I have just returned from a lovely holiday to Portugal: a few thoughts...
Temperatures in the mid 20s, lots of tennis, sunbathing on the beach and great company.
--
Travelling towards the place we were staying in I was struck by just how big the world is!
I find that in the midst of a busy life - work, housemates, shopping - its easy to think that my the world is the whole world.
I guess that travelling broadens ones horizons and although thats a cliche, when you think about what it really means its true!
--
The weather in the Algarve for the week was just beautiful!
Blue skies and high temperatures, but not so hot to deny the enjoyment of it.
But now I'm back in England and yesterday it was raining...
--
One reason that makes me pleased to be back however is the language.
I hadn't learnt any Portuguese before I went over and so that meant I was pretty stuck.
Advice: When going abroad learn a minimum of hello, goodbye, thank you, sorry and please!
Thankfully my family knew a bit more than me though so I survived!
This is my 50th post. :-) I'm enjoying writing this blog and glad that many readers like it too.
Adios.
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Lighting up Hadrian's Wall
I saw Hadrian's Wall being lit up last night!
For American readers who may not know what Hadrain's Wall is, it stands as the ancient barrier between Roman conquered England and 'barbarian' Scotland.
It is a World Heritage site, and quite a sight indeed.
It was being lit to commemorate the 1600th year of the departure of the Romans from these shores.
So below is one of the becans, with others stretching off into the distance.
Below that is a picture of how it all looked before it got really dark, and below that is just a cool picture of another wall (I like to call it Sam's wall). It doesn't keep anyone out, well apart from some sheep maybe...
For American readers who may not know what Hadrain's Wall is, it stands as the ancient barrier between Roman conquered England and 'barbarian' Scotland.
It is a World Heritage site, and quite a sight indeed.
It was being lit to commemorate the 1600th year of the departure of the Romans from these shores.
So below is one of the becans, with others stretching off into the distance.
Below that is a picture of how it all looked before it got really dark, and below that is just a cool picture of another wall (I like to call it Sam's wall). It doesn't keep anyone out, well apart from some sheep maybe...
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Winter Olympics - Quality isn't it?!
I'm loving Vancouver 2010!
The sports that go on are just amazing - moguls (flying down a slope going over bumps and then doing massive jumps), ski cross (four skiers zooming round a track - bit like the first lap of an F1 race, but with jumps), airels (what looks like gymnastics on skis), and then ski jumping which is surely the most graceful sport in the world.
Check these videos out:
USA goal - or is it - puck enters goal on 0.1/0.0 seconds...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/vancouver_2010/ice_hockey/8535723.stm
Stunning skills from USA's ice hockey team. The commentators got pretty excited too!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/vancouver_2010/ice_hockey/8535723.stm
The sports that go on are just amazing - moguls (flying down a slope going over bumps and then doing massive jumps), ski cross (four skiers zooming round a track - bit like the first lap of an F1 race, but with jumps), airels (what looks like gymnastics on skis), and then ski jumping which is surely the most graceful sport in the world.
Check these videos out:
USA goal - or is it - puck enters goal on 0.1/0.0 seconds...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/vancouver_2010/ice_hockey/8535723.stm
Stunning skills from USA's ice hockey team. The commentators got pretty excited too!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/vancouver_2010/ice_hockey/8535723.stm
Saturday, 20 February 2010
Life - what's it all about at the end?
I wonder how you felt when you heard that the designer Alexander Mc Queen had died http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8511115.stm? Or how about the Georgian luger http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/vancouver_2010/luge/8513595.stm?
And how did you feel when you heard that 200,000 people had died in Haiti http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8524842.stm?
If you were like me you would have felt more sorrow for one of the first people mentioned than the second.
Why is that?
I think it's strange.
I mean when I heard that the Georgian luger had died I was genuinely upset. I heard just as I was going to sleep one evening and it was awful news.
But how did I feel when I heard that 200,000 people had died in Haiti? Did I feel 200,000 times the sorrow? Did you?
Why not?
Is one life worth more than 200,000?
Perhaps the sheer scale of the number of deaths makes it difficult to comprehend.
Or maybe it is the celebrity culture - we feel we know the one person who dies and so are personally sorry in a way in which we cannot be for 200,000?
I don't know. But it's worth considering.
