One of my many New Year’s Resolutions is to listen to more news. The easiest way that I have found to access the news is via the BBC Radio Four website and as I write this I have the Today programme playing. Having a few days away from news is probably quite a good thing though, almost like a detox diet. Avoiding news for a while almost feels like the news has more effect when I listen to it, in a similar way that not drinking coffee for a week really makes the next brew hit the spot. The effect that yesterday’s Today programme’s news has had on me? It has left me thinking “Strange World.” The Labour Party are demanding a 30% cut in sugar added to breakfast cereal, the Church of England’s Bishops cannot be gay, unless they are celibate or perhaps not and people are being told to get up earlier to read more. Those with imaginations will worry that John Prescott might knock on your door at 0630 in the morning and insist that you shake sugar off your spoon before it goes anywhere near your bowl, C of E services might begin with Ministers welcoming their worshippers with details about their sex life while everyone looks bleary eyed because they have been getting up too early to complete the next chapter of 50 Shades of Whatever. Perhaps I should listen to less news?
Yesterday all Lawrences went exploring. Following a tip off from a colleague we boarded a train to Klang Port, via a lunch stop in Klang itself, and headed across the road to the port. We then took a ferry to Pulau Ketam, known in English as Crab Island. I had expected it to be a much shorter ride than the actual 30 minute crossing, but seeing as I had little idea about what would meet us when we arrived the minutes didn’t matter. We clambered off the ferry, air-conned, and out into the muggy heat again and onto two metre-wide, raised concrete platform pavements. Lucky they were raised too as Pulau Ketam is around 10m above sea level and looks more like a swamp than an island. As the name would suggest crabs and fish are the main industry on the island along with bicycle hire. In order to tour the island we hired three aged bikes, Edwin’s was named “Force 2007”, Lexi’s “Force Ladys (sic) Flier” and mine was far too aged to have a name, although due to a problematic front brake block did require an awful lot of force to make the thing move. Both mine and Lexi’s did have padded seats and foot pegs on them though so that Rupert and Trixie could perch on the back and cling onto whatever they could.
Peddling around the place, on the ubiquitous concrete pathways, was quite a challenge. Local cyclists were clearly experts and rode around at great speed. Tourists like me did not find passing an on-coming vehicle easy especially on stretches of path where there were no railings. My bike also lacked a bell. To help our ride therefore Rupert and I had to shout “Ting! Ting!” every few metres to prevent us being mown down, knocked off or finding ourselves being splatted into the mud. Overall it was good fun and worth the trip.
We also sampled a steamed crab with drinks after our ride. I wonder if crabs, in their steamed state, are packed with negative calories. The brace of beasts were served to us along with a hammer and a pair of nut-crackers. It took all sorts of bashing and heaving and cracking in order to release a tiny amount of meat. Yes it was extremely tasty, but it felt more like a work out than a meal out.
Back to school tomorrow.
Here Is The News….Without a Spoonful of Sugar. One of my many New Year’s Resolutions is to listen to more news. The easiest way that I have found to access the news is via the BBC Radio Four website and as I write this I have the Today programme playing. Having a few days away from news is probably quite a good thing though, almost like a detox diet. Avoiding news for a while almost feels like the news has more effect when I listen to it, in a similar way that not drinking coffee for a week really makes the next brew hit the spot. The effect that yesterday’s Today programme’s news has had on me? It has left me thinking “Strange World.” The Labour Party are demanding a 30% cut in sugar added to breakfast cereal, the Church of England’s Bishops cannot be gay, unless they are celibate or perhaps not and people are being told to get up earlier to read more. Those with imaginations will worry that John Prescott might knock on your door at 0630 in the morning and insist that you shake sugar off your spoon before it goes anywhere near your bowl, C of E services might begin with Ministers welcoming their worshippers with details about their sex life while everyone looks bleary eyed because they have been getting up too early to complete the next chapter of 50 Shades of Whatever. Perhaps I should listen to less news? Yesterday all Lawrences went exploring. Following a tip off from a colleague we boarded a train to Klang Port, via a lunch stop in Klang itself, and headed across the road to the port. We then took a ferry to Pulau Ketam, known in English as Crab Island. I had expected it to be a much shorter ride than the actual 30 minute crossing, but seeing as I had little idea about what would meet us when we arrived the minutes didn’t matter. We clambered off the ferry, air-conned, and out into the muggy heat again and onto two metre-wide, raised concrete platform pavements. Lucky they were raised too as Pulau Ketam is around 10m above sea level and looks more like a swamp than an island. As the name would suggest crabs and fish are the main industry on the island along with bicycle hire. In order to tour the island we hired three aged bikes, Edwin’s was named “Force 2007”, Lexi’s “Force Ladys (sic) Flier” and mine was far too aged to have a name, although due to a problematic front brake block did require an awful lot of force to make the thing move. Both mine and Lexi’s did have padded seats and foot pegs on them though so that Rupert and Trixie could perch on the back and cling onto whatever they could. Peddling around the place, on the ubiquitous concrete pathways, was quite a challenge. Local cyclists were clearly experts and rode around at great speed. Tourists like me did not find passing an on-coming vehicle easy especially on stretches of path where there were no railings. My bike also lacked a bell. To help our ride therefore Rupert and I had to shout “Ting! Ting!” every few metres to prevent us being mown down, knocked off or finding ourselves being splatted into the mud. Overall it was good fun and worth the trip. We also sampled a steamed crab with drinks after our ride. I wonder if crabs, in their steamed state, are packed with negative calories. The brace of beasts were served to us along with a hammer and a pair of nut-crackers. It took all sorts of bashing and heaving and cracking in order to release a tiny amount of meat. Yes it was extremely tasty, but it felt more like a work out than a meal out. Back to school tomorrow.