Magical trip to Gozo

     As an antidote to the horrors of this evil Coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the country. I thought I would relive one of our journeys again.

In April 2014, Margaret and I were on a sea cruise, aboard a Saga Cruise ship, one of the destinations we visited was Malta and the off-shore island of Gozo, on an organised excursion.
   We boarded a coach from our ship in the harbour, for a 40 minute drive to the ferry crossing, situated in the North of the  Malta. Our tour guide was an informative, enthusiastic Maltese lady. As we crossed the island our guide gave us a wonderful running commentary of the history of the two islands. There is a third island that is almost uninhabited. 

Malta is the business centre and the tourist destination of these small islands and is obviously a lot more built up and densely populated than Gozo. Most of the industry and the University is located in Malta and the inhabitants of Gozo commute by ferry to work and study, on a daily basis. There are some fortified stone towers spread over the island of Malta. These were used in the days before electronic communication to warn of approaching danger, a fire was lit and the warning spread from tower to tower.

Malta is not as dependant on agriculture  as Gozo and is more densely populated.
    We boarded a modern passenger ferry for the 20 minute, four mile crossing from Malta to Gozo. There is a wonderful large church overlooking the harbour of Gozo, with a large statue of the virgin Mary built into the rocks.

We boarded another coach for our whistle stop tour of the island of Gozo. The scenery on our drive through the island was mainly agricultural and beautiful. There are many small-holdings and the unique stepped method of culture is used everywhere, sadly the young workers commute to Malta to work and for their education and finding labour to work the land is becoming an increasingly difficult problem.

We visited the famous Azure window, a circular ring of rock that is very beautiful to photograph, this area was amazing, the ground underfoot was incredibly uneven, we were actually walking over many limestone fossils dating back thousands of years, from when this whole island was under water.

We then visited the incredible Citadel, an impressive fortress with incredibly thick walls that is situated on a hill. I climbed the hill and took some photographs leaving Margaret to wander around an interesting little street market at the bottom of the hill.

     We then boarded our coach again to visit the Gjantija Temples, a World Heritage site, where we viewed the ancient ruins of some incredible buildings constructed of huge blocks of stone, many thousand years before the birth of Christ. They are said to be older than the pyramids of Egypt.

They were situated in a pretty area with flowers everywhere and we took many more photographs.

We boarded our coach to catch our ferry back to Malta with our photographs as wonderful memories and with fond thoughts of the island of Gozo.

Travelling through Malta on our way back to the ship brought more contrasts between the two islands and we both agreed this has been an unforgettable visit.

Written by John Yeo © All to rights reserved.

