From a dribble to a gush; Wikileaks

Well since the dam opened at around 3pm our time I have been glued to the computer watching the 'leaks' start to spill around the world.

Absolutely fascinating. The Guardians journalistic coverage is unbelievably excellent. Whatever you may think of the subject matter the superb presentation of the information and the in-depth coverage of individual aspects is something the like of which I have never seen.
And to think that these documents will continue to made public over the next few months, it's mind boggling.

I have been randomly looking at the available documents, since Wikileaks came back on the net after an attempt to block the site at the initial release, they quickly fought back with a new website...

It's too soon to formulate an opinion on the basis of what I have read BUT I have no doubts that there is some interesting stuff to come that will make many sit back and reassess their attitude to Government, both their own and those of other nations.

At one point Twitter output mentioning the subject was running at 60-70 twits per second! Made my head hurt.

One I particularly liked was ' Well I guess the Ambassador will need a shitload of Ferrero Rocher chocolates to sort this mess!'.

(An old TV ad that I include below for those not familiar with it)

Parental Pride.

The youngest daughter, Lucy, and her significant other, Alex, were proud winners of the Bournemouth restaurant of the year award on Thursday night. Along with their partners they opened the restaurant just a year ago and we are delighted for them!

Koh, is a Thai tapas restaurant and bar and if you are in the area (Boscombe) do go along and try it out....

Are you watching Wikileaks?

http://twitter.com/wikileaks

Around Cape Horn.

Wonderful piece of film from the BBC....

Robin Knox-Johnston, Ranulph Fiennes, John Simpson and Skip Novak. Four of my greatest heroes on a boat,amazing!

Unexpected gifts...

It's one of the twice weekly Casa Guatemala days today. The visit from the store run in aid of the local orphanage that delivers fresh fruit and a selection of frozen meats and dairy products to the boaters scattered around the Rio.

We have been customers as long as we have been here. The pork they sell is exceptional and I enjoy trying out my appalling Spanish on the ever patient Jose and Esperanza who roll their eyes at my dreadful pronunciation and politely laugh at my weak jokes!

It is only recently that they have started to bring along fresh fruit and the odd veggie for our delight but it is a great success. Strawberries, papaya, pineapple, grapes and sometimes one of those unidentified tropical fruits that cause me to wrinkle my nose and ask questions....

I will try anything on the culinary front so they delight in breaking open something new and watching my reactions as I tentatively nibble the fruit. Mostly its great but just occasionally I struggle to suppress a grimace..

This morning Jose was enjoying a small yellow plum like fruit that he peeled and offered me, it was lovely, really sweet and succulent. I shall be looking out for that in the market later in the week.
As I was leaving Esperanza beckoned me back and held out a peculiar drab brown offering, about the size of a large avocado.

' Sapota', she said.
Oh for me?, I asked,
Si un regalio(a present)

How sweet! By now some of the other boaters had regrouped to see what was going on and Esperanza dug out another fruit pulled it apart and offered it to the crowd...I tried a bit first, sort of sweetish and dense, not too good to be honest. The others pulled back and pointed out the wriggling maggots in the fruit. Yuch! I discretely grinned and thanked Esperanza for the gift and rushed to check that I didn't have any maggots stuck between my teeth....

 Sapote

alternate names: Mamey colorado

Characteristics: The dark brown exterior and shape of this fruit make it look like a giant almond, but inside, there's a fragrant, rosy pink-orange flesh, which gets creamy, smooth, and sweet, like sweet potatoes, when ripe. Unlike many other fruits and vegetables that find suitable growing environments throughout the world, mamey remains in the New World, grown throughout South America, the Caribbean, and in Florida. Although mamey is typically eaten raw, its culinary applications are expanding; it's used to flavor ice creams, shakes, and desserts such as flan and mousse. Final note: It's pronounced "mah-MAY sa-PO-tay."

Heads you lose!

Thank God it was TBH who blocked the heads. It means I can maintain the moral high ground as he stands up to his ankles in evil-smelling shit (his own) whilst swearing and cussing more than I have ever heard.

To compound this unpleasant experience the weather has decided to add insult to injury by absolutely pissing down! Ah well such is life. It means the hatches are shut, the smell is EVIL and I don't know where he's sleeping tonight but I hope its some distance from me!!

Social week.

Goodness, it's hard to believe that it's a week since I last wrote  anything here. Guess that time flies when you are having fun.

We have been busy, gunkholing, provisioning and..visiting the dentist. Yes TBH's teeth are on the agenda again. We headed into Morales on the chicken bus,'room for one more'. The twelve seater van had 25 on board at one point, cosy! I love Morales, not a gringo in sight and the vibrancy of the Friday market is amazing.

There is a flood of returning boaters to the Rio, the ones that head to their home countries for their summer months. That has meant a lot of socializing as we catch up with old friends.

One particularly fun occasion was entertaining our Brit friends David and |Linda on their 40th Wedding anniversary. Forty years! Blimey I've never been married to anyone for that long...
we dined on champagne, duck a l'orange and strawberries with ice cream. Sometimes life is good!