Lazy start to the morning followed by a trouble free, 5 hour drive down to Plymouth.
Hotel’s quite quaint, in a big old house, only 24 rooms but spotlessly clean, comfortable and cheap.
Being poor tea consists of roast beef butties for me and a trout salad for Wendy, started off by some smoked salmon and topped with
Well I start my French trip with good intentions. At least one “Wave” entry – something good every day.
Today I celebrate the screw top wine bottle, none of the difficulty of the cork so beloved by the French. Just easy on a road trip. Screw open, no need for a corkscrew. Drink. Screw bottle top with the remnants, assuming of course you’ve not managed to swig it all down.
Topped off by todays useless piece of information:
The best known brand of wine screw caps is Stelvin. The caps have a long outside skirt, intended to resemble the traditional wine capsule (“foil”), and use plastic PVDC (polyvinylidene chloride) as a neutral liner on the inside wadding.
The Stelvin was developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s by a French company Le Bouchage Mécanique at the behest of Peter Wall, the then Production Director of the Australian Yalumba winery. In 1964 Peter Wall approached Le Bouchage Mécanique. The Stelvin cap was trialled in 1970 and 1971 with the Swiss wine Chasselas, which was particularly affected by cork taint, and was first used commercially in 1972 by the Swiss winery Hammel.[6] From about 1973 Yalumba and a group of other wineries – Hardys, McWilliams, Penfolds, Seppelt, Brown Bros and Tahbilk – were involved in developing and proving up the concept and began using it commercially in 1976.
Wow, what a surprise, developed by a Frenchman. To this day some appellations ban the use of screw caps.
On our way to the delights of France.
Up early’ish for a traditional English breakfast. Traditional boarding house style breakfast, no buffet, just cooked on demand.
Have a wander around Plymouth. What a depressing place. Main shopping all second hand / charity shops, all the big stores are in a modern shopping precinct. Just another typical downtown city. Almost as bad as Blackburn.
Then stroll up to Plymouth Hoe, so much history there.
Well that’s enough Plymouth for one lifetime, drive over to the port. Usual queues. Security are having a fun time stopping nearly everyone, searching old ladies handbags and checking there is an engine under the bonnet.
Goodbye England for 6 weeks.
Is this his bowling club?
When he eventually went out to sea, he defeated the Spanish Armada and this is what possibly he is best known for.
A visit to Plymouth Hoe. Francis Drake finishing his game of bowls before setting off to defeat the Spanish Armada. And I’ve just seen to most beautiful Spaniel ever, a black and gold sable cocker spaniel. I’m so annoyed I didn’t get his photo. When I retire I will just have to have one.
Where have all the toilet seats gone? There must be a shitty trade in stolen seats.
Islams war on freedom
Not even in French terroratorial waters and French chauvinism / stupidity strikes an annoying blow. Half bottle of wine in the self service restaurant has a cork rather than screw top. Unbelievable. Scrat around for a cork screw, you’d at least think there’d be one chained to the wine racks. Alas have to join a serious queue and cashier has to open the bottle – adds to the queue. Stupidity reigns yet again.
This is Wendy’s cruise for the year. Complete with formal night photo, obstructing the the main staircase of course.
Fairly mediocre breakfast, avoided the croissants and like a condemned man stuck to my last traditional English breakfast.
Arrive on time.
Just a short 2 hour drive to our first overnight in San Sebastián. Driving along the auto routes in Spain and France is so much more relaxing than motorways in the UK. There’s no one on them. Mind you that’s not surprising considering you have to stop every 200 yards for yet another toll plaza.
What a dump this place looks. Masses and masses of tower blocks as far as the eye can see. Our hotel is in the midst of them. OMG what have we let ourselves in for. Turns out to be a very modern and trendy hotel. A superb 5 star amidst these ghettos. We upgraded to a suite , free. Only downside is that dinner is not served until 20:00. Do they not realise we’ll be asleep by then – bloody foreigners!
Suites lovely, but no one mentioned that the water doesn’t flow unless you pop your key in the slot. Bizarre!
There’s free parking in an underground maze. I’m sure that there will be cars down there with skeletons in of the drivers who never found their way. No one mentioned you need to be in an open top car as the spaces are that narrow you can’t open the doors to get out. Unbelievable.
Research local restaurants, but as they mainly seem to have 3.5 stars and it would involve walking through the ghetto we give them a miss.
By 19:30 our stomachs are of the firm believe our throats been cut, could demolish a bear fur sandwich with gusto. Go down to the bar for pre-dinner drinks, all very civilised. Then Wendy goes and swigs down a 15 euro brandy – I need resuscitating.
