tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148566582011-11-28T04:21:24.783+04:00A mantis ponders Volcanoes erupt Cyclones dance Paradise in Concrete welliesHotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.comBlogger1101100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-81394882103300446612010-07-12T19:25:00.002+04:002010-07-12T19:42:28.508+04:00

So just what is the difference between colour and black and white ? The former is more concerned with the interplay of light on the form. one apprehends the image in some hinterland midway between the eye and the image. There is a strange interaction of the eye reflecting the colour of the colour reflecting the eye.Black and white is more tactile, it has more depth and is somewhat more brutal. it

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-37907022798769799832010-07-05T19:39:00.003+04:002010-07-05T19:43:28.003+04:00

Cetain etters have refused t wk n my keybard which means that this text is even mre pathetic than ever. S, this is hw he wrte Ridey Waker.Unti next time enjy the pics !

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-29503304912422010882010-06-27T18:53:00.004+04:002010-06-27T19:05:35.978+04:00

What tangled webs we weave and how tangly woven with our own limbs. Seeing writhing human forms in Banyan trees is probably not a good start to a Sunday morning especially after watching the setting of the full moon. And, no, I didn't see the eclipse as it was on the other side of the island behind a great 3072m lump of volcanic rock.Entangled vines, twisted limbs and lines of communication all

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-18526777345275689802010-06-24T17:42:00.004+04:002010-06-24T18:21:17.274+04:00

KISSING AND HORRID STRIFE I have been defeated and dragged down by painand worsted by the evil world-soul of today. But still I know that life is for delightand for blissas now when the tiny wavelets of the seatip the morning light on edge, and spill it with delightto show how inexhaustible it is: And life is for delight, and blisslike now when the white sun kisses the seaand plays with the

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-7288457506222831042010-06-22T16:51:00.001+04:002010-06-22T16:54:17.590+04:00

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-55524435060132995342010-06-19T17:57:00.003+04:002010-06-19T18:16:59.439+04:00

Sometimes life is far more surreal than hard. People who have hard lives don't have time for the surreal. Like leisure it has become a somewhat bourgeois luxury. Not that I am one to go around paraphrasing Marx. So, I am not going to complain, merely state the fact that life has taken on a rather cartoonish reality these days. Or is it just Réunion ?Actually, it is all down to the fact that I had

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-70509697596181467752010-06-17T20:59:00.003+04:002010-06-17T21:06:49.137+04:00

Quite what there is attractive about the death of a bread fruit, I have no idea. There is a certain symmetry to be sure, a delightful blending of autumnal colours. Still life or nature morte ?Still life ? Yes life must. Not that it must go on, it just must and in musting or musking one should rejoice in its beauty, its form and in the joy in tracing that form on those one can behold in their

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-60014863552435926002010-06-13T18:07:00.003+04:002010-06-13T18:19:55.758+04:00

It has been said, and I am sure to have mentioned it here before, that, on clear days, as the sun sets a green line can be seen on the horizon in this part of the world. Tis true that I have seen many a setting sun and it is not green. The sun sets and sets very quickly, especially at this time of year - it being winter and all. And, do not contradict me for it is not a fact but a subjective

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-647144741237925642010-06-06T13:33:00.002+04:002010-06-06T13:41:44.097+04:00

The pleasures of early Sunday morning as the sun rises and chases the wee folk of the night skittering and dancing into the sea.Intense the experience if one were only to allow one's emotions to promenade with the eyes seeking greater depth and feeling with all that one beholds.An awakening suitable for early hours solitary walking. Try it ...

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-51923803691395665702010-05-31T20:31:00.004+04:002010-05-31T20:41:50.374+04:00

Funny things minds. You take them out of themselves into the great wide world and they construct hitherto unknown Boschian realities that feed on themselves.So be it. This is a moment for quotations not sucking up the flotsam of the psyche through the navel. "That I am I. That my soul is a dark forest. That my known self will never be more than a little clearing in the forest.

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-23582804040923657002010-05-30T15:45:00.003+04:002010-05-30T15:58:41.641+04:00

Should words accrue around meaning, I am not too sure what accrues around images. There is a certain depth in a good image into which one falls.... and falling is a dangerous liberating thing. A thing of which it surely cannot be because it is an action. Too much waffle.“I cannot cure myself of that most woeful of youth's follies--thinking that those who care about us will care for the things

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-6781977345813564202010-05-28T15:32:00.002+04:002010-05-28T16:14:18.321+04:00

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-25482614180660485692010-03-01T18:16:00.002+04:002010-03-01T18:25:55.219+04:00

Found Bosch and Dali looking for sand on the beach. Well at least Hockney wasn't there.... and all this next to a great steaming pile of lava ...

