winterhoek mountains weren't very wintery at all, a beautiful walk but that darn vynbos doesn't throw much shade.
Sunset looking out at the Jonkershoek mountains near Stellenbosch from the 10th. One of the wine regions near Cape Town.
A fabulous holiday of recharging. Back to Paris, not that you would think so from the next three shots. Yes, an African Violet doing its thing in Pairs, not quite as prolific as the Cape Town cousins, maybe we should move it closer to the radiator.
And, a Baobab tree doing its best to hang in there through the cold, I'm sure it dreams of living in Tanzania near the equator, maybe not too far from the coast, so it can nip down to the beach for the odd holiday.
Another no very Parisian scene, expensive American chain coffee and muffin... hmm yummy. In fact not at all Paris, but takes us back to Las Condes in Santiago and the cosy little Starbucks down there where the odd lazy Sunday arvies was spent.
Just two weekends ago, found myself in apparently one of the more expensive cities in France, it goes by the name of Annecy. Alongside a lake and in the mountains it is very quaint. We arrived on market day so took in some of the great sights and smells... hmmm saucisson, cheese, bread... yummy!
View across the lake.
A river runs through it.
Saucisson anyone?
The outlet of the lake running into town.
More mountains and water.
Spotted something odd in the Jura; bath in the field. A good photo scene nonetheless. Posted another shot or two at my flickr page.
Spotted something odd in the Jura; bath in the field. A good photo scene nonetheless. Posted another shot or two at my flickr page.
To end, a picture of one of the Paris beasts in his typical winter pose.
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