Wendy’s meal is disgusting, fewer chips than a macdonalds kiddy fries portion and a few anorexic mini lamb chops. A shame because this is a lovely modern hotel, all very trendy.
We were one of the last cars off the ferry so I was dreading and expecting a 30 to 60 minute immigration queue. Wow, it was amazing must have been all of 4 minutes. So damn efficient it makes me start to wonder why we left the Evil Union. Nothing like the horror queue stories propagated by the lying English press.
SO many toll booths.
How much energy will the World need?
https://www.prageru.com/video/how-much-energy-will-the-world-need?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_9202480
Thankfully breakfast is better than last nights dinner. A great buffet continental selection.
Set off on a two hour drive to Tarbes.
Arrive in glorious sunshine 75. Sit in local park to have our gourmet lunch, a mandarin for me.
Good to see my French still just about works as I ask for the toilets. In typical French fashion it’s hidden behind a Photo Booth that you have to squeeze past. The good news is that the seat thief hasn’t been but expecting a toilet roll is excessive.
Hotel’s ok.
We try to find a restaurant that’s open, most seem to have a lazy opening on 19:00. Find one; waiter screws up order; slanging match ensues with owner; I refuse to pay for my food order; pay for drinks and that’s it. End up getting a selection of desserts from Intermarche. Nothing like desserts for tea.
Awesome sat in a sunny park in Tarbes, with flocks of peacocks. For the first time get to see a white peacock. Then watch a rampant pigeon trying to mount a female who in typical female fashion is having none of it, headache and playing hard to get. The male’s fascinating as he stalks after his prey, but still sates his hunger by pecking food from the ground as he follows her.
Drive over to Carcasson. The castle looks amazing. It’s a warm sunny day, but a tad breezy. Check into nice hotel and then have a stroll over to the castle.
Wander around the shops and restaurants inside the castle walls. Stop for a beer and sit and enjoy the sun. Then it’s back to the hotel to await another late tea, 1900. A strolling minstrel stops by to entertain us. the couple at the next table offer to pay him to stop with the infernal racquet he’s making. He’s dressed like a Middle Ages plague doctor, terrifying, there will be adults and children having nightmares tonight.
Tea is good, I enjoy a lovely cassoulet followed by tradition bread and cheese. And so to bed.
This castle is amazing. Just strolling around, enjoying the sun and warmth, and imagining how life used to be.
Yes, we nearly forgot they’re never open.
I always thought America was bad for the exhaust bandits driving up your backside to see what’s inside your exhaust pipe, but France is so much worse. The safe stopping distance in France is 50 metres. I blame the EU using the metric system as the stupid ones are confused my metres and centimetres so they assume it’s 50 centimetres.
Some famous geezer once said it is better to travel than to arrive. Utter nonsense. My saying is “travel to see stupidity in action”.
Another sun, cloud and breezy day. After a good breakfast we take a stroll over to the castle again and pay to walk the ramparts and go into the castle. We’ve done it before but can’t really remember it.
Before we set off for Port Vendres we need a supermarket, being France they nearly all close at Sunday lunch, only a Casino open. Pretty grim supermarket, big but poor choice and shoddy fresh produce.
Then it’s a 90 minute drive over to our Airbnb for the next week in Port Vendres.
10 year old software geeks strike again.
Swinging car into park lot is a nightmare, tight squeeze built for a bubble car. Then we have the key fiasco. Retrieve key 1 to get us into a courtyard. Retrieve set of 4 keys needed to get us through the various doors to our apartment. None of the keys are labelled and none of the doors / apartments are labelled. Stupidity rules yet again. Do these people ever think.
Apartments lovely with sea views and a balcony. Wot, where’s the comfy balcony furniture gone? It’s pretty well equipped and comfortable but you have to burst out in hysterics when you look at the thimbles they have for tea cups. Obviously think the rest of the world only drink espressos.
Tea tonight is the all time favorite of bread, cheeses and wine – even if we do have to do battle with a cork.
Awesome sea views from our balcony.
Welcome to Saudi Britain
Climate The Movie
Well worth a watch to question climate change.
A grey day and not so warm.
Drive around a few supermarkets in the hope of finding some of that soft Australian liquorice. No luck.
Appropriately warm and sunny for our last day of our California Road trip.
Take a drive up to the famous La Jolla Cove for a pleasant stroll around and watch the seals. Try to find somewhere for coffee, but no luck other than rip off Starbucks. What the hells going on this Is America or have we been transported to some 3rd World ghetto.
