After much thinking about whether we should or not, we have finally taken the plunge and acquired a lady friend for Sisa. She is called Cassie, also a Golden Retriever, but of the American strain, so smaller and lighter than Sisa. She is 2 years old, the idea being we can have puppies!!!!!
She joined us on Friday and is still settling in. Sisa likes her but she hasn't yet learned how to play, sticks close to humans while being walked.
I have posted some photos of her here:-
http://picasaweb.google.com/JPD.Britt/Dogs#
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Just So Stories
I have always remebered these fondly from my childhood so couldn't wait to read them to Mary, my great-niece who lives with us. Having finished both original Pooh book and the new Pooh book not having arrived, we embarked on these a few weeks ago.
They are as wonderful as I remember with the proviso that in places they are totally non-PC. "The Ethiopian was a n****r and so his name was Sa**o". "Your children will be so lazy they will be known as the Mal**y people" that was last night's offering.
Perhaps life was just simpler then?
They are as wonderful as I remember with the proviso that in places they are totally non-PC. "The Ethiopian was a n****r and so his name was Sa**o". "Your children will be so lazy they will be known as the Mal**y people" that was last night's offering.
Perhaps life was just simpler then?
A Tale of Three Typhoons
This is Typhoon season in the Philippines, but the ones we have just had are much worse than normal.
The first, which shot across central Luzon caused widespread flooding. The biggest town nearest us, Santa Cruz has its centre under water still and the only way to go any further than the main church into the centre is by boat!
The second typhoon brought winds more than rain, it ran over the north
of Luzon, then met up with a mate, another typhoon, turned round and
came back to Luzon and headed to central Luzon bringing rain and
winds.
But the worst was last weekend, Friday night, for us because it passed directly overhead with winds in excess of 150 mph. All night we just heard the terrible noise of the wind and rain except for an hour when the eye was passing overhead when there was a deathly silence.
Next day we had little damage, some banana plants damged, leaves torn off coconut trees, one mahogany tree uprooted but it fell onto a concrete post rather than the fence so didn't do any more damage. And, of course, our Internet access module blown down. However around and about, there was much more damage, driving down to Pagsanhan we saw houses blown away, big trees down, there had been a flash flood depositing tons of mud into peoples homes in Pagsanhan, rooves ripped up etc. So we got off lightly.
I have posted 3 photos taken after the first 2 typhoons at
http://tinyurl.com/yzsbknb
One is of a school completely surrounded by water, what looks like a river to the school's right is actually supposed to be a road.
The second is of rice fields now completely subnmerged in water, as Laguna de Bay, the huge inland lake has risen.
The third is a panorama showing Laguna de bay. The water in the background is supposed to be water, but that in the foreground is supposed to be land.
All were taken from way up our mountain, and it was misty so apolgies for the haziness of the pictures.
The position now is worse, there is even less land visible and the town of Lumban has all but disappeared!
Lets hope we don't get any more like that.
The first, which shot across central Luzon caused widespread flooding. The biggest town nearest us, Santa Cruz has its centre under water still and the only way to go any further than the main church into the centre is by boat!
The second typhoon brought winds more than rain, it ran over the north
of Luzon, then met up with a mate, another typhoon, turned round and
came back to Luzon and headed to central Luzon bringing rain and
winds.
But the worst was last weekend, Friday night, for us because it passed directly overhead with winds in excess of 150 mph. All night we just heard the terrible noise of the wind and rain except for an hour when the eye was passing overhead when there was a deathly silence.
Next day we had little damage, some banana plants damged, leaves torn off coconut trees, one mahogany tree uprooted but it fell onto a concrete post rather than the fence so didn't do any more damage. And, of course, our Internet access module blown down. However around and about, there was much more damage, driving down to Pagsanhan we saw houses blown away, big trees down, there had been a flash flood depositing tons of mud into peoples homes in Pagsanhan, rooves ripped up etc. So we got off lightly.
I have posted 3 photos taken after the first 2 typhoons at
http://tinyurl.com/yzsbknb
One is of a school completely surrounded by water, what looks like a river to the school's right is actually supposed to be a road.
The second is of rice fields now completely subnmerged in water, as Laguna de Bay, the huge inland lake has risen.
The third is a panorama showing Laguna de bay. The water in the background is supposed to be water, but that in the foreground is supposed to be land.
All were taken from way up our mountain, and it was misty so apolgies for the haziness of the pictures.
The position now is worse, there is even less land visible and the town of Lumban has all but disappeared!
Lets hope we don't get any more like that.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Tree Planting
On Thursday Grace and I went tree planting, in conjunction with Isuzu Philippines. There were about 60 people and between us we planted 1500 saplings on the Caliraya-Lumot watershed.
