Closed for holidays from Thursday 29 April to Sunday 9 May (both inclusive). We'll be travelling in the States : Atlanta, Birmingham, Memphis and New Orleans!

Cerrado por vacaciones del 29 de abril al 9 de mayo (ambos inclusive). Estaremos viajando en los USA : Atlanta, Birmingham, Memphis y New Orleans!

The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy
13C
UV Index: 2 Minimal
Wind: From the East Southeast at 1 mph
Dew Point: 12C
Humidity: 92%
Visibility: 2 miles
Barometer: 1,005.1 mb

This weekend we had a barbeque at our roof terrace. The weather was fantastic. There was no wind at all. So we not only cooked our food on the barbie but we also could sit outside and enjoy our meal al fresco. SD prepared a roasted salmon a la Jamie Oliver . It is incredibly easy to cook and the results are delicious!

Ingredients
1x1.5kg/3½lb whole salmon, scaled and gutted - 4/5 people (we get half of it cos we are only 2!)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large handfuls of mixed fresh herbs (parsley, fennel tops, basil)
a copy of a newspaper (the biggest, the better!)
string
2 lemons, thinly sliced
6 spring onions, thinly sliced

Method
Get yourself a nice fresh salmon, season inside and out, rub with olive oil and stuff with half the herbs. Open your paper out to the middle page and place your salmon in the centre. Scatter over your lemons, spring onions, fennel seeds and remaining herbs. Tuck some of these underneath and over the salmon. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil, tuck in the sides of the paper and fold to wrap up tightly, securing it well with lots of string. Wet the paper really well (really well!! You do not want it to burn!!)under the tap and either place directly on a shelf at the top of your oven, preheated to 220C/425F/Gas 7, for 35 minutes, or preferably cook on your barbie or on a rack over a camp fire for about 25 minutes on each side depending on the intensity of the heat. Once you've finished, remove string and newspaper and discard the herbs. Serve as you like, although I especially like it on top of a huge amount of salad.


Este fin de semana hicimos una barbacoa en nuestra terraza. El tiempo era estupendo. No hacia nada de viento. Esta vez, no solo cocinamos la comida en la barbacoa, sino que ademas pudimos sentarnos a la mesa y disfrutar de la comida al aire libre. SD preparo salmon al estilo Jamie Oliver . Es facilisimo de preparar y los resultados son...mmm..para chuparse los dedos!


Ingredientes
1x1.5kg salmon entero, limpio sin espina ni cabeza (pide que lo hagan en la pescaderia) esta es una racion para 4/5 personas. Nosotros cogemos medio lado del salmon porque solo somos dos, y lo doblamos por la mitad.
sal y pimienta negra
4 manojos grandes de hierbas mezcladas frescas (perejil, albahaca, hinojo )
un periodico entero (cuanto mas grande, mejor)
cordel
2 limones a rodajas
6 cebollitas (de las largas y delgadas)

Metodo
Compra un salmon entero fresco. Pide en la pescaderia que lo abran, limpien, quiten la cabeza y espina. Pero que lo dejen entero! Una vez en casa, sazona con sal y pimienta por dentro y por fuera, frotalo con aceite de oliva y pon 2 manojos de hierbas en el interior. Abre el periodico por la mitad y coloca el salmon en el centro. Pon encima y debajo del salmon las rodajas de limon y los dos restantes manojos de hierbas. Aniade un poco de aceite de oliva y envuelve el salmon en el periodico. Usa el cordel para atar el paquete, cuanto mejor hecho este el paquete, menos problemas habra en que se queme o se esparza el contenido en la barbacoa. Moja el paquete bajo el grifo. Bien mojado, sin miedo. Lo que no queremos es que se nos queme mas tarde! Para cocinarlo, lo mejor es colocarlo en la barbacoa (no directamente en las brasas eh? sino en la bandeja) durante unos 25 minutos, lado y lado, aunque tambien se puede cocinar en el horno (precalentado a 220C/425F/Gas7 durante 35 minutos). El tiempo de coccion sera mayor o menor dependiendo del tamanio del salmon. Una vez listo, se desenvuelve del papel de periodico, se tiran las hierbas y se sirve el salmon a tu gusto. A mi, personalmente, me gusta a pedacitos con un monton de ensalada.


The weather today:
Haze
14C
UV Index: 1 Minimal
Wind: From the North Northeast at 18 mph
Dew Point: 10C
Humidity: 77%
Visibility: 2 miles
Barometer: 1,012.2 mb

Happy Sant Jordi (St George)!!. Today it's the best day ever to be in Barcelona, Catalonia (and I'm not there!).The streets are all full of stalls selling books and roses to celebrate Catalonia's saint patron.
According to tradition, for Saint George's Day we are meant to give a rose and a book, but Saint George had little to do with this ritual historically. It is known that he was a Roman soldier, made a martyr by the Romans themselves in the fourth century for not rejecting his Christian faith. The most popular legend in Catalonia concerning Saint George recounts that there was a terrible dragon at Montblanc (Conca de Barberà). To appease the dragon, lots were drawn to choose a person who would be given in sacrifice to the monster. One day, fate chose the king's daughter, who would have died at the hands of the beast had a knight not appeared who fought with the dragon and killed it. In principle, Saint George was a figure connected to knights and chivalry, a fact that would explain the custom of giving a rose on the saint's feast day. Some people claim this practice dates back to the Fira dels Enamorats (Lovers' Fair), held in Barcelona since the fifteen century.

The celebration of the day of the book is somewhat more recent. In 1930, the date was agreed to be the 23rd of April, the day Cervantes died, as well as being the date for two other universal writers, William Shakespeare and Garcilaso de la Vega. Other renowned writers either died or were born on this date, such as Josep Pla, Maurice Druon, K. Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. Later on, this festival of literature was declared World Book and Copyright Day by UNESCO. The decision was taken on the 15th of November 1995 at a general conference held in Paris.