Drive down to explore La Jolla Shores. Sit down on the beach front for coffee while Wendy goes indoors to order. A stroppy waiter confronts me. Oh I need to take your order. Well you weren’t here so my wife had to go inside to order. “Look I don’t give a rats who takes my order, it can be Donald Trump for all I care. All I want is a coffee, black, no pollutants. Simple.” Wendy encounters shit service indoors so we vote with our feet.
Leave Monterey, we’ve had a fabulous time there, and drive over to Sacramento.
Start the sunny day with a good breakfast.
The next stop is the state capital. It’s only half a mile away but in true American laziness we drive to it.
There’s an indigenous Peoples Protest. What are they protesting about. Well, it appears that some of them have gone missing or been murdered. When I ask a so what question they point out that indigenous people are 7 times more likely to be murdered or go missing. Apparently, they’re not blaming police negligence. Fortunately, there’s a protest march followed by a cultural dance event in front of the state capital.
They all have flags of their Nation but of course some woke snowflake has to spoil it with a Palestinian flag – disgusting they allow it.
Signs to the tour are wrong, point this out but everyone knows they’re wrong and nothing can be done about it, too much bureaucracy and politics involved so instead they just f..k with customers and waste their time. Typical politicians.
Yeah, it’s pancake day or as the Americans call it Mardi Gras. When I was a kid this was one of the highlights of the year. Just English pancakes for tea with orange juice, if you were lucky, and sugar on them, no Maple syrup or other exotic toppings. Times were hard and it’s a reflection of the times that his was one of the highlights of a kids year.
We’ve decided to add a stay Thursday and Friday at our Desert Hot Springs Airbnb rather than stop over two nights in Motels somewhere. So it’s a 3 hour drive down to Desert Hot Springs. A lovely scenic drive and very little traffic.
Have to say the photographer did a good job of making the rooms look way bigger than they actually are, but they’re big enough and lovely furnished, so it’s not a problem.
Sort Apple TV out and we’re settled in for the night with a couple of beers and some Zinfandel.
Lazy start to what will be a lazy day and for Wendy the excitement of a supermarket trip.
After a lazy start to a warm sunny day we’re off to Joshua Tree National Park, I’m excited.
Call in the visitors centre, tempted into buying another JT hat and then buy an annual NP pass, ready for summer.
Devastated at how busy the place is. Mind you perhaps coming on a Saturday was not such a good idea, and to top it off it’s a bank holiday weekend – Presidents Day on Monday. But the child in me could hardly wait. Nearly all the parking areas were chockablock, just too many damn tourists. Managed to park and have lunch sat by skull rock along with thousands of other pesky tourists. take a small stroll around the area, decide the best philosophy is to just drive around and enjoy the scenery as we will be coming back another day. scenery is awesome especially the rocks never mind the Joshua trees.
Sun and cloud, with the odd shower.
Then it’s one of the highlights of our trip, or so we suppose, as we visit Hearst Castle. Despite having passed this way several times we never got round to visiting it.
William Randolph Hearst Sr. (/hɜːrst/;[1] April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation’s largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboyant methods of yellow journalism influenced the nation’s popular media by emphasizing sensationalism and human interest stories. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887 with Mitchell Trubitt after being given control of The San Francisco Examiner by his wealthy father, Senator George Hearst.
After moving to New York City, Hearst acquired the New York Journal and fought a bitter circulation war with Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World. Hearst sold papers by printing giant headlines over lurid stories featuring crime, corruption, sex, and innuendos. Hearst acquired more newspapers and created a chain that numbered nearly 30 papers in major American cities at its peak. He later expanded to magazines, creating the largest newspaper and magazine business in the world. Hearst controlled the editorial positions and coverage of political news in all his papers and magazines, and thereby often published his personal views. He sensationalized Spanish atrocities in Cuba while calling for war in 1898 against Spain. Historians, however, reject his subsequent claims to have started the war with Spain as overly extravagant.
Mixed weather so after a lazy start we set off from the hotel in Cambria, really nice place, to our Airbnb in Seaside, just outside Monterey. Couldn’t go up Highway 1, as planned, the road is closed.
Rained all day so the usual lazy start. Drive down to Cannery Row, a tad disappointing. Just went shopping, trying to find a decent supermarket was worse than trying to find a decent web site. Then hunkered down and spent the day in.
