The Chilean Miners

You have to admit whichever way you look at it; the SKY coverage of the rescue of the trapped Chilean Miners, was a triumph of Television News reporting.

The Weekend Miler

Well I managed to swim a mile yet again this weekend. 72 lengths of the pool that I use is a mile, and I exhausted myself with 52 lengths on Saturday and another 24 lengths on Sunday. The downside being that I only managed to clean and wax one of the cars today, complete a shed load of important paperwork, and get to town for a coffee and a stroll with one of my daughters. Not the most productive day ever physically, but I had to rest those arm muscles.

Hollywood

Yeah, great stuff! The Blog has had its first visitor from Hollywood, well North Hollywood to be precise. Now there have been a fair few new visitors from towns and cities throughout the UK; but that pales into insignificance compared to a Hollywood Blog reader. I wonder if it's one of the stars?

Project Management

It's now 11.23pm or so (GMT) and the 27th Miner has been rescued. I watched the Apprentice earlier this evening. It's a brilliant programme, but on this occasion it's not as good TV as the San Jose Mine rescue. The Apprentices bitch and whinge as their shortfalls are exposed. They seek £100K+ employment, and based on the TV coverage, some of the group aren't worthy of a £20K post. It really is a dire assortment of talent (sic) in this series. The girl leading the boys in the second week must be a contender, and maybe two, or at most, three of the boys. But the rest come across like cannon fodder.

Send them to Chile I say. The San Jose Mine Rescue; now that's real project management. The San Jose Mine rescue included amongst other things;

Developing a strategy,
Developing a plan,
Relaying the strategy and the plan,
Including milestones,
Checking the plan in action,
Willing to adapt the plan if necessary,
Inspirational Leadership,
Testing the product,
Team building,
Multi-agency working,
Time keeping,
Press and public relations,
Having the right people to speak at the right time,
Delivering above expectations,
Sensitivity for a work life balance by including each family,
Allowing team members to express themselves,
Maintaining a corporate (national) identity,
Emphasising the importance of each team member,
Keeping people informed,
People working in role for the greater good of the developed strategy,
Maintaining focus on the plan and the strategy.


It ain't difficult, so why do so many of the Apprentices get it so wrong so often? Why do they place their personality above the role. Why on earth do they forget the fundamental reason of each task. Why do they try and distract one another when they are in the same team? It's not rocket science is it? If your team wins, then you do not risk appearing in the Boardroom. Get a grip and contribute to the team dynamics and the team success, as its success is also your success. The same thing applies away from the camera. If your team is a success then your organisation will thrive. Team members will want to work with you as you create and maintain a successful team environment, and that success will benefit their future advancement. It becomes win-win, that is until some smart arse comes along and sticks their oar in, so that they can try and get early advancement. But a strong team can deflect the 'users' and the 'losers' and maintain the momentum that a good leader brings. The funny thing is, I'm looking for a job at the moment, and I could do with £100,000 Sterling per annum. Are there any takers out there?

San Jose Mine

As I type this Blog entry, the 21st miner Yonni Barrios, has reached the surface at the San Jose Mine in the Republic of Chile. It has been an emotional journey, and one which many citizens of the World have had an interest in.

To be trapped buried alive must be the worst fear. I suspect that the early prognosis after the accident, was of little hope of any survivors. The mining engineers overcame all obstacles and managed to link up with the trapped workers.

The letter from the trapped was then announced. We then heard that there would be various rescue attempts, but none were certain to work. We were then told that they would be lucky to be rescued until Christmas. It is only mid October. What a fantastic 'Thanksgiving', and well done to all of those that 'Kept hope Alive'. A special well done to the President of Chile; Sebastian Pinera and to the President of Bolivia; Evo Morales and a very special 'well done' to all of those nameless workers and officials who toiled behind the scenes to make this a fantastic rescue of those that were not forgotten.

The journey began with the news of the trapped miners and the journey continues as each successful rescue takes place, each one as special as the one before and the one to follow. The story has the hallmarks of all good stories; tragedy, suspense, hope, and bravery.

The Eyes

This is a Master Class delivered by one of my daughter on how to draw eyes. The first image consists of three sketches. The left hand sketch shows the areas where light could fall in your final drawing. The areas where light will appear are show by some squiggly lines and three small circles. The central sketch has lines drawn from the centre of the eye in both sections and these lines will be smudged in the final image. The right hand sketch shows some extra shading along the periphery of the eye.


Where the light appears is important part of the drawing and the second image shows both the creation of light through darkening, shading, and erasing as well as the creation of an eye that is not a perfect circle.


The left hand sketch in the third image emphasises this point; the shape of eyes in artwork are random and not engineering drawings. The middle sketch shows how light and dark are created through shading and smudging the pencil. For these sketches the artist used a 5B pencil. The right hand sketch demonstrates that an eye drawing consists of three circles (akin to the RAF aircraft emblem), but the middle circle takes on a form similar to an egg shape.


All of the various components and techniques come together to form the finished drawing of an eye.

Texas, England, Germany, and Wales

England and Texas. The Blogging visits now include readers from Midland in the United States of America and Worcester in England. The majority of the visits come from England, but the USA also makes a fair contribution.

It is nice to see the locations where the Bloggers come from, start to spread. The Countries and the Cities list is now quite extensive. Maybe I can place a full update on-line in the weeks ahead, that show where readers have been located since I started the Blog some time ago.

Although I do have a lot on at present. "The Beast" is back from her extended journey across Europe (see previous blogging), the bathroom at our flat in the City is nearly finished with the new more powerful fan and the new bath shower screen due to be fitted this Thursday. My current artwork needs the finishing touches now that I have researched some sound images of the medals worn by the recipient. An ongoing piece of art involving a Hyundai i30 needs some more ink detail and then a watercolour wash.

The oil painting of the Range Rover needs a lot of work and that will be set aside for this winter. Another winter project is a 2' 6" by 2' n gauge railway that I am building. I have made the base board and designed the triple layer track layout, but now need to build the fixing boards at the various heights in order to lay the track. I also have several untouched models to build along with two significant commissions. My piece that was recently published in The Times has spurred me on to return to writing.

Along with all of this, I also read every day. Some of the reading builds on my Social and Economic Science Masters, while other bits are either general interest or military or bravery related. I often have between three and five books on the go at any one time. Only today, I finished two books that I have been reading for a while. One of these books was on the memoirs of a German Field Marshall, and the other was about recipients of the George Cross. I'm also reading a book about Welsh Battles, and am about to start a book on the Spanish Civil War. Along with an interest in Welsh History and Owain Glyndwr. The Spanish Civil War is something that I have not previously read about so it is a particular good 'look forward to'.

Wash & Go

First day back home and "The Beast" had a good wash after returning from Italy, well she needed one after being away for so long. It was then off for an MOT.

A glorious second day with our Indian summer and temperatures pushing 24 degrees meant that I cleaned the Volvo again. But this time I treated her to a coat of Nano Technology Turtle Wax polish. I was toying with buying the Halfords brand, but at the last moment I opted for Turtle Wax. A very good choice indeed, as the product has hidden two bad marks on the nearside that have been there for quite a few months. Marks, which I hasten to add, I have previously tried to cloak with several products. So I'm well chuffed with that decision and think of the purchase as £7.50 well spent.

We then had a run down to Carmarthen, well more of a glide actually. "The Beast" is running very well (touch wood) and the journey to Carmarthen, across to Blaenporth and the run home was a joy. Maybe the polish improved the aerodynamics, or maybe I'm just really pleased to see her back in the fold.

