New equality rights in workplace come into force

This was brought to my attention as I was driving into work this morning. As per normal, I was listening to Radio 4 when John Humphries announced this news. So, as soon as I got home this evening, I decided to do some digging, and came across this news article on the BBC website.

I’ve posted it in full, and as normal, I’ll put my thoughts at the end.


Karen

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New rules aimed at banning discrimination by employers, covering areas such as age, disability and pay, have come into force.

Everyone is protected by the Law

The Equality Act covers many workplace areas and draws nine separate pieces of legislation into a single Act. 
Equalities Minister Theresa May says it will now be easier for firms to comply with anti-discrimination rules.

However, some business groups argued the new legislation will impose a heavy burden on employers.

'Challenging times'

The new law restricts the circumstances in which employers can ask job applicants questions about disability or health prior to offering them a position, making it more difficult for disabled people to be unfairly screened out.

"In these challenging economic times it's more important than ever for employers to make the most of all the talent available," said Ms May.

There are also new powers for employment tribunals.

The Act will also stop employers using pay secrecy clauses to prevent employees discussing their own pay, which means men and women can compare pay.

But the Act will not make employers reveal how much they pay men compared with women, as had been planned by the Labour government.

Some campaigners argued that this revision undermined the new legislation.

"Rowing back on the requirement for big business to publish and take action on any differences in pay between men and women employees is tantamount to endorsing the shocking gender pay gap," said Ceri Goddard, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, which campaigns for gender equality.

Employees will also now be able to file discrimination claims on two grounds, rather than one. For example, under the previous rules, a woman from an ethnic minority could not file a claim on counts of both gender and race discrimination - an employment tribunal would have to consider the claims separately.

Under the new rules, an employee can file claims on two counts, but no more.

Business cost

The Equality and Human Rights Commission said: "Everyone is protected by the new law.

"It [the Act] covers age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex (meaning gender) and sexual orientation.

"Under the act people are not allowed to discriminate, harass or victimise another person because they belong to a group that the Act protects, they are thought to belong to one of those groups or are associated with someone who does."

But some business groups argued that the new rules place an extra burden on companies at a time when they are still trying to recover from the recession.

"Businesses are really concerned," Abigail Morris from the British Chambers of Commerce told the BBC.

"The government's own impact assessment shows that this is going to cost £190m just for businesses to understand the legislation, and this at a time when we really need them to be concentrating on creating private sector jobs and driving economic recovery."

During the summer there were some concerns about the new rules expressed by shipping companies.

Some claimed the laws could force them to quit the UK because they would have to pay UK rates to foreign-based seafarers who do not have the burden of British living costs.

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Now I don’t have anything against the idea of equality – in fact, I’m all for it, as I personally find it revolting that someone can be persecuted for their race and sexual preference.

But this strikes me as being an act that has been taken too far. Why do I say this? Simple. If someone overhears a joke in the office, that they don’t approve of / find personally offensive, then they have the option of making a complaint to an industrial tribunal – even though the comment or joke might not have been aimed specifically at them.

So, that means that it will be almost impossible to have a laugh and a joke with friends in the office, for fear that someone will find an innocent remark offensive, even though it wasn’t aimed at them.

In the end, I feel that the only people who will profit from this are the solicitors and barristers who will represent the litigants, and the rest of us will lose out. I can see this resulting in a loss of the most prized part of our culture – the freedom of speech and expression. And all because of this foolish act.

Karen

Now some things you hold on to - and some you just let go
Seems like the ones that you can't have
Are the ones that you want most

Another death row controversy.

This comes from the BBC website, and as per normal, I’ll put my thoughts on this article at the end.

Karen

************************************************************************************

Is Teresa Lewis an unusual death row case?

By Finlo Rohrer BBC News, Washington

Virginia is due to execute a woman, the first in the US state since 1912 and the first anywhere in the country for five years. But why is the execution of a woman such a significant event?

Teresa Lewis's planned execution has been publicised everywhere from the UK to Iran.

Her case is unusual for three reasons.

Lewis plotted with two men to kill her husband and stepson, leaving the door of the house open and buying guns and ammunition for the killers.

She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to death. The gunmen Matthew Shallenberger and Rodney Fuller only received life sentences.

With an IQ of just 72, both her current legal team and death penalty opponents have suggested it is wrong to execute her and wrong to think she is likely to have been the driving force behind a plot.

