Any cheerful news today? (Nothing negative please! 🙂) (Part 2)

Maybe no longer. Particularly as tourists in volume leave detritus and interfere with wildlife.

For the same reason no more tourists and cruises should visit the Galapagos islands.

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you missed the ‘and begorrah’. :thinking:

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I supervised the first half of a successful Lancaster PhD thesis on the history of depicting the Antarctic that had originally been prompted by a cruise. The second half of the thesis which was not my responsibility was on pedagogic strategies for raising awareness of the general interest in the region.

Chris, you might be interested to learn my personal conclusion of the research was that whereas the shift from b/w to colour photography / film was a significant factor in raising the general public awareness of the continent, today the general public is neither equipped nor able to have direct positive impact, whilst branches of government beyond the scientific community seem generally unconcerned interested.

Cheerful news is I’ve just discovered how well the dog’s cooling mat works. I shall be using this now during hot weather whenever he’s not sprawled out on it.

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Cheerful news is the winebox containing 3L of Corbiere that I picked up in Leclerc before coming home last week isn’t vinegar, but is actually OK as vin ordinaire. It won’t win any prizes as a great wine, but it’s more drinkable than I had a right to hope.

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Ditto, not helped by our (admittedly extremely limited) exposure to people who regularly cruise who all seem to all be UKIP (and, presumably, now Reform) voters.

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:joy::joy::joy:

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Be careful with vin ordinaire/du pays wine boxes as the alcohol percentage can be much higher than the c.12% one might expect. Was caught out a few weeks ago by one from Carcassonne that was 14% . The first sip gave sufficient indication and was consigned to the kitchen/ Unfortunately less useful for summer cooking: so far just marinading steaks and a variation on champignons Ă  la greque.

Suggestions welcome (note we already have sufficient drain cleaner).

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We often buy Cité Carcassonne wine made by Domaine Lycée Agricole Charlemagne which is made in the wine college here, grapes cultivated and wine made by the students (under supervision of course). It’s usually around 12% and surprisingly (or not ?) usually very good. Not sure if it’s available outside the local area.

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13.5% in this case. TBH many wines seem to be 12.5% or more these days, and I was slightly (pleasantly) surprised by a rose last week that was only 10%, although the one after was 12.5%.

A good tip not to get caught out thought.

Most decent southern roses, such as CĂ´tes de Provence are 12.5%, but Sable de Camargue is often lighter. I f you want other slightly lighter southern wines, ComtĂŠ Tolosan and CĂ´tes de Gascogne are inexpensive options., but may be hard to find in the UK.

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Joy of joys - it’s raining! The temperature on the terrace is 19 degrees and I’m wearing a sweater (well it was 33 yesterday!) :slight_smile:

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Same here, though 17 degrees. :slightly_smiling_face:

So much for this afternoon’s picnic.

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Tesco do both. :slight_smile: Côtes de Gascogne also available from Sainsbury’s.

Plus online wine merchants of course.

Here too, I counted at least 28 drops on the windscreen as Jules and I drove down to water Fran. :roll_eyes:
It is quite a bit cooler though. :joy:

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26 C here today, cloudy but no rain. Some rain due tomorrow which we need badly.

Brits love to talk of the weather, I imagine many that have moved here were thinking of all that nice sunshine and less slate grey skies and rain. Now we’re looking forward to grey skies and plenty of rain :umbrella:

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Haha, yes, we certainly view rain differently compared to back in Blighty.

Over there, it was a hindrance to having outdoor events… Many a BBQ was done under a parasol to keep the fire going.

Over here it’s seen as a blessing for the environment and if a BBQ has to be rescheduled then there’s always next weekend.

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After a first try with inferior product left to me by either my landlord or the prior tenants, I bought a better version and successfully installed mosquito net “screens” to my four 130x150 windows yesterday. And the poor suckers stuck inside? They got sprayed with Lysol as they tried to exit in vane. Last night? I (and the dogs) were not fodder! That said, after just a few days here - next to a working vegetable farm - I remain covered in more bite welts that I can ever recall in my lifetime. I seriously look like I have measles on my arms and lower legs. But these markers, too, shall pass, and the buggers will stay outside.

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Once you’ve finished the first box open a second - you’ll find that the taste is now quite palatable :grin:

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