Sun and cloud day, so after the usual lazy start we take a drive down the Famous highway to the Big Sur. some awesome coastal views. Can see why it’s the most dangerous road in America, too many great views to distract you. Although we’ve drive highway 1 South to North, we had planned on this trip to drive all the way up highway from Atascadero to Monterey but it’s closed is currently closed due to a massive landslide that occurred in January 2023 at a location called Paul’s Slide. This landslide buried a two-mile segment of the highway, making it impassable. It’s not forecast to be open until late 2024, but at least we got to photograph the iconic bridge.
In the evening we go out for dinner to Tarpy’s. Paul’s recommended their Shrimp and Grits. It was just around the corner from our Airbnb, the shrimp and grits were amazing, I was stuffed. But as for the rest of it, well. Place was freezing, needed long Johns and an anorak. Had an Artichoke starter, what an Anorexic Artichoke, hardly any flesh on it. Wendy had the Meatloaf, not very tasty, but the shrimp grits made it all worthwhile.
Sunny day so we take a drive around the famous 17 mile drive. Yes, we have to pay $11.95, but unusual for to say it was well worth it. Some spectacular ocean views and get to see the World famous Lone Cedar – reminds me of the cover of the book Snow Falling On Cedars.
The Lone Cypress is a Monterey cypress tree located in Pebble Beach, California. Standing atop a granite headland overlooking Carmel Bay, the tree has become a Western icon and has been called one of the most photographed trees in North America.
Sunny day. Off down to the Aquarium . Parking is a nightmare. I end up ina 2 mile No Left Turn debacle, unbelievable.
Take out a second mortgage for the coffee and can you believe $20 to park.
Pop round to Audrey’s to return the free tickets.
Seeing elephant seals in the wild is a truly remarkable experience, and coastal viewpoints in California offer breathtaking sights of this species that you won’t want to miss. As you watch these large, blubbery mammals interact in their natural habitat, the experience is made even more special knowing that you are witnessing a conservation success story. 
Northern elephant seals were hunted to the brink of extinction by the end of the 19th century. After decades of being slaughtered for their blubber, which people used for lamp oil during that time, only an estimated 100 animals remained on one small island off the coast of Mexico. 
Mexico and the United States declared protections for this species, and northern elephant seals rebounded in a big way—there are an estimated 150,000 – 200,000 individuals today, and the population continues to grow every year. 
This species is found in the North Pacific, ranging from Baja California, Mexico, to the Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands. Elephant seals spend the vast majority of their time—about nine months of the year—in the open ocean, only coming to shore twice each year to breed and molt. 
They have one of the longest migrations of any mammal in the world, traveling up to 13,000 miles each year from shore to their feeding grounds in the northern Pacific Ocean. During their biannual migrations at sea, northern elephant seals forage for bottom-dwelling creatures and dive up to depths over 5,000 feet (that’s equal to four Empire State Buildings!). 
While there are peak seasons between December and June when most elephant seals haul out, or temporarily leave the water, you can see elephant seals year-round in California on their breeding beaches, called rookeries. But with so much of their lives spent underwater up to 5,000 miles offshore, how is it that elephant seals can be spotted on the beach during any season? 
Whether you visit an elephant seal viewing point or tune in to our live beach webcam, you can watch wild seals ashore and observe their fascinating natural behaviors. Follow the incredible life journey of this species in the timeline below, find out when and where to see elephant seals in California, and learn how you can help protect these animals. 
Another sunny day. 
In the evening I watch the Super Bowl tonight. Pity I don’t understand it. Adverts galore. Half time entertainment was pathetic, who were they? Wot no costume failures.
Drive over to the Santa Monica Mountains. First stop King Gillette Ranch. Of course the visitors centre is closed but have a shuffle around. Then it’s on to own main objective, Malibu Creek Park. Sit an have lunch admiring the Mountains – well hills really – and the Blue Birds. Then head off to the Rock Pool. It’s near the visitors centre which as well as being closed is a 1 mile walk away from the main car park. What numpty dreamt this up. Don’t they realise this is America, nobody walks in America. On top of that the distances shown on the signs are a total screw up. Not only must their idea of a mile be based on some mythical American mile, but to find the Rock Pool gets further away as you get closer must be some sort of space time distortion in the fabric of their universe.
Anyway finally get there and it’s infested with two families and an excess of noisy rug rats.
Pass on Peter Strauss Ranch. 
Then decide we’ll drive down the rest of the famous Mulholland Drive, can you believe it’s closed. Oh well, 101 back to home for afternoon tea in our new mini-kettle – Assam, so civilised.
Another sunny day and lazy start.
Then we do the botanical gardens, at least with plant watching they don’t fly off like bird watching. The place is in need of a bit of TLC and some signs. Good 90 minute walk up and down but not really worth the $7 each. 