Feliz Sant Jordi (San Jorge)!!!. Hoy es el mejor dia del anio para pasarlo en Barcelona, Catalunya (y yo no estoy alli!) ya que las calles estaran llenas de puestos vendiendo libros y rosas rojas para celebrar el dia del patron de Catalunya, Sant Jordi. Segun la tradicion, en el dia de Sant Jordi hay que regalar una rosa y un libro. Aunque Sant Jordi tiene muy poco que ver, historicamente, con esta costumbre. Se sabe que era un soldado romano que no renuncio a su fe cristiana y por ello fue torturado por los mismos romanos. La leyenda mas popular en Catalunya dice que un horrible dragon vivia en Montblanc (Conca de Barbera). Los aterrados ciudadanos intentaban apaciguar al dragon entregandole un sacrificio humano, escogiendo a la victima mediante un sorteo. Un dia la persona escogida fue la hija del rey, que hubiera muerto en las garras del dragon si no hubiera sido porque un caballero lucho contra el dragon y lo mato. Al principio Sant Jordi era una figura relacionada con caballeros y caballeria, hecho que vendria a explicar la costumbre de regalar una rosa en la festividad del santo. Algunos afirman que esta costumbre data del siglo XV, cuando una Fira del Enamorats (Feria de los Enamorados) tenia lugar en Barcelona en el mes de abril.

La celebracion del dia del libro es mucho mas reciente. En 1930 se acordo fijarla en el 23 de abril, siendo este el dia en que fallecio Cervantes, asi como William Shakespeare y Garcilaso de la Vega. Otros autores de fama reconocida que tambien fallecieron o nacieron en esta fecha incluyen Josep Pla, Maurice Druon, K Laxnes, Vladimir Nabokow y Manuel Mejia Vallejo. El 15 de noviembre de 1995, en una conferencia general de la UNESCO celebrada en Paris se oficializo la fecha, declarandola Dia Mundial del Libro y Dia Mundial del Copyright.


The weather today:
Partly Cloudy
12C
UV Index: 2 Minimal
Wind: From the West Northwest at 6 mph
Dew Point: 7C
Humidity: 73%
Visibility: Unlimited
Barometer: 1,024.7 mb

Today I have created my email account with GMail (Google Mail). I just saw that it was offered in exclusive to Blogger users. Which is not bad. I think I will use it as a back up account but will still use my Yahoo!/Hotmail accounts for my very close friends and job-related issues. GMail has a little problem : as part of the free service users agree to have their emails scanned for special words. This will be used later on to send users specifically targeted advertisements. I don't feel like receving more publicity, frankly. So I've created my GMail account and will sparingly use it for this and that. A 1.000 megabyte account should be useful in the future. Another thing I find a bit annoying is all this "all new!!!" system of having labels instead of folders. Really! But you have to create labels just as you create the folders. And you have to label each email just as you move each email to folders. So what's the difference? Wel...now my Inbox will look always FULL of emails. Which is not good to me. I don't like full inboxes. Whereas with the folders, once an email is moved there, you don't see it anymore in the Inbox. Yep. I am this fastidious. I want an empty Inbox as soon as I have dealt with all the new emails. But oh well...it's for free so I cannot complain that much!


I am also using Proxify today,a web-based anonymous proxy service which allows anyone to surf the Web privately and securely. Unlike other proxies, there is no software to install or complicated instructions to follow. Just enter a URL (website address) in the form. Through Proxify, you can use websites but they cannot uniquely identify or track you. Proxify hides your IP address and our encrypted connection prevents monitoring of your network traffic. Which is all very good but it kind of modifies the website you are watching. It doesn't let you enter the website counters (if you can see them, that is!) and, in some cases, doesn't let you see the Comments in blogs. I think that depends on the Comments software. Nothing is perfect. But then...no complaining! It's for free!


Hoy he creado my cuenta de email con GMail (Google Mail). Vi que la ofrecian en exclusiva para los usuarios de Blogger, lo cual esta muy bien. Creo que la usare com una cuenta de back up. Para el resto de mis amigos intimos y trabajo usare mis cuentas en Yahoo y Hotmail. Es que GMail tiene un pequenio inconveniente : como parte del servicio gratuito, el usuario acepta que sus emails sean escaneados por software especializado en la busqueda de determinadas palabras. Esto permitira a GMail enviar anuncios especificos y personalizados a cada usuario. Ya. Pero yo no necesito mas publicidad, gracias. Asi que he creado mi cuenta GMail y la usare a veces. Una cuenta de 1.000 megabytes puede ser util en el futuro. Otro aspecto que no me gusta en especial es la sustitucion de carpetas por etiquetas. Y lo anuncian como un paso adelante, gran innovacion! Vale. Pero al final, tienes que crear etiquetas al igual que creabas carpetas. Y los emails recibidos en la Inbox se quedan en la Inbox, porque no hay carpetas donde meterlos. Y mira, yo es que soy asi, cosas mias, pero a mi me gusta tener una Inbox vacia vacia vacia cuando ya he leido los emails. Pero bueno...para que quejarse? Si es gratis!


Hoy tambien estoy probando la Proxify un servicio de anonimidad para el proxy, que te permite surfear por internet con privacidad. La diferencia con otras proxies es que no hay que descargar ningun software ni seguir instrucciones complicadas. Vas a la pagina web de Proxify.com, entras las URL en la ventanilla, y ya esta. TE lleva directamente a la pagina web sin mostrar tu identidad. Proxify esconde tu IP y no deja que ninguna pagina web pueda averiguar en que paginas web has estado o vas a estar en el futuro. Me parece genial, aunque tiene sus problemillas. La pagina web se ve diferente, no te deja entrar en los contadores de visitas (eso si los ves!) y, en algunos casos, no te deja hacer comentarios en los blogs. Me parece que eso depende del sistema de comentarios. Ya veis. Nada es perfecto. Especialmente si es gratis. Tampoco vale la pena quejarse, cuando no pagas nada en absoluto!


The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy
12C
UV Index: 2 Minimal
Wind: From the West Southwest at 5 mph
Dew Point: 8C
Humidity: 77%
Visibility: 6 miles
Barometer: 1,016.9 mb

UK Tv Premiere in Science Fiction channel : All New Twilight Zone. From Monday 26th April, every Monday, Friday and Sunday at 9.00pm.
Each one-hour episode gives you two self-contained stories, each with compelling but disturbing commentary from award-winning actor Forest Whitaker. In his role as host and guide, Whitaker reveals what life would be like if your dreams come true, and why you should be careful what you wish for. Forest Withaker replaces Rod Serling, Twilight Zone's traditional and well loved host, who not only presented and closed each chapter, but also wrote 92 episodes out of the total 156 of the original series.