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A TALE OF LIFE

by John Yeo

  Old Ted leaned on his hoe, scratched behind his left buttock and sneezed. Suffice to say the aforementioned buttock was currently encased in a grubby pair of creased unwashed, gardening trousers that hadn’t seen a good laundering for weeks. Ted was in his late sixties, retired after a long colourful career he was set in his ways. Since Carrie his late wife had sadly passed away a good few years ago, he’d developed a solid routine. Today was the day of the allotment.
Ted was a shortish sort of a man, short and quite stocky with a pugnacious sort of a clean-shaved face. He sported a crooked nose that apparently had been altered in a few boxing matches during his schooldays.
Ted bent to pull out a few more pernicious weeds and felt a sharp pain, ‘Flip’, he exclaimed loudly, enough to send a scavenging Blackbird, two plots away flying high in the air with a squawk of alarm.
Just at that moment, Jim, his neighbour on the next plot arrived, ‘Hallo there Ted!’ he called from a good distance away. ‘How are you keeping? What do you think of this here, virus malarkey?’
Ted looked up and moved towards Jim.
        ‘Keep back! Keep your distance! Keep at least two metres away!’ Shouted Jim.
Jim had never managed to get rid of the authoritative tone of voice he’d developed during his long career as a Sergeant Major in the Army.
Ted, who was not one to  take much notice of anyone who raised his voice, stopped dead in his tracks at the urgency that was evident in this request.
       ‘OK! No need to get irritated; I may be a dumb leper, but I’m not flipping stupid.’
‘What do I think of an evil pandemic that is sweeping the world with people dying everywhere and enforced lockdowns?’
  Ted looked around at the simple beauty of nature spread out and unfolding all around them. Scratched his right buttock and continued, ‘I think the worlds inhabitants have been pushing the boundaries for far too long and the day of reckoning is not far away.’ Ted then sneezed again into the crook of his arm and pulled up a stray dock leaf root.
   Jim straightened his well laundered shirt collar, and adjusted his flat cap to a more jaunty angle and replied. ‘We all have to be careful Ted! These damn virus spores are everywhere. I hear one of the most powerful leaders in the world is advocating the injection of disinfectant into the body. I reckon that would be like injecting weed killer into the dung heap and spreading it all over the plot.’
  ‘That sounds like a good idea Jim. That would kill the weeds at the same time as feeding the vegetables and you may have touched upon a good way of introducing the disinfectant into the body without the need for a painful injection. Of course it may kill a few vegetables until an immune response is established. Sort of a high level trial and error basis without the need for applied Science.’
   ‘You could be right there Jim. Have a good day!’

Written by John Yeo ~All rights reserved.

by John Yeo

These are the latest photographs of our main activity in life during the lockdown period we are enduring at the moment, thanks to the accursed Coronavirus.
Our allotment is moving forward nicely, with most of our seeds sown and growing healthily. Thanks to a good few hours of collaborative hard work.

It’s strange the way our interests and activities have changed over the years. Margaret was a nurse for most of her working life and with the pressures of a career and bringing up a family she had no time, or inclination, to develop an interest in gardening. I lived in a flat in London and worked in an office for many years before I eventually took an allotment and this opened the doors to a whole new world.

The benefits and the positive aspects of allotment gardening are numerous. Fresh air, fresh vegetables, healthy exercise with the added advantage of being close to Nature. We both now take an interest in planting tiny seeds and watching them germinate and turn into healthy plants. It has become almost a full time job taking care of our individual sections of the allotment. Fighting off the natural pests and diseases and breaking our backs bending to remove the weeds that proliferate, soaking up the water and nourishment we provide for the vegetables.

This has become a complete new way of life for both of us in contrast to our earlier careers in life. Love ♥️ and Peace ☮️ from John and Margaret 🎎🙂🙂🌞

by John Yeo

WEDNESDAY 22nd APRIL 2020

The garden in late Spring is full of colourful special flowers. Blue Forget-me-nots and the interesting, Indian Lily flowers vie with Purple Tulips for space, food and sunlight. Pink ragged edged Tulips happily thrive alongside the magnificent Pink Camelias that are coming to the end of their flowering cycle. This year we are lucky to see some bright Orange Wallflowers; these are perennial plants. There’s a bold Red Tulip hidden away, almost swamped, by the brilliant Orange colour of the Wallflowers.

The blue pyramid-shaped plant in the foreground is the interesting Camas plant, alternatively named, Indian Lily or Wild Hyacinth. I understand this plant is widespread in the USA and the name Indian Lily refers to the North American Indians. The bulbs apparently are edible and after getting slowly cooked for one to three days edible sugars are broken down, the roots were an important staple of the Native American Indian’s diet. Margaret and I grow these fascinating plants for their looks. The voraciously spreading blue Forget-me-nots make an excellent backdrop allowing the impressive showy purple Tulips to come into their own.

The impressive Pink ragged-edged Tulips growing in the foregoing of the photograph above highlight the Camelia flowers still growing on the shrub behind. These are a lovely hybrid variety of Tulips, I bought these bulbs from a market stall and they have been an excellent investment. I expect them to develop into some nice clumps of blooms eventually. The photograph below shows our Camelia shrub in all its full flowered glory.

