Add comment July 3rd, 2008 03:46pm John Connell
We spent a couple of lovely days beside Coniston Water in the Lake District - great to see some young people messing about on boats, just like a scene from one of Ransome’s classics. The weather was lovely, and wandering beside the lake offers just one beautiful scene after another.
Technorati Tags: coniston water, lake district, arthur ransome, swallows and amazons
Add comment June 26th, 2008 08:13pm John Connell
Every time I travel to Latin America I am blown away by the warmth and friendliness of everyone I meet, and the people I met in Venezuela have been no exception. I spent an amazing day with a large group of people from across the Higher Education sector of Venezuela, and I followed that up this morning with an enjoyable chat with a lovely group of people from CANTV, Venezuela’s main telecoms provider.
My Cisco colleagues took me to the Maute Grill for dinner last night, where I enjoyed superb barbecued meat, including the Venezuelan version of black pudding (can’t remember what they called it). I had hoped to see the sun while in Caracas but the sky was overcast for the whole time I spent in the city, with just an occasional break to let me see the tops of the mountains that surround the city. No matter, the city was warm and its people were warmer still.
I can’t wait to get back soon.
Technorati Tags: venezuela, caracas, latin america, maute grill
Add comment June 26th, 2008 08:01pm John Connell
I’d like to meet the person who believes that a duty free shop in Frankfurt Airport is the perfect setting for a beautiful car such as the Mercedes 220 SE Cabrio pictured above. Like putting a bird in a cage!
Technorati Tags: mercedes 220se cabrio, frankfurt airport
3 comments June 8th, 2008 03:02pm John Connell
Animals one tends to find in the back gardens of Scottish homes are usually pretty mundane: cats, dogs, pigeons, rabbits and a few others. So it was unusual to say the least to turn a corner in St Abbs on the Scottish Borders coast, just a few miles north of Berwick-on-Tweed, to find a couple of beautiful llamas looking over the wall at our approach.
Their owner, it turned out, is Peter Marshall, who runs Berwickshire Llama Trekking - he offers walks of 1, 2 or 3 hours accompanied by one or both of the llamas, who are known as Nico and Sammy. Normally they are housed in their enclosure at St Abbs Head, but Peter occasionally brings them to the house for a change of scene - Sammy though seemed to have a particular liking for Peter’s bed of bright red poppies!
Funny thing is, I’m heading to Venezuela in a couple of weeks time - if I see a llama on my travels, I’ll be able to say, “Already seen them, in a back garden in Scotland…”
Technorati Tags: llama, llama trekking, st abbs, peter marshall
Add comment May 30th, 2008 04:10am John Connell
Delegates to the eLearning Africa Conference were treated to a brilliant and energetic display of drumming, singing and dancing at a reception a couple of evenings ago. As someone who played the drums for many years in my younger days, I was astounded by the complexity of the patterns being played by the drummers. With the colour, the songs and the great dancing, it was a great way to be introduced to at least a small slice of Ghanaian culture.
I’d like to discover the name of the strange stringed instrument played by the musician and singer in the image below.
1 comment May 25th, 2008 04:19pm John Connell
I’m back on my travels tomorrow, heading out to the eLearning Africa Conference being held in Accra, Ghana, this week. I need to stop off in London for a meeting in the morning, and then a flight to Accra via Casablanca.
Jan and I had a nice afternoon in Edinburgh yesterday, and I came back with a nice shot of the castle and one of my favourite philosopher, David Hume, looking a bit stoney-faced! It was a lovely day, but oh-so-cold for late May - maybe the Summer will be here by the time I get back from Ghana at the weekend.
Technorati Tags: edinburgh, accra, ghana, eLearning Africa, edinburgh castle, david hume
1 comment May 10th, 2008 01:36am John Connell
Will some kind person tell me the origins of this odd sight at Kilcreggan on the Rosneath Peninsula?
Technorati Tags: kilcreggan, rosneath, scotland
1 comment May 10th, 2008 01:25am John Connell
My wife, Jan, has a special connection to the Rest and Be Thankful, where the A83 climbs the pass through Glen Croe. In the early 1960s, her father, Jim Phillips, took on the job of fencing the whole of “The Rest”, and much of his original work survives today. The fence itself follows some fairly precarious routes as it parallels the road - what a task it must have been for Jim and his gang!
Technorati Tags: rest and be thankful, A83, glen croe, jim phillips
Add comment April 18th, 2008 05:46am John Connell
While this guy sits atop a very high and very thin pole, hitting a gentle rhythm on a drum…….
….these four guys swing slowly round and round the pole, starting from high up and gradually working their way down to the ground……surrealistic and mesmeric at the same time…..
….until finally, after many minutes of swinging upside down (one or two of them even play music on little pipes as they hang upside down), they reach the ground.
Technorati Tags: mexico city, swinging, surrealism, mesmeric
2 comments April 11th, 2008 09:48am John Connell
Just back after a very pleasant, and completely connection-free, week or so in Malta. I was last there almost a decade ago and could see some changes since that time. The island nation looks a little more prosperous than I recall. The same warmth and friendliness was apparent everywhere we went, and the weather made up for the long Scottish winter.
From the ever-impressive facade of the ancient fortress city of Valetta to the beautiful harbour of Marsaxlokk to the ancient temple of Hagar Qim to the garden island of Gozo, and eveything in between, Malta is a wonderful place - I will be back.
Technorati Tags: malta, Marsaxlokk , valetta