The Life of a Child in Camp

Many children in camp (the area of the Falkland Islands outside Stanley) do not go to school but are taught by travelling teachers. The BBC has done a feature on the life of one particular child in West Falkland which can be found at:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/07/in_pictures_class_of_one/html/13.stm

Also, I understand that The Times on Monday is going to have a feature on the Falkland Islands if you are interested.

25 Years On...

It is 25 years on Monday 2nd April since the Argentines invaded the Falkland Islands. I am sure that every day on the radio we are going to hear what happened 25 years ago on that day. There is a service on Sunday to remember the bravery of the FIDF (Falkland Islands Defence Force) members who made a stand that first day in Stanley. It will all culminate on 14th June, liberation day, which is a public holiday here. The Falkland Islands will no doubt have a higher profile at home and I would certainly appreciate any relevant newspaper articles that you can send me, thanks.

Some information about life in Stanley has recently been published on the BBC website and the link to this is below if you are interested. I know it is recent as I was at the public meeting and masked ball (pictured) and could even spot my blue mask in the background on one of the photos! More on that to follow in a later posting.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/07/in_pictures_life_in_stanley/html/1.stm

Teal Creek - A Sunday Ramble

It was up bright and early one recent Sunday morning to go on a walk with the Ramblers. The original plan was to walk up Mount Usborne, the highest point in East Falkland, but the weather wasn't good enough and the top of the mountain was shrouded in cloud. So, we opted to take a walk around Teal Creek instead. It was about a 1.5 hour drive there and off we set. I took my normal place walking along at the back. At Choisel Sound, which more or less cuts East Falkland in half, we got views across the water of Goose Green, Darwin and many small islands. We also saw an old shipwreck, the Garland, which has been there since 1911. There was vegetation growing out of the top of it and birds nesting there. After lunch in a sheltered bay, I found the walking quite tough because of the uneven ground and the wind which was now against us. I cannot even begin to describe how strong the wind is here - it comes straight from Patagonia and certainly blows away the cobwebs as well as the washing if you don't use enough pegs! We were lucky enough to see some black necked swans on a small lake, quite a way off. They are shy and internationally rare though they are frequently seen in the Falklands at this time of year. 13km later and we had finished our walk.

Long Island - My First Trip out to Camp

Sandra, a friendly German girl who works doing fisheries research, offered to take me on a drive out one Sunday a couple of weeks ago. We went up to Long Island, a traditional farm about a 1 hour drive north from Stanley. It was good to get out and about into the countryside (locally known as camp from the Spanish "campo") as I'm a bit bound to the town until I get a vehicle which will be soon, I hope. We went past many of the unusual quartzite stone runs which are a geological feature in this part of East Falkland and arrived at the white sandy beach of Long Island. We found some fantastic shells whilst beachcombing. A drive further north a bit and we found a beach known for its fossils - we managed to spot some petrified wood. We also saw a night heron and a crested caracara along the way.

Cape Pembroke Half Marathon - A Gentle Ramble...

Ok, so I know I'm not a runner. That didn't stop me taking part in the Cape Pembroke half marathon soon after I started here though. It was more of a gentle stroll which took me the best part of 41/2 hours! I met a couple of teachers who were happy to pootle along at the rear of the crowd, the same as me. It started at a totem pole close to my house so there were no excuses for not taking part. We took in the wildlife - all sorts of birds, e.g. pipits, red backed hawks, crested caracara - and the scenery of the Cape including its lighthouse, and cheered on the runners. It was a bit wet underfoot and I felt sorry for those runners having to find a decent path through but everyone who started made it to the end and the 3 of us were last. Here are a couple of windswept pictures...

Medieval Banquet - It all seems such a long time ago now

My send off from the UK was a month ago and was at a medieval banquet in London. We were just a stone's throw from the Tower of London so it seemed right that King Henry VIII made a guest appearance. We were also entertained by medieval wenches and court jesters, not forgetting Bob looking very fetching as a medieval maid!! Thank you to everyone who came along. It was a really enjoyable evening. Very shortly the rest of the photos will be on the internet and I will send the link to those who were there and anyone else who is interested.