My favourite episode ever is Time Enough at Last, in series 1, where nearsighted, meek bank clerk Henry Bernis is the sole survivor of an H-bomb attack. At last he has the time to engulf himself in his passion for books. Or so he thinks. I have watched that episode only once, but it really really made a mark on me. Just as when, as a child, I watched Fahrenheit 451 (based in R Bradbury's novel), that futuristic society where books were burnt became my room 101*. It still is.


*Room 101 comes from the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four Nineteen Eighty-Four (sometimes 1984) by George Orwell ..... Room 101 is a torture chamber in which a prisoner is subjected to his worst nightmare.
Such is the omniscience of the state in the totalitarian society of 1984 that even a citizen's nightmares are known to the authorities. The nightmare - and therefore the threatened punishment - of the protagonist Winston Smith is to have his face gnawed by rats. Room 101, like Floor 13, give a sinister meaning to what would otherwise be an unremarkable room. For example, Thomas Anderson (aka Neo) lives in Room 101 at the beginning of the 1999. film The Matrix

Estreno de nueva serie en el canal Science Fiction en el Reino Unido : All New Twilight Zone. Desde el lunes 26 de abril, se emitira cada lunes, viernes y domingo a las 9 de la noche.
Cada episodio (de 1 hora de duracion) mostrara 2 historias individuales, cada una con presentacion del actor Forest Whitaker. En su rol de presentador y guia, Whitaker revelara lo que seria de nuestra vida si los suenios se hicieran realidad, y la razon de porque hay que tener cuidado con lo que se desea. Forest Whitaker reemplaza a Rod Serling, el muy apreciado presentador de la serie original Twilight Zone, quien no solo presentaba, sino que ademas escribio 92 episodios del total de 156 de que constaba la serie original.


Mi episodio favorito es Time Enough at Last, de la primera serie, donde el miope y cascarrabias Herny Bernis, empleado de banca, es el unico superviviente del ataque de la bomba H. Finalmente, tiene todo el tiempo del mundo para dedicarse a su pasion: los libros. O eso es lo que el piensa. He visto este episodio una sola vez, pero lo recuerdo perfectamente, de lo que me impresiono. Igual que, cuando en mi niniez, vi Fahrenheit 451, la pelicula (basada en la novela de R Bradbury) sobre una sociedad futura donde se prohiben y queman los libros. Fahrenheit 451 se convirtio en mi habitacion 101*. Aun lo es.


*La habitacion 101 hace referencia a la novela Mil novecientos ochenta y cuatro (1984) de George Orwell. La habitacion 101 es una celda de tortura en donde los prisioneros son expuestos a su peor pesadilla, aquello que les causa mas terror. El gobierno totalitario de 1984 es omnisciente y muy capaz de conocer incluso las pesadillas y temores de sus ciudadanos. El horror al que el protagonista, Winston Smith, es expuesto consiste en la amenaza de tener la cara devorada en vivo por ratas. La habitacion 101, al igual que el piso numero 13, da un significado siniestro a lo que, en otro caso, seria una habitacion totalmente irremarcable. Por ejemplo, Thomas Anderson (aka Neo) vive en la habitacion 101 al principio del film The Matrix (1999).

The weather today:
Cloudy and Windy
12C
UV Index: 1 Minimal
Wind: From the South Southeast at 25 mph
Dew Point: 10C
Humidity: 88%
Visibility: 5 miles
Barometer: 1,004.7 mb

A link to the 10 worst album covers : Worstalbumcovers

Un link a las 10 peores portadas de album: Worstalbumcovers

The most complete and updated guide to the UK radio stations on the internet: Radiofeeds. Listed by software : Real Player, Media Player, mp3 and Other players. Although I normally use my customised Launchcast radio station, -you need to create a free account in Yahoo!-when I reach the limits of the free service (and that is happening more and more frequently) I do sometimes tune in Juice Brighton, Liquid London or Virgin The Groove. If you are really really interested in what's going on in any corner of the UK, this is the best website. It even lists the Isle of Wight and the Isle of Man radio stations!


La lista mas completa y actualizada de emisoras de radio del Reino Unido disponibles online : Radiofeeds. Aparecen listadas por tipo de software : Real Player, Media Player, Mp3 y Otros softwares. Aunque normalmente uso my cadena personalizada en Launchcast -es preciso abrir una cuenta gratuita en Yahoo!-, cuando llego al limite de la emision gratuita (y cada vez pasa mas rapida y frecuentemente), me pongo a escuchar algunas emisoras de la lista, como Juice Brighton, Liquid London y Virgin The Groove. Si estais realmente interesados/as en saber lo que pasa en cualquier rincon del Reino Unido, esta es vuestra lista. Si hasta aparecen las emisoras de radio de la islas de Wight y Man!


The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy
12C
UV Index: 3 Low
Wind: From the South Southwest at 6 mph
Dew Point: 5C
Humidity: 65%
Visibility: Unlimited
Barometer: 991.2 mb <

There seems to be some problem and my previous post is not getting published...

Parece que hay algun problema y mi post anterior no se publica....

The Tricorn Centre resists demolition! Be scared!!! To think that some nutcases wanted to preserve it...I bet they never went inside! I'll give them a mop and a bucket of water and send them in to clean the mess...they would love that!
Read in The News: Pigeon mess slows Tricorn demolition.
PARTS of the Tricorn have become a no-go area for demolition workers after they found a build-up of pigeon droppings six inches deep. Controlled Demolition, the company charged with knocking down the 1960s shopping centre, has been forced to quarantine the old flats because of the amount of waste left by roosting birds. A team of specialist cleaners using protective filter masks and biological-warfare style suits (!!!)are needed to blitz the area with high-strength chemical cleaners. Demolition manager Neil Swinburne said: 'It was so thick in parts that we had trouble opening the doors to the flats. 'The area is infested with lice and fleas because of the mess. The smell is rancid. 'We're not used to seeing it this bad. There may be a mild build-up on some of the towers that we do – but here we are looking at more than five years' worth of pigeon droppings'".