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-40157504169909543182010-02-13T18:53:00.002+04:002010-02-13T19:06:28.312+04:00

The great, wise dialectical endormi has had plenty of time to meditate at the moment. It is raining and it has been raining a lot. So much so that the beaches have been turned to mud and are closed due to pollution. Pollution ? The papers say it is caused by all the vegetation and mud washed down out of the ravines that abound. The truth is more likely all the crap that people throw in the

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-74659477038505622182010-02-01T06:29:00.003+04:002010-02-01T06:44:21.660+04:00

Sometimes, life is all about having your head on the right way up. Perception should be prior to interpretation although, unfortunately, gestalt is a form of fascism which reverts this process. I read something the other day which implied that photography was not so much about form but about light. The form is imposed, culturally, egoistically or otherwise. The beauty is in the act of perceiving

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-90728533024872382162010-01-26T13:20:00.009+04:002010-01-28T16:44:19.058+04:00

With the visit of Sarkozy a fading memory - unlike the hundreds of flags that still adorn his route to the hotel - I was going to moan about something else. Tags, or graffiti as it be known in the anglophone world. Tags are everywhere, rather like free t-shirts with banal sycophantic political slogans. Those that are jolly I fail to understand (see above) and those written in English display a

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-12550622606532223432010-01-19T06:47:00.001+04:002010-01-19T06:50:00.687+04:00

... and what value do you place upon your freedom. That of a blue t-shirt ?

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-83726357964195818412010-01-12T18:39:00.005+04:002010-01-12T19:02:52.681+04:00

Tis not often that I have some cheery news from the isle slowly sinking under the weight of its human population and attending detritus. Well, I haven't ...But Kew Gardens have. Apparently, one of their researchers on the island has discovered a very benevolent sorta cricket that instead of devouring plants (orchids in this case), it pollinates them. Now if such wonders can be found on a small

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-59200267258964981112010-01-06T16:42:00.002+04:002010-01-06T16:47:22.463+04:00

Actually, it is still huffing and a puffing but I haven't the time to go and observe. Darn ! So, if youse are wondering what it is like and if the rain has held off long enough here are a few snaps taken by the OVPF :

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-60637268510170565442010-01-03T14:52:00.004+04:002010-01-03T15:13:04.002+04:00

The Piton de la Fournaise, or Kalle's Mount for those sensitive enough to live in a pathetic alternative reality, erupted yesterday afternoon and sent a dying fag-end's plume of smoke into the afternoon sky. By evening the glowing butt was rolling around the crater and hiding from the aging moon.The night was cold, but relatively clear, the walk long and the lava field an uncomfortable pillow.As

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-63104567728397930522010-01-02T08:59:00.002+04:002010-01-02T09:05:29.377+04:00

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-91786801347437745362009-12-23T08:08:00.004+04:002009-12-23T08:59:21.230+04:00

Two Great Geckos of my acquaintance set off for Copenhagen, the commune decided (encore!) to spray everything to kill off all the mossies. There are still lots of mossies but everything else is dying. There is no chikungunya ... yet.The Great Geckos returned having reached the end of a coconut frond and reflected that humans trying to solve the climate problem was like expecting neonates to

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-10577086286674979942009-12-06T18:58:00.003+04:002009-12-06T19:12:16.320+04:00

Whatever happens in life, do not fall into a droplet of water suspended on the frond of a palm. That being said the mango season has at last taken off and the price of such fruit is descending daily, as are the mangoes. Back with the Humble telescope and I have discovered the great star nursery and beyond the greater maternelle of galaxies :Red dwarfs, pulsars, spirals, dinkumpoops, a whole

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-60454702638237176782009-11-01T20:13:00.002+04:002009-11-01T20:29:54.333+04:00

The first big rains have arrived and one can but wait for the cyclones that follow. All doom and apocalyptic doom if the current season in the Philippines is anything to go by. But, as Lawrence would have us believe, "a wild thing never felt sorry for itself" and Nature (big N!) is inherently amoral so ... Better stop trying to control the big N and respect it. Lots more of that humility before

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-2222934960062910152009-10-24T18:06:00.004+04:002009-10-24T20:30:16.823+04:00

Meanwhile back on the hot rock ...Whilst slowly developing the attention span of a thirteen year old zombie I have found myself back on the hot rock with a large memory gap. I am sure I have not been abducted by aliens but used as a cobaye by the Umbrella Corporation, who although are fictitious have various nefarious and dubious means at their disposal to play hell with my neurons.So, what is

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-3415413190179086202009-07-29T18:01:00.005+04:002009-07-29T21:55:52.166+04:00

Dusky may well be the tendrils of the vine, but dusty, bien sûr, are the mandibles of the bee.Summer has installed itself and the world has come to gawp. Except, that is Minou the famous cow cat who is more intent in becoming a threadbare rug.Ponder for a moment the souls of myriads of insects humming along to the sounds of eternity in their short lived lives.What music compared to the cacophony

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1865448132865825372009-07-20T14:42:00.003+04:002009-07-20T14:55:44.322+04:00