Wolves

Well I have to admit to be wrong. My Volvo S60 D5 SE AKA "the Beast" turned up last night courtesy of those lovely people at Wolves berging in the Netherlands. "Holland?" you say, "yes" I reply. The breakdown people arranged transport from Italy across to the Netherlands and then across to Britain and on to lovely Wales. The bottom line being that "the Beast" has seen more of Continental Europe than me.

It was quite weird seeing the yellow multi car transporter trundling into our village, but trundle it did. A multi deck beast of a thing that would have been totally unsuited for the various 'dead ends' on our estate. It was a good job then that I ventured out in the dark in my shorts and sandals (my Winter clothes are in the car [double note: why did I take my winter clothes to Italy :-(]). So the driver probably approached me thinking, "who is this strange Welshman dressed for the beach in the dead of Winter?". Anyway, my frantic waving got his attention and he pulled over to chat. 'The Italian' driver, turned out to be Dutch. Oops, my mistake. You know that your car is coming back from Italy, so I assumed it would be an Italian driver.

We parked up where it was save to turn, as turn he had to, as the road through the village goes on up into the mountains. A glass bit of driving from my new Dutch friend. One that I can appreciate as I have an HGV Class III licence. And those lorries were big enough let alone his multi deck car transporter. Anyhow, we treated him to a cup of tea (well it's tradition isn't it?), a packed lunch, and some non alcoholic drinks, as it was unlikely that he would find somewhere suitable to stop in this part of Wales, and at that time of night, and a bit of Sterling to help him on his way. Not much, but a nice way of saying a 'Big Thank You' for bringing my Volvo back to me.

Well done my friend, and if you are reading this, then please note that you are a credit to your company.

Gallantry Awards

This is my new artwork in progress. I have been working on this image for a while as I take a break from the car drawing. Well I have to, as my watercolour set and brushes are still in "The Beast" over in Italy, and both are needed to finish the 'car'. As for this image there is still an awful lot of work to go. I need to improve the detail on the face and eyes, add more colour, and blend the lot. As well as adding a lot more pen and ink detail to the uniform and cap.

The good news is that I feel that I am heading in the right direction with the artwork. The progress so far, should spur me on to complete separate images of a Victoria Cross winner, and a Medal of Honor winner.

The Beast

"The Beast" AKA my Volvo S60 D5 Special Edition is due back from Italy tomorrow. Although, based on past experience with the Breakdown Company, I shall believe it when I see it!

It's a Mile

My two afternoon swimming sessions over the weekend, totaled 72 lengths of the pool. Quite good for me, as 72 lengths of the 25 yard pool is a Mile. I was pretty chuffed with the effort on the second day as I had to swim through the psychological barrier, whereby I managed to swim the most number of lengths in one session for many months. Better still I got up at 0700 this morning and added another 40 lengths to the tally. I think that you will agree, that 112 lengths across three days is pretty good.

I was looking forward to doing quite a bit of swimming on holiday. If we hadn't become "Trapped in Firenze", then the next hotel had an outdoor pool and there would have been two sessions in that pool in the warmth of an Italian evening. Whereas, the pool at the villa we had booked, would have been used every morning. I missed the chance to swim while in Ghana, as we went to the outdoor pool on a day that I was feeling a tad poorly. I suppose this post is an indication that circumstances often interfere to prevent me swimming while abroad. As a Strategist; it also reminds me that no plan, however good, survives first engagement with the enemy.

And Here It Is

For those of you who missed my published review in the Thursday September 30 2010 Edition of The Times newspaper in the UK: here is a copy of the review published on page 33.

You, the Editor
Roger Bennett, a retired firefighter from Ceredigion on yesterday’s Times

The edition got off to a great start with an excellent image of Ed Milliband across the front cover, enhanced by the inset image of his older brother. This was photographic journalism at its best: complimentary images that tell their own story. The incisive nature of the Leading Article left the reader in little doubt as to the personal challenges facing the new Labour Leader.

Given the widespread coverage of the Raoul Moat manhunt, it was a pity that the Taser debacle was reduced to a few column inches.

MindGames scored a victory regarding the chess grandmaster Michael Adams’s despatch of world No1 Magnus Carlsen. The moves and text were well presented so that the reader could easily follow the game.

We couldn’t get away from the Milliband saga, but the slant taken in Opinion was well structured, with Daniel Finkelstein reminding us that “people reciprocate favours”. People also like clothes, and with the recession still biting, it was good to be told about the lack of restraint on Milan’s catwalks. The 7.5cm “heels” race in World brought the feelgood factor, but it would have benefited from an image.

The Register delivered with the Obituary of Jimi Heselden, both in content and photograph. The “Brutal Memories” and the “Rorke’s Drift” letters complimented one another nicely.

What did we get wrong? What did we get right? Send your 250-word review of today's paper by 3pm to...

Still No More Moaning

The bathroom at our investment property is coming along nicely (Blog Posts of the 15 and 16 September 2010 apply). The new false panel and two of the other walls have been tiled and grouted floor to ceiling. The bath, sink, and all taps are in. The 'Twist n Lock' fittings have been provided above the bath and sink. The other walls have been painted with Dulux bathroom paint colour 'Frosted Steel' (photograph).

Joey (also shown in the photograph) is 26 years old and was left in place to greet his owner as she came home and opened the door to see the new NEXT towel bundle holder, NEXT double towel rail, and NEXT toilet roll holder. In my opinion the NEXT fittings are superior to the Twist n Lock ones. But the Twist n Lock fittings carry an advantage of easy fitting (when they work). Whereas the NEXT fittings conceal the screws, but in doing so also conceal the drilling points. I found that the paper templates that were supplied, to be slightly inaccurate, and NEXT time I will do some mathematics to ensure pinpoint accuracy.

My Facebook account has a bathroom photo album with some 30 photographs of the refurbishment. We now have to fit the stainless steel and glass door bathroom cabinet, the fixed and hinged panel shower screen, a new and more powerful extractor fan, and new flooring. It's been an expensive project, but one that pays dividends while we and the family make use of the property and should enhance the financial return when we eventually start letting it out at full value in a few years time.

Visitors

The cities where recent visitors to the Blog reside are:

Accra, Ghana
Moscow, Russia
Sofia, Bulgaria
Pelotas, Brazil
London, England
Edgbaston, England
Birmingham, England
Solihull, England
Cardiff, Wales
Islington, USA
Brooklyn, USA
San Francisco, USA


Now that is quite a few places that I would love to visit, so welcome to one and all! I've managed, Cardiff, London, Birmingham and Accra. Four out of eleven is not too bad, but I can well imagine how much I would enjoy visiting (in no particular order) Russia, Brazil, Bulgaria, and the United States of America. I wrote to the President the other day, but he didn't reply. So I suppose that the trip I was hoping for, is on the back burner for a while.

But hey Mr President, if you do read this and you want a qualified Strategist to pop over The Pond and become one of your temporary advisers for a while then please drop me a line.

The Big News

It's the 1st October 2010 and the Very Big News is that I managed to have an article published in The Times Newspaper yesterday. For my Ghanaian friends, that's the London Times.

I'm well chuffed as it was 250 words whereby I reviewed the previous days edition of The Times. The review was of Tuesday's edition with it's significant coverage of amongst other matters; the Milliband saga. My submission wasn't published in any old 'Times', mind you; but the Ryder Cup Special edition. With its free 16-page Ryder Cup special pullout. A double whammy, and second only, to having something published in 'the Pope' edition. I suspect that circulation figures were well up. Not because I had an article inside, but because of the Ryder Cup.

But then again, I can confidently say that my small contribution did raise the circulation figures as my wife, brother, sister, and several good friends all bought a copy. To make matters really good, I bumped into Adam and his lovely lady Nia in the evening, and we had a few jars before wifey and I snuck off for a sneaky Indian. Pure bliss, the chit-chat, the beer, and the food.