El Tricorn Cente se resiste a ser demolido! Temblad!!!. Y aun habia quienes se oponian a que lo derribaran y decian que merecia ser conservado y restaurado...seguro que nunca habian estado dentro! Yo les daba ahora mismo un cubo y un mocho y a limpiar, a ver que tal les gustaria...
Leo en The News: Excrementos de paloma retrasan la demolicion del Tricorn Centre.
"A los operarios de la empresa de derribos se les ha prohibido el acceso, por razones higienicas, a algunas zonas del Tricorn despues de que se encontraran con una capa impenetrable de cagadas de paloma, de unos 16cm de espesor. Controlled Demolition, la empresa de derribos encargada de demoler el centro comercial y pisos de los anios 60, se ha visto obligada a poner en cuarentena la zona de los pisos debido a la cantidad de excrementos de las aves. Se ha contratado a un equipo de especialistas para la limpieza, quienes se protegeran con mascarillas y trajes usados en caso de guerra biologica (!!!!), y usaran potentes desinfectantes quimicos. Neil Swimburne, encargado de la demolicion dijo: "La capa de excrementos era tan densa que hemos tenido problemas para abrir las puertas de los pisos. Toda la zona esta infectada de pulgas y piojos. El olor era nauseabundo. Nunca habiamos visto algo asi. Hemos derribado algunas torres donde habia excrementos, pero esto es lo nunca visto. Lo que hay aqui son cinco anios de acumulacion de excrementos'".


The weather today:
Partly Cloudy
16C
UV Index: 3 Low
Wind: From the Southeast at 15 mph
Dew Point: 6C
Humidity: 52%
Visibility: 6 miles
Barometer: 1,008.1 mb

Thanks to Michael, I got a link to Cory Doctorow's website and have downloaded -for free- his last book, Eastern Standard Tribe. This is an extract-summary from the book :
" Call me Art (not his real name). I am an agent-provocateur in the Eastern Standard Tribe, though I've spent most of my time in GMT-9 and at various latitudes of Zulu, which means that my poor pineal gland has all but forgotten how to do its job without that I drown it in melatonin precursors and treat it to multi-hour nine-kilolumen essions in the glare of my travel lantern. Thre tribes are taking over the world." I have to clarify that these tribes are virtual, living in time zones independently of its members real geographical location. One may live in Europe but belong to the Californian time zone, for instance, because your interests and hobbies are fitted to the other members of that tribe. And last, but not least, thanks to Cory Doctorow for making his book available for free on the internet.


Gracias a Michael por enviarme el link a la website de Cory Doctorow. Desde alli he bajado -gratis- el ultimo libro de Cory, Eastern Standard Tribe (en ingles) que ahora estoy leyendo.
A continuacion viene un extracto del libro: " Call me Art (not his real name). I am an agent-provocateur in the Eastern Standard Tribe, though I've spent most of my time in GMT-9 and at various latitudes of Zulu, which means that my poor pineal gland has all but forgotten how to do its job without that I drown it in melatonin precursors and treat it to multi-hour nine-kilolumen essions in the glare of my travel lantern. Thre tribes are taking over the world." Aclaro que estas tribus son virtuales y que 'viven' en zonas horarias independientemente de su situacion geografica real. Puedes vivir en Europa y pertenecer a la zona horaria de California, por ejemplo, porque tus intereses y aficiones coinciden con esa tribu. Y, por ultimo, agradecer a Cory Doctorow la publicacion gratuita de su libro en internet.


The weather today:
Partly Cloudy
15C
UV Index: 3 Low
Wind: From the South Southwest at 18 mph
Dew Point: 2C
Humidity: 42%
Visibility: 6 miles
Barometer: 1,012.9 mb

Save Tara!!!
Two historic places not to be missed when you visit Ireland : The Hill of Tara and Newgrange. The Hill of Tara was once the ancient seat of power in Ireland – 142 kings are said to have reigned there in prehistoric and historic times. In ancient Irish religion and mythology the Hill of Tara was the sacred place of dwelling for the gods, and was the entrance to the otherworld. Saint Patrick is said to have come to Tara to confront the ancient religion of the pagans at its most powerful site. After visiting it, we heard on the radio that the Hill of Tara is under threat from the construction of a new motorway, which will disect the valley and pose a threat to many monuments which will doubtlessly be uncovered during its construction. This new motorway project is shocking and unbelivable. I don't doubt that Ireland needs many motorways (its roads are appalling!) but there is NO need to destroy a mythical and archeological site like Tara. Imagine if they tried to do the same at Stonehenge! There is a difference, though...for what we saw, the visitors centre was closed and there is no fee to be paid to enter the Hill of Tara. Quite a difference from the protection Stonehenge receives from English Heritage..and the 5 pounds per visitor charged there! But if Tara goes, it will not go without a protest. You can read more here and sign the petition to Ireland's Prime Minister to save Tara (go to Petition on the right column). Please, do it! Sign!!! It's a good cause! In order to understand the future, we have to study the past.


The other site we visited, Newgrange, is one of the finest European passage-tombs. Built about 3100 BC atop a small hillock, this site was discovered accidentally by the removal of material for road-metalling in 1699. The great tombs of Knowth and Dowth are nearby, and in the same 7.8sq km area of the Boyne valley are grouped more than 30 prehistoric monuments : standing stones, barrows, and enclosures. There is no danger of a motorway threatening to destroy Newgrange, rest assured. The visitor centre for the three sites, Bru na Boinne, charges some nice money to take you there by bus and a guide takes group after group to the passage-tomb. Money flows very nicely in Newgrange. No danger from a motorway, you see.



