Here’s a photo of the finished Christmas tree that was being erected in the hotel foyer yesterday. Very sparkly! With the current weather we need some sparkle!
We managed to walk to O Cais do Heleno restaurant yesterday without getting wet. The food was as good as we expected. We walked back on the opposite side of the road, alongside the marina. It had turned into a beautiful, if blustery, afternoon.
I am rather pleased with my photo-juxtaposition of the Napoleonic age castle with the modern age ferris wheel.
I think we had been back in the hotel for maybe ten minutes when the rain started again … torrentially once more!
This morning has been a stop-start rain session. Some dry time is forecast for later this afternoon. We shall see.
The family at home in the UK sends reports of Storm Claudia causing mayhem. Trees have been blown down in various places around Greater Manchester. And Granddaughter Number One reports having to go out in the torrential rain to rescue her quails! Such are the trials of keeping small poultry in your garden.
I read that the new pope, the first US pope, has invited Hollywood celebrities to the Vatican, maybe hoping to brighten his profile. Cate Blanchett, Monica Bellucci, Chris Pine and Adam Scott are among the actors who will join a special audience with Leo at his Apostolic Palace residence, along with the Oscar-winning directors Spike Lee, George Miller and Gus Van Sant. Apparently he “has expressed his desire to deepen dialogue with the world of cinema … exploring the possibilities that artistic creativity offers to the mission of the church and the promotion of human values”.
His own taste in films runs to Robert Wise’s The Sound of Music, Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, Robert Redford’s Ordinary People and Roberto Benigni’s Life Is Beautiful. There you go!
The mass media has gone very quiet on the subject of Gaza and the West Bank. Friday’s Haaretz reports that Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they planned to transfer the body of a hostage to Israel on Thursday evening. Settlers torched a mosque in the West Bank and sprayed racist graffiti on its walls, Palestinian reports said. When asked by reporters if escalating violence in the West Bank could endanger the cease-fire in Gaza, US Secretary of State Rubio said, "I hope not. We don't expect it to. We'll do everything we can to make sure it doesn't happen."
We shall see.
As regards mass media. Here’s a statistic somebody posted on Facebook: “Since 16th October, Reform have fought 38 by elections. They LOST 30 of them.
Bet GBNews haven’t told you that”.
The positive attention Reform gets is a little bugbear of mine!
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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