Today I will submerge myself in nostalgia. As we are confined to our house in the UK, observing the universal lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic. This seems to be the only way Margaret and I will be able to travel for a very long time to come.

I thought I would revisit our trip to India today and I chose this photograph of the red fort in Agra.

We visited this amazing tourist attraction during our trip. I remember a sad story about the Shah Jahan who built the astonishing Taj Mahal a pure work of art, his tomb in remembrance of his lover.  Apparently his son took over his rule and he was consigned to a comfortable room in the Red Fort. The story goes that he would lie in his bed overlooking the Taj Mahal and remember his deceased love.

The Taj Mahal took approximately 20 years and approximately 20,000 workers to complete. There were about 1000 Elephants used to transport the materials needed for construction.

THE CHANGES

by John Yeo

    The allotments are a fruitful place to ponder on the ever-changing cycles of the planting year and the changes of the scenery as man made structures appear. People are making the most of this early period to erect greenhouses, polytunnels and coldframes. Perennial flowers are a sure sign of continuous change. At the end of winter the snowdrops are the first flowers to appear, closely followed by daffodils and primulas and hyacinths.

The hardy vegetables that have survived the windy blasts of winter, such as kale, leeks and broccoli are finishing their cycle of life and then the weather dictates the garden year. The soil has to be warm to enable seeds to be set and it is interesting to see the changes of method aligned to the natural cycle of weather.

At the beginning of spring more birds appear as the breeding cycle begins. An unusual sight is a pair of large seagulls that have taken up residence, one is on the waste green part of the allotments every day, just watching and taking in the scenery.

Many subtle changes are slowly taking place that will dictate the eventual results of the growing cycle. Perhaps a new greenhouse on a neighbouring allotment will allow a new barter system to operate as plants are swapped between friends. Small changes that can result in large alterations as life on the allotments goes forward.

The Coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the world at present is possibly making permanent changes to the way most people view the natural world. The decision to make Allotments a part of the required daily exercise during the self isolation lockdown was a blessing for the many vegetable gardeners in the UK. Gardening is an occupation that brings peace of mind in any circumstance. The feeling of creating a small space tailored with a variety of plants or vegetables is a pathway to health both of the body and the mind. The satisfaction of sowing seeds in your patch, watching the plants slowly mature, then taking care of them is a constant occupation. The ongoing fight against plant predators and diseases is constant. Yet gardening is always a calming pleasure, as the wonder of the natural cycle of life with the company of wild birdlife and small creatures unfolds in and around the allotment.

An ancient Buddhist tradition with a modern Wind turbine.

  I snapped this beautiful scene in the south of Phuket island in Thailand during our recent holiday. 

  This high hill overlooking the popular Ya Nui Beach on one side, and the bay of Nai Harn on the other, is called the Windmill Viewpoint, The Windmill is actually a huge wind turbine that is visible for miles around. Our first sight was an interesting green-coloured Buddhist shrine containing offerings of flowers, fronted by an impressive pair of Elephant statues. I have included a photograph of this at the bottom of this post. The view here was spectacular with a cloudless blue sky overlooking a darker blue sea. The green vegetation on the hillside, consisting mainly of palms and cacti, looked beautiful. We were high above Ya Nui Beach, looking down on the tiny figures of people on the beach below. The deep-blue sea was dotted with small boats. Passing sea traffic, ranging from long-tail boats to fishing boats heading out into the Andaman sea,    This impressive viewpoint overlooks a tiny, green, tree-covered island, named ‘Koh Man’, which reminded me of a tiny green emerald set in a sapphire blue sea. These beautiful photographs brighten up our strangely compressed lockdown days. We can but relive the memories. Perhaps one day Margaret and I will safely return to our travels again. Stay safe and keep well. Love ❤️ and Peace ☮️ from John and Margaret 

SATURDAY 18th APRIL 2020

 I snapped the above photograph when Margaret and I travelled on the train pictured above last Summer.  Hopefully the leisure steam train industry will survive the current lockdown ban, due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