Her legal team accuses Shallenberger, who killed himself in prison, of being the mastermind and of manipulating Lewis, with whom he had an affair.

But there is no doubt that what interests many people most about the case is the mere fact of Lewis being a woman

We are more likely to believe a woman is mentally disturbed or under the control of a man”

Prof Victor Streib

'Extremely rare'

Women are not often executed in the US.

The statistics are striking, notes Victor Streib, professor of law at Ohio Northern University and a student of female death penalty cases for 30 years.

Teresa Lewis has an IQ of 72

From 1 January 1973 to 30 June 2009, 8,118 people were sentenced to death in the US. Only 165 of those were women, 2% of the total.

In the same period, of the 1,168 executions that have taken place, only 11 have been of women.

"The death penalty for women is extremely rare," says Prof Streib. "They tend to be
screened out."

But they commit 10-12% of capital murders, says Prof Streib.

Historically, he notes, judges would openly say that the death penalty was not an option because the defendant was a woman. Now such a statement would be unthinkable, but there may be a hangover from earlier attitudes.

"We are more likely to believe a woman is mentally disturbed or under the control of a man, than a man," says Prof Strieb.

He wonders whether the apparent bias in sentencing could be because of cultural attitudes in law enforcement or even in the wider public.

Lenient treatment

"I think it's fair to say that when the public thinks of the death penalty they almost always get this image of an evil man."

David Muhlhausen, senior policy analyst in the Center for Data Analysis at The Heritage Foundation, suggests there is a bias in favour of women in the system.

"There is ample research women are treated more leniently for equivalent crimes.

"People's bias is that women are more sympathetic. If you look at death row cases, the overwhelming majority are men. Every time there is an upcoming execution of… a woman, it makes more news."

But as this piece suggests, citing this academic work , there could still be a form of anti-female bias, with women receiving death sentences for categories of murders that men would not.

To these critics, women are sentenced to death for domestic murders as their crime is seen as egregious because of the contradiction of the stereotypes of female nurturing.

Women killers

1 Jan 1973 to 30 Jun 2009, 8,118 people in US sentenced to death
Of those, 165 were women
Of 1,168 executions, 11 were women
Women commit up to 12% of capital murders
Source: Victor Streib

Lewis had sex with at least one of the killers, also allegedly offering the prospect of sex with her 16-year-old daughter as bait, and betrayed her husband, all motivated by financial gain.

Protective role

"Women tend to kill a member of the family. Men are much more likely [than women] to be involved in a stranger killing," says Prof Strieb.

This might help explain how someone like Lewis could be sentenced to death.

"There is a kind of a play on the notion that you expect women to protect the family and she is paying to get rid of the family," argues Prof Streib.

Controversial cases

In 1955, the hanging of Ruth Ellis in the UK for shooting her lover helped spur opposition to the death penalty, leading to its abolition in the 1960s

In the same year in the US, the execution of Barbara Graham was also very high profile, with the movie I Want to Live throwing a spotlight on the death penalty

But for some opponents of the death penalty, the mere fact of Lewis being a woman is not the main issue.

Her low intelligence is a key issue, says Diann Rust-Tierney, executive director of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

"That is a very big part of her claim. That she is a person of diminished capacity and shouldn't be subject to the death penalty.

"The people who actually committed the killing were serving a life sentence. Far from being the person who was most culpable, she was a puppet in a scheme. The injustice is striking."

But, with fewer than 50 people executed every year in the US out of the thousands of murderers caught and sentenced, and with different attitudes from state to state, there can be cases that seem inconsistent, says Prof Franklin Zimring, of the Berkeley School of Law.

"When you start with that kind of mathematics you come up with arbitrary outcomes.

"If you are looking for the most culpable 50 you wouldn't pick a lady with an IQ of 72."

Some of those who have taken an interest in Lewis's case have questioned why the issue of her low IQ was not forcefully raised at her trial.

But for supporters of the death penalty, such arguments do not hold water.

"Whether or not she was somebody who had a high intelligence or a low intelligence, she still committed a serious crime," says Mr Muhlhausen.

*********************************************************************************

Now I am not condoning murder, far from it. But this case has raised some interesting points, especially when it comes to the perceived ability of a woman to commit such a crime, and whether the defendant really knew what she was getting involved with. However, this will never be proven or disproven as the main protagonist killed himself in jail.