Brilliant, simply brilliant, and as I have already mentioned - I'm well chuffed.

No More Moaning

Moaning aside about 'the Beast' still being in Italy; life is pretty good. Our investment in the Capital is coming along nicely. Quality furnishings and refurbishment with an annual 3.57% return. Which of course is better than the banks on two accounts: (1) a higher percentage rate, and (2) my money doesn't line the pockets of some greedy banker through his annual bonus.

The other plus side is the price of goods in B&Q. I was well pleased with the White Ripple Tiles at around £6.98 a box. But when we applied them to the wall, I was wondering how we put up so many from one box. Then I checked the small print and found that there was 1.2 sq/m per box and not 1. What a bargain, well done B&Q! I'm now on the cuts from the new false wall that hides the plumbing and the electrics on the shower end, and into the old brick wall. Not an easy job, but hey ho, life is good.

Still lost in Italy

'The Beast' is still in Italy, and I'm a tad annoyed to say the least. The company dealing with the repatriation could have got themselves in gear a long time ago. I don't blame the company from whom I bought the policy or the company that are the front-of-house for the underwriters, but I do think that the day to day running is poor. Maybe someone should undertake a review of their service provision. As a retired chap looking for work, I have even offered to do the review for them! I trundled back to Cardiff in the 1.1 Getz and it's a strange feeling having nearly everything on the motorway sailing past you, especially on anything resembling a slope. But hey ho, it's a lovely car, it's new, and it's not mine so I am extremely grateful to my youngest daughter for being lovely and lending it to me.

I don't know how I would have been able to transport all of my tools and buy all of the items for the bathroom refurbishment at our flat in Cardiff without the use of the Getz. The picture is day 3 of the refurbishment and I had just finished putting up another 22 tiles. Not as good as my brother though, the first four that he stuck on were put up in double quick speed and were perfect. There's more about that, and a photo album on my Facebook page. I now have an opportunity for a breather as my nephew the plumber is here, and the bathroom is too small for two people to work in simultaneously.

The New Layout

The Railway Track is coming along nicely. I have made a 30" by 24" frame using 2" by 1" batten. I have also managed to drill 8 holes (two in each corner) for 8 x 65mm bolts and nuts so that I can bolt four legs to the layout base set at 24" high so Loverboy can stand and play with the railway set. I have even managed to drill out five holes in the middle 2" by 1" cross member, and cut the plywood base to 30" by 24". With all holes either countersunk or smoothed off depending on their final use. So all in all there has been some steady progress.

The layout design is also finished, and it has all been achieved using standard PECO Setrack and Setrack Points (turnouts). I intend to varnish all of the exposed timber and place a foam pad at the base of each leg. The initial oval at the lowest level should be fixed up tomorrow or by next weekend so that Loverboy can start enjoying himself. I will then expand the layout to the three levels and construct the scenery and some scratch built buildings over the Winter months. The idea is that the finished mini table with the developing layout can be positioned in my room and Loverboy can play with the layout in its various stages of construction whenever he is home visiting Grandad and the others.

The delay to next weekend is because my Nephew was really generous and went to our Flat in South Wales today and ripped out the bath, sink and bathroom tiles ready for the refurbishment. So while the gang remain at home and have a week without their Second-in-Command; yours truly will be trundling slowly to South Wales in the daughters 1.1 litre car to crack on with the tiling and various other jobs. It's a long hike to and from South Wales without 'the Beast', but maybe, they will at last bring her home from Italy by the time that I finish the tiling. Then again, probably not!

Woo a woo

So Loverboy continues his enjoyment of trains, looking at 'Thomas' books and playing with his push along set, while Grandad is now outside once again beavering away in the garage to make a small 'n gauge layout'. I have opted for 2 foot 6 inches by 2 foot. With a double loop feeding of a single connection and a curved double platform station at the top of three levels with a double hidden siding at the bottom. This may sound complicated, that's because it is! The main reason being that I decided to design all of the layout in standard PECO Setrack and did not follow a track plan. The idea is to have three trains on the board with one working at anytime. The single feed is so loverboy can operate the train using the large but siimplistic PECO standard railway set controller. Although his tiny hands and coordination will not be much use if anything derails. The three levels exist to achieve full clearance height at bridges and tunnels bewteen the lower and high levels where trains have to pass under and to achieve that clearance within the minimum length of running track.

The finished model will have full scenery, including fences, buildings, people and cars. We had a 6 foot by 2 foot 6 inch track running with two loops and a major terminus station for the last two years, but I reclaimed the space for my room and that layout was placed in the garage. If we had a fine day, then I could run it outside, but unfortunately the weather has changed for the worse in Wales and winter is almost upon us yet again.

Which is a far cry from lovely warm Turkey where one of the children have been on holiday for the past week. It was great as I got to use the spare car while the Breakdown Company decide how best to safely deliver 'the Beast' back to Wales. Although two of my main journey's this week were to take and collect the travellers from Cardiff Wales Airpot. Question: why do they call it 'Cardiff Airport' when it is 'Outer Barry' at the end of a long route to nowhere and an even longer return with bumper to bumper traffic? And the so called Cardiff Central shuttle connection takes **51 minutes to **39 which is 48 minutes if I can recall the data correctly. I wonder if they would like me to design a track for them, and Loverboy could do the operation and choice of trains. Choo choo, woo a woo

Choo choo

The Volvo is still in Italy, along with our new found friends in Hotel Residence Grifone. Luckily I have been able to loan a car from one of our family. So I am not without wheels. Although 'the Beast' is absent. I have managed several journeys to and from Cardiff. While our travels near to home have included two visits to Steam Railways.

One of the Steam Railways was at Corris, which is a community that is located just north of the town of Machynlleth. The other Steam Railway is located over in Tywyn on the coast to the west of Machynlleth. The Talyllyn Railway at Tywyn is a special day out. But Corris also turned into a 'special day' as we visited the Corris Railway over the Bank Holiday weekend while they had a Railway Exhibition taking place. Loverboy was captivated by it all, and fascinated by the larger model engines and rolling stock.

New Delhi

In the last month there have been two visits to the Blog from New Delhi in India. As well as our first visitor from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. I suppose that in economic terms there is a significant contrast between these two countries. Vast tracts of the Indian Sub Continent would be relatively poor compared to those that live, work and play in the United Arab Emirates. But not as poor as those who are suffering in Niger, Chad, West Africa and Pakistan.

Sharjah is the third largest Emirate of the United Arab Emirates, with tourism, business, and investment all booming. The University offers courses in (amongst other subjects) Health Science, Sharia (Islamic Law), Business, Management, and Arts. The Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization boasts an array of outstanding artifacts in its collection. Like Sharjah, New Delhi also has an airport, and thriving tourism. I was recently speaking to someone that spent a month on holiday in India and raved about the experience. The unusual bit being that he was not a young 'back packer'. He is retired and spent the month in India with his wife. They thought that the food and culture were wonderful and that the holiday and the costs in India were all well priced.

That's the joy of being in a society that can enjoy a comfortable lifestyle. Where people can afford to travel throughout the world. We don't depend on the success of crops for survival. And all too often we have disposable income that extends beyond our basic needs. So please consider this when you make that all important donation to the aid relief for Niger, Chad and West Africa.

Niger the double catastrophe

The work in progress car drawing is coming along nicely. My next task is to pop into Cambrian Hyundai and photograph the grille of an i30 so that I can draw the detail in pen and ink. But there's no rush to take that photograph as I am still working on drawing the rear wheel. I have also started a pen and ink and 'coloursoft' crayon drawing of Ludwig Stautner. So with the oil painting and the Superman artwork on the go, there are four pieces of artwork in various stages of completion.