  This wonderful image takes me back in time to the days when these wonderful steam trains would transport millions of people from town to city to metropolis around the various railway lines across the world. Nowadays they mainly carry tourists and leisure time enthusiasts on short journeys from point A to point B. Sadly, due to government restrictions on the use of coal to enable the country to become carbon neutral in the future, it’s feared that the price of coal will go through the roof and these wonderful railway engines will become uneconomical to use. This will make photographs like this rarer and rarer, as demand for the steam railway leisure industry declines for lack of affordable seats. 

  Margaret and I have had the pleasure of riding on the North Norfolk Poppy steam train line on a number of occasions with various grandchildren. It’s always a delight to see the children’s faces light up as they watch the fires being stoked in the engine, before boarding. The authentic carriages are comfortable and the windows look out onto a wonderful view of the countryside as the train sedately steams along. These railways are staffed by volunteers who are always dressed in the original style uniforms. The children love to see them acting their parts as guards and ticket collectors and there is usually a stationmaster on hand when the intrepid tourist travellers board and exit the trains. Thankfully, I’m sure these smoke-emitting, steamy trains will survive, in spite of the smoky coal-fired air surrounding them, wherever they travel. They should forever bring pleasure to children of all ages who delight in reliving History.

A memorable facet of our trip to sample the culture of Thailand were our visits to the outdoor night markets. One particular small market we visited was an eye-opening experience to say the least. 

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FLASH FICTION 

AGGREGATION OF AGGRESSION

by John Yeo

  I had received some highly desirable tickets for a high level Science show at the college theatre. A well known expert in Entomology, Professor Deacon, was to expound his theories of a newly discovered strain of highly intelligent insects.

I was seated at home reading up on the background of extra-terrestrial insect life and I almost forgot the show completely.

I dressed in a hurry and quickly called a taxi to take me to the college theatre. I arranged for the driver to collect me in a couple of hours.

The performance was in full swing and I was soon waiting outside in the foyer during the first half.

At the interval, I made my way to the box office to explain my situation.

Suddenly an overweight man dressed in an evening suit with a large red polka dot tie, pushed his way forward. He had a black moustache, and thick black sideburns, on his moon-shaped face, topped by a shiny hairless head. 

With an extremely loud, aggressive manner, he said.

   ‘She’s next if I come back and anyone’s inside, there will be trouble.’

  He then pointed towards a young lady standing at the back of the queue. The young lady was a teenager, roughly 19 years old, wearing a loud pink blouse and blue torn jeans. She had long blonde, shoulder-length hair, and her face was conspicuous by some bright red lipstick that she had thickly plastered on her mouth.

 I stepped back from the ticket window and glared at him, risking his open, high, alcohol-fueled, aggression.

At this point, the young lady stepped forward and said,

Leave it alone, Dad! You’re upsetting me, please take me home.’

 With that, they both made to leave the theatre which seemed to be full to bursting point. I had almost given up hope of ever getting to the front of the queue when another intimidating aggressive man yelled from behind me in the queue. 

 ‘Are you coming back?’

     There was a scuffle as the man with the polka dot tie turned back and grabbed the questioner by the throat and said, ‘Mind your own bloody business.’

Then he quickly left the theatre with his daughter.

With an embarrassed shrug of his broad shoulders the second man, who had a shaved head and an earring in his left ear. just glared and took his place back in the queue.

Frustratingly there was no movement for ages and by the time the interval was nearly over an usherette appeared.

 l explained the situation to her quoting the Science department and I was instantly shown to a seat for the rest of the performance.

During the second half musing on this frustrating, unnecessary aggression, I wondered if there were mirrors of unnecessary aggressive behaviour such as this in the insect world. Perhaps the difference between a thoughtless, robotic, zombie-like creature and man is accentuated by an unfortunate side effect of egotistic aggression.