Salvad Tara!!!
Dos lugares que hay que visitar en Irlanda : La colina de Tara y Newgrange. La colina de Tara fue, en el pasado, uno de los lugares mas poderosos de Irlanda - se dice que 142 reyes fueron coronados y reinaron en estas tierras desde la prehistoria. Para la antigua religion y mitologia irlandesas, la colina de Tara era el lugar sagrado de los dioses y entrada al mas alla. Se dice que Saint Patrick visito Tara para enfrentarse a la antigua religion pagana en su mas poderosa ubicacion. Despues de visitar Tara, oimos en la radio que la colina esta amenazada con ser destruida por la construccion de una nueva autopista, que cortara el valle en dos partes, ademas de destruir todos los restos arqueologicos y monumentos que, seguramente, se descubriran durante las excavaciones. Este proyecto de la autopista es increiblemente desastroso. No pongo en duda que Irlanda necesita muchas autopistas (sus carreteras estan en estado lamentable) pero de aqui a destruir un importante resto mitico y arqueologico... es que no puedo creerlo!!! Imaginad si intentaran hacer lo mismo en Stonehenge (Inglaterra), por ejemplo. Ah, pero hay una gran diferencia...porque, por lo que vimos, el centro de visitantes en Tara estaba cerrado y ni se cobraba entrada a los visitantes. En cambio, en Stonehenge los de English Heritage son bien rapidos en cobrarte las cinco libras de la entrada..asi si que se protegen monumentos, eh? Pero atencion, aunque la destruyan, Tara no se ira sin protestar. Podeis leer mas aqui (en ingles) y firmar la peticion al Primer Ministro de Irlanda (haced click en Petition en la columna de la derecha). Firmad, por favor. Es una muy buena causa! Para entender el futuro, antes tendremos que estudiar y preservar el pasado.


El otro lugar a visitar es Newgrange, uno de los mejores monumentos funerarios con pasaje y camara mortuoria en Europa. Construido hacia el 3100 BC en la cima de una colina, fue descubierto accidentalmente cuando en 1699 se excavaba en la zona para recoger material para construir una carretera. En las proximidades se encuentran las otras grandes tumbas neoliticas de Knowth y Dowth, asi como una gran concentracion de 30 monumentos prehistoricos en una zona que comprende 7.8 km2 del valle del Boyne. Pueden verse monolitos, megalitos y fortificaciones de la Edad de Hierro y Bronce. No hay peligro de que una autopista destruya Newgrange, podeis quedar tranquilos. El centro de visitantes para los tres monumentos, el Bru na Boinne, cobra entrada a los visitantes para cada tumba, te llevan hasta ellas en autocar y un guia lleva a grupo tras grupo al interior de la tumba. El dinerito no falta, en Newgrange. Por tanto, nada de autopistas, como os podeis imaginar.


The weather today:
Partly Cloudy
14C
UV Index: 2 Minimal
Wind: From the South Southwest at 9 mph
Dew Point: 8C
Humidity: 67%
Visibility: 6 miles
Barometer: 1,017.9 mb

Back from holidays and goodbye to green Ireland and to Guinness beer. If you ask me what was the last thing we did in Ireland... that was drinking a Guinness at the airport, while all passengers were boarding the plane. We were the last to board, but the Guinness was worth it! Black , smooth, lovely Guinness... it doesn't like to travel, it seems, so the more you move it far away from Dublin, the worse it tastes! So now you know...unless you've drank Guinness in Dublin, you won't be able to really appreciate it!. I've developed an addiction to Guinness in just four days...so you can imagine how good is Guinness in Dublin. And this coming from someone who DOESN'T like beer!!


De vuelta de vacaciones y adios a la verde Irlanda y a la cerveza Guinness. Si me preguntais que fue lo ultimo que hicimos en Irlanda...pues beber una Guinness en el aeropuerto, mientras el resto de pasajeros embarcaban en el avion. Fuimos los ultimos en embarcar, pero la Guinness valia la pena. Esa deliciosa, negra y suave Guinness, que cuanto mas se aleja de la destileria en Dublin, peor sabe! Asi que ya sabeis... hasta que no hayais probado la Guinness en Dublin, no podreis apreciarla de verdad! Considerando que he desarrollado una adiccion tremenda a la Guinness en tan solo cuatro dias, ya os podeis imaginar lo deliciosa que es en Dublin. Y eso lo dice alguien a quien NO le gusta la cerveza!

Closed for holidays from Friday 16 April to Monday 12 April (both inclusive). We are going to Ireland!

Cerrado por vacaciones del Viernes 16 de abril al Lunes 12 de Abril (ambos inclusive). Nos vamos a Irlanda!

The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy
10C
UV Index: 2 Minimal
Wind: From the North Northwest at 10 mph
Dew Point: 1C
Humidity: 55%
Visibility: 9 miles
Barometer: 1,018.3 mb

Mad, frantic day. Organising a workshop when everybody is already on leave it's mad. Why me? I did not choose it! These type of last minute jobs seems to naturally gravitate towards my person. For instance, say you want to organise the horrid Eurovision festival in 3 days time. No problem, says a big cheese high up in the hierarchy. The Horror will do it. And there I am, rushing from Paris to Luxembourg to Oslo to Madrid, looking for contestants, calling ABBA, having them coming back from retirement and winning again the contest. Really. I could do it. It has not happened yet, but I could do it. After all the last minute events I have organised, I bet I could do it. The only thing is... don't ask me to do it. I won't. I hate ABBA. So don't ask me!


Un dia de locura estresante. Lo de organizar una workshop cuando todo quisque se ha largado ya de vacaciones es una locura. Y por que yo? Para empezar, yo no elegi esta situacion. Sin embargo, parece que esto de organizar eventos al ultimo minuto acaba gravitando, sin remedio, hacia mi persona. Por ejemplo, que quieres organizar el festival de Eurovision en tres dias? Nada, nada, The Horror the lo organizara todo, dice alguien por ahi arriba. Y ya ves a The Horror buscando participantes por Europa, llamando a los ABBA, sacandoles de la jubilacion y haciendoles volver a Eurovision para ganar de nuevo. De verdad. Podria hacerlo. No se ha dado el caso, pero podria hacerlo. Despues de todos los eventos de ultima hora que he montado, os juro que podria hacerlo. Lo unico es que...no me da la gana, porque no trago a los ABBA. Asi que no me lo pidais.