The sea mist is shrouding the Channel Islands, there’s an occaisional peep through the mist.
Lazy start to a grey day as we pack to move onto to Nat and Pauls home in Atascadero. I must be about 8 years since we last saw them.
Then drive onto Atascadero after yet another brief supermarket stop.
Then drive down the coast to Harmony for a shuffle around the pottery and glassworks. Only 18 people live there!
Groundhog Day (Pennsylvania German: Grund’sau dåk, Grundsaudaag, Grundsow Dawg, Murmeltiertag; Nova Scotia: Daks Day) is a tradition observed regionally in the United States and Canada on February 2 of every year. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day and sees its shadow, it will retreat to its den and winter will go on for six more weeks; if it does not see its shadow, spring will arrive early.
While the tradition remains popular in the 21st century, studies have found no consistent association between a groundhog seeing its shadow and the subsequent arrival time of spring-like weather.
To serve all our troops in all branches of the United States Military by sending care boxes full of items they need for their professional and personal well-being.
We were going to drive up Highway 1, all along the cost to where it was closed off. But when we saw the various work crews clearing fallen trees decided it might be more sensible to just hunker down for the afternoon. Test out some SQL solutions for PCMSC, and who knows I might even get some of the Benjamin Franklin biography read.
Start the day with a pathetic breakfast and then it’s off in the pouring rain up to the Reagan Library. It’s over a 100 miles between Dana Point in the South East of LA and the Reagan in the North West of LA.
Amazing not a single hold up driving across LA. Most of it was in HOV lane (2 or more people in car). What a great way to travel, hardly any traffic in them and usually much wider with lower risks. I knew on April 3rd 1971 that Wendy would eventually come in useful!
The Reagan Library is amazing. What a prosperous Presidency he had. Really improved my appreciation of his time as President and the issues of the time. Pity we don’t have leaders of his calibre. To have a full sized Air Force One in the Library. 
Then we did the Auschwitz Not long ago. Not far away tour, which was packed. Another Yad Vashem moment. I found it as good as Yad Vashem, exhibits etc were not as large and spectacular but the detail and individual case stories were amazing. Can’t fail to be moved and wonder how could it ever happen. How did so many go along with it? Is the cruelty and evil in all of us that can be released? Worrying.
Then it’s a drive to Santa Monica and down WIltshire and Santa Monica Boulevards at rush hour to our hotel. LA at its worse. How do people cope with it.
Have a walk up to Wholefoods to buy something for tea. Interesting area; a few homeless, one even sat on the wet pavement with his iPad; but no one sleeping rough. Amazing Wholefoods had normal people in it, none of the freaks who infested Wholefoods New York.
E pluribus unum, Latin pronunciation: [e ˈpluribus ˈunum]) – Latin for “Out of many, one” (also translated as “One out of many” or “One from many”) – is a traditional motto of the United States, appearing on the Great Seal along with Annuit cœptis (Latin for “he approves the undertaking [lit. ‘things undertaken’]”) and Novus ordo seclorum (Latin for “New order of the ages”) which appear on the reverse of the Great Seal; its inclusion on the seal was suggested by Pierre Eugene du Simitiere and approved in an act of the Congress of the Confederation in 1782.
That the phrase “E pluribus unum” has thirteen letters makes its use symbolic of the original Thirteen Colonies which rebelled against the rule of the Kingdom of Great Britain and became the first thirteen states, represented today as the thirteen stripes on the American flag.
A popular but erroneous myth is that the seal is changed during times of war, so that the eagle faces the arrows in its left talon. This belief may have arisen because major changes to the seal have coincidentally been made before or after wars – specifically, the 1945 change in the seal, and also the 1916 change in the flag (though not the seal) from the right-facing Great Seal to the left-facing presidential seal.
The belief is perpetuated by a 2000 episode of The West Wing entitled “What Kind of Day Has It Been?”. Character Admiral Fitzwallace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, notes that the presidential seal in the center of the Oval Office carpet contains a shield bearing a bald eagle clutching the olive branch in its right talons and arrows in its left. The eagle’s head is turned toward the olive branch. Fitzwallace alleges that in times of war the seal is replaced with one in which the eagle’s head is turned toward the arrows.
Start the day watching Fox in order to get the full American experience. Early morning joy bought to your screen with the “Blond Bimbo Horsey Teeth Newsreaders”, all teeth and tits, don your welding goggles before turning on; turn off your hearing aids before they open their mouths with the giggling drivel and trivia of a Butterfly brain. Silly cows. No intellectual stimulation here.
