Sarkozy arrives for supper ...

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

Good news bad news ...

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 island crammed with 800,000 greedy souls what more rests in the great out there beyond ? Even the BBC found it interesting ! It is strangely named the Raspy Cricket and a scientific name has yet to be found - Criketus Lastus Hopeus ?


Oh, why such cynicism ? Well, it might have something to do with the fact that during the night of Sunday last fast clouds of deltamethrine descended upon the isle in order to combat the "nasty" mossie. Of course, insecticide is not selective and as this is highly toxic too all but warm blooded (read cold hearted) species there may not be a lot of hope for the Raspy rascal.

So just what is the volcano up to ?

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 :

Because the night belongs to ...

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 always, daybreak is a long time coming, the glowing embers of the nights revelries transform into a curtain suspended over the volcano awaiting our applause before she bow's out ...


Silence. Are things really that quiet ?

Of course the volcano has been "shut" again so credit to the OVPF for the photo above.

The year that was what it was and wasn't

The Great Gecko of Christmas Present

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 remove their own meconium. In effect, there is no climate problem there is a human problem.

However, this is the season of goodwill and the great stuffing of christians. The supermarkets here are bulging with uncarefully filed cardboard fillets of farmed fish. Everyone seemingly wants to eat salmon for the season along with foie gras. The latter a symbol of a perverse and bloated consumerism and the former a symbol of humanity swimming in it own fecal matter and desperately trying to devolve. On an island fecund and fruitful surrounded by seas teeming with unfarmed fish one would think that ...

... well if you want a photo of my carrapacio d'espadon.

You'll have to wait as the gecko is hungry and some "lcd" has destroyed its larder. Yep, some things are just black and white, even when they are not.

the forbidden planet

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 wealth of cosmological growths are to be found at the market of St Pierre on a Saturday morning. Who needs the LHD, read a bit of Blake, drink a Phoenix and the origins of the cosmos are as clear as ....

... Well, as the mango eclipsed by Saturn



... and if any of youse should ask what life on planet is like. The terraforming is taking place but it is being constantly delayed by the human virus, who, being conservative by nature are intent on planetary and cosmological reversion to primal sludge.