Summer may well be here but I have that feeling that Spring has only just finished as I have just podded and cooked the last broad bean. Afflicted by a plague of blackfly and stunted by a rather cold winter they performed rather well really.Blend them in with a squirt of olive oil, garlic, onions, courgettes and tomatoes from the garden and voila ! Not quite, don't forget the essential chilli,

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-25244921148143051062009-06-29T09:15:00.003+04:002009-06-29T09:23:13.041+04:00

Everything is looking skyward.Dragon's breath in the valley and there follows an enigma.I posed the question to a friend who replied that the above photo was of "le sexe d'une femme". A rather Bauhaus interpretation but unless you can come up with anything more concrete and original it shall remain a great 19th century brick edifice consecrated to women, a Victorian Sheela na gig.Oh ... I'm

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-38410038356925433952009-04-28T09:40:00.002+04:002009-04-28T09:44:44.540+04:00

... or have they already flown ?... or flew ?Too late to contain swine flu ?http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8021384.stm

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-30722092191326617442008-12-27T16:16:00.004+04:002009-08-01T08:14:11.516+04:00

In the past year Chinese women have discovered that breast milk does not contain melamine and that there is a great difference between feeding the future on an ingredient of kitchen worktops and milk. It is a shame that it happened in China as the Western world will just shrug, smirk and continue slapping big fat plastic tits in their babies' mouths.Ladies, bosoms are for babies. They maybe

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-33113847394098542372008-12-21T06:15:00.006+04:002008-12-21T09:31:13.724+04:00

Yesterday was the "fête de l' abolition d'esclavage" as slavery was finally outlawed on the island the 20th December 1848. One hundred and sixty years later one would have hoped that things have changed. For most of us they have. But, on the French island of Mayotte - soon to be a department - some would argue otherwise.Centre de rétention de Mayotte: la vidéo qui accuseUploaded by

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-83331887667126828612008-12-16T09:04:00.011+04:002008-12-16T10:34:27.424+04:00

As one will notice, I have nothing of interest whatsoever to add to the current financial crisis. Capitalism is wallowing in its own unstrained faecal material and yet it is still managing to sell us its effluent in an unparalleled yuletide binge.Meanwhile, Carla is suing Pardon. She is probably upset because they didn't pay for the image, unlike the original that sold for a song earlier this

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-79643121468962327872008-10-14T09:58:00.003+04:002008-10-14T10:11:47.767+04:00

Well now, I should be wittering on about the swelling mangoes, sweaty daturas and dangling bananas - or what. But ... Last week one of the dreams of my naive and impetuous youth almost came true. The great illusory edifice of finance and financial institutions was crumbling. The world's media were awash with photos of shocked and sobbing hedge-fund managers, sharedealers and their greedy and

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-33349520955899060612008-09-11T19:47:00.006+04:002008-09-11T20:04:38.556+04:00

Half a bee according to the pythonesque school of thought, must, ipso facto, half not be. Therefore, a photo of a bee, being a two dimensional object, is not only a shadow of the reality of itself, which is in turn the shadow of a reality of an ideal, but it is half of what is had been. There is no behind of the photo and the bee lacks a dimension. I am not lacking in commas, but am lacking in a

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-10049980707440786982008-08-16T12:54:00.004+04:002008-08-16T13:07:21.242+04:00

Of course there is nothing in particular that I want to say. The tractors are out "tidying" up the hedgerows - but then I ranted about that last year.98% of people believe in progress, the rest of us think it is just noise; and loud noise at that.Blues is not noise, nor progress. It is sublime ...Oh! If only I were more zen like ...

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-50523777671401932202008-07-29T16:07:00.006+04:002008-07-29T16:25:46.241+04:00

No, this isn't a Monet it is a reflection of the Loire. If it were a Monet I wouldn't be spending my time blathering on and drooling into my keyboard. I haven't written for a while for I have been contmplating my navel in the search for lost petroleum resources. They aren't really lost at all and we are all being stung by an economic system that relies on phantom crisis to provoke misery in the

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-87004495985827093392008-03-18T13:59:00.004+04:002008-03-18T14:13:46.079+04:00

Meanwhile, back in the backwaters of Le Puy City. Spring is sort of on its way. Today is cold, yesterday was hot. This should be summer given the lack of rain but who is complaining?Sunsetting beneath a stormy sky lends beauty and contrast to an end of winter scene, but do we ever look behind the scene. Images are flat two dimensional objects limited in space, and for that matter time. We supply

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-12567317646744548422008-02-03T11:18:00.000+04:002008-02-03T11:23:53.819+04:00

The rock :The wet place :As tropical storms Fame and Gula fade out to the south one has time to reflect...Upon what I have no idea whatsoever.

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-61598620641885475692008-01-19T17:04:00.000+04:002008-01-19T17:06:04.976+04:00

...