Adios
And how did you feel when you heard that 200,000 people had died in Haiti http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8524842.stm?
If you were like me you would have felt more sorrow for one of the first people mentioned than the second.
Why is that?
I think it's strange.
I mean when I heard that the Georgian luger had died I was genuinely upset. I heard just as I was going to sleep one evening and it was awful news.
But how did I feel when I heard that 200,000 people had died in Haiti? Did I feel 200,000 times the sorrow? Did you?
Why not?
Is one life worth more than 200,000?
Perhaps the sheer scale of the number of deaths makes it difficult to comprehend.
Or maybe it is the celebrity culture - we feel we know the one person who dies and so are personally sorry in a way in which we cannot be for 200,000?
I don't know. But it's worth considering.
Adios
Saturday, 6 February 2010
Life - what's it all about?
So; I've just seen the film Invictus. Its about the South African rugby team and their mission to succeed in the 1995 world cup but also their mission to use rugby to unify the country.
And its very good. A bit 'Hollywood' at points, but their are some funny bits and the rugby action is pretty quality - they had some lush camera angles going on!
It did make me think a bit about life though. Cos you see I've been working now for 7 months, 5 days a week, 8-5 each day. And the time outside of that seems very small. Weekends and evenings are all you get.
And I've only been doing this full-time-work-business for a short period of time. What must it be like when you've done it for years?
I guess its a sign of me feeling more settled at work though that made me think more about what I actually want to do with my life. I'm not now constanly thinking just about surviving the day.
I mean life is so short and I want to use it well.
The work I do is good, but what about something more? Something so that I look back and see what I've done and think "yes, that was really good".
So no firm answers on that but a few thoughts.
Firstly work isn't what its all about. Work is how we eat and keep warm. But sometimes that is all it is. So maybe the thing I can do will be beyond work, something else.
Secondly looking at that paragraph up there a bit, the word "I" is there a lot. But I know that my primary purpose here is to serve God. So really it should be: "what can I do for Him?".
Thirdly, other people. That's what life is about too. God knew that people couldn't live on their own: we need friends, companions, people, community, family.
So there's something in that too - living among others. With other people, and with them in my life.
Hmm, as I said no firm answers, but a few thoughts.
Adios.
And its very good. A bit 'Hollywood' at points, but their are some funny bits and the rugby action is pretty quality - they had some lush camera angles going on!
It did make me think a bit about life though. Cos you see I've been working now for 7 months, 5 days a week, 8-5 each day. And the time outside of that seems very small. Weekends and evenings are all you get.
And I've only been doing this full-time-work-business for a short period of time. What must it be like when you've done it for years?
I guess its a sign of me feeling more settled at work though that made me think more about what I actually want to do with my life. I'm not now constanly thinking just about surviving the day.
I mean life is so short and I want to use it well.
The work I do is good, but what about something more? Something so that I look back and see what I've done and think "yes, that was really good".
So no firm answers on that but a few thoughts.
Firstly work isn't what its all about. Work is how we eat and keep warm. But sometimes that is all it is. So maybe the thing I can do will be beyond work, something else.
Secondly looking at that paragraph up there a bit, the word "I" is there a lot. But I know that my primary purpose here is to serve God. So really it should be: "what can I do for Him?".
Thirdly, other people. That's what life is about too. God knew that people couldn't live on their own: we need friends, companions, people, community, family.
So there's something in that too - living among others. With other people, and with them in my life.
Hmm, as I said no firm answers, but a few thoughts.
Adios.
Long time no blog
Woah! Haven't written on this for the whole of this decade!
Well that's partly because my computer has been so slow, but I think I've found a way to speed it up a bit now so hopefully I'll write a bit more on this...
Well that's partly because my computer has been so slow, but I think I've found a way to speed it up a bit now so hopefully I'll write a bit more on this...
Friday, 25 December 2009
Back home
Homeward bound is my facebook status at the moment, and here I am with my brother sitting at the computer.
We are discussing what film to watch, its cold outside and I'm enjoying not being at work.
That's the strange thing about work - its leaves little time for a social life! So now I'm off work for some time, I'm enjoying it a lot.
I've got lots of plans for my time down here in the south - bowling with brothers, eating out and maybe watching a film at the cinema. :-)
But now the computer is needed for someone else, so Adios.
:-)
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