Instead of making an example of a woman with a low IQ, why not treat her the same way as her co-defendants, and sentence her to life in prison? All this does is make a mockery of the American justice system, and makes me think that the so called leader of the free world needs to start looking at it’s own systems, before it tries to interfere overseas.

Karen

Now some things you hold on to - and some you just let go
Seems like the ones that you can't have
Are the ones that you want most

It's just not cricket!

As the title says, the situation involving the England & Pakistan cricket teams has cast a long shadow over all forms of cricket - especially the international game.

It started with a "sting" by the News of the World, allegedly showing some members of the Pakistan national team taking substantial amounts of money to bowl no-balls at certain points in specific matches against England.

Not unreasonably the people of Pakistan are not happy, as the national team players are well regarded in the country, and for some of them to be suspected of agreeing to perform at less than their full potential is horrifying.

The spectre of the Hansie Cronje scandal that broke back in 2000, is still hanging over the sport, but there have been big strides in the attempt to clean the game up, but allegations like this, just drag cricket back into the mire from which it has tried so hard to escape.

Now the president of the Pakistan cricket board has allegedly spoken on Indian television, claiming that there were England players who had also taken large sums of money to throw the last match that the two countries played.

Talk about repaying the ECB… And this has been done after the ECB encouraged the Pakistan cricket board to play their tests against Australia here in the UK, after no other country would host the test series.

To be honest, this smacks of someone trying to divert the attention away from his own issues, and dragging the England team into the mire as well, and it is not doing the sport that he claims to love any favours at all, and for a time, threw the fate of the Lords one day international in doubt.

Time to call this quits - it's nearly the end of my lunchbreak.

Back later if I get the chance.

Karen

Now some things you hold on to - and some you just let go
Seems like the ones that you can't have
Are the ones that you want most

Can’t you tell it’s Friday?

Well, as the title says, the jokes are starting, and this one really made me giggle. I make no apologies for posting it either.

Enjoy,

Karen

Now some things you hold on to - and some you just let go
Seems like the ones that you can't have
Are the ones that you want most

***************************************************************************

A police officer pulls over a speeding car. The officer says,' I clocked you at 80 miles per hour, sir.'

The driver says, 'Gee, officer, I had it on cruise control at 60; perhaps your radar gun needs calibrating. '

Not looking up from her knitting the wife says: 'Now don't be silly, dear -- you know that this car doesn't have cruise control.'

As the officer writes out the ticket, the driver looks over at his wife and growls, 'Can't you please keep your mouth shut for once !! ?'

The wife smiles demurely and says, 'Well dear you should be thankful your radar detector went off when it did or your speed would have been higher.'

As the officer makes out the second ticket for the illegal radar detector unit, the man glowers at his wife and says through clenched teeth, 'Woman, can't you keep your mouth shut?'

The officer frowns and says, 'And I notice that you're not wearing your seat belt, sir. That's an automatic $75 fine.'

The driver says, 'Yeah, well, you see, officer, I had it on, but I took it off when you pulled me over so that I could get my license out of my back pocket.'

The wife says, 'Now, dear, you know very well that you didn't have your seat belt on. You never wear your seat belt when you're driving.'

And as the police officer is writing out the third ticket, the driver turns to his wife and barks, 'WILL YOU PLEASE SHUT UP??'

The officer looks over at the woman and asks, 'Does your husband always talk to you this way, Ma'am?'

(I love this part)

'Only when he's been drinking .

And this one as well….

Last week, I checked into the Four Seasons in Palm Beach and was a bit lonely. I thought, "I'll call one of those men you see advertised in phone books for escorts and sensual massages."

I looked through the phone book, found a full page ad for a guy calling himself Tender Tony -a very handsome man with assorted physical skills flexing in the photo. He had all the right muscles in all the right places, thick wavy hair, long powerful legs, dazzling smile, six pack abs and I felt quite certain I could bounce a sixpence off his well oiled bum.... you get the picture. I figured, what the heck, I'll give him a call.

"Hello, ma'am, how may I help you?" Oh my, he sounded sooo sexy!

