Postcard from a sea of blossom

This weekend felt like spring had arrived in full bloom. A walk through Greenwich Park was a treat - sunshine, flowers and warmer than summer often is. 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy. Follow the link if you want to know more; for me it's as good a reason as any to use a photo of the Royal Observatory. Sadly, I wasn't there at 1pm to synchronise my watch with the ball's drop. So, if I'm a few minutes late, you'll know why.

Quiet contemplation of blossom is one of the few good things going on in Greenwich just now. Long running roadworks are creating traffic chaos, bringing the bottleneck town centre to gridlock. If one hole in the road can cause that much trouble, just imagine what an Olympic event could do. And without the option for pedestrians and residents to take a break from the traffic by escaping into the Park for a breather. I've mentioned the issue before, you can see the details at NOGOE's website.

Of course, there's plenty of time for Spring to be a wash out yet. But, for now, it's all about pink blossom, yellow daffs and the orange ball of Greenwich Mean Time. Next weekend, the clocks go forward. So I won't be the only one whose watch is wrong.

Postcard from the seaside

Surf's up! Well, it looks a bit rough actually. So much for a holiday in the sun, Fuerteventura's famous winds blew a lot of cloud my way. The kite surfers were well served; the sunbathing book readers weren't so impressed.

On this hazy day we travelled from the soft dunes of Corralejo to the lava shores of El Cotillo (pictured), taking a loop through the mountains of Betancuria. Perhaps in the photo you can just make out the mountains in the distance? So much varied landscape in one small island, and all so much greener than expected because, just my luck, it's rained a lot recently.

Of course, one of the best things about being beside the seaside, is eating a meal at a beachside restaurant, looking out across the water (and eating fish caught in those waters). The food certainly made up for the weather; although, some sunbathing was managed - with interruptions.