A green environment

An interesting video. It's a bit lengthy but, stick with it. It's worth watching.

"This is a spectacular example of sustainable living architecture that will live grow for generations.

In Meghalaya, Northeast India, the rivers during the monsoon season are wild, unpredictable and impossible to cross.

But the people there have created a beautiful solution: bridges made of roots that last for hundreds of years and will survive any deluge! These living bridges are part of a network connecting the valleys of Meghalaya.

In this visually stunning video, a man teaches his niece to care for a living bridge, which he started with a simple fig tree 30 years ago. He shows her how to coax the roots to the other side where they will take root.

No man can complete this task in his lifetime, so they must teach the young, who will teach their young. This living bridge will grow for 500 years.

What will it take for us in the West to begin to incorporate this level of imagination, resourcefulness, working with nature...and thinking 500 years down the road?

-Bibi Farber"

A fine weekend

It was, for once in this benighted summer, a fine week last week, so Keith and I were finally able to set off in the caravan for a long weekend in Barmouth, chosen for its long, flat cycle ride into the town from the campsite and the large expanse of beach available for dog-running-around.

Paddy has been before but it was Jake's first time, and probably his first time on a beach of any kind, as you can tell here by his obvious lack of comprehension as to what one does on a beach. In the end, he decided to be guided by Paddy and just have fun.

As you can see, they are both so fit that it only took them about two hours to recover from the exertion!

Jake is definitely built for comfort, not for speed.

Is it too much to ask that they untangle themselves by retracing their steps?

Yep!

A Mother's Story: Little boxes

A Mother's Story: Little boxes

Go, go go!

So this is what mobility scooters are for!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2202081/It-s-Gran-Prix-Pensioners-combined-age-158-Britain-s-oldest-stunt-riders-80mph-MOBILITY-SCOOTERS.html

Shed clearing day

Today is 'clearing out the shed' day.

This has probably been brought on because Keith has killed another computer and is awaiting a new power pack for it, so in the meantime, he has the one from upstairs, which means that the corner of the living room and the study are both awash with cables, leads and other detritus. In addition, he has been working on my old laptop (Did I mention that I now have a shiny new red one?) and this has led to another mess all over the dining table. 

To add insult to injury, he then announced yesterday that he wanted to get his model aeroplane and helicopter out of the shed, presumably to spread them over the small remaining tidy areas of the house. Surprisingly, when he noticed the expression on my face, he quickly thought better of it.

So, today is 'clearing out the shed' day and 'building a new workbench within' day but it has also turned out to be 'mending the shed roof' day, as the squirrels have been chewing away at the roof felt, with predictable results. It never rains but it pours - in both senses of the phrase.

I did try to help with the clearing out but soon got sent back indoors due to my extreme reactions to the horrible, massive, revolting spiders lurking on everything I went near. If you heard any screams of terror in your neighbourhood, wherever that might be, as you undoubtedly will have, it was me. 

And I make no apology for that!

A misunderstanding

Just got this in my inbox from Dale and I just had to share it!

Ice Cream Sandwich anyone?

For some reason, I am unable to use email or the internet on my HTC HD2 mobile phone, unless I switch it to wifi. This is all the more puzzling as, a few weeks ago, our phone provider contacted Keith and said that I had been using data but I didn't have that option in my package, although for an extra £5 a month, I could have pretty well all I wanted, so Keith paid up. Since then, even though I don't know how I was downloading data before, I certainly can't now; nor can I send or receive multi-media messages. I have spent hours poring over the laptop in search of enlightenment, giving myself a headache and becoming cross-eyed in the process, but nothing has worked, so now, Keith has bravely offered to re-flash my phone with Ice Cream Sandwich instead of Gingerbread.

Confused? Yep! Me too, but I've got my fingers crossed that it works.
Keith doesn't have a problem with his phone - he has just awarded himself a Samsung Galaxy 3...