This is part of a concerted effort to reverse global warming and reforest the Philipines where illegal logging is still a big problem.
The people here just cut down trees to turn them into charcoal which they can then sell, possibly the only way they can earn some money. The government is too weak to enforce the legislation it has passed and so the problem continues bringing in its wake, land slides and disasters.
This is part of a concerted effort to reverse global warming and reforest the Philipines where illegal logging is still a big problem.
The people here just cut down trees to turn them into charcoal which they can then sell, possibly the only way they can earn some money. The government is too weak to enforce the legislation it has passed and so the problem continues bringing in its wake, land slides and disasters.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Fighting Entropy
I seem to spend an awful lot of time holding back entropy, far more than I ever did in the UK.
For example, we have recently had the following electrical goods, all from the UK, fail on us:- toaster, microwave, DVD player, Hard Disk recorder.
The toaster fell foul of a cockroach. It took up residence inside the machine and wouldn't come out, despite shaking turning it this way and that and finally poking it with a stick. Partial disassembly followed and finally it made a bid for freedom, only to meet the business end of a shoe! However afterwards the toaster would only toast on one side. No I haven't actually put any bread in it, just tried it to see!
The microwave, who knows, it just gave up the ghost but has been repaired now.
The DVD player exhibited fascinating behaviour, it suddenly wouldn't switch from standby to on. Jiggling a few buttons got it to turn on, then it was fine. But eventually button jiggling just didn't cut it any more. So it went off to a repair shop who got it going again within 24 hours. Good going I think.
The hard disk recorder made clickking noises then showed an error code of 7061 and won't load its software. Extensive reseach on the web reveals that no-one knows what a 7061 error actually is, thouigh many have had it. Maybe a new disk will cure it, but maybe not. I have to get a new disk, IDE, so not so easy these days and try it. I'll keep you informed!!!
For example, we have recently had the following electrical goods, all from the UK, fail on us:- toaster, microwave, DVD player, Hard Disk recorder.
The toaster fell foul of a cockroach. It took up residence inside the machine and wouldn't come out, despite shaking turning it this way and that and finally poking it with a stick. Partial disassembly followed and finally it made a bid for freedom, only to meet the business end of a shoe! However afterwards the toaster would only toast on one side. No I haven't actually put any bread in it, just tried it to see!
The microwave, who knows, it just gave up the ghost but has been repaired now.
The DVD player exhibited fascinating behaviour, it suddenly wouldn't switch from standby to on. Jiggling a few buttons got it to turn on, then it was fine. But eventually button jiggling just didn't cut it any more. So it went off to a repair shop who got it going again within 24 hours. Good going I think.
The hard disk recorder made clickking noises then showed an error code of 7061 and won't load its software. Extensive reseach on the web reveals that no-one knows what a 7061 error actually is, thouigh many have had it. Maybe a new disk will cure it, but maybe not. I have to get a new disk, IDE, so not so easy these days and try it. I'll keep you informed!!!
The NHS - not so bad!
Those of you living in the UK will sometimes take part in the age old pastime of NHS bashing, I am sure!
However, two weeks ago, the wife of one of our workers was having difficulties breathing, he took her to hospital, where they put her on Oxygen, kept her in for 2 nights, diagnosed a highly irregular heartbeat, told her she couldn't do any strenuous work (including washing clothes) and let her go.
The bill for all this was came to more than 4 months wages for the guy.
How can people here afford health care?
The answer is they can't. They often wait and hope and get worse.
So be grateful for Nye Bevin and the NHS!!
However, two weeks ago, the wife of one of our workers was having difficulties breathing, he took her to hospital, where they put her on Oxygen, kept her in for 2 nights, diagnosed a highly irregular heartbeat, told her she couldn't do any strenuous work (including washing clothes) and let her go.
The bill for all this was came to more than 4 months wages for the guy.
How can people here afford health care?
The answer is they can't. They often wait and hope and get worse.
So be grateful for Nye Bevin and the NHS!!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
JC's First birthday
If you look back to a post I made a year ago, you will see the story of JC being born in our garage.
Well last Thursday was his First Birthday. So a big party was held. As there was a severe tropical storm heading across the Philippines at the time, it was raining heavily, so the party was held, you guessed it, in the garage.
Some pictures follow, but more can be found at:-
http://picasaweb.google.com/JPD.Britt/JCSFirstBirthday#
Well last Thursday was his First Birthday. So a big party was held. As there was a severe tropical storm heading across the Philippines at the time, it was raining heavily, so the party was held, you guessed it, in the garage.
Some pictures follow, but more can be found at:-
http://picasaweb.google.com/JPD.Britt/JCSFirstBirthday#
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