All of this drawing and painting is not so much a 'new me' as an 'old me' that has been resurrected. I almost began an art course at College when I was in my second year as a firefighter, and I have sold or gifted various pieces of artwork throughout my adult life. Nevertheless it will take a superhuman effort on my part to complete all four of my current ongoing pieces of art, in their various mediums to a standard that I am satisfied with. But that effort will pale into insignificance compared to the Superhuman effort that is required by the various Aid Agencies to stop thousands starving to death in Niger.

Niger on the West Coast of Africa; faced a drought earlier this year that led to failing crops, and any chance of survival was dashed with the arrival of floods. Failing crops lead to higher prices for staple foods and puts simple but basic nutrition out of the reach of the average person. While events in Pakistan dominate world headlines, and quite rightly so due to the sheer scale of that disaster, the little known events in Niger are leading to people starving to death. An Oxfam representative spoke well on the UK News this morning, but other organisations are also involved in the relief work. The UNICEF web site explains the tragedy that is occurring in Niger extremely well. The Save the Children Niger appeal web page breaks down your potential donation into its relevance in West Africa. The Oxfam web pages explain that the catastrophe is effecting Niger, Chad and West Africa. Oxfam also explain about the shortage of water as well as the lack of basic nutrition.

I won't be able to sit down to enjoy my Sunday Lunch today without making a charitable donation to one of the Leading Relief Agencies. I know that citizens of the UK have made the greatest charitable contributions worldwide to the disaster occurring in Pakistan. But we all need to dig a bit deeper and make a contribution, however small, to assist those that are in great need in Niger, Chad and West Africa. It is the least that we can do, as we ponder the simple fact that we are fortunate that we and our families do not have the same need at this moment in time. So wherever you are in the world and whenever you read this Blog, (even in the years ahead) dip into your pocket and make a donation.

If you can't donate online, then pop into your local Oxfam (or other relevant Relief organisation) shop and place a few pennies into their collection tin.

It is better to make a contribution towards something that really matters and for something that you can make a real difference to, than to part with your money to one of the many false charitable collections that all too frequently seem to crop up at home. You know, the ones where someone wants to travel somewhere or the other and expects you to pay for their journey and subsistence. Or so and so wants to study at College, but Mummy and Daddy can't afford it. No, please forget the false 'charities' and instead concentrate your charitable donations for 2010 where it really matters:

To save life, to support the quality of life, or to invest in research that could save life. All other charities would appear to be insignificant.

Web links
(type or copy and paste into your browser)
www.savethechildren.org.uk/niger
www.UNICEF.org.uk/Donate_Niger
www.Oxfam.org.uk/Niger
www.bhf.org.uk
www.macmillan.org.uk
www.cancerresearchuk.org
And others that save life or research to save life

Work in Progress

Without any wheels, I am reduced to working out the Public Transport Timetable and the daily battle between the two Service providers from our village (that's a long story and readers are directed towards the Cambrian News for more information). If I get lucky, then I hitch a lift from the village into the town with one of the girls or the wife. Maybe buying them all a car wasn't such a bad idea after all! Although when I do make it to town; I tend to mooch around for a bit longer than usual. It's always a stealth visit, as I like to spend time with friends, but you have to watch out for those really horrible people that you sometimes notice walking past, when you are near the bank. But that's the joys of adulthood, you don't have to spend time with the sh*ts of this world, but you can spend many a good hour with those that you like.

I done that today, and again yesterday with good friends who run the ART SHOP on Pier Street in Aberystwyth. They are lovely, lovely people and always have the time of day. Costa is another favourite haunt. Ed and the gang are also lovely people and Costa is a good place to keep up the mental exercise reading one of my current three books. Now that I no longer have to work, it is great to once again dabble in art. My latest creations are ink and watercolour, and oil based. Although I am going to try some oil pastels and pencil pieces as well.

While I wait for the Volvo S60 D5 SE, AKA 'The Beast' to be brought back to Wales from Firenze in Italy; maybe it is a good time to think of my ideal car. This drawing is of a Hyundai i30 that I spotted outside Cambrian Hyundai in Aberystwyth on their Open Day. I quickly took a few photographs on the Xperia X10 from different angles ready to create some artwork. I balanced these shots with more detail taken from other images that I found on-line. This particular piece is work in progress. It has already gone through the pencil drawing stage and I was really pleased with that result. I used a 2B pencil as I could easily remove the pencil strokes with a Daler Rowney Mystic Eraser. This is a rubber compound based product and not a harder plasticise rubber that tends to smudge the lead onto the paper. I am using pulp water colour paper. It looks good, but in reality it is relatively poor quality for the task. The main reason being that the Rotring Isograph 0.25mm pen skips as the paper has ridges and a sizing agent. Although the thicker 0.35mm nib works well.

The pencil drawing could have been worked into a finished piece with shadow and tone added. But I want a pen and ink drawing complete with a watercolour wash and water colour detail by applying several coats of colour. So this pen and ink drawing is starting to look good, but this is just work in progress. I need a few more days of adding detail and then have to take the brave step of applying the water colour. The upside being; that the longer 'the Beast' is away, the better are my chances of honing my artistic skill.

A very long Journey

'The Beast' should start out on a very long journey alone later this week; as the lovely people at the European Breakdown Recovery service have decided to ship her home rather than fly me back to Italy, for me to trundle half way across Europe again. A big thank you to everyone that I have spoken to over the last few weeks. The transportation saves me a fair bit of money and a lot of inconvenience. But I suppose that there is the downside of not seeing the stunning Alpine and Swiss scenery and the joys of almost empty roads across most of Europe.

It will be nice to see the Volvo S60 D5 SE when she arrives from the Continent sometime over the next four weeks. I shall be certain to wash her off, polish her up and buy one or two new gifts from the Volvo range for us to enjoy on our next trip in the car. I shall also take a photograph and add it to the Blog. Unless of course, I do come across the images of the Volvo, that I have been looking for over the last few days. Otherwise it will be a case of finding the camera and tripod and taking a short drive up into the lovely Welsh mountains near to our home in order to get some good pics of 'the Beast'.

Meanwhile I shall continue to car share and mooch around Aberystwyth whiling away the days.

Paid

I have paid for the car repair. A tidy four figure sum sent to Italy and an extra £20 for the Bank Transfer. It took a while to sort out the IBAN, but it's all done and we now wait to find out what happens next

Ms Ashtiani

The case of Ms Ashtiani in the Islamic Republic of Iran is still ongoing. The Australian newspaper ran an excellent impartial article on the topic today. Pressure on the Iranian authorities to re-consider their position has increased rather than decreased. That is a sign of World view, and how strongly people feel about Ms Ashtiani's situation.

At a time when Iran could make friends and build bridges, for some strange reason the authorities won't budge. According to The Australian they have even declined the offer from Brazil to grant Ms Ashtiani asylum. Indeed, the paper explains that the case of Ms Ashtiani in the Islamic Republic of Iran has become a Big Issue for the forthcoming October Brazilian elections.

All I can say is; well done to the Boys from Brazil. And the girls of course. Cometh the time, cometh the man. Who would have guessed that it would be from Brazil? You see, we never know do we? Just when we think that we understand everything, something else comes along and surprises us.

Cameroon

Of course I know who it is from the Cameroon who has visited the Blog pages from the Continent of Africa recently.

