Was trying to remember how the heck I knew Avignon, now Google has helped me in this respect. The oilfield equipment manufacturer, Cameron Iron Works (since 2016 part of the Schlumberger empire), used to have a plant in Béziers in the neighbouring region to the west of Provence. Was on a business trip there a long time ago, afterwhich I must have driven the 100-miles along the A9 through Montpelier, Nimes, to Avignon. In the brief visit to Avignon was struck by the extraordinary history of the city itself, and the beauty of the surrounding countryside. Where I went to after Avignon, haven't a clue, but I must have got home again safely!
If you get the chance to go to Marseille then you should do. I have a mate of mine who lives about 60 miles north of the city and goes in to the city quite often and says it's a great place to eat and explore. He has been living out there for nearly 30 years now, i went to stay with him about 25 years ago so much will have changed, but it was a great place from memory... I am sure you will fill your time up with some good trips and food Oddy...
Had to check with Uncle Thesaurus before commenting, but after having done so, I certainly agree with you!
Being the age I am, I can remember my youth when about 40-50% of the films I watched, either at the pictures or at home, were Westerns. I'm sure people could say today that they portrayed many awful things (surely not Destry Rides Again?) . But if I learnt one thing it was that you needed your supplies to last out until the Cavalry arrived. Now on Climate Change we all know who the Cavalry is, and they've not arrived yet. In fact one could say they've hardly set off. So why have we not put in place the supplies until they do arrive?. I'm particularly annoyed about fracking. This was a gift to the UK. As many people will know, particularly from the Midlands upwards, our country's strata is inundated with huge layers of shale. So those caring people who demonstrated against it have driven us into a gas supply problem (the US don't have one), causing huge problems to those less well-off. Even that woke outfit, the BBC (they still do have some good scientists), pointed out the ridiculous statements made by those people against fracking. Trials were stopped by recorded seismic events that were little more than those experienced on a Saturday morning, after Johny Vegas had a Friday-night Vindaloo. These climate activists are hoist by their own petard, they've stopped a local relatively cheap supply of gas that would have seen us through the current crises and ensured that Russia couldn't hold Europe to ransom and show how split the EU can be. Sure, have your views that change is necessary but get your plans in place. We are being held to ransom by these people, and as ever the people who will be really hurt will be those that can least take it. They should watch Fort Apache.
There are dozens of “expert” views both „pro“and „con“ fracking online and many are cited to reinforce a point of view which is usually political rather than scientific. The energy debate, in particular, has long been one of extremes - climate activists on one side and the lobbyists of the big energy companies on the other. For my tuppence worth I’ll throw in the fact that fracking releases compounds into the air and water table such as benzene, ethyl-benzene, toluene and n-hexane. Prolonged exposure is linked to birth defects, neurological problems, blood disorders and cancer. I still find it sad that climate activists are largely vilified as either 1) kids who don't know anything 2) hippies or 3) extremist idealists. As if saving the planet doesn’t affect all of us. An example being the US - China spat over the Pelosi visit where China hit back by removing support on climate change initiatives. As if they wouldn’t benefit China (or actually the Chinese people, which is why the government don’t care). There was this great piece on the BBC website recently about the advertising guru E Bruce Harrison who was hired by the US energy lobby in the 90s to debunk climate change as a myth: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62225696 The messages and psychology adapted are still being repeated to this day. It is astounding that something which is for the good of everyone, of the whole planet, for the whole future of mankind, has been so stygmatised. A mate of mine from the West Country has a favourite stat. If all the old water mills in the south west UK were used to generate electricity their combined output would be greater than that of Hinkley Point. But no one would make billions out of it so it just doesn’t even get discussed. But at least the current energy crisis finally seems to be pushing the debate on how to use less energy - something our consumption-obsessed society has gleefully ignored for decades.
Was going to put this up on the 'Other Sports' thread, but this one's preferable, I guess. It's the saddest and most tragic thing I have read in ages, the sudden death of mountain cyclist Rab Wardell at the age of 37. Sincere condolences to his partner, Olympian cyclist Katie Archibald and Rab's family and those who were close to him. Olympian Katie Archibald tried to save dying partner Rab Wardell - BBC News RIP Rab
Not quite the Lee Harvey Oswald & Jack Ruby shooting but all the same trying to shoot Cristina Fernández de Kirchne,the vice President of Argentina in a very crowded space, dosnt seem like a very well planned execution...!! Saying that, she is one very very lucky woman...!!! Cristina Fernández de Kirchner: Gun jams during bid to kill Argentina vice-president
Careful! Hope you have a bit of Celtic blood in you as, apparently, they worshipped Mont Ventoux as a sacred mountain. Have a great vacation!
Sean Levey missed out on the 20 grand top jockey prize in the Racing league because of a false positive. Scandalous. Surely he has a claim for loss of earnings.
The news is full of the 45% to 40% climbdown. The Chancellor has much egg on his face and much of it should be falling into Truss's lap. However, I'm getting rather bored with the calls for him to resign. I personally wish governments would change their minds more often. I wish Tony Blair had changed his mind about going to war in Iraq. I wish Edward Heath had changed his mind about going off to Brussels to sign the UK up to monetary and political Union, without a mandate. I wish Gordon Brown had changed his mind about grabbing a payment of £5billion pounds and thus destroying defined benefit pensions (creating misery and uncertainty for many workers). In comparison to the above three Kwarteng's tax rise will barely warrant a mention in a year's time. To quote the wonderful Raymond Chandler ' only big people change their minds'. I don't think Kwarteng is a big man by the way. I am reminded of Enoch Powell's comment on 'political' politicians, stating that their diet is poor; 'they are continually having to eat their own words'.
The irony is that during the leadership battle with Sunak, he kept telling her what would happen and she ignored him. Britain facing multiple economic challenges (post-Brexit, energy, inflation) so the Tory membership ignored the guy who had been chancellor for the last 2 years and chose the woman who promised them tax cuts, despite the bleeding obvious dangers.
Obviously, the BOE will now do a U Turn on their interest rate increase . Yea right, we shall see. I would have said that the Chancellor/PM did that to catch out the BOE, but I can't bring myself to credit them with such cunning