Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

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I love this story.

Scientists are going to attempt to bring an ibex, extinct for 14 years, back to life. De-extinction they call it.

The back story is great too. Years ago, they managed to capture the last remaining Pyranean ibex, (imagine that, the last one after millions of years) but a tree fell on it and killed it, so they froze it's bits for prosperity.

Jerassic Park has started.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25052233

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I regularly log on to blonde at silly am, like, 5 in the morning or something. When I do, as often as not, I find Little Miss C and BobbleHat are browsing too.

What's that all about?

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Just lately, when I'm worried or anxious, or even when I'm concentrating hard on something that I'm reading, I've developed a habit of holding my breath and letting the air escape slowly through my compressed lips. Which is fine, except for the fact that occasionally, I inadvertently produce farting noises.

Not great for most situations, especially bad if you're on the train sat next to a bloke with the word KILL tattooed on his knuckles.

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Your holidays always sound fun

Do you ever or have you ever gone on a 'traditional' holiday?

I have been on a couple of package type holidays, but only because the price was irresistible. I never stay at the resort. I can't be doing with spending my holiday eating 'English' breakfasts, visiting 'British' pubs, and lying by the pool chatting to people from Doncaster.

We usually hire some transport so that we can go and see some scenery that isn't made from fibreglass and find some real foreigners.



We went to Gran Canaria on a package deal and we hired a motorcycle and crossed some mountains on a fabulous switchback road. It was so exciting, and the views were just amazing. It's one of my favourite holiday memories.



I took photographs, but they don't do it justice.

Click to see full-size image.

   

[celtic]

People of a certain age will recognise newsreader Carol Barnes.





Well the other day, purely by accident, I found out that she had died.

I'm a bit fascinated by death, and I'm always curious to find out what happened when someone I "Know" passes away. According to Wiki, in 2008 she had a stroke and didn't recover.

Brief details here.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Barnes


While reading the Wiki piece, I noticed that just before she died, she had made a documentary about someone else I knew. It was her one time co presenter Ed Mitchell, who had apparently gone from golden boy to homeless degenerate gambler and alcoholic.

I think I'm even more fascinated by addiction than I am by death, and I have a huge amount of sympathy for addicts of all kinds. I have an addictive nature myself. There but for the grace of God go I.









The documentary was called Saving Ed Mitchell. I Googled it and found it here.

http://vimeo.com/22608530

Weird that you thought about her this week. Her ex husband was in the news the other day. Or is that why you thought about her?

You're right Vin. I was listening to some other story when I heard that she had died. I can't remember what it was about though.

Denis mcshane. Some labour MP who was in the news for being naughty a while back. Only half heard the story, as you can probably guess.

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Booked the ferry from Poole to Santander. We're going to have a couple of weeks pootling around southern Spain / Portugal in t' camper.

Suggestions re routes, things to see / do etc very welcome.

That coast road beween Santander and Biarritz is absolutely stunning iirc.

Mind you that might be in the wrong direction for you unless you're planning on including a visit to Pamplona on your travels, in which case it would only be a slight detour.

That looks like a great route Ralph. I'll bookmark it for a summer trip.

Isn't Pamplona where they do the running if the bulls thing? I'd like to see it but I'm loath to support anything to do with bullfighting.

Where is it they throw tomatoes at each other?

[AndrewT]

Where is it they throw tomatoes at each other?

Bunol, near Valencia, at the end of August.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Tomatina

[sovietsong]

People of a certain age will recognise newsreader Carol Barnes.





Well the other day, purely by accident, I found out that she had died.

I'm a bit fascinated by death, and I'm always curious to find out what happened when someone I "Know" passes away. According to Wiki, in 2008 she had a stroke and didn't recover.

Brief details here.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Barnes


While reading the Wiki piece, I noticed that just before she died, she had made a documentary about someone else I knew. It was her one time co presenter Ed Mitchell, who had apparently gone from golden boy to homeless degenerate gambler and alcoholic.

I think I'm even more fascinated by addiction than I am by death, and I have a huge amount of sympathy for addicts of all kinds. I have an addictive nature myself. There but for the grace of God go I.









The documentary was called Saving Ed Mitchell. I Googled it and found it here.

http://vimeo.com/22608530

Thank you for sharing this, a really moving story.  It shows you that anybody can lose everything to addiction.

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Where is it they throw tomatoes at each other?

Bunol, near Valencia, at the end of August.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Tomatina

Now that looks like fun.

Click to see full-size image.

[edgascoigne]

San Sebastien is awesome and, if you do head that way and fancy taking a short time to visit somewhere rich with history, Hondarribia is pretty unique.

Edit: apologies for 'pretty unique', what a,ghastly turn of phrase.

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Thank you for sharing this, a really moving story.  It shows you that anybody can lose everything to addiction.

I'm drawn to these 'stripped to the bone, soul laid bare' stories, be they from front line soldiers, heroin addicts, kidnap victims, prisoners, castaways...

The ones that make it back from the edge are tremendously uplifting.

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San Sebastien is awesome and, if you do head that way and fancy taking a short time to visit somewhere rich with history, Hondarribia is pretty unique.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. I'm very ignorant when it comes to Spanish history & geography.

Not knowing where you're going or what you will see does have an up side though, I feel like a real explorer.

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Just Googled San Sebastien.

Wow!

Click to see full-size image.

[Karabiner]

On the subject of tomatoes, the Spanish ones are the best by some considerable distance that I have ever eaten, they are totally different to the tasteless ones that we get here. My old mum used to smuggle a few back in her handbag when she went.

One good Spanish travellers tip that I can offer you is to go to a central bus-station for good tapas at reasonable prices.

[RED-DOG]

On the subject of tomatoes, the Spanish ones are the best by some considerable distance that I have ever eaten, they are totally different to the tasteless ones that we get here. My old mum used to smuggle a few back in her handbag when she went.

One good Spanish travellers tip that I can offer you is to go to a central bus-station for good tapas at reasonable prices.

Ralph. You really are the 'been there, done that' man of blonde. I just know there is a story behind that snippet of information.