Afraid I would lose my nerve if I hesitated I rushed right in, "Hi, I hear you give a great massage, I'd like you to come to my room and give me one. No, wait, I should be straight with you. I'm in town all alone and what I really want is sex. I want it hard, I want it hot, and I want it now. Bring implements, toys, rubber, leather, whips, everything you've got in your bag of tricks.

We'll go hot and heavy all night -tie me up, cover me in chocolate syrup and whipped cream, anything and everything baby. Now how does that sound?"

He says, "Oh my God... that sounds absolutely fantastic, but you need to press 9 for an outside line."

Papal aide Cardinal Kasper under pressure to apologise

This comes from the BBC website – as per normal, I’ll put my comments / thoughts at the end.

Karen

Now some things you hold on to - and some you just let go
Seems like the ones that you can't have
Are the ones that you want most

*****************************************************************

Papal aide Cardinal Kasper under pressure to apologise

A senior papal aide has come under pressure to apologise after saying arriving at Heathrow airport was like landing in a "Third World" country.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien, Catholic Church leader in Scotland, said he expected Cardinal Walter Kasper to say sorry.

Cardinal Kasper pulled out of the Pope's four-day UK visit, with the Vatican citing illness.

The trip is expected to contain a number of protests and statements by groups opposed to it.

Cardinal Walter Kasper gave an interview to a German magazine

Cardinal Kasper had made his remarks during an interview with the German magazine Focus.

"I'm sure Cardinal Kasper will apologise for any intemperate remarks”

Cardinal Keith O'Brien

On Wednesday, Vatican sources said Cardinal Kasper was suffering from gout and had been advised by his doctors not to travel to the UK.

They also said his "Third World" comment referred to the UK's multicultural society.
Ahead of the Pope's arrival in Edinburgh, Cardinal O'Brien told BBC Radio Scotland:

"[The comment] was unfortunate and each and every person's aides sometimes do make awkward, difficult remarks. Sometimes we make awkward, difficult remarks ourselves. And simply, if we do that sort of thing we apologise for it, and I'm sure Cardinal Kasper will apologise for any intemperate remarks which he made some time ago."

The Catholic Church in England and Wales said Cardinal Kasper's comments were "the personal views of one individual".

Open debate

Pope Benedict XVI is making the first state visit by a pontiff to the UK.

The invitation has been criticised by a number of groups, including gay and women's rights organisations.

Protest the Pope, an umbrella group bringing together a dozen humanist, atheist, secular and gay rights groups, has said it opposes the idea of the Pope being welcomed to the UK as a head of state, with the UK taxpayer paying for much of the visit.

Pope Benedict has also faced calls to address public concern over the sexual and physical abuse of children by priests.

And reformist Catholics are using the Pope's visit as an opportunity to call on Benedict XVI to open up the debate on priestly celibacy and the ordination of women.

*****************************************************************

With regards to the comment by the cardinal, all I can say is “this man is supposed to be a diplomat?” That’s not what I would expect from someone who is supposed to be assisting with a rather sensitive tour.

Yes, it does appear that the UK as a whole is secular, but I am afraid that this is not the time to state such a thing, especially with the tensions that are in the air because of the abuses that the church seems unwilling (or more to the point unable) to deal with., and it is this apparent failure that is turning people away from the church.

Ok – I’m not a churchgoer by any stretch of the imagination – I go when it’s hatch, match and despatch and the very rare occasions that I get dragged. But that doesn’t mean that I am an atheist. Far from it – I prefer to refer to myself as a humanist, as I do believe that there is a higher power, but I am unwilling to submit to any one idea of how and where I should give thanks.

Aside from that, I have to admit, I am not a fan of the current Pope. His predecessor, John Paul II was, in my opinion far more approachable, and seemed almost more human. Ok – maybe Pope Benedict does show his emotions in private, but he always strikes me as being rather dour and remote.

As for greeting him as a head of state, sorry, I don’t agree with that at all. The man is either a religious leader, or a church leader – you cannot have it both ways. Yes, in theory, Queen Elisabeth II is the titular head of the Church of England, but I doubt very much that she gets involved in the day to day running of the church – she leaves that to the archbishop of Canterbury.

From the cockpit on Kulula.Com - South Africa's Budget Airline

I make no apology for posting this – it’s really made me grin.

Enjoy.

Karen

Now some things you hold on to - and some you just let go
Seems like the ones that you can't have
Are the ones that you want most

----o0o----

What a pity Kulula doesn’t fly internationally – we should support them if only for their humour – so typically South African.

