Picture of paradise

Brian Monteith has sent me this photo. He thinks it will cheer me up (see previous post). He took it in Trinidad - where he is currently working - and he describes the location thus:

"It's the 'local' beach of Port of Spain - although it's over a mountainside to get to it. It's called 'Maracas' and as well as being beautiful it has a wonderful local delicacy called Bake n' Shark. It's a sort of fried leavened pitta bread with a slice of grilled shark meat served with hot pepper and chilli sauce, garlic and salad - all folded together - it's delicious. Probably a UN research paper is being written up to say it's a threat to sharks and will cause heart disease. Fuck 'em, I say!"

Picture this

Overnight we experienced our first really hard frost of the winter (enough to postpone my son's football match at Stapleford Rec near Cambridge). This was the scene in my village when I went to buy the papers at nine o'clock this morning. Sometimes, in winter, the river will freeze over. Occasionally, after a particularly heavy spell of rain, the water level will rise and flood the green and even the road. Today, everything looks perfect. I may even go for a walk this afternoon. (You have no idea how hard it is for me to say that.)