It is undoubtedly a lovely lady whom I met in South Wales a few weeks back before we travelled to Italy. She is part of a very nice family. Lovely people who are open and friendly and like those that we met on holiday, they also represent their nation well. With that in mind, you can imagine that I was saddened this morning to hear of their bad news.

I hope that they can overcome what has happened and move forward as a family by 'keeping hope alive'. It is so sad that the worst things tend to happen to the nicest people. It is as if God is always challenging our faith. For me it is a paradigm; that the bad in this world suffer the least. And that those who deserve the best, face challenge after challenge. My thoughts are with you all.

Croeso

'Croeso' is Welsh for 'Welcome'. So 'Croeso mawr i bawb' (a big welcome to everyone) with Google analytics showing readers from an additional four countries (in no particular order) - Finland, Turkey, Cameroon, and France visiting the Blog. Along with the increased interest from across the Pond. A reader from Vermont has added that area to the list of 11 areas of the United States of America from which Blog readers have accessed this Blog.

I have no idea what has caused the increased interest from the United States of America and from many countries spread across different Continents of the World, but I welcome you one and all.

I would like to think that it is the quality of my writing. Your interest in Africa. The story of our journey from Wales across France, through Germany and Switzerland and down into Italy before our S60 D5 SE gave up the Ghost in Firenze. Maybe it is my human rights ramblings, or truth be known, you have simply stumbled across the Blog and can't wait to leave and find the correct page. But whatever the reason; 'Croeso mawr i bawb'.

The Negotiation

The really good news is that my car is repaired. The bad news is that the car is in Italy and we are back in Wales. I suppose the other bad news is the extortionate price of the repair. But I suppose that when you are over the barrel, then you simply have to grin and bare it.

The image above is a stock photo of a Volvo S60 D5 that I found on some CD's that I have. I don't know if it an SE like mine, but it looks 'Special' so it probably is the Special Edition (SE) model. I was looking for the photograph of our Volvo taken high up in the mountains in Italy when we toured the lovely Italian countryside in 2007. Or the shot of 'the Beast' parked up in the Welsh mountains a few years back as well. Both images are pretty good, but to my disappointment, I could not find neither.

I am now in negotiation with the lovely people who provide the European Breakdown Cover. I will let everyone know how I get on as the negotiation develops.

Vrooom, vroom

I have been on the Internet to find out how much my Volvo S60 D5 Special Edition is worth. Absence certainly makes the heart grow fonder, and I'm now missing 'the Beast' with a passion. She must be very lonely in that isolated garage on the outskirts of Florence. A postcard would be nice, or at least a telephone call home.

Maybe the garage staff will read this and take a photograph to send me by email? Well, maybe they would if their English was good enough to read this Blog. Mind you, I suspect that their English is better than my Italian. 'The Beast' is going to have a good clean and polish when she eventually returns home. I shall even treat her to a hoover and have that Tom-tom Satellite Navigation System wired in properly.

At Lloyds Motors in Aberaeron on the Welsh coast, I know that she would be thoroughly cleaned before I take possession. I wonder if the Volvo Dealership in Firenze will shape up and meet the same exacting standards of Customer Care that I enjoy in Wales? The staff at Lloyd Motors even thoroughly clean the Alloy Wheels. Meanwhile I am reduced to cadging a lift from the family and dossing down for a few hours in town. It's not too bad, as summer is here. It's not as hot as Firenze or Accra; but it was hot enough today for me to seek shade beneath a tree while I passed some time sat on a bench watching the world go by.

USA

Google Analytics identifies the visitors to the Blog from the United States of America as being from the following locations:

Illinois
Pennsylvania
District of Columbia
New York
California
Nevada
Georgia
Virginia
Ohio
Arizona

Google identifies the visits from Illinois coming from 5 separate cities, and from 3 cities in Pennsylvania. Of course the value may be greater if I could analyse those that choose to use Google Reader instead of accessing the Blog WebPages through its main Website.

Joys of Florence

Whatever the joys of being on holiday in Florence, I must warn travellers that I suffered some 16 nasty bites on my legs. I'm a shorts and trainers or sandals sort of guy. And I can't put the bites down to any particular venue or time of day. The first one on my right leg just above my ankle happened on day one in Firenze at about 4pm, whereas the last ones were late at night inside a restaurant. I am using Anthisan 25g Cream three times a day to sooth the pain and to reduce the redness, while keeping an eye on the bites in case they become infected and need antibiotics to treat them. I only started applying the cream when I returned to the UK, as a lot of the bites had not come to a head until we were travelling back.

Hello from across the Pond

Hi to everyone from the United States of America. I have had an astonishing number of hits from many parts of the United States and a big welcome (Croeso) to each and every one of you.

Paris to Cardiff and on home

I laughed when I saw our aeroplane from Charles De Gaulle to Cardiff International Airport in Wales. No offence to the carrier or anyone who booked the craft. We are very grateful, it's just that I have never flown on one before yesterday, that had propellers. OK, you can call them turbo-props, but to me they are simply propellers. And blinking noisy ones at that, with my bad ear and being sat close to the wing.

Now we aren't your typical sized people. Super-size would be a more fitting term. Boy oh boy it was a tight squeeze with Mrs. B and me sat side by side next to the part of the fuselage that impinges into the aircraft to aid where they bolt the wings on. No don't get me wrong, I would rather have a tight squeeze in the narrow part, than have the wings fall off. But the next time that I break down in Europe, I'm going to ask the lovely people at IMA to book me a better seat. One away from the fuselage intrusions and well away from the propellers.

It was great leaving the airport and finding a nice chap with a placard 'Mr Bennett'. The lovely man was from Premier Taxis in Cardiff. Now I didn't book him; the lovely people at IMA did. I'm a fatalist, and IMA Milan had managed to book us the only Taxi Company that I rate so much that I have their number in my telephone and always use when I am in our Capital City. Brilliant, well done IMA you came good again.

Firenze to Paris

I think that the American group said that they were from North Carolina. Of course it may be anyone of the 50 States, as yesterday was quite stressful. They were a great family, and enter into dialogue and banter with ease. This is the aeroplane that we shared with them from Florence to Charles De Gaulle airport in France. A lovely little machine, and the first aeroplane that I have ever been on where the wings are bolted on above the aircraft.

It was also a first for Pauline, as she has never flown before. Fair play to her, she did not display any outwards signs of nervousness. Pauline simply settled down for a good read of the English language novel that I was able to pick up in an Italian bookshop while we were away.

More people

...and of course there were the lovely German couple in Merzig, the hotelier and the staff in the bakery that remembered us from 2007. There was the really nice Libyan gentleman and his lovely Indian wife that we met in Firenze when we took a long bus ride on the number 14 around the city. Our friends from Wales who telephoned to check we were OK, and so on. In many ways this trip will be remembered more for the lovely people that we met than the problems with the car. We met a lovely American family in Florence Airport who were travelling to Geneva via Paris. What a pleasant family they were. And then there was the lovely chap on the FlyBE desk in Paris and the ladies in the Airfrance baggage office. One of whom came outside to show us the way to the free bus shuttle. There was the Canadians at Vimy Ridge in France, and all of those that I mentioned in an earlier post. There was the African lady and her baby smiling away on the Paris Charles De Gaulle CDGVAL (or the little train).

I think Pauline summed it up the best when she asked, "why is there so much war, with so many lovely people around?". In no particular order from our holiday there were; German, Welsh, Armenian, Brazilian, Libyan, English, Italian, Indian, American, French, and Canadian

Bye, bye Firenze

The European Breakdown company have decided to fly us home so we should depart from Firenze airport sometime tomorrow afternoon and head for Paris to make a connection to Cardiff later in the day. Martin’s Moneysupermarket directed us towards the company and to be quite honest they have been brilliant. Yes, there have been a few niggles, but we have to consider these minor things in the context of 1200 miles, an intermediary, and a language barrier.