Kulula is an Airline with head office situated in Johannesburg.

Kulula airline attendants make an effort to make the in-flight "safety lecture" and announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported:

----o0o----

On a Kulula flight, (there is no assigned seating, you just sit where you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced, "People, people we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!"

----o0o----

On another flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants."

----o0o----

On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your belongings... If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have."

----o0o----

"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane."

----o0o----

"Thank you for flying Kulula. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."

----o0o----

As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Durban Airport, a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!"

----o0o----

After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in the Karoo , a flight attendant on a flight announced, "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted."

---o0o---

From a Kulula employee: “Welcome aboard Kulula 271 to Port Elizabeth. To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised."

----o0o----

"In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child travelling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are travelling with more than one small child, pick your favourite."

----o0o----

Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Kulula Airlines."

----o0o----

"Your seats cushions can be used for flotation; and in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."

----o0o----

"As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses.."

----o0o----

And from the pilot during his welcome message: "Kulula Airlines is pleased to announce that we have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"

----o0o----

Heard on Kulula 255 just after a very hard landing in Cape Town : The flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was quite a bump and I know what you are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault, it was the asphalt."

----o0o----

Overheard on a Kulula flight into Cape Town , on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain really had to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to The Mother City. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!"

----o0o----

Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: "We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."

----o0o----

An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying our airline. He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said, "Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Why, no Ma'am," said the pilot. "What is it?" The little old lady said, "Did we land, or were we shot down?"

----o0o----

After a real crusher of a landing in Johannesburg , the attendant came on with, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Captain Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we will open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal.."

----o0o----

Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement: "We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today.. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of Kulula Airways."

----o0o----

Heard on a Kulula flight. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing.. If you can light 'em, you can smoke 'em."

----o0o----

A plane was taking off from Durban Airport . After it reached a comfortable cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement over the intercom, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome to Flight Number 293, non-stop from Durban to Cape Town , The weather ahead is good and, therefore, we should have a smooth and uneventful flight.. Now sit back and relax... OH, MY GOODNESS!" Silence followed, and after a few minutes, the captain came back on the intercom and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am so sorry if I scared you earlier. While I was talking to you, the flight attendant accidentally spilled a cup of hot coffee in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!" A passenger then yelled, "That's nothing. You should see the back of mine!

Man grows pea plant inside lung

Now this wasn't what I was expectting when I started surfing the web, I will admit. But, as my default home page is the BBC News site, I just had to click on the story...


Karen

Now some things you hold on to - and some you just let go
Seems like the ones that you can't have
Are the ones that you want most

**********************************************
A Massachusetts man who was rushed to hospital with a collapsed lung came home with an unusual diagnosis: a pea plant was growing in his lung.

Ron Sveden had been battling emphysema for months when his condition deteriorated.

He was steeling himself for a cancer diagnosis when X-rays revealed the growth in his lung.

Doctors believe that Mr Sveden ate the pea at some point, but it "went down the wrong way" and sprouted.

"One of the first meals I had in the hospital after the surgery had peas for the vegetable. I laughed to myself and ate them," Mr Sveden told a local Boston TV reporter.

Mr Sveden said the plant was about half an inch (1.25cm) in size.

"Whether this would have gone full-term and I'd be working for the Jolly Green Giant, I don't know. I think the thing that finally dawned on me is that it wasn't the cancer," Mr Sveden said.

He is currently recovering at home with his wife Nancy, who joked that God must have a sense of humour.

I go on holiday, and what do I watch? An air show.

And no, I’m not joking. The first week of my holiday, I kept seeing posters for an air show by the Portuguese air force. I didn’t think I’d be able to watch it, but boy, was that ever wrong.

The Friday afternoon (the air show was on the Saturday) I was happily snoozing, when I heard this almighty racket – about 50 feet from the hotel. Needless to say, the language was less than polite, as I stumbled out onto the balcony.

Mum was already out there with the camera, and took this photograph:

Merlin Helicopter - noisy sod!

It turned out it was practising for the display the following afternoon, so both Mum and I got the cameras out to take some more photographs:

So, on the Saturday morning, Mum and I took our normal trip into Funchal, and on the way back, we saw the grandstand seating for the dignitaries. That made the pair of us snigger, as we realised that we would have the better view from the balcony of our hotel room!