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-14132489751268909552008-01-07T18:52:00.000+04:002008-01-07T18:58:49.227+04:00

Of course, this could refer to all those marvelous little creatures that are slowly devouring my house along with the luminescent fungi that has spawned its spores in the woodwork ever since that meteorite from RN-573 took the chimney off the bathroom and landed in the parsnip patch.The parsnips have been particularly good this year; if a little florescent.No, the click of death was my laptop

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-8434449551864051832007-12-26T12:39:00.000+04:002007-12-26T13:42:53.663+04:00

The Black Virgin of Le Puy en Velay is famous. There are many such Black Virgins throughout this part of the world and beyond. The one of Le Puy is famous partly because it no longer exists. She was destroyed sometime during the revolution during the great age of reason. We no longer live in an age of reason. It is the festive season and, no, this is not solely a Christian festival; it was

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-59437081092398596572007-12-20T14:00:00.000+04:002007-12-20T14:11:01.109+04:00

No comment....... but a joyful yuletide to one and all. I think I shall go climb a snowy lump for sunrise tomorrow, and then bore you with even more photos.

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-74945009086860778062007-11-30T14:04:00.001+04:002007-11-30T14:15:36.455+04:00

It has been a while since I was last abducted by aliens. Almost a year in fact, and for those that are interested you can find the account of that somewhere in the archives. Well, they are back. It is not that I really believe in alien abductions, I think they are flights of fancy and not fantastical. However, there is an alien agency involved and that is one of alienation. We are alienated from

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-83823043364733785112007-11-18T21:35:00.000+04:002007-11-18T22:20:56.537+04:00

The snow is gradually withdrawing to the cold realms from whence it came. Today saw a clear sky and a dazzling yellow orb that blessed the snow crystals. For a moment the follies of sentience make their peace with the Earth and all is as one. Black and white, light and dark - the light of snow and the dark of winter combine and one is grateful to be able to tread the still drying paint of the

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-32005962446634284612007-11-15T22:59:00.001+04:002007-11-15T23:27:14.981+04:00

The first snow of winter (well summer was that miserable snow could be seen from afar in June!) fell yesterday and with a North wind and sub-zero temperatures the festive season can't be too far away. Festive? Of course one has to do something. Needless to say all by previous talk of the violation of nature has turned upon me as I now have to get the Leviathan out of the garage in order to get to

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-49350817754476085492007-11-13T12:56:00.000+04:002007-11-14T13:19:49.642+04:00

I should be complaining that I haven't seen the sun for a couple of weeks. The mountains here abouts have been shrouded in a murky, damp and definitely not dusky goo that resembles mist but feels more like a cold bed after the remains of a torrid affair. Miserable in fact. Still, I'm not one to let a little SAD get in the way of a good moan. What is depressing about winter is not the cold and

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-23172642068675628642007-11-02T13:43:00.000+04:002007-11-02T14:37:24.914+04:00

It shouldn't really be called winter, but it certainly feels like it. But then winter is one of those seasons like all others these days. One day hot, one day cold. Global warming - nay! Tis global chaos. Anyone who had spent lonely hours playing simearth in the good old days when computer games required an imagination will know that all extremes demand a period of chaotic self-equilibrium. This

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-929837985435370252007-10-21T21:27:00.001+04:002007-10-21T22:35:41.289+04:00

The last month has seen me frittering away my life at work and fending of various bureaucratic assaults and now it has got cold. Minus five last night. I know this because I am a particularly sad individual who has a weather station. Also, I was foolish enough to get up at seven this morning thinking I could get some work done. Nope! Back in bed by eight and 'kin cold to boot. Better hurry up and

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-67542425861673018232007-09-03T09:39:00.000+04:002007-09-03T10:03:32.344+04:00

Yeah, I know that I have used this title somewhere before. Summer must have ended even before it began - June seemed like autumn and July and August just fell into a grey and drizzly hole. Well, despite a day or two when the temperature peaked at 35°C. So, who's complaining?The only reason I've go time to write this this morning is that I am bent double rather like a paper clip. I would like to

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-84432904845031086942007-07-09T10:19:00.000+04:002007-07-09T23:20:49.951+04:00

So, whilst all you trendy young things were out saving the planet and rockin' with AL Gore, I was doing my bit for Mother Earth by not doing anything in particular. There is a divine natural paradox - a sustainable system is one that is static - well, in evolutionary terms, something that is perpetually evolving is not static and, therefore not sustainable. An example would be the Khoi San of the

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-29816247556478948612007-07-07T13:05:00.000+04:002007-07-07T13:09:23.858+04:00

Well, it took a while but eventually summer arrived and the great sky spider descended on a sunbeam - Sheeeeeeet! Who writes this stuff?

