Gavin Henson

Gavin Henson has returned to the Welsh squad to tour Australia in May/June 2007.

Plant Fair Outing....What else on a Sunday?

St Jean de Cole.......................

What a fabulous little village and what a great day out. We'd picked up a leaflet last Friday indicating there would be a plant fair in this village and wondered whether we should go. This is very much the time to buy plants in France and set up one's hanging baskets & tubs etc. But we're already booked to go to Jumilhac next Tuesday.

Anyway ~ I'm so glad we went ~ it was magical. The weather has been superb today, the setting was so natural next to a river, lunch was great and needless to say the plants were very attractive ....................and we bought loads.

Ah well ~ So French, So English.

Carol wants to move there now!

Horse Jumping at Pompadour & Cream teas ~ So English!!

In keeping with our intentions this year, we are travelling out & about. In previous years we have received countless visitors and played "mine" host visiting the same places over & over again. We've really done to death the nearer environs of Limoges. So we've kinda vowed that for the remaining time in France ~ who knows where we may be next year? ~ we're going to travel more to see this beautiful country. This decision has coincided with a drop in "bookings" for the Gite!!!!!!!!!! Thank Heaven!

Hence a day out today at Pompadour ~ Horse jumping with some of the best horses in Europe, including some from UK. Fabulous jumping.

Then for a cream tea in the tea rooms in the main square ~ run by a young English couple. And when we met the owners father he kept us amused with anecdotes for over an hour.

So French ~ So English!!

Stephen Hawking floats his boat

Hawking: Space is our future
By Irene Klotz Cape Canaveral

Hawking was diagnosed with motor neurone disease at 22Why would a man who has been stripped of the use of his legs, arms and voice go through a rollercoaster-style jet aeroplane ride that simulates weightlessness and often leaves even the young and virile sick to their stomachs?
For public awareness, says celebrated British cosmologist Stephen Hawking in an interview before his scheduled ride on Thursday on a microgravity-inducing plane.
"I think the human race doesn't have a future if it doesn't go into space," he told the BBC News website, who communicates by twitching the one muscle he has control of - his cheek - to select words on his computer. These are then verbalised by a voice synthesizer.
"I therefore want to encourage public interest in space. A zero-gravity flight is the first step towards space travel," he said.

'Eureka' moment

Hawking, 65, was a young and brilliant graduate student when he was diagnosed with the progressive and incurable motor neuron disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

I believe the Universe is governed by the laws of science. The laws may have been decreed by God, but God does not intervene to break the laws
Professor Stephen HawkingAt the time, he did not think he would live long enough to earn his doctorate, but the disease's progression slowed and Hawking was not only awarded his degree but went on to become one of the world's most erudite theoretical physicists.
Hawking has a particular penchant for black holes, a topic he discusses in his best-selling book A Brief History of Time.
"My work on black holes began with a 'eureka' moment in 1970, a few days after the birth of my daughter, Lucy," Hawking said during a dinner speech on Wednesday night.
The 65-year-old realised he could apply theories to black holes that he had developed to explain other puzzling states of matter and energy, particularly ones where the laws of physics seemed to break down.

Big Universe
Of all the mysteries of the Universe, however, the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge said he was most intrigued with why the Universe is so big, so smooth and yet just perfect for humans to exist in.
"I'm not religious in the normal sense. I believe the Universe is governed by the laws of science. The laws may have been decreed by God, but God does not intervene to break the laws," he said.

Hawking will test at least one of those laws on Thursday, when he plans to defy gravity - for a moment anyway - by floating during one or