It’s a sunny day so we’re off down to Santa Monica Pier for a pleasant stroll. Very busy. Like a more up market Blackpool all confined to the one long pier.
Then we drive down to Venice Beach for a stroll along the front. It’s a weirdo magnet. Santa Monica seemed to have “normal” guys and gals, but here it’s weirdo heaven. More weirdos than a New York Wholefoods supermarket. There’s shirtless roller skaters with ties down their back; roller skaters who have turned up their Gay meter to outdo even Torvill and Dean; tasty, skimply dressed women in ugly boots with soles so thick it’s a wonder they don’t get nosebleeds; ugly dogs with matching ugly owners; 
dogs in bike baskets with sun glass and goggles on; that many Jesus Lookalikes I’m sure there must be a competition on nearby; women in jeans with holes so big it’s hardly worth wearing them, other than to display their tattooed legs; tattooed folk who have obviously escaped from a Fairground freaks show; and of course piercings in every orifice imagined and visible and no doubt an excess in invisible body parts.
Shop owners trying to entice you in to view and buy their bizarre wares. One really smart business owner, who obviously has an MBA in marketing and has really profiled his typical customer, tries to entice me into his store. What’s wrong with that you may say, well all he sells is skate boards – I rest my case.
Ah, the joys of morning routines: one of the most stingy and disgusting breakfast’s devoured, bags packed, and the open road beckoning. Today’s destination? Ventura.
Our Airbnb, nestled in the bosom of an “okay” neighborhood, doesn’t exactly scream luxury from the outside it’s about as spectacular as a soggy Subway sandwich. But fear not for appearances can be deceiving. Inside, it’s a different story altogether: comfort, cleanliness, and enough amenities to make even the pickiest traveler swoon. And lo and behold, a glimpse of the sea! Well, sort of, if you crane your neck just right and squint past the rooftops.
Another sunny day so set off to Santa Barbara. Yes, we’ve been there before, but that applies to most of the places on this trip. It’s a lovely typical California beach resort complete with palm trees, beaches, surfers and of course a pier. Thank fully there’s no amusements, grot shops or filthy greasy spoon, salmonella infested cafes to spoil it. Most of the people seem boringly normal, unlike the freaks in Venice Beach.
Walk along the pier; lunch in the car overlooking the beach and the Channel Islands. Back home to try a coffee from the local coffee shop – as expected it’s full of Apple laptops, probably all browsing porno. Sample their different coffees FOC – now that’s enterprising. Buy a bag of the sweetest coffee I’ve ever tasted.
Well I see our fucked up Blackburn council has decided to allow the building of an Industrial park on greenbelt. Now there’s a surprise! One would wonder whether the council are lapdogs to the Issa Brothers? There’s a question. Have the Issa brothers added Blackburn council to their long list of acquisitions. Why would any sane council approve any plans from the Issa brothers, given their track record of riding roughshod over local planning laws, and getting away with it.
Another sunny day.
Another gorgeous sunny day. Up a the crack of sparrows to catch the boat / ship over to the Channel Islands. Another National Park to add to my collection. It’s a tad rough so the wimp in me takes a Qwell, seems to stave off a visit from Huey and Ruth and keeps the diced carrots at bay.
Fortunately there’s a NP Ranger talk and walk – always a great way to learn about the park. We’re rewarded with two sightings of the gorgeous Channel Island fox and a CI Scrub Jay. Being an Island a lot of the animals and plants have evolved separately from the mainland. There’s a 300 foot climb to some great viewpoint s at the top of the cliffs – Wendy struggles with her back but is glad she did it as the views were worth it. Have lunch on the clifftop, enjoying the stunning clifftop views.
The island fox only lives on six of the eight Channel Islands off the coast of southern California–they are found nowhere else on Earth. Each island population is recognized as a separate endemic or unique subspecies.
The island fox, a descendant of the mainland gray fox, is the largest of the Channel Islands’ native mammals, but one of the smallest canid species in the world.
Although foxes have always existed at low population sizes, four island fox subspecies underwent catastrophic declines in the 1990s. On San Miguel, Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Islands at Channel Islands National Park, the decline was attributed to predation by golden eagles. The presence of non-native ungulates as a food source in addition to the DDT-caused decline of bald eagles, a natural competitor, facilitated the establishment of golden eagles as resident breeders on the islands. 
By 2000, predation on island foxes resulted in population declines to 15 individuals on San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands, and less than 80 on Santa Cruz Island. In 2004, each of the park’s island fox subspecies were federally listed as endangered.