All in all I’m chuffed, and well done to those that suggested that we use Martin’s Moneysupermarket. Five nights in a hotel, a breakdown recovery vehicle, three flights and three long distance taxi rides don’t come cheap. I say three, because I have to come back to Italy in a few weeks to pay for the repairs and to collect the car and then drive it back to Wales.

European touring important points:
Check out Martins Moneysupermarket.com for great European cover
You need European Recovery and would be a fool to travel without it

Today’s important points were:
You pay the labour and parts for any car repairs

Armenian

For us Europe has shrunk considerably on this trip. We have made friends with the lovely Italian staff at Hotel Residence Grifone. We have been made very welcome in several restaurants, at least two of which the staff went that extra yard above and beyond the call of duty. We met the lovely couple from Birmingham and on the same day Britain’s number 1 ladies Tennis player Virginia Wade gave us the time of day. We met the people who were heading for the Cruise Ship, and the group on the train. Amongst these lovely people there were the Chinese group and the two from Brazil.

Tonight we chatted to the lovely Nono Aznavur and her lovely husband who are Armenian’s from Russia. Lovely people who like the Brazilian’s, Chinese, and Italian’s that we have met, are all a credit to their country. We had a nice evening and some fond memories of a holiday that slipped a bit off schedule. Hey ho, what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. Although the adventure is not yet over as I have a significant journey to make back to Italy in the weeks ahead and then a long trundle in ‘the Beast’ back to Wales. That will take four or five days of driving and a day of taxi and flights to reach Firenze.

European touring important points:
English is widely spoken

Today’s important points were:
It can be seriously hot in Italy in August

Our broken car

Our Volvo S60 D5 back in Germany when it was working on our way to Italy. It's now in a garage somewhere in the commercial area in Florence and we are none the wiser as to the diagnostics or potential outcome some five days after we found it broken as we were due to depart from Hotel Residence Grifone in Firenze.

Holiday thoughts

Paradigms and other observations on our 2010 holiday in Italy:





We have walked miles and eaten two main meals a day, but I have put on weight!

Why is it every time we try and catch a bus, it is just pulling away or has just left?

You can buy a bottle of water for 50 Cents but it costs 60 Cents to use the toilet!

Unless you are Pauline, then it costs 1 Euro

The price is not the price, that’s just the entrapment

The real price is +10% and +1 Euro 30 to 1 Euro 50 each

The Railway Station vending machines are cheaper than the street traders

Everybody wants your coin, so it was nice to find in shop in Pisa called ‘Coin’

If you are told that a walk will take 20 minutes, then it always takes 40

When they say the train is 5 Euro 80, they mean 5 Euro 80 each person, each way

If you ask the price of the Euro-Star to Rome, you will be told it is 44 Euro

That is 44 Euro each person each way = 176 Euro

If the owner likes you, then they bring out the fire water at the end

If you are mugged, pretend that you don’t understand English or Italian

The Italians also use quad bikes in the City

To avoid looking like a tourist, you have to slim down and spend a lot of money on clothes and shoes

Many people dip cakes and croissants in coffee

Breakfast for some is a plate of cakes and a shot of espresso

We don’t know if the metal window roller shutters are to keep out the sun or the burglars or both

Whatever the stated temperature, add on quite a few degrees for the sun bounce and absorption on concrete and brick surfaces, gosh it’s hot!

Lost in Translation

It has been a lovely day in Firenze. Scorching hot with the locals calling it cool and letting us know that tomorrow it gets hot. The question is; how much more water can this Welsh man possibly drink?

We stumbled across the outdoor pool as we walked along the other side of the river. The well honed Italian men with their small Speedo costumes were matched by the quality of the women. The pool was divided neatly into lanes, and there were smart sitting and lounging areas either end. I am often referred to as ‘Americano’ in Italy. It is due to my girth and the bright colours of my t-shirts. Especially the surfing ones, little do they know that the only surfing that I do is on the World Wide Web.

Anyway, we were at the pool and Pauline was laughing at the imagery of me jumping in. She said that I couldn’t dive, and I agreed. Although there were diving boards positioned for all of the lanes at one end of the smart pool. Nah, I retorted “I shalla belly flopper” in my best Italian accent.

“Gosh” Pauline replied, “I can imagine what they will think when they see you in your Speedo’s”. “Yes, I shall impress the women” because I knew that “they shall think, ah ha, rich fat Americano. He won’t fit on the scooter so it will be mine every day, and he shan’t speak Italiano, so he won’t know what I’m a saying”. Pauline laughed as I continued, “then the lady will meet her friends a few months later for coffee, and say, oh my gosh, he has losta weighter, he rides the scooter all the time, he’s at it all of the timer and he now speaks perfect Italiano. What am I a doer, it’s now a babino’s a coooking every day?”

Unfortunately it was not to be, the pool was not the Public one that I was looking for. No, this was the private swimming club for the rich Italian’s who pay annual fees like in a golf club. I pay an annual fee for using the swimming pool back in Wales, but it is indoors and does not have beautiful Italian women and diving boards either end.

We stumbled on to the Old Bridge with its buildings across the span, and moved off into the shopping area. We spotted the quality shop, but the quality was too good for our purse. We stalled a few shops away, and it was then that I decided to compare prices and went back to the first shop. Like many upmarket shops there were no prices on display. So we cautiously stepped into the air conditioned interior. The girl was lovely; she explained the quality of the product, the exclusivity of their range. We were hooked and left with two items, one each for our younger two daughters. We carried the items with pride in the lovely shopping bags that had been provided to hold the goods.

We stopped for coffee, well coffee a pastry for me, and an ice cream for Pauline. For once the price was the price. Was our change in fortune due to us moving away from the tourist quarter? We enjoyed the break and then wandered over to look at the magnificent building. The sun beat down upon us, and we sought shade wherever we could. There was only one thing that we could do; we would have to have an ice cream. The other night it was 8 Euro each, so the one at 1 Euro 50 cents looked promising. Mine was two flavours of sorbet, whereas Pauline had two ice-cream flavours. Again we stopped in the shade and lent against a wall.

We eventually moved off to visit Chiesa di Santo Spirito. Yet another magnificent church hosting 15C and 16C art. I have learnt more about the history of art in this extended stay in Florence than I did thirty plus years ago when studying art at ‘A’ level and again in College while I was a fireman. To me, one piece painted around 1600 was simply astonishing. The vibrant colours and the folds of the clothing stood out compared to all other works in a glorious church. I was also impressed by the way that those women who had bare shoulders, had to pay to wear a red smock while they toured the church. All too often tourists forget that they are treading on holy ground. These are not tourist attractions, but places of worship. Pauline and I enjoy the artwork but we are mindful of the surroundings and take time to sit and to reflect on that which matters.

We moved on out of the protective shade and cool of the Santo Spirito and headed into the city. We passed shops that we could not afford to go into, the kind where if you have to ask the price, then you should not be stood inside. Our luck changed today and a traffic jam stopped our bus from leaving before we arrived at out bus stop. A prompt journey on a crowded bus delivered into the arms of Hotel Residence Grifone.

Some water and a light bite set us up for the afternoon. For the first time this holiday I had a siesta. It was well received and was followed by two paragraphs of my book before we ventured out for dinner.

I am sure that it is lost in translation, but we eat at ‘La Forca’. A lovely restaurant at Piazza Alberti in Firenze. We sat outside for the second time, and this time I went with the recommended pasta and fish followed by a selection of cheeses and washed down with 0.5 litre of red wine. Glorious food cooked and served by lovely people. We knew that we had arrived, as we were greeted with bread and smiles and concluded with a glass of local lemon fire water.