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-88605244009168151382007-07-02T16:30:00.000+04:002007-07-02T19:12:02.620+04:00

With all this wet and unseasonal weather at least one has the chance to get out and about in wellies and look at the shape shifting sky. I like skies. Skies are proof - amongst everything else in the known universe - that gods and/or goddesses come in groups, or, at least, pairs. Nothing like a bit of dualism before breakfast and after a night with Heraclitus. Let's admit that monotheism is a bit

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-74324792508277459172007-06-28T16:32:00.000+04:002007-06-28T16:47:50.573+04:00

I did not expect that living in the centre and down a bit of France would be tropical but this mantis is indeed suffering. OK April was the hottest since my gran was conceived in a cane field, but May was the wettest with only 88% of expected sunshine (whatever that may mean) and June is......June is not. This morning it was 2.4°C and there be frost on the hay! Fortunately, my tomatoes and the

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-90377106270832115542007-05-09T07:38:00.000+04:002007-05-09T08:21:18.497+04:00

I've been thinking globally. So, the Queen gets back from the States and her trip is to be carbon offsetted - nice to see the jet-set getting off-set. As a head of state she certainly has her responsibilities - the latest being the war in Iraq; funny how she never mentioned it on her trip to the States. Perhaps, in the next few months we will see the emergence of a plan for moral offsetting. This

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-38356004232630746482007-05-06T20:12:00.000+04:002007-05-06T20:38:59.809+04:00

Bugger! It's Spring, or thereabouts. Still yesterday was misty and it made me feel mellow if not, alas, very fruitful. Maybe I should try eating more pears or something.I was thinking of waiting till after the French elections to write some scathing monologue about how my wossie version of outdoor, plastic chair anarchism is far preferable to some fascist hobbit or a spoilt bourgeois socialist.

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-29766692180661570812007-04-27T20:14:00.000+04:002007-04-27T20:50:09.576+04:00

After several months of wandering, and having recently got over sulking at not being on Réunion for the "eruption of the century", I am becoming settled for the summer.Obviously, writing bile in a blog is not suficiently well paid and I'm still looking for a job - anyone need a 46yr old gigolo?Hence the title change for my sojourn into the Northern Hemisphere in quest of gainful employ. Not that

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-15472538582094981712007-04-14T08:45:00.000+04:002007-04-14T08:50:02.011+04:00

- eruption of the century? Yeah, but I wasn't there...Photo from fournaise.info Take a look and enjoy, then go and terraform Mars......me? I'm still sulking.

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-32373580756108912732007-03-23T16:02:00.000+04:002007-03-23T16:33:04.509+04:00

Sap rises - damn it must be Spring in some hemisphere or another.

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-18365991369139070462007-03-11T21:17:00.000+04:002007-03-11T22:03:00.740+04:00

One of the saddest things in life is in having to admit to one's own lack of indispensability. You know how it is - we all want to be missed. But, alas...I have been away for some time and no one felt the need, let alone the urge, to ask as to my whereabouts. Still, don't feel guilty, I am really only a sad little man and will get over it.So, where have I been? Well, not that I expect any one to

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1160462120767263592006-10-10T10:26:00.000+04:002006-10-10T10:35:20.786+04:00

source : http://ovpf.univ-reunion.fr/article.php3?id_article=206The last few days have seen some weather reminiscent of Europe and more like Wales in summer...So, who is complaining? Me? No never. Yesterday evening the first snowflakes fell upon the volcano and one would think that Christmas has arrived. As it never snows at Christmas anymore one probably wouldn't be thinking that; but it is

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1159114731387727102006-09-24T19:41:00.000+04:002006-09-24T20:18:51.443+04:00

Over the weekend we have experienced an awful lot of wind, rain and some rather large waves. This is all very excitng especially as I chose Friday to return to the volcano and get wet. According to "meteo france" the waves have been averaging between 4 and 5 metres with rather too many at some 8 metres. Jolly exciting what?Well, that is what I thought, but it seems that I am somewhat in a

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1158728413113779182006-09-20T07:08:00.000+04:002006-09-20T09:00:13.150+04:00

Judging by the above photo of talc grenades found in the last remaining coastal forest of Etang Salé one would be forgiven for thinking that I was going to have a rant about litter, the military and the general abuse of the environment. No, I am saving that for later.The flash-bangs are merely a symbol of the current state of tourism on the island and the pathetic attempts of the administration

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1158335871981942352006-09-15T19:44:00.000+04:002006-09-15T19:57:52.076+04:00

Not much more to add really! Leaving home at four thirty this morning found me up the volcano with a following wind and an apple. However, it was all well worth it and the cone has now tripled in size and although the projections are seldom seen the lava covers some forty percent of the surface of the crater and is constantly evolving thanks to a "geyser" like eruption some thirty metres from

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1157508532086739072006-09-06T05:26:00.000+04:002006-09-06T08:28:26.993+04:00

What with all the excitement of the volcano, I had forgotten to share a little piece of optimism with you. Not that I am generally of an optimistic disposition and would prefer to share my petty rants. The "openning" of the volcano has certainly given reason to smile even if it appears strange that the Prefécture, CTR (tourist bureau) and the usual bevy of regional government lackeys have failed

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1157216767168413942006-09-02T20:48:00.000+04:002006-09-02T21:06:07.213+04:00

Having set off early this morning I was quite surprised at the number of cars overspilling the car park at the beginning of the path to the volcano. Even at 0600 there were many, too many? The sky was all but clear and the couple of hours walk to the crater was only marred by the fact that the "entrance" gate was padlocked shut; the sight of lava crazed siteseers crawling under and over was

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1157200932363540662006-09-02T16:32:00.000+04:002006-09-02T18:12:24.100+04:00

...rushed up the volcano early this morning and all who made the effort were treated to a jolly show. For those interested I'll publish the rest of the photos on my site and a link here in the next few hours.