The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy
8C
UV Index: 1 Minimal
Wind: From the North at 17 mph
Dew Point: 4C
Humidity: 79%
Visibility: Unlimited
Barometer: 1,013.9 mb

I had heard of the Bach Flowers before, but never paid much attention to it. I knew it had to do with curing psychological/personality trouble with flower essences, but that was all. Then, a couple of weeks ago, walking down the aisle in the pharmacy, I saw little bottles labeled Bach Flowers. I decided to stop and have a look at them. Each contained a flower essence, but there was no information on the flasks on how to use it. Then I saw the 'ready prepared' combination of Bach Flowers. One of them was labelled Rainy Day. I thought that was very appealing, considering where I live! Again, no information on the supposed benefits of taking the drops (4 directly on the tongue or 4 dilluted in a glass of water) but the name Rainy Day was enough explanation, I thought. It is supposed to lift your mood when you feel like in a rainy day! I thought. I bought the flask. It was a rainy day. And I felt like in a rainy day! So I took 4 drops directly on the tongue, just as I left the shop. I quickly swallowed them down. And oops!! A couple of minutes later I was feeling slightly drunk! Could that be? Later on in the day, I decided to take the 4 drops again, this time letting them slowly dissolve in my mouth. This time, it worked. My mood improved! And I did not feel drunk anymore, which is much better. After that, I decided to investigate a bit more on the Bach Flowers. Today I bought a book, "Bach Flower Therapy, the Complete Approach" and had a look at the Dr Edward Bach Centre website. What I most like about them it's the simplicity and direct approach to improving oneself. And if it doesn't work...well...you would have spent a very small amount of money and not caused any harm to your body, I should say! No big loss. I can say I am a bit less grumpy, these days....


Habia oido hablar de las Flores de Bach antes, pero nunca preste demasiada atencion. Sabia que tiene que ver con mejorar problemas de la personalidad mediante el uso de esencias de flores, basicamente, pero no sabia mucho mas. El otro dia, echando una ojeada a las estanterias de la farmacia, vi una serie de botellitas etiquetadas con el nombre Flores de Bach. Decidi pararme y leer las explicaciones de los frascos. Pero, a parte del nombre de la flor en cada frasco, poca cosa mas habia. Luego vi una combinacion de esencias llamada Dia Lluvioso. Considerando el pais donde vivo, me parecio de lo mas atractiva! Aqui tampoco ninguna explicacion, excepto como tomarlo. Cuatro gotas en la lengua o cuatro gotas diluidas en un vaso de agua. Se me ocurrio pensar que el nombre ya era bastante explicativo. La esencia tendria que ayudar cuando un@ se siente como en un dia gris y lluvioso. Perfecto! Porque afuera llovia y mi humor no era lo que yo llamaria excelente. Asi que compre el frasquito. Saliendo de la farmacia, abri el frasco y solte cuatro gotas en la lengua. Y uuupppss....aquella sensacion...yo diria que eso es...como tomarse unas copitas de mas? Borrach@?? Horas mas tarde decidi tomar otras cuatro gotitas, pero esta vez dejarlas diluir lentamente en la lengua. Esta vez, nada de sensaciones extranias. Pero, curiosamente, mi humor mejoro. Despues de esto, decidi investigar un poco mas las Flores de Bach. Me he comprado un libro, "Bach Flower Therapy, the Complete Approach", y he visitado la pagina web del Dr Edward Bach Centre (en ingles). Aqui hay otro link en espaniol, aunque no es directo del centro :Byociber. Lo que me gusta, en particular, de este sistema alternativo y natural es la simplicidad del metodo para mejorarse a uno mism@. Y si no funciona...pues bueno, te habras gastado una cantidad infima de dinero y no habras causado ningun danio a tu cuerpo. Por probar, que no quede... ademas, ultimamente me da la impresion de que tengo menos mala leche...


The weather:
Partly Cloudy and Windy
9C
UV Index: 2 Minimal
Wind: From the West at 25 mph
Dew Point: 5C
Humidity: 77%
Visibility: Unlimited
Barometer: 1,005.4 mb

Come on. Fess up! You have a certain degree of interest for silly tests. Who doesn't? And who wouldn't like to read their friends/acquaintances answers? Well, this is the perfect way to get those answers... and feeling extremely selfless today -being Monday, so close to Easter holidays, and lacking in inspiration-...you are even getting mine!


Venga. Confesadlo! Todos tenemos un cierto grado de interes por los tests mas ridiculos. Y quien no? Y a quien no le gustaria leer las respuestas a los tests de sus amigos y conocidos? Pues con ese fin corre por internet el siguiente cuestionario... y en un acto de generosidad sin limites, he escrito mis respuestas! Ademas, hoy es lunes y casi fiesta y hay poca inspiracion..En ingles, porque no hay tiempo (ni ganas) de traducir al espaniol.


Welcome to the next edition of getting to know your friends.
What you're supposed to do is copy (not forward) this entire
e-mail and paste it onto a new e-mail that you'll send.
Change all of the answers so they apply to you. Then, send
this to a whole bunch of people you know *INCLUDING* the
person who sent it to you. The theory is that you'll learn a lot
of little known facts about your friends. Only takes a couple
of mins!

1. WHAT TIME DO YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING? / A QUE HORA TE LEVANTAS POR LA MANIANA?

Never too early if I can avoid it! / Nunca demasiado temprano, si lo puedo evitar!

2. IF YOU COULD EAT LUNCH WITH ONE FAMOUS PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE? / Si pudieras almorzar con un famoso/a, con quien seria?

The Holy Trinity!!!: JRR Tolken, Isaac Asimov and Terry Pratchett (only the last one is alive and living in Wiltshire)
Con mi Santisima Trinidad!!!: JRR Tolkien, Isaac Asimov y Terry Pratchett (solo el ultimo esta aun vivo y reside en Wiltshire)

3. GOLD OR SILVER? / Oro o plata?

Gold / Oro

4. WHAT WAS THE LAST FILM YOU SAW AT THE CINEMA?/ Ultimo film que viste en el cine?

LOTR : Return of the King. Yep. That was in December. Since we got Sky we'd better use it!
LOTR: Return of the King. Si.Eso fue en Diciembre. Pero ya que pagamos Sky (Tv digital) bien tenemos que amortizarlo!

