!5 orbits of the recently launched Suomi NPP satellite provided the the VIIRS instrument enough time (and longitude) to gather the pixels for this synchronized view of Earth, showing the Arctic, Europe and Asia.
Pat,
Sorry I missed you call this morning. I was at Ikea with Sylvia. Looks as though the day stayed reasonable in spite of the forecast.
Let me know if you want to do a tour de bicyclette magasins next week.
Ray
Hi Patrick.
Glad you returned safely and had a great time. Happy Canada Day for tomorrow! We will be joining my sisters tomorrow at Falmouth for lunch to celebrate my oldest sisters birthday. She has reached the ripe age of 80 but certainly doesn't look or act it. We will take a stroll along the seafront promenade before heading to Royal Duchy Hotel for drinks and lunch. The hotel overlooks Falmouth Bay and the castle (built by Henry VIII ). Since it will be Canada Day Gayle will be wearing a red dress, red shoes and red handbag. I said she will look like a stewardess who had just alighted from a Virgin Atlantic plane!
We returned from our Med cruise a couple of weeks ago. Had a great time. I always enjoy going to the Mediterranean for both the weather and the history. On the way down we experienced two days of sea fog through the Bay of Biscay. It was very eerie opening the cabin door to and seeing the fog swirling around our balcony. The ships fog horn sounding every ten minutes or so made it even more dramatic! Once we got the the bottom of Portugal the fog cleared and we felt the wonderful Mediterranean warmth. Our first port of call was Barcelona. A terrific city. We have visited it a couple of times and love wandering around the Gothic quarter of the city. We also visited Gaudies cathedral for the first time (which of course is still not finished!) They have the most incredible market on the Rambla in Barcelona. I could spend all day just wandering through this place. The following day we landed in Cannes. We spent the day soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying the back streets and food and wine! It's a place to see the super rich at play (basically showing off!!) A day is enough though! We sailed at 6pm for Rome or I should say Civitavecchia which is about an hour from Rome. We headed for the Coliseum and spent a few hours marveling at this place and the surrounding area. We then took a stroll into Rome to enjoy some food and wine in a terrific little outdoor cafe surrounded by lovely perfumed plants and historical buildings. Our next port of call was Naples. Again a great city. All the hype that it is a city of thieves is just that - hype. Like any city as long as you take sensible precautions, it's fine. We actually only spent a few hours looking around Naples this time and headed off to the ruins of Pompeii. What an incredible place. They have excavated about two thirds of the city. I visited a brothel for the first time in my life (even though it was over two thousand years old!!) The stone beds didn't seem too inviting though! We arrived in Malta the following day. Or first time in Malta and we weren't disappointed. Sailing into Malta was next only to sailing into Venice. All the buildings are of a golden coloured stone and looks beautiful in the blue Mediterranean sea. Again the ancient architecture is wonderful. The following day we visited Tunis. Since we had been on our feet so much we decide to spend the day at a resort and do a bit of beaching. We spent four hours on the beach and around the pool at the hotel but decided that was enough and headed back to the ship. Tunis certainly wouldn't be a place I would return to in a hurry. The whole area is full of rubbish and it just isn't a culture I am particularly interested in. We spent some time in Morocco a few years ago and I must say I didn't particularly enjoy that visit. We then spent a couple of days at sea in the Med before heading out of the straight of Gibralter towards Oporto in Portugal. Spent a day in this Medieval port and, of course, picked up a bottle of vintage port while we were there! Finally arrived back in Southampton on June 17th.
We returned from our Med cruise a couple of weeks ago. Had a great time. I always enjoy going to the Mediterranean for both the weather and the history. On the way down we experienced two days of sea fog through the Bay of Biscay. It was very eerie opening the cabin door to and seeing the fog swirling around our balcony. The ships fog horn sounding every ten minutes or so made it even more dramatic! Once we got the the bottom of Portugal the fog cleared and we felt the wonderful Mediterranean warmth. Our first port of call was Barcelona. A terrific city. We have visited it a couple of times and love wandering around the Gothic quarter of the city. We also visited Gaudies cathedral for the first time (which of course is still not finished!) They have the most incredible market on the Rambla in Barcelona. I could spend all day just wandering through this place. The following day we landed in Cannes. We spent the day soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying the back streets and food and wine! It's a place to see the super rich at play (basically showing off!!) A day is enough though! We sailed at 6pm for Rome or I should say Civitavecchia which is about an hour from Rome. We headed for the Coliseum and spent a few hours marveling at this place and the surrounding area. We then took a stroll into Rome to enjoy some food and wine in a terrific little outdoor cafe surrounded by lovely perfumed plants and historical buildings. Our next port of call was Naples. Again a great city. All the hype that it is a city of thieves is just that - hype. Like any city as long as you take sensible precautions, it's fine. We actually only spent a few hours looking around Naples this time and headed off to the ruins of Pompeii. What an incredible place. They have excavated about two thirds of the city. I visited a brothel for the first time in my life (even though it was over two thousand years old!!) The stone beds didn't seem too inviting though! We arrived in Malta the following day. Or first time in Malta and we weren't disappointed. Sailing into Malta was next only to sailing into Venice. All the buildings are of a golden coloured stone and looks beautiful in the blue Mediterranean sea. Again the ancient architecture is wonderful. The following day we visited Tunis. Since we had been on our feet so much we decide to spend the day at a resort and do a bit of beaching. We spent four hours on the beach and around the pool at the hotel but decided that was enough and headed back to the ship. Tunis certainly wouldn't be a place I would return to in a hurry. The whole area is full of rubbish and it just isn't a culture I am particularly interested in. We spent some time in Morocco a few years ago and I must say I didn't particularly enjoy that visit. We then spent a couple of days at sea in the Med before heading out of the straight of Gibralter towards Oporto in Portugal. Spent a day in this Medieval port and, of course, picked up a bottle of vintage port while we were there! Finally arrived back in Southampton on June 17th.