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1157113413683237012006-09-01T16:13:00.000+04:002006-09-01T16:23:33.733+04:00

Well that got your interest... Actually, it is only wishful thinking but if things continue as they have begun with the new prefect who knows what might happen? I might even get to be milk monitor! The slightly unexpected eruption of the volcano two days ago brought about the usual excitement and the closure of the "enclos" to the public. Today, however, the prefecture have announced that the "

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1156751086333522442006-08-28T11:41:00.000+04:002006-08-28T11:44:46.343+04:00

Yesterday, a bodyboarder lost his flipper and a part of his right foot to a shark. Two weeks ago, a surfer lost his life after suffering the loss of an arm to a shark. Needless to say the press are enjoying winding up the masses and pointing fingers. This time it is the fault of the chickens. It would appear that terrorist chicken cells are organising suicide missions and flinging themselves into

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1155134279236295292006-08-09T18:09:00.000+04:002006-08-10T13:05:51.260+04:00

This past weekend saw the third Sakifo music festival come to St Leu and it all passed off without too much of a to do, but...... but, you thought that I wasn't going to have a moan. If only music festivals could be like Glastonbury used to be (which means it never really was like that and only ever existed in the dark woodstock of our imaginations). The interesting thing about the latest

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1153913572060430692006-07-26T15:19:00.000+04:002006-07-26T17:24:40.960+04:00

... not one to be put off, I went back to the volcano yesterday and spent a jolly evening in the company of a dozen onlookers and "ole smokey". The magma output of the volcano has increased somewhat but it is all very "controlled" and even the prefecture is thinking of letting us plebs get a bit closer - if you must know, the view-point is some 2300m from the oozing cone.Even so, it is rather

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1153797941554594312006-07-25T06:59:00.000+04:002006-07-25T08:23:58.423+04:00

...went back to the volcano last night and, although there was plenty of drizzle, cloud and cold, here is proof that there are moments in life when one just needs to sit and ponder.Trouble being that it is all noise and bleeding progress this side of the rainbow.

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1153489979394245152006-07-21T15:52:00.000+04:002006-07-21T19:15:29.266+04:00

After a couple of weeks of waiting, nose-picking and gazing forlornlessly at a clear sea and cloudy sky the Piton de la Fournaise has once again announced its presence by erupting; and proving to the world that politicians, "prefets" and all are skummy, lying and manipulative - but, Hey! More of them later let's get back to heat, fire and flowing magma...I went to the crater yesterday and arrived

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1152532996110832982006-07-10T15:14:00.000+04:002006-07-10T16:26:33.013+04:00

I was thinking that I could get away from talking about football and the world cup if only because it doesn't interest me in the slightest. However, even living 10,000km from France the support for the national team has been inescapable. The islands' two main newspapers have written about very little else these past two weeks and, of course, this was all to culminate in a huge party late last

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1151583710017809752006-06-29T15:51:00.000+04:002006-06-29T16:38:27.586+04:00

The last few days have seen the weather taking a turn for the tropical worse with lashings of rain and enough wind to bring a smile to the face of the capitain of the Cutty Sark - Ah if only we lived in another sea-faring age. With all this wind gadding about one could be forgiven if the first 0° C of the year went unoticed the last two days. Yes it is now Winter and the "Hauts" are settling in

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1151395004638222552006-06-27T11:03:00.000+04:002006-06-27T11:58:42.633+04:00

Apart from a brief sejour to the other hemisphere last month - a jolly time had by one and all despite the "chik" and the "grippe" - nothing of any relevance to la belle Réunion has occurred within the periphery of my ever so blinkered vision.However, since my return I have managed to reaffirm my faith in the island by passing some pleasurable moments in the company of the landscape and some good

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1148224862303776352006-05-21T19:02:00.000+04:002006-05-21T19:21:02.316+04:00

I do not think that executives, politicians, criminals and pimps should have all the fun, so I went to the beach and partook of a few beers. I really wanted to say something sleazy about the visit of Dominique the PM this week but a friend and confident informs me that he is really a nice chap and will be president one day. Besides he has just promised 4.5 million € to boost tourism on the

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1147362805307875532006-05-11T19:42:00.000+04:002006-05-11T19:53:25.380+04:00