5. FAVOURITE TV SHOW? Serie de TV preferida?

Anything starting and ending with one chapter. I have a short attention span and short term memory!
Cualquiera que empiece y acabe en 1 capitulo. Tengo memoria a corto plazo y retencion minima!

6. WHAT DO YOU HAVE FOR BREAKFAST? / Que tomas para desayunar?

Nothing. Diet Coke.
Nada. Coca Cola Light.

7. WHAT WOULD YOU HATE TO BE LEFT IN A ROOM WITH? Con que odiarias que te dejaran en una habitacion?

The lingering smell of a...fart!
Con el aroma permanente de un..pedo!

8. CAN YOU TOUCH YOUR NOSE WITH YOUR TONGUE? Puedes tocarte la nariz con la lengua?

No. Why should I do that?
No. Y por que tendria que hacerlo?

9. WHAT INSPIRES YOU? Que te inspira?

Libraries, bookshops, plane tickets and travel guides
Bibliotecas, librerias, billetes de avion y guias de viajes.

10. WHAT'S YOUR MIDDLE NAME? / Cual es tu segundo nombre?

Nothing. No middle name! But I have two surnames, ha ha!
Ninguno. No tengo! pero tengo dos apellidos, ja ja!

11. BEACH, CITY, or COUNTRY? / Playa, ciudad o campo?

Auckland, is all in one. Yep. There even are little sheep in the hills, how lonvely!
Auckland que es tres en uno. Sip. Incluso hay ovejitas en sus colinas, que lindo!

12. SUMMER OR WINTER? / Verano o invierno?

Summer. That season which never exists in this country.
Verano. Esa estacion desconocida en este pais.

13. FAVOURITE ICE CREAM? Sabor de helado preferido?

I'll wolf down any ice cream you give to me!
Me trago cualquier helado que me des!

14. BUTTERED, PLAIN, OR SALTED POPCORN? /Palomitas de maiz con mantequilla, solas o saladas?

Buttered AND salted, please
Con mantequilla Y sal, por favor.

15. FAVOURITE COLOUR? / color favorito?

Blue? Black? Black blueish?
Azul? Negro? Negro azulado?

16. FAVOURITE CAR? / Coche preferido?

Any car not needing EVER to be repaired again, with a BIG ashtray and MANY cup holders. Stereo as well, please.
Cualquiera que no necesite nunca mas ninguna reparacion, con un cenicero GRANDE y MUCHOS recipientes para bebidas. Y con estereo, ya puestos.

17. FAVOURITE SANDWICH FILLING? / Bocadillo preferido?

Jamon serrano.

18. TRUE LOVE? / Tu amor verdadero?

You. No, not you, the other one! The other one knows who I mean!
Tu. No, no tu, el otro! Ya sabe quien quiero decir!

19. WHAT CHARACTERISTICS DO YOU DESPISE? / Que caracteristicas desprecias?

Arrogance, pettiness, selfishness and fascist capitalists. I do consider the last one a characteristic!
Arrogancia, egoismo y a los fascistas capitalistas. Si, tambien considero lo ultimo una caracteristica despreciable!

20. FAVOURITE FLOWER? Flor preferida?

If it smells good, anything will do. If it's edible, better!
Si huele bien, cualquiera. Y si se puede comer, mejor que mejor!

21. IF YOU HAD A BIG WIN IN THE LOTTERY, HOW LONG WOULD YOU WAIT TO TELL PEOPLE?
Si ganaras mucho dinero en la loteria, cuanto tiempo esperarias antes de contarlo a la gente?

Why should I tell? Are you planning to borrow some money from me or what?
Y por que tengo que contarlo? Ya estas pensando en pedirme prestado o que?

22. FIZZY OR STILL WATER AS A DRINK? Agua mineral o sin burbujas?

Still with a hint of peach?
Sin burbujas y con un toquecito a melocoton?

23. WHAT COLOUR IS YOUR BATHROOM? / De que color es tu banio?

Oh no....I'm sooo ashamed!!!....it's avocado green. I did not chose it. I swear!!! It's a rented house!!!!
Oh no...Que verguenza!!!...es...verde aguacate, pero yo no lo elegi! Lo juro! Es una casa de alquiler!!!

24. HOW MANY KEYS ON YOUR KEY RING?/ Cuantas llaves tienes en tu llavero?

2 in a key ring, 3 in another key ring. And I don't know the use of the third ring on the second key ring.
2 en un llavero, 3 en el otro. Y no se para que sirve la tercera llave del segundo llavero.

25. WHERE WOULD YOU RETIRE TO? / A que lugar irias a vivir al jubilarte?

Since they are knocking down the Tricorn Centre, definitely Portsmouth!!! ;-))
Hombre, ya que estan demoliendo el Tricorn Centre, pues a Portsmouth, sin lugar a duda!!! ;-))

26. CAN YOU JUGGLE? / Puedes hacer juegos de manos?

I'll learn if you pay me!
Aprendo si me pagas!

27. FAVOURITE DAY OF THE WEEK? Dia de la semana preferido?

Saturday/ Sabado

28. RED OR WHITE WINE? / Vino blanco o tinto?

White. But green is also nice!
Blanco. Pero verde tambien me va bien.

29. WHAT DID YOU DO FOR YOUR LAST BIRTHDAY? / Que hiciste en tu ultimo cumpleanios?

Work. Work. Work. / Trabajar. Trabajar.Trabajar.

30. DO YOU CARRY A DONOR CARD?/ Tienes una targeta de donante de organos?

Nope. I am against any type of ID
No. Estoy en contra de cualquier tipo de identificacion.

31. SAY SOMETHING NICE ABOUT THE PERSON THAT SENT THIS TO YOU
Di algo agradable de la persona que te envio esto.

She is nice and helpful and left some very well organised cabinet files for me. They are not well organised anymore!
Es simpatica y me dejo unos archivos bien organizados. Ahora ya no estan bien organizados.

32. WHO DO YOU LEAST EXPECT TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?/ Quien menos esperas que te devuelva este test?

All of them!!! they are all lazy or secretive or introvert or psychos!
Todos! Son holgazanes, guardan secretos, son introvertidos o psicopatas!

