I was supposed to be playing football this evening but a (hopefully) 24 hour bout of gastroenteritis has seen me hiding in bed for the day instead.
Back tomorrow, slightly lighter and a lot more alive.
Bergen & Bourbon
The planning for Cast In Steel 2016 is now well under way. No-one is more amazed than me that it actually seems to be happening, but hotels are booked, flights are being booked and hopes are being cautiously raised. Very cautiously. We all remember what happened last time.
I’m no expert on Norway, so it’s a steep learning curve for me. But Bergen, our home for a few nights, looks ridiculously beautiful. Here’s a shot of the harbour area (and our hotel) (along with a lot of other buildings) from their tourist people:
All so very pretty, but all so unfamiliar to me. Well, almost all unfamiliar, anyway. Because, hang on a sec, isn’t that our old friend (we met once on Quay 6 at the V&A Waterfront) Bourbon Clear, about halfway down that right hand side? Of course it is.
The thing with having a big, bulbous green face is that you’re not easily forgotten, nor mistaken for anyone else.
I’d not be lying if I said that the Bourbon Clear is among my top one Norwegian registered Multi-Purpose Offshore Vessels. And I see the fact that it’s moored right next to the concert venue of the Bergenhus Festning as some sort of sign. But because I’m not superstitious, I’m only seeing it as a sign that the Bergenhus Festning is right next to a harbour. That’s all.
Because my most important reader is me, more will follow on our Bergen trip plans, building to a crescendo of excitement and anticipation that can only result in the best experience or the biggest let down ever.
But I’m thinking the former this time, please. Ok?
Drive-by Yoghurt Attack
A lazy day today, but I did read about a drive-by yoghurting, which I thought was in central Somerset, but turned out to be in Dorset (thank you to the geographically beagle-eyed Dr F for the correction).
I’m screenshotting that one in case it disappears:
simply because headlines like this are few and far between.
As promised, I also put some pics on Flickr today. Knock yourselves out.
Waterfront blues
While Mrs 6000 went racehorseing, I took the kids to the Waterfront. If she was going to have a good time, so were we.
Some pizza, some fish, a big wheel and an ice cream or two later, we headed home. It’s been a good day, but the photos will have to wait till tomorrow – batteries are a bit low.
Not on the camera. On me.
Misleading Headline Leads To Expectant Mum Panic
It’s actually a serious story. And relatively neatly reported.
But the headline. No.
Here’s what you need to know:
- There’s a mosquito-borne virus found in and around the equatorial belt called Zika Virus
- It’s a member of the Flaviviridae virus family (actually, you probably didn’t need to know that)
- It’s been linked with birth defects in cases where it infects pregnant women
- The El Salvador Ministry of Health has suggested that, where possible, women delay falling pregnant
Sky News reported it like this:
Look, once you’ve read the story (or once your favourite blog has explained it to you in helpful bullet points), it does kind of make sense. But if you are pregnant and just see the headline, well, it does appear that you’re going to be pregnant for about 166% longer than you thought. (Or 7% if you’re an elephant.) (In which case how are you reading this anyway?)
Simply replacing “Warning” with “Advice” would surely have worked better.
As with many tropical diseases, Zika Fever can be avoided by not living in or visiting tropical areas. Despite the heatwave of the last few weeks in Cape Town, we’re not one of them, so thankfully our local-mums-to-be are safe and can hopefully look forward to entirely normal 0.75-year pregnancies.