A very merry christmas to everyone! I hope you all have a really fantastic day! We are going to stuff our faces with a lot of very healthy and of course unhealthy grub. We are waiting for the kids and their other halves to turn up so we can all open our prezzies!
All the best, catch up with you soon.
The blog song for today is: I believe in Father Christmas" by Greg Lake.
TTFN
I saw this in Ciutadella this morning and I thought that it was brilliant!
It was near a childrens park in town and to be honest everyday when I walk by it there is an overwhelming smell of wee and piles of dog poo. How can anyone let their kids play on the swings there when people are just letting their dogs poo and not clean it up!
It looks like I am not the only one because someone has gotten angry enough to print off and actually go and stick these things where they find some dog mess!
It is quite a big problem here and even though there are doggy parks where people can go and excercise their dogs they still don´t clear up after them! The council even put a doggy mess bin right outside the park.
It got so bad at one point near where I live that I went and collected all the mess up and ended up with a plastic bag half full of it. That was only a one block radius near our house. It seems like it´s another one of those "that´s what we pay our IBI and bins for" attitude, which is a bit pathetic, no one likes to pick up dog mess, but when it is your own dog then it has to be done.
Tourism is very important to Menorca and it really looks bad when on every street there is a lot of dog mess along with the health hazard! I should imagine in the main towns it can be a big problem with the hot summer weather. Maybe when the new rubbish collection system starts we may see a change in the amount of mess everywhere! I hope so!
The blog song for today is: "Stuck in the middle with you" by Stealers Wheel.
TTFN
I wonder if there will come a day when Father Christmas decides to retire his reindeers to a sanctuary and gets himself a new mode of transport!
Below are a few suggestions that he may consider!
Tesla
If Father Christmas wants to go green and keep our environment clean during his annual tour around the globe, Tesla is the brand to choose. With the carmaker’s closer connection to the Space X space transportation company, it’s probably safe to assume Tesla is the brand that’s actually closest to being able to produce an actual functioning Father Christmas´s sleigh.
Land Rover
With plenty of room, many comfortable features, and enough cargo space,
the Range Rover-based sleigh could prove to be just the ideal personal
ride for Father Christmas.
Mini
You can’t blame Mini for offering bigger cars these days. There’s no way Father Christmas would fit in the original Mini but the latest Countryman will surely provide enough room for all the Christmas gifts in the boot. And with an unmistakable front bumper and bonnet, the Mini sleigh could be one of Father Christmas’s favorite rides.
When you think about it maybe he does need to reduce his carbon footprint! At least Greta has left him alone! For Now!
The blog song for today is: "Cars" by Gary Numan
Yesterday there was an article in the local paper explaining about the new system of recycling that the powers that be will be introducing here on Menorca to tackle the ever increasing problem of waste!
It consists of providing households with containers for each type of waste which will be collected one, two or three times a week depending on what it is.
What a fantastic idea! The organic waste has its own bin (10Ltr Capacity), of course, which will be collected 3 times a week, the bin for plastic twice a week and the bins for paper and glass, once a week.
The best bit of all this is that there will be a separate container for NAPPIES (Diapers) , animal waste and sanitary products. This type of waste can be placed directly in a special bin on the street in the bags provided, At last something will be done to separate these things from the main waste. The amount of nappies in the landfill sites all over the world, not just in Menorca is absolutely staggering. They take forever to rot down because of the wonderful amount of plastic and don´t forget about all the toxins in them that gradually make their way into the water supply.
They will be introducing this system in Mahon and Es Castell initially.
I think that this is a great step forward.
There is a separate system for hotels and restaurants etc. This is the most important part because we residents can only do so much. The problem is that when the tourists turn up and generate their waste, what will the system be then? I really think that the hotels need to take a bit more responsibility for their guests by informing them that we do have recycling facilities here on Menorca.
I am fed up of seeing plastic bottle after plastic bottle in the green bin when about two minutes up the road in two directions are banks of recycling bins. When I speak to tourists they give me the same old bulls**t, " I always do it at home but I am in a hurry today" good grief, what hurry!! they are on holiday for crying out loud!
People are saying that this is not our job to sort out our own stuff for recycling, that they should have someone at the rubbish site going through all the mountains of rubbish and taking out the different materials! Why should it be someone elses job to go through all that filth and sort out the plastic, glass and paper etc. We bought it, we should separate it! Or better still buy less plastic, go to the places where you can take your own empty containers and have them refilled. There are shops here in Ciutadella where you can do this.
Sometimes I get a bit fed up hearing this attitude, we all pay IBI, we all pay for the bins, but that doesn´t mean that we can´t be proud of where we live and want to keep it nice and clean. It really doesn´t take much of an effort to do this. It´s not my job is not an excuse.
So I for one will be looking forward to this new system!
The blog song for today is: "Wish you were here" by Pink Floyd
TTFN
During the last great conjunction in 2000, Jupiter and Saturn were so close to the sun that the event was difficult to observe. But skywatchers should have a clearer view of the celestial event this time around. The great conjunction will be shining bright shortly after sunset, low in the southwestern sky, as viewed from the Northern hemisphere, NASA said.
Through the entirety of December, skywatchers will easily be able to spot the two planets with the naked eye. You can look up each evening to watch them get closer and closer in the sky — they are so bright, they are even visible from most cities.
Jupiter currently appears brighter than any star in the sky. Saturn is slightly dimmer, but still just as bright as the brightest stars, with a recognizable golden glow.
Saturn will appear slightly above and to the left of Jupiter, and will even look as close to the planet as some of its own moons, visible with binoculars or a telescope. Unlike stars, which twinkle, both planets will hold consistent brightness, easy to find on clear nights.
"You can imagine the solar system to be a racetrack, with each of the planets as a runner in their own lane and the Earth toward the center of the stadium," said Henry Throop, an astronomer in the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters. "From our vantage point, we'll be able to be to see Jupiter on the inside lane, approaching Saturn all month and finally overtaking it on December 21."
The event is observable from anywhere on Earth, provided the sky is clear. "The further north a viewer is, the less time they'll have to catch a glimpse of the conjunction before the planets sink below the horizon," Hartigan said.
The planets will appear extremely close for about a month, giving skywatchers plenty of time to witness the spectacular alignment throughout the holiday season. The event coincidentally aligns with the December solstice, marking the shortest day of the year in the Northern hemisphere.
I will certainly be keeping a look out for it tomorrow and will take some photos! or try to! Let us hope that the sky will be clear enough to see it!
The blog song for today is; "Rocket Man" by Elton John
TTFN
