Three Cunard Queens together in Southampton

Courtesy of Southern Evening Echo here is a picture of the three ships (from left to right QE2, QM2 and QV).
Click here to see BBC vid ofThree ‘Queen’ liners in Southampton

This aerial vid of QE2, QV and QM2 all together in the New Docks in Southampton gives an idea of the scale of these things.

Semper’s Granddad had a job managing security in the docks after retiring from the police well over 50 years ago. One perk was that he would take my brother and I into the docks and sometimes even on to the great transatlantic liners of that time. I remember the awesome size of the “Queens” (Mary and Elizabeth) in particular. Great buildings of steel higher than any then on land nearby. And corridors the length of the ships which were not quite horizontal so that the carpeted floor curved up to meet the ceiling in the distance.

The cruise business has breathed new life into this tradition of monumental ship building. How odd that the business of travel (by air, now) has been so separated from the pleasure of it (by ocean liner). Somehow neither is the same as real “voyaging” I believe.

Rhinos and green beer

Grandson Tommy’s fifth birthday so we are off to the excellent open air zoo at Lympne in Kent. Lots of Rhinos, Gorillas and many others. On the way back we stop at the Chiltern Hundreds Inn Maidstone for no better reason than it was the the first food pub we saw after leaving the M20. The bright green beer from Stonehenge Ales was a novelty but very pleasant. Food was fine (go for the mixed grill).

Back in town

Hi friends,

My blog of my Nigeria trip is now completed and Sue and I are back in London. (How do you people cope with this cold?). Here is a Gherkin.

Going to Nigeria!

Two and a half months away, meeting great people, preaching my socks off and catching the end of the rainy season.

I have started a NEW BLOG - http://bature.wordpress.com so visit me there please.

There is also a gallery of photos at SmugMug (click here).

Incidentally SmugMug do a brilliant photo storage/display service for $39.99 pa (£20 per year) and do discounts for referrals. If any friend wants to be recommended by me get in touch.

Lake Chad has emigrated

This image belongs to the BBC but I have copied here because it is so dramatic. Click here to read the associated article.

You might need to click the image to see it all (depending on your screen resolution).

It shows how Lake Chad (which was once an inland sea) has dwindled over the last thirty years. The second image is from October 2001 at the end of the rainy season when the rivers and lakes should be quite full.

As river waters are being used more for irrigation, hydro power and human consumption and the climate in the semi-arid region seems to be getting drier the mighty lake is shrinking. It has already emigrated from Nigeria and Niger and looks like it might have to give up its dual nationality with Cameroon soon.

The excellent supply of high quality protein from the Lake Chad fishery is shrinking fast - which will have an effect on the whole region. For the moment, the rich soil of what was once the lake bed is providing good farming but the desert is on the move southward.

It is useless to expect the Governments to do anything useful. The whole Chad Basin is littered with the debris of past projects which have failed as a result of corrupt bureaucrats and contractors. I believe the best hope is for small scale fish farming to fill the employment and nutrition gap. The necessary water lies close under the surface of the region and artesian wells can be sunk in some areas. But is there enough expertise, interest and capital for this to happen?