The lovely Italian lad who spoke prefect English explained that this was a friendship thing. Yes, we knew that we were amongst friends, as we were no longer ‘trapped in Firenze’, these people were practically our family.

Pisa

The train from Firenze to Pisa took about an hour. It was a lovely journey through some stunning countryside. The walk from the station to the leaning Bell Tower is straight forward and shaded in part. There is a map of the town outside of the station to help travellers, but in essence, you head straight, cross the river and turn left when you reach the old town walls.

The shock to me was the brain freeze of the Italian 'Slushi Puppi'. Wow, it hit me four times. But I had to have some liquid and it had to be cold as the weather was so hot. I felt liked a baked Pizza in Pisa.

We made the 20 minute walk in 40 minutes. The second shock was to see how far the Bell Tower is leaning. It is out of line so much, that you would expect it to fall over at any moment. But it was a good visit as there are many buildings of quality and well kept grounds. A tad too many people for my liking, but I suppose that if you were from Hong Kong then you would think that Pisa was deserted.

Train Italian

The train from Firenze to Pisa for two people (return) cost 23 Euro 20 Cents with a further 60 Cents each to use the bathroom.

The Italian train system, like their bus transport, is yet another honour system. If you read Italian then you can use the fast track ticket machines. Otherwise you stand in a snaking queue that makes the Post Office system in the UK look positively good. You buy a ticket that is for the number of people in the group and the ticket defines the number of people and states the journey departure and destination stations.

Watch the departure board for advice on when and from where your train will depart and make your way to that platform. Before you board the train you stamp your journey ticket in one of many yellow electronic stamping machines by inserting either end of the ticket into the machine. Jump onto the train and enjoy the 2nd class air conditioned quality of the Italian transport system.

The photograph shows the train that we boarded from Firenze to Pisa

You would be a fool to miss it

I had planned this evening’s meal as soon as I had seen the Club House earlier in our stay. It was to be a look forward to a grand event of drinks followed by good food. I had not underestimated the impact that our visit would have, and to be quite honest with you, I was expecting a much larger bill. This is the sense of expense that the Club House projects, when in fact it is quite affordable.

We sat down in the bar and I enjoyed a few pints of Italian lager beer. I also enjoyed the eye candy. An Angelina-Jolie look alike, that was more beautiful than the actress. Wonderful, even my wife commented on her beauty. She also rustled up a good Cosmopolitan Cocktail as well. ‘Angelina’ that is, and not the wife. We shared crisps and I noticed that Pauline’s eyes were beginning to roll. It had been eleven hours since breakfast and Pauline never drinks. And here she was with a 7 Euro 50 Cent cocktail of mixed alcohol. Shaken with ice to cool, but poured from the container without the ice into a cool glass.

It was time to eat, and we were met at the table by two lovely waitresses, and a hot plate of caviccini. Yummy, just what we needed to get started. We have eaten a lot of pasta and pizza the last two weeks, and it was good to choose a Cheeseburger. Not any old Cheeseburger mind you. No, this was the Emperor of Cheeseburgers; ‘el ultimato’ (my name and not theirs). You can tell that the bread was made on the premises, and that the meat was fresh and local. You knew it was going to be good, when they asked you how you would like it to be cooked. I said medium, and it was. I can declare with all honesty that the Club-House Cheeseburger is the best burger that I have ever eaten.

I can also declare that their cheesecake is equal to the astonishing cheesecake that we sampled in a small village outside Siena in 2007. I can also declare that when the Club-house brought us a glass each of the local ‘fire-water’ to finish our meal, they had equalled the hospitality of the family run restaurant that we stumbled across in Milano in 2007. It goes without saying that I left the largest tip that we have left this holiday.

We also took some photographs. The Waitress insisted on taking a photograph of us. That was a nice touch and greatly appreciated. The good looking young man wanted a photograph with Pauline. He looked at me and announced in front of the two waitresses “You are jealous, no?” I replied, “Yes, I am, you are so handsome that I wanted my photograph with you!” It brought about laughter from the waitresses, and fair play to the waiter he complied in good spirit. What lovely people, in a city that is after your coin, the Club-House near the dome on the Railway Station side of the city, brings a better dimension to affairs. Miss it at your peril.

An Assumption

Why is there an assumption between equals whereby one may receive more than the other without any dialogue? This morning there were no boiled eggs on display and when I asked the waitress, she brought three to the table. Why was it that I was able to consume two of these eggs? We both commented on their freshness, and fine colour. They were eggs of quality and my wife probably would have enjoyed eating two of them as well.

My wife has the vote and in a democratic society can elect or reject a candidate. She works, which is more than can be said of me these days. She can certainly eat as much as me and enjoys her food on equal terms. So why was I allowed to eat two of the eggs, especially when she consumed her first one long before I started as I choose to butter bread and order some coffee. Is a figuration between husband and wife whereby for no obvious reason or purpose, a hierarchy is established?

Or, is it simply that this morning, Pauline only wanted one boiled egg?

Italian Driving Tips

For someone, who is unable to drive in Italy at the moment, here are a few tips for those of you who have a car that works, or are using public transport:


You can only be a bus driver if you have a mobile phone surgically joined to your hand

At junctions, the big bus has right of way at all times

Zebra crossings are where you might hit people

It is obligatory to drive at night without lights

It is safe to smoke with one hand and be on the mobile phone with the other hand when riding a bike

In Wales we have boy racers in Kiddy Cars, in Italy there are Scooties who are a menace to everyone

The bus driver does not have to let you onto the bus

The bus driver does not have to let you off the bus

If the bus driver does let you on, then say ‘thank you’

If you can stand, give up your seat to the blonde lady

If a Nun comes onto the bus, everyone get up

If a car stops at the Zebra crossing, look surprised

Friendly people

Pauline’s best friend is from Birmingham. She is a lovely lady, without a bad bone in her body. Well they both are, Pauline and her friend.

Whenever I check the blog, Google Analytics always tells me that the most visitors are from Birmingham. It’s a great city, full of great people. And there we were today, in Fiesole at the archaeological site and we started talking to a lovely young couple. We were talking to a curator from London and the couple started talking as well.

They now know that ‘the Beast’ is in the garage and we know that they flew into Rome and took a train to Firenze before taking a train to Bologna. Yes, the best people are from Birmingham, oh and Ghana, and Wales.

Is she, isn’t she?

As we sat in the square in Fiesole whiling away the time, Pauline mentioned that she had seen someone earlier in the afternoon. I was surprised to hear the information and asked what she was wearing. “A skirt and a pink polo top” replied Pauline. Well, I was certain that Pauline was wrong, but you never know.

A while later a lady fitting the description approached from across the square. “Is that her?” I asked. “Yes”, came the reply, “I am certain that is...”. I had made up my mind to ask and rose from the bench. “You won’t?” said Pauline, “Yes, I will” I replied.

“Excuse me", I said as I moved to meet the lady, "do you speak English?” “Yes, I do,” the lady replied. My retort was automatic “Are you Virginia Wade?”

“Yes, I am”.

Brilliant, the British all time Ladies Number 1 tennis player was in Fiesole. I was so pleased that our car had broken down. Well those that read the blog know that I am a fatalist. Everything happens for a reason. Virginia Wade had just bumped into her Number 1 and her Number 2 fans and had no idea then, and probably still doesn't know. What a lovely lady, she agreed to a photo with Pauline.

But I was a tad disappointed, as I had not asked her to pose with me. We were so excited as she moved on, Britain’s number one had given us the time of day.