... it has all been far too long, and if I were searching for an excuse, it would be upon the greasy shoulders of France Telecom that I would place the burden. Having waited one month and five days for the phone to be connected one can probably understand my rancour...So, enough of that and back to life on the rock. Yesterday was the newly instated (is that a word) "fete" for the abolition of

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1144654539518483182006-04-10T11:00:00.002+04:002006-04-10T11:35:39.520+04:00

Friday, "Le Monde" published a report by the WHO into the handling of the Chikungunya epidemic on Reunion. This is strange in that it has yet to be made public, but then, some of us are more public than others. Whatever, it doesn't make that interesting a read and its recommendations could be put forward by anyone over a glass of beer and a packet of crisps. All we need is what was called in my

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1144218459479734642006-04-05T10:11:00.000+04:002006-04-05T10:27:39.506+04:00

I should apologise for the delay in submitting something to this blog, but......as nobody reads it anyway, no one will have missed anything.Besides, I have a reasonable excuse. I have been moving from up there to down about and across. Unfortunately this is only a temporary stop but then so is life. More on the new mantis abode later if I should ever get the phone connected. However, moving has

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1142581121562435442006-03-17T11:30:00.000+04:002006-03-17T11:38:41.573+04:00

"Nothing, with the exception perhaps of the occasional cyclone, disturbs the charms of Reunion, where tropical disease is unknown."...and who writes this stuff? I would very much like to encourage people to visit the island. Reunion is beautiful and the mix of cultures is a breath of fresh air after the stuffy monoculturalism of Europe. This is a tropical island and I do

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1142052463354598872006-03-11T08:30:00.000+04:002006-03-12T07:36:47.220+04:00

Diwa may not have risen to the lofty heights of a "real" cyclone but she did manage to produce some remarkable statistics concerning rainfall :At Commerson crater, up there by the volcano, some 1.528 metres of rain was recorded in 24hrs. This is not that far from the 1966 record of 1.825 metres during the passage of cyclone Denise.Over three days the total rainfall at Commerson was 2.720 metres

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1141829597716753822006-03-08T18:37:00.000+04:002006-03-08T19:23:14.003+04:00

This evening multitudes of some very familiar flying insects have taken to the air with the calm, and a little sunshine, after the passing of tropical storm Diwa - sorry it just was not mature enough to make a cyclone, better luck next time.Yesterday, I went to the beach, it was most exhilarating and has left me with no breath for a rant so enjoy the photos and I'll seeth again tomorrow......

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1141701310162552552006-03-07T06:50:00.000+04:002006-03-07T07:54:11.016+04:00

I have not slept too well these past two nights. No, it is not due to a quilty conscience but the fact that living in a shed with a tin roof makes a good "tambour" for the elements. Diwa, has now been and gone, we are no longer on "alert orange" , the kids can go back to school and I can get around to clearing up the garden...... but it is still mighty windy and the rain just keeps on raining.

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1141533418360206652006-03-05T06:44:00.000+04:002006-03-05T09:01:39.576+04:00

The arrival and departure of the Pm has done nothing to stop the tide of CHIK and the tropical depression, metaphorical and real that is swirling over the island.But let us think of the poor Mons Villepin and the great risk he took in coming here :"De Villepin at risk of illness after trip to epidemic isle"633 squadrons fly-by for the PM...apparently he got stung on the hand, once. Ohhh the poor

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1141085509226486192006-02-28T03:54:00.000+04:002006-02-28T04:11:49.236+04:00

We were blessed with a flying visit by three "mosquitaires" on Sunday in the guise of the PM, Mons. Villepin, the overseas and the health ministers.We have now been promisd lots of money.Someone is going to profit, but will it actually help?The BBC is now headlining articles on the "disease island" which doesn't exactly sit comfortably alongside other more pleasing descriptions.Tourism is down

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1140620540504451612006-02-22T18:44:00.000+04:002006-02-22T19:02:20.536+04:00

A la Réunion , le chiffres sont encore plus alarmants 15 à 17 % des adultes (plus de 100 000 réunionnais) sont en surpoids et 16,3% des enfants et adolescents sont obèses (enquête PMI,sep.2003) .A la Réunion, une enquête effectuée entre 1999 et 2001 sur un échantillon aléatoire de 3600 sujets de 10 à 69 ans a montré une prévalence du diabète de 17,7 %.A la Réunion, la prévalence brute des

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1140529858279004682006-02-21T17:47:00.000+04:002006-02-21T17:50:58.296+04:00

Whilst passing through St Leu this morning I noticed that the bill posters had been busy - what was that about rats and ships?... and yeah! I'll get around to the cats later.

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1140412081472951442006-02-20T09:02:00.000+04:002006-02-20T09:08:01.486+04:00

It rained most of the weekend and the rain spawned a tropical depression; I, on the other hand am doing the washing so will get back to ranting later.