In 1999, Channel Islands National Park began an island fox recovery program that included captive breeding and reintroduction of foxes, removal of resident golden eagles, re-establishment of bald eagles, and removal of non-native ungulates. 
This coordinated, organized and highly focused strategy was able to reverse the certain extinction of an endangered population. Today, the population has recovered within the park. Population trend and annual survival are currently monitored to ensure that recovery continues and future threats to the park’s island fox subspecies are identified.
The island fox is one third smaller than its mainland ancestor the gray fox. Environmental and ecological factors such as overcrowding, reduction in predators, food limitations, and genetic variations could have contributed to the natural selection for a smaller size.
The island fox has similar markings to the gray fox. They have gray coloring on the back, rust coloring on the sides,and white underneath. The face has a distinctive black, white, and rufous-colored patterns.
Up at the crack of Sparrows yet again, but getting slightly better.
You really couldn’t make this up, greeted by a tranvestite, then passed over to a guy who is blind. Use accessibility features of his iPhone, and the dog, to do an awesome job. In no way did his disability impede his customer service or ability to do the job. Amazing. 
Drive through Del Mar, all very posh. Drive up the coast road to Encinitas. Have lunch on Moonlight Bay beach. Then onto Carlsbad for a mooch around and a coffee. Not quite as glamorous as we remember it. Then drive onto Oceanside. Finally call in at the Outlet Mall in Carlsbad, no idea why, as we never but anything.
Lazy start then off down to Old Town. Visited the Heritage Park which has some awesome old buildings, what style. Then it’s a visit to the Mormon Battalion Museum. It’s a free tour and is one of the most creative Mormon tours we’ve ever done. Great use of technology, warm welcome and as always free. Can well recommend it, they don’t push their religion down your throat, very low key.
Then had a shuffle around Old Town and visited to First courthouse. Wendy passed on lunch as everywhere was Mexican. Having lunch out with Wendy is a challenge to anyone’s patience – even for me who is legendary for my patience and understanding – as she seeks her view of gastronomic perfection – snowflakes food. In future we ensure she brings a sandwich.
Back home for afternoon tea on the patio and then another quiet night in, with a great bottle of Carmenera.
Another lazy start to a warm sunny day.
The misery index is an economic indicator, created by economist Arthur Okun. The index helps determine how the average citizen is doing economically and is calculated by adding the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate to the annual inflation rate. It is assumed that both a higher rate of unemployment and a worsening of inflation create economic and social costs for a country.
Wake up to another grey day but at least it’s warm.
Hotel is ideally situated, and we have a nice suite.
Great breakfast. You can tell we’re in America, there’s the iconic waffle machine and we meet some friendly Americans, complete strangers, over breakfast for an entertaining breakfast. So much more engaging than any of our meal encounters on the 12 day geriatric cruise.
Listening to the announcements on our subway train I keep wondering why we’re on this “Broken down train”. Turns out it’s a translation error on my part, they’re really saying we’re on a “Brooklyn bound train”. Bloody earring aids.
Catch the ferry over to the Statue of Liberty. Do the touristy thingy and then the highlight of our trip is the ferry to Ellis Island. I’ve fancied this for years. It’s very well done and doesn’t disappoint, just wish we had more time. Took in the whole experience and then watched the film that summarized the whole experience, sadly we had to leave halfway through. It really was a stark eye opener to what those legal immigrants had to endure to escape to the promised land. Stories of hopes and tears. Seemed like a Yad Vashem moment, haunting and moving experience. Best experience of the whole trip.
Then it’s a subway up to Juniors restaurant for my long anticipated Pastrami on Rye, it was awesome and massive. Followed by their famous cheesecake and an expensive Rum Runnner cocktail – all awesome.
The World over it seems that dickheads on bikes who don’t understand red traffic lights, but in New York it takes on a whole new threat. I thought a aseball bat might be a great solution to knock them off as they try to mow you down, but a walking pole would be better, they’d be head over handle bars and an added bonus it would wreck their bike.
Got to Bob and Marilyns just before 14:00. Such a lovely comfortable home. Soon got settled in and then its off to the supermarket for supplies. Sun’s out and it’s lovely and warm 66F. This is the life. Sure shitting in the tall cotton.
Cartagena today, sunny but the breeze takes the edge off the heat – just comfortable.
Malaga today. We’ve got a free walking tour booked. After 15 minutes we abort. Her English is appalling, more stutters and pregnant pauses than listening to Boris spouting a boring hellfire sermon.