Grand Tour of Italy 2010 Part 9 Sat 7 Aug

Friendship, as I explained in an earlier post is as important as family. You simply cannot put a price on good friendship. With that in mind, that call from my friend Richard to check if we were ok was most welcome. For those who are learning Italian, then please note that the Italian for ok, is ‘ok’.

Anyway, Richard's call to us at Hotel Residence GRIFONE at Via Gaetano Pilati, in Firenze was really appreciated. We know that there is not much that he could have done to help us, but the fact that he placed the call, shows the friendship.
I was pining for ‘the Beast’ this morning. Like a lost child, I wanted him to return home. I know that he will be lonely in the garage near the Airport. I also know that a Volvo main dealer will take good care of him. But however hard they try, no one looks after what is important to you, as well as you will look after them.

We could have stayed in and pined away, but I insisted that we put our best foot forward. It was a case of, English stiff upper lip and all that. We headed for Fiesole via the Number 14 bus to Marco Square and the Number 7 bus up the hill. Our destination being the Citta Di Fiesole and the Civic Archaeological Museum. The site contains a cafe, Museum, Roman Baths, temples from different periods and an amphitheatre. Entry to the site cost us 24 Euro. The ice-cream cost us another 4 Euro and the drinks in a shop nearby 4 Euro 20 Cents. But the historic site is breathtaking. We followed our ice-cream with the picnic and drinks from the local bakery at 11 Euro, and politely thanked the lady for cutting my Prune cacen into four slices. As a whole slice it would have been a disaster, but as four bits it was easy to handle and more importantly easy to share with Pauline.

The sun beat down on us today, and once or twice we had to find a chair to sit and rest. It is a pity that the Roman Baths had not been filled with water. Can you imagine what a tourist attraction that would be? The Baths had an entrance porch, a cleaning area, a shaded area, bathing pools, cooler room, medium heat room and a hot room with the ovens behind and the heat coming in under the floor. A bit like a modern sauna, but the difference being that, instead of you controlling the heat by turning a dial, you control the heat by moving from room to room.

And on the subject of movement, it was astonishing to note how geared up the site in Fiesole is to the disabled. This is an historic site which has modern devices strategically placed so that they are not intrusive or divisive. Well done to the designers of grounds of the Fiesole historic site. The (what I believe to be) Germanic artwork did nothing for me. In my opinion it did not add anything to the ruins and its setting. In many ways the modern artwork distracted from the relevance of the historic site. It came across as if someone had unnecessarily tried to add something to something that was already perfect.

We dropped back down to the city via the Number 7

This time it was to Chiesa di SS Annunziata. This is a stunning church with a humble almost civic building frontal facade. The entrance area had some superb fresco’s and the stonework in the scene on the one in the right hand corner takes on a three dimensional look. The quality of the artwork is so good, that I had to place my head against the wall and check that the paint had been applied to a flat surface.

Inside the church, we both lit a candle, but for different reasons.

I then wandered amongst the astonishing artwork, and remembered to look up to the ceiling now and again. Everywhere you look, you are faced with an item of beauty. It must be so inspirational to worship inside a building that contains so many outstanding pieces of art.

European touring important points:
You can’t do enough planning

Today’s important points were:
Buy cheap and buy twice
Watch out for double service charge i.e. setting your place, and % charge

Burn Baby Burn

Pauline at the Hotel Grifone toaster, for the full story read an earlier post. There was a huge fire in Firenze yesterday evening, when the story hit the television news, for a few seconds I thought that the Italian media were reporting Pauline's attempt at warming up two sugar coated Croissants.

Note the repositioned fire extinguisher to Pauline's right hand side. This was probably put there in case another crazy "Americano" tries to warm the sugar coated croissants in the future. Or maybe, it's there just until we leave the hotel.

Its not what you think it is

This delightful cacen (cake) looks like a Custard Slice, but is nothing of the sort. For starters it is soaked heavily in alcohol. The short-crust pastry was fine, and the texture superb. To my palate it was Rum based. Served with a small spoon, it was an excellent finale to an excellent lunch.

Trapped in Firenze

We are trapped in Firenze (Florence), but as the chap from the European Breakdown Recovery service said, “I can think of worse places to be stuck”.

The staff at Hotel Residence GRIFONE at 20-22 Via Gaetano Pilati, in Firenze have been wonderful. They have treated us more like family than guests. Nothing has been too much trouble, and the original four days at the Hotel were blissful. Equal too but in many ways different than the Hotel Cappana CAO, Brunate-San Maurizio-Via Alle colme-Piazzale C.A.O. Both are first class and both come with lovely people.

For me the real judge of a good hotel is when things go wrong. I suspect that in day to day running, hotel-staff operate, somewhat like ducks. They gracefully glide on the water while they are frantically paddling underneath to provide great service. But when things go wrong, which hotels step up to the mark and support their guests. As we were leaving this morning, I told the staff that we would recommend the hotel and would stay again. I even explained that if we could afford to stay somewhere more expensive in the future, we would decline that opportunity, and stay with them. Now don’t get me wrong, because Hotel Grifone is not a downmarket hotel. Indeed it is quite up market, and given the cost, it came as a nice surprise when the lovely man from Milan booked us in for the next five days while ‘the Beast’ is repaired.

Our Volvo S60 D5 is not termed ‘the Beast’ because of today’s misfortune. No, it is a loving term used by our family because of the engine power and torque. It simply takes off, and is a joy to drive. The Beast brought us to Italy in 2007. Indeed, on that trip we made it further than today’s mishap. In fact some 40 Km further to Siena.

We would have passed by Siena as we headed for Hotel Capital today, and the Italy to Sicily ferry tomorrow. We had a lovely breakfast in Hotel Residence Grifone and bid our farewells. We loaded ‘the Beast’ and twiddled with the Tom-tom. I had planned the scenic route but found that added a further 5 hours to the journey. So we instead opted for the tolls. I suspect that there would have been many tolls south based on our experience so far of Italian toll roads. I reset the Tom-tom for the direct route, and pressed the clutch pedal to drive away. There wasn’t anything there for my left foot to press, but my brain didn’t immediately register the absence of the pedal. Indeed, I moved my foot further to the right and pressed the brake. That is when I looked down to find out who had stolen the pedal.

Sure enough, the pedal was gone. When I eventually found it, it was to say the least, a sorry limp thing of no practical use. I was so glad that we had been good guests. Can you imagine re-entering a hotel if you had upset anyone? Especially when you know that the superb English language skills of the staff would come in handy when trying to communicate with someone from a garage that only spoke Italian.
Thankfully I had arranged European Breakdown Cover through Martins moneysupermarket.com while we were in Wales. And all for an astonishing price of only £59 for a whole year. That’s a come and sort you out, or if we fail, take you and your vehicle back to the lovely Wales service.

That’s also pretty cheap if you ask me. The helpline phone call was seamless. The truck arrived in about an hour and the driver checked the pedal to find it as limp as I had a while earlier. He then spoke to me a lot in Italian. The strange thing is; Pauline knew what he was asking for. Some bolt thingy, that fixes to the front of ‘The Beast’ so that the car could be hauled by a cable onto the low loader. We waved goodbye, not to the Italian chappy, but to our car. And then it was off for some lunch.

A delightful trio of pasta, alcohol cake (I ain’t driving now) and coffee.

European touring important points:
Check out Martins Moneysupermarket.com for great European cover
Bring a kettle and some long life milk as many hotels do not have facilities
Oh and enough cups for your group

Today’s important points were:
Go with your car when they come to collect it
It’s disheartening not knowing where it is (hope it’s ok)
You can’t be upset by what you can’t control