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1140260745228038522006-02-18T14:32:00.000+04:002006-02-18T15:05:45.270+04:00

I was thinking of lots of other things this morning; such as the desire to eat samousas for breakfast, the lack of water even though it is raining and has done so for 24 hours, why there is a small disease ridden mangy kitten on my doorstep, when that great rainbow smile illuminating the folly of human existence brought me back to Chikungunya...... nobody talks of anything else and yet nobody is

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1140072203766144892006-02-16T10:41:00.000+04:002006-02-16T10:50:18.413+04:00

Meanwhile, Mons. Chirac is beginning to sound a little too much like Mons Bush - Help!Lors du Conseil des ministres qui a eu lieu hier, le président de la République Jacques Chirac a abordé le sujet de l’épidémie de chikungunya qui frappe notre île."Face à l’épidémie de chikungunya, l’État a mis en place des moyens d’envergure pour lutter contre cette maladie et pour l’éradiquer.La situation

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1140063613714373562006-02-16T07:51:00.000+04:002006-02-16T08:20:13.740+04:00

I received a missive from the French Embassy in London the other day. It told me that the CHIK is an illness that is "pandemic" in the Indian Ocean. It is interesting to note how the problem is becoming universalised both literally and metaphorically. They also inform me that there have been NO deaths related to the virus...... the embassy obviously do not read the local press, or for a rather

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1139834866399095952006-02-13T16:34:00.000+04:002006-02-14T20:03:02.806+04:00

Hier -Aujourd'hui -

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1139824874745928912006-02-13T13:57:00.000+04:002006-02-13T14:19:00.460+04:00

"We" have started to stop using nasty chemicals and are now using 'deltmethrine'. This is nicer, but not so nice that it is banned in Denmark for outside use. Denmark? Now where I have I read about that small European country lately?...... cuisine creole -

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1139492816566613382006-02-09T17:42:00.000+04:002006-02-09T17:50:48.556+04:00

Épandages massifs d'insecticides chimiques: «Toxiques, mais nécessaires» sourcesource of imagePREVENT GENERATION OF MISTS! AVOID EXPOSURE OF ADOLESCENTS AND CHILDREN! source"Le Fenitrothion, mortel pour les moustiques adultes et le Téméphos, mortel pour les larves, sont utilisés par l'armée chez les particuliers, les agents de l'État dans les espaces et bâtiments publics -

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1139481829853040062006-02-09T14:26:00.000+04:002006-02-09T15:09:36.040+04:00

Have a browse through EU directives on pesticides and you will discover that "Téméphos", which is currently being sprayed willy nilly across the land, is on the list of not very nice chemicals and, in theory at any rate has long since ceased to be available.Is this a case of needs must or... Tebutam (aka butam) Tebuthiuron [1] Temephos [1] Terbumeton Tetrachlorvinphos [1]

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1139416708708997102006-02-08T20:26:00.000+04:002006-02-08T20:45:05.426+04:00

I suppose that you are all bored to tears (crocodile or othewise) of all this plague stuff. Well me too - it seems that everyone is over-reacting and now not only is the pesticide used to be banned by the EU later this year (better sell the stocks of quick, what better route to a conspiracy methinks!) but I have written to the French embassy asking their advice for travellers...Dear Sir,

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1138887911949817642006-02-02T17:11:00.000+04:002006-02-02T17:45:11.990+04:00

I was hoping that I could come up with something more interesting than mosquito borne viruses but then......The local papers are having a whale of a time; man dies of heart attack and it is because of the Chik (hence the mossie, hence the fault of the doctor etc... these ellipsis could go on for a long time) This morning baby develops burns because she is given an anti-inflammatory coz she has

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1138548552575854792006-01-29T19:11:00.000+04:002006-01-29T20:12:00.586+04:00

...and there I was swimming around in the effluent of the internet when the strange buzzing of the chikungunya carrying mosquito was heard...“These are the worse viruses in the world,” said Levitt.For seventeen years, Neil Levitt, an energetic man with wire rim glasses and thinning salt and pepper hair, worked as Senior Research Scientist at a high security “hot suite.” His task was to develop a

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1138529756631846142006-01-29T14:02:00.000+04:002006-01-29T14:15:56.653+04:00

...well sort of, in English anyway. This crazy mosquito borne virus has certainly been hitting the headlines this past week and we are even to be blessed with a visit by the Minister of Health himself. Thanks to Chikungunya the schools will remain closed for an extra week - after all two months of holiday is just not enough - and one needs to treat all public places; and two months is just not

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14856658.post-1138018443439666812006-01-23T16:11:00.000+04:002006-01-23T16:14:03.500+04:00

One thing that is certain in life is that age makes you grumpy. I have been working on grumpiness for a long time now but it was only this morning that I discovered the real secret. There I was at the small airport of Pierrefonds, from here one can travel to the “capital” St Denis, Mauritius and even Madagascar. It is here one can find also that magnificent specimen, alas not extinct, known

Hotrockmantishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191393381674641177noreply@blogger.com0