The air show started at 16:00, and to be honest, when you compare it with US and UK air shows, it wasn’t really as enthralling as it could have been, but I guess I’ve been spoilt by watching the Farnborough air show over the years.

It started brightly enough, with a fly by display done by a C-130, which opened the loading bay door, and dropped out what appeared to be a couple of marine flares. Mum and I were both wondering what these were for. We soon found out.

C130

The noisy Merlin helicopter that had so rudely woke me up the previous afternoon was back – and this time carried out the full display that involved dropping a diver and then scooping him back up from the water.

Dropping the diver

Nearly down

Going up

Mind your head

Mission accomplished

Heading for home

Then it was the turn of the Orion. I didn’t manage to get any photos of this, as the miserable toe rag didn’t come close enough – even with the telephoto on my camera. But the real stars of the show, as far as I was concerned, were the Aérospatiale Alouette III. The two pilots gave a wonderful display, and provided some wonderful photographic opportunities

It was like watching aerial ballet.

Ah well, guess I should call this quits for now – I’m starting to fall asleep at my computer again!

Back tomorrow, if I get the chance.

Karen

Now some things you hold on to - and some you just let go
Seems like the ones that you can't have
Are the ones that you want most

Monté Tropical Palace Gardens

Having seen the damage that was done in Monté, I will admit to being slightly apprehensive about what I would see in the gardens. So, Mum and I decided to go and visit the gardens and the museums.

As we entered the gardens, and walked across to the massive 1,000 year old olive trees, there didn’t seem to be any visible signs of damage, and the trees looked as robust as ever:

1000 year old Olive trees.



Then it was down to the museums. As normal, Mum and I went our separate ways, as she’s not a fan of the African sculptures. I am, and am quite content to take photos of these extraordinary figures.

After I’d been in the African gallery (and changed the batteries in the camera), I walked down the path to Mum and head into the other museum – the one that holds all the beautiful geodes. Admittedly, most of them are Amethysts of varying quality, but the way that they have been displayed is quite spectacular.

After we’d taken the photos, it was then time to head down into the gardens themselves. Again, we were wondering if there would be any damage visible, as we’d both seem the damage that had been done in Monte. But at first, the only thing that I was really interested in was the tree fern:

But just after I took this photo, I was stopped in my tracks by damage that had obviously occurred in the February storms:

This then lead me to move lower down, to where Monte’s version of the terracotta warriors had been…

At first glance, aside from the red and white tape, there didn’t seem too much damage done.  But a little further down, past the tape, the damage was quite obvious:

But what really made me smile was the damage hadn’t affected the Buddha statue.  Divine protection perhaps?

But this seemed to be the only area that was damaged, and as per normal. Mum and I separated, as there were bits that I wanted to see – including more cycads.  But what I didn’t expect to see was a robin perched in the cycad.

It stayed long enough for me to take the picture, and when I tried for a close up, it flew off. Ok – no worries, as it made me stop long enough to have a look around…I spotted a sort of hidden walkthrough…

I entered, and got the fright of my life when the lights came on, and something growled at me! When I had recovered my scattered wits, I saw what had scared me so badly. There was a motion sensor hidden in a sculpture:

There were three sculptures in all, but unfortunately, I couldn’t get them all in one shot, so I had to make do with individual photos:

As I went to re-join Mum, I stopped on the top of the waterfall that overlooked the main lake:

Once I had joined Mum by the lake, there was something that really made me giggle.  It was a seagull perched on the top of a statue in the lake.

The other thing that always stands out in my mind about the lake is the largest pot in the world.  No, I’m not joking, this is listed in the Guinness Book of Records:

It was then time to head to the coffee shop for a drink, as both Mum and I were in need of a sit down and a drink.

As we walked along, there was more evidence of the damage that had been done to the garden:

Once at the coffee shop, we chose a seat in the shade, and I started looking through the photos on my camera (deleting the ones that were obviously no good) when this sparrow hopped onto the railing beside me:

Then it hopped onto the table, with a determined glint in its eyes, as the previous people who had sta at the table had left crumbs from their cake…

Ah well, guess I should call this quits - I've got bits and pieces to sort out. Back later is I get the chance.

Karen

Now some things you hold on to - and some you just let go
Seems like the ones that you can't have
Are the ones that you want most