Our morning adventure involved a guided walking tour, a private affair because apparently, everyone else decided to stay in bed and avoid the potential drowning that might occur in light drizzle. Our guide, a walking encyclopedia of Gibraltar facts, spoke impeccable English, a rarity in the world of travel where sometimes you need Google Translate just to order a coffee.
The town itself felt like a British annex, complete with familiar shops. The pièce de résistance? Marks & Spencer, proudly asserting its imperial dominance in a place where you’d least expect it. Six miles of exploration later, Wendy resembled a character from a survival show, a testament to the perils of conquering territories, one tourist attraction at a time.
The news headlines, a surreal twist in our journey, revealed that while we were freezing in drizzle, The rest of Spain was busy breaking December heat records. Oh, the irony – our thermometers struggled to reach double digits while the Spanish were probably sizzling paella on their sidewalks.
Cadiz – high expectations. What a dump.
Ah, the daily symphony of juvenile web design, where 10-year-olds, fresh from their morning tie-my-shoelaces-with-Mommy routine, morph into digital architects. Brace yourselves for another riveting episode of “Password Palooza” and “Captcha Carnage,” where clicking to accept cookies is the closest thing to a thrilling adventure!
Artwork in a Spanish toilet.
Food is just ok, but minute portions, they really should provide a magnifying glass.
Stop off at a Waitrose to buy tinned figs – bizarre I know. For the first time in 2 years I have my coffee cup with me so go for a free coffee. Two machines, one not working and the other being repaired as I rant. Just typical of the daily persecution I suffer – conclusion, does anything work these days, everything is a crock of shit.
For some perverse reason I stand on our balcony for 30 minutes, in the freezing cold, watching the guys cast off. It takes 4 guys to cast off the 7 strings anchoring us to the dock. They patiently wait for the ship driver to give the command “cast off blunt end”. Bizarre delight as the strings go slack and the engines throb into life. Yeh, we’re on our way even if at the imperceptible speed of 1 foot per hour, then 2, then 4.
Ship driver gleefully tells us the dire news that the Bay of Biscay is going to be very rough – typical. But fear not he’s going to speed across the Bay to avoid too much pewk decking the Christmas halls, and we’ll end up in Vigo a day early and get two days there.
First of our sea days. 
Abandon fixed dining (that was a customer service ordeal and disaster – only took 5 different stops to get it done, should have left it to the butler) in favour of anytime dining. Don’t think I could cope with another dinner with the over stimulation from last night’s table – it was like drawing teeth from a ten year old on their iPad. Put me on a table with some Americans.
After dinner we go and watch the comedian – very mediocre. Then Noddys gone past Big Ears so it’s time for bed and a couple of episode of “My Family”.
Breakfast in the Epicurian resturant, reserved for Suite guests, none of the cattle class. Really nothing to write home about. They totally screwed up Wendy’s order.
Back on board for a very, very frugal lunch and then afternoon watching the 4th Republican nomination debate. OMG I’ve sinned. 
Another day in Vigo – not the most stimulating of places, but so much better than a day at sea.
Back on board for Wendy’s lunch.
Bloody formal tonight when everyone gets tarted up like a dogs dinner. I suppose I’d better not compliment any of the ladies with a “you look like a dogs dinner”. Why can’t they just relax the rules. Those who want to don a penguin suit, that’s fine by me, I’m not offended; but those who want to wear just jeans that’s equally fine, what harm does it do.
As it’s a major city and we’ve never been before we break our normal habits and book a ships tour “Lisbon by land and River”. Spend an hour driving around the slum housing of Lisbon to get to the boat trip, with very little worthy site seeing or narrative – in fact the river trip was only five minutes down the river front, a complete waste of time and just to fill out the tour. The river trip up and down was ok, got to see Lisbon from the river not a great deal in the way of commentary. Then back on the coach for a 40 minute tour of Lisbon with the sort of commentary we expected.
Did we learn much? Well my most memorable fact from the tour was that Portugal has 1,001 recipes for cooking Cod. What a waste of money it was. Thankfully we’ve no more ship’s tours booked.
Wendy started on a slow infusion of Martinis. This one was dire enough to make anyone jump on the wagon. 
Again entertainment was not the least bit enticing so back to our suite to watch one of the many films we had fortunately downloaded.
As we’re still sticking to our no dessert and no lift regime, the lack of a deck 13 is really appreciated.
It’s a black tie evening tonight, another formal. At least our Butlers brings us Canapés to the suite. I can’t be bothered even putting my suit on, bugger it, will stick to shorts and tee shirt. These formals really should be banned and let those that want, wear monkey suits every night if they so wish, and leave us lesser beings to our jeans and tee shirts. P&O should remember it’s me paying them.