Category: that’s a bit mad

Lighthouse advice

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This is the Trwyn Du Lighthouse in Wales.
Well, where else would it be with a name like that?

But it does look lovely and chunky.

Lighthouses are great because they light up and stop ships and boats from hitting rocks at night.
But this one has an added trick: it has words on it to prevent ships and boats from hitting rocks during the day, as well.

“NO PASSAGE LANDWARD” it says, because if the tide is in, you might think that there was.

And there clearly isn’t.

And in case you didn’t notice the huge letters on the lighthouse, there’s a big sign on the land as well.
Just so that the local cyclists have something to ignore.

These warnings do rather suggest that, despite the presence of a 95ft high lighthouse, people – and by “people”, I mean “sailors” – have felt that they were safe to try and sneak through nearer the land than the actual tower. I can’t actually imagine what sort of mind you would have to have to think that this would be a good idea. Lighthouses are famously built on big, sharp rocks, and generally, giving a lighthouse a wide berth (good nautical terminology) is a sensible thing to do. But if you were to decide to go near a lighthouse, especially one built so very close to the shoreline, then I would think that choosing the deeper, wetter side would be an absolute no-brainer.

Interestingly, Cape Agulhas Lighthouse doesn’t have any big writing on the side, nor does it have a sign telling you where you can or can’t go in relation to the structure. But I wouldn’t suggest that you try and get your boat through the landward side of that one, either.

A silly poem

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Ever been stuck in a regional airport?

In a foreign country?

With no WiFi?

For four hours?

My poor wife has. Although, maybe she hasn’t, because there’s no WiFi and I can’t get in touch with her.

I was doing some work earlier, and was thinking about her plight. And in my head, I wrote a silly poem.

And in lieu of anything better to pop on here today, why not this?

FOUR HOURS IN BODRUM AIRPORT

I’ve got…

Four hours in Bodrum Airport and I don’t know what to do.
We don’t fly out til 6 o’clock but they picked us up at 2.
There’s nothing here for entertainment or to help us pass the time.
Except tourist tat and coffee, and appalling Turkish wine.

So it’s…

Three hours in Bodrum Airport and I’m really rather bored.
The last few nights are catching up on me and leaving me quite floored.
Perhaps I’ll gently close my eyes and have a nice, quick nap.
Because just sitting here and waiting is such a load of crap.

But there’s still…

Two hours in Bodrum Airport and it’s not getting any better.
If I’d known I would have brought some wool: I could have knitted a whole sweater.
It’s not glamorous or exciting, it’s actually rather dull.
And honestly, I just can’t wait until we  leave and fly to Istanbul.

So thank God there’s only…

One more hour in Bodrum Airport and they’re about to call our flight.
I’ve been stuck here all bloody afternoon: I won’t be staying the night.
I could have been drinking cocktails or sitting on the beach.
Or working on the wording of next year’s Rose Bowl acceptance speech.

At last…

So goodbye, Bodrum Airport. Thanks for putting up with me.
We’re finally leaving your runway at precisely 6:03.
Your little town is super: the beach, the sea, the grub.
But you really could do better with your major transport hub.

Disclaimer: I’ve never been to Bodrum Airport. It might be lovely.

Bripe

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I saw this on an internet video today. It’s a Bripe.

Where does that name come from? Well, it’s a portmanteau: from coffee BRew pIPE.

A small copper vessel with a filter, into which you put ground coffee and water, heat it up, and then drink the BRew through the pIPE.

That’s quite cool.

It’s not rocket science, but then it wouldn’t be any good if it were, because you’re making coffee, not launching satellites. And to be honest, the simplicity is surely part of the charm.
I mean, how good must this be for hikes? A quick and easy, delicious fresh cuppa which you can drink while you’re on the move.

I was actually rather tempted, but it does turn out that there is one slight drawback:

the price.

Because there’s nothing here that’s tremedously complicated:

From the top: thermometer, filter, boob (apparently, that’s a stand for the vessel), a mini blowtorch and the actual Bripe.

So picture my face when I saw that it was going for over R2,700.
Two thousand, seven hundred Suid Afrikaanse Ronts. Completely ridiculous.

And then, re-picture my face when I saw that it wasn’t Rands – IT WAS DOLLARS.

$2,709.00!!

That’s just over R48,000.

What The Actual…

Who exactly is buying this? Not here (because it’s no-one), but over there or anywhere else. Who?

The world’s gone mad.

UPDATE: OMG! It’s gone up!

Where am I supposed to find that extra $7?!?!

TT Time

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It’s the Isle of Man TT Races fortnight. Practice and qualifying this week, actual races next week.

And as usual, the weather hasn’t really been playing ball so far, so there have been a few delays and a few tweaks to the running order. As ever, they do as much as they can for rider safety, and so the pre-startline announcements as to which bits of the track might be a bit slippery are hugely important.

Although, the effectiveness of those announcements does depend on you knowing which bits of the track are called what. And if you’re a new rider… well…

Bit awkward when you’re about to chuck yourself around the course at an average anything up to 136mph (220kph).

I’m not really into the racing, but I am into the Isle of Man, and so when the highlights shows make it through to DSTV, I’m always happy to see the island, the scenery, the people and yes: some of the ridiculous displays of testicular fortitude out along the 37¾ mile circuit.

If you can’t wait that long (it’s only next week, but hey) or if you’ve never heard of the TT before, then I would strongly encourage you to go and check out one (or more) of the daily round up videos of all the action on the Official Isle Of Man TT Races channel on Youtube. Expert commentary, honest opinion, superb production.

It’s all going off on the Manx border

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I’ve said before that there’s a whole different pace of life on the Isle of Man. And that’s a good thing. All too often in this world, we’re rushed and stressed and pressured, and so I think that preserving that more gentle way of life in places like the IOM (and maybe , more locally, like Cape Agulhas, too) is hugely important to preserve.

But while there might be weapons and methamphetamine seized all over Cape Town, over on the Manx border, it seems that there have also been some heinous developments.

11 packets, you say? Unbrielievable. And not grate for the owner who was from continental Europe. And who tried to import meat as well: a deli-cate matter, but really a wurst käse scenario for him. Clearly, there was no whey they were letting it through. And when he asked for it back and was told “no, it’s nacho cheese anymore”. No wonder he went a bit emmental. He was lucky that they chose not to Prosciutto him.

But of course, there is a serious side to this. These products are illegal to import for a reason – to protect the island from also inadvertently importing Foot and Mouth Disease. And if confiscating 800g of cheese and 5kg of ham (what sort of charcuterie ratio is that, by the way?!?) stops the virus from getting in, it’s got to be worth it.