I have had a couple of good rides since returning. I took a new circular route from the house last Wednesday. It was only 46k but what I didn't realize was that it had a very steep decent into a valley and, you guessed it, a very steep ascent out! Looking at my computer on my return I had to climb 1,600 feet. I am used to hills since you can't cycle anywhere in Cornwall without climbs. However, this one happened to be particularly long and steep. I have too much pride to get off the bike and walk but I must say that at age 66 I am finding these hills are getting more and more challenging! I did another run of 78k on Thursday to the south coast. Again a few challenging hills and a total ascent of 1,700 feet but more gradual this time. Unless we move to Southampton to live soon (where it is so much flatter) I may have to think about a different form of exercise!
Dreadful news about your chum who came off his bike. Although carbon steel can fail it's extremely rare. Hope he makes a full recovery.
The kids are in full flow with Pig on the Street. Think they have discovered how full on it is to run your own business! They have had a few Jonah days but to their credit have come through them. I don't think they have much time for socialising at the moment!
We are off to the theatre on Monday to see Ladies in Lavander. Gayle has also bought us tickets to go to Plymouth at the end of the month for my birthday to see the new stage production of Oliver. Plymouth is only an hours drive from here but we will stay overnight so that we can go for a meal and have a few bevvies!
Hope your BBQ goes well although looks like your weather isn't co-operating.
Best wishes to you both and love to that lovely daughter of yours! Have attached a couple of photos taken on our cruise Derek
Hi Gayle and Derek!
Your Med cruise sounded, and looked, marvelous! I particularly enjoyed hearing about Naples and Pompeii as I always loved the former, as a young child. We usually docked there, coming from Cyprus, when on leave for Canada. VIsited Pompeii last in 1970! Have never been to Malta and hope to rectify that at some point in the not too, too distant future!
Thanks for Canada Day wishes! We certainly enjoyed ourselves over the course of the afternoon/evening. Our Second Annual Harbour Terrace Block Party. Sun even cooperated so bbq was splendid. Chloe came later as she had to work at the Brewery. Didn't mind all that much as with double time off, she was able to visit close friends in Seattle. She left yesterday and will be back late tonight. She also mentioned that The Piglet People have been flat out. Owning a small business is no picnic in the park. However, if they can "endure" I know things will get a tad easier, if only from experience. Will always be more than a full-time job, as I know I need not tell you. Lucky, lucky people that we retirees happen to be!!!! O bother, not another cruise! Not another holiday! Whatever shall I pack, Daaaaaaaaarling! I simply need another fourteen pairs of shoes!!!!
Your description of your latest outings on the bike make me realize I'll have to be in tip-top cycling shape when we visit/stay! This coming Thursday, will cycle out to Horseshoe Bay with Flamin', (Sarge cannot get time off work.), to catch the ferry for Nanaimo. We are off to spend a few days with the Millionaires in Parksville. Cora Lee is driving the support vehicle! Flamin' has some appointments on Wednesday so that is why departure has been delayed a day. About 36K to HB and then another 22K from Nanaimo to Parksville, latter not quite so demanding in terms of grade. Have done this section a number of times, a few years ago, so looking forward to entire ride. Flamin' has never done either ride so it will be slow and steady. Will spur her on with the thought of a the hot tub waiting at Madroña Manor, Grogg's/Lurch's very, comfortable home on the ocean just outside Parksville. Depending on how I feel on Friday I'd like to ride to Comox, about 80K north of Parksville. Hope to arrange to have the "support vehicle" meet me there as I don't know if I'm ready for the 160K round-trip just yet!
Fondestos to you both from Cora Lee. Cheers, Patrizzio!
Hi Patrick,
Good to hear that all is well and you have fought off the super bug!
We are being inundated with rain and more rain, 170 mls in June!! So we
can't do much outside, Trevor is itching to do more of the renovations but
cant.
So the fire is lit, the Chicken, kumara risotto is cooking in the Thermomix
and I am going to have a glass of wine!!
When is Corinne's 65th? Or have I missed it? Cheers, Tina xoxo
Hi Torrential Rain People!
Is all the precipitation a good thing at this point? Other than keeping Landscape Man from his rennos! Cora Lee's 65th is on July 19th. As you might know, Ayn is flying in on July 17th to help celebrate.
Fondestos to you both, and the Thermomix, from Cora Lee. Cheers, Patrizzio!
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