33. WHO IS THE PERSON YOU EXPECT TO SEND THIS BACK FIRST? / Quien esperas que te devuelva este test primero?

Maybe the psychos!
Los psicopatas, quizas!

34. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE MAT?/ Como es tu alfombra del mouse?

something with blue background and coloured spots with a RM logo...No idea what's that. And I am not going to investigate for you!
Es de fondo azul y tiene puntos de colores y las iniciales RM. Ni idea de lo que es. Y no me pongo a investigar ahora!



The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy and Windy
11C
UV Index: 2 Minimal
Wind: From the West at 26 mph
Dew Point: 4C
Humidity: 62%
Visibility: 6 miles
Barometer: 1,011.9 mb

Having a look at my stats, I found out that somebody got to my blog while searching for "what is a birmingham". Ah!!! So I am not the only one who cannot sleep for not knowing what is a BIRMINGHAM!!!! I bet this person listened to the Tracy Lawrence song 'Paint me a birmingham' (just as we did while we were in the US some months ago) and now is wondering...but WHAT, for all the world, is a birmingham??? If anybody out there can let me know, that will make me very happy. Especially considering that I heard the song again on the radio two days ago and it aroused my curiosity again. Anyway...it's good to know one is not alone...out there on the internet...there is somebody else asking what is a birmingham! Sorry this person could not find the answer in my blog, either... this makes me think..what if we were to found a People Who Don't Know What is a Birmingham Club? We could support and encourage each other!! And when we got to be thousands, we would go and visit Tracy Lawrence and make him confess, it's now or never, Tracy, sing! tell us What is a Birmingham!!!! If you want to join the club, first you have to listen to the song and read below the lyrics!


He was sitting there, his brush in hand
Painting waves as they danced, upon the sand
With every stroke, he brought to life
The deep blue of the ocean, against the morning sky
I asked him if he only painted ocean scenes
He said for twenty dollars, I'll paint you anything

Could you Paint Me A Birmingham
Make it look just the way I planned
A little house on the edge of town
Porch going all the way around
Put her there in the front yard swing
Cotton dress make it, early spring
For a while she'll be, mine again
If you can Paint Me A Birmingham

He looked at me, with knowing eyes
Then took a canvas from a bag there by his side
Picked up a brush, and said to me
Son just where in this picture would you like to be
And I said if there’s any way you can
Could you paint me back into her arms again?

Could you Paint Me A Birmingham
Make it look just the way I planned
A little house on the edge of town
Porch going all the way around
Put her there in the front yard swing
Cotton dress make it, early spring
For a while she'll be, mine again
If you can Paint Me A Birmingham


Echando un vistazo a mis estadisticas, me he dado cuenta de que alguien ha llegado a mi blog haciendo una busqueda de las palabras "what is a birmingham" (que es un birmingham). Aaaah!!! Asi que no soy la unica persona que no puede dormir por no saber lo que es un BIRMINGHAM!!!! Me juego lo que querais que esa persona escucho la cancion de Tracy Lawrence "Paint me a birmingham" (igual que la escuchamos nosotros cuando estabamos en USA hace algunos meses) y ahora se pregunta... pero que, que carajo es un birmingham???? Si alguien me esta leyendo y sabe lo que es un birmingham..por favor, hacedmelo saber, me hariais muy feliz. Especialmente porque oi la cancion de nuevo hace dos dias, en la radio, y desperto de nuevo mi curiosidad. Pues eso...que es bueno saber que no se esta sol@...ahi fuera, en algun rincon de internet...hay otra persona preguntandose lo que es un birmingham! Lastima que tampoco pudiera encontrar la respuesta en este blog... Y si fundaramos un Club De Personas Que NO Saben Lo Que Es Un Birmingham? Asi nos dariamos apoyo y animos los unos a los otros! Y si, cuando fueramos miles, vamos a ver a Tracy Lawrence y le decimos claramente que nos tiene hartitos, Tracy, canta ya de una vez! Dinos lo que es un birmigham? Si quereis uniros al club, primero teneis que escuchar la cancion. Y La letra esta arriba.


The weather today:
Sunny
15C
UV Index: 3 Low
Wind: From the South at 15 mph
Dew Point: 4C
Humidity: 48%
Visibility: 6 miles
Barometer: 1,005.1 mb

Oh well, of course as soon as I mentioned it was sunny and warm, spring had arrived...the weather changed and let me down. Something I am starting to get obsessed with. No matter where we go, but it seems the weather changes for the worse as soon as we get there. No matter the country or the continent...If there has been no rain for some weeks, when our plane lands it starts raining. Sunny and warm for days...we step out of the plane and it's cloudy and windy. Rent a car and cross a country from North to South? The weather will go from bad to worse as our journey advances. The only exception seemed to be our last trip abroad, to the US, where it seemed to be raining everywhere except for the different cities/areas we were staying in. I guess this is another reason why I am so keen to go back there! I wonder if it is Saint Mickey Mouse, blessing us with its magic broom...


Claro, por supuesto. Tan pronto como se me ocurrio mencionar que hacia buen tiempo, soleado y primaveral...el tiempo cambio y me hizo quedar mal. Y eso es algo que ya me esta obsesionando. Da igual donde vayamos, parece que el tiempo cambie a peor tan pronto como llegamos a nuestro destino. Y da igual el pais o el continente que sea...si no ha llovido durante semanas, en cuanto nuestro avion aterriza se pone a llover a mares. Soleado y caluroso durante dias y dias...salimos del avion y empieza a soplar un vendaval y vienen las nubes. Que alquilamos un coche para cruzar un pais de norte a sur? El tiempo empeorara dia a dia conforme nuestro viaje avance. La unica excepcion fue nuestro ultimo viaje, a los USA, donde llovia en todas partes excepto en las ciudades/zonas que nosotros visitabamos. Por supuesto, esta es otra razon por la que tengo tantas ganas de volver! Sera San Mickey Mouse bendiciendonos con su escoba magica?


The weather today:
Cloudy
13C
UV Index: 1 Minimal
Wind: From the East Southeast at 17 mph
Dew Point: 8C
Humidity: 72%
Visibility: 4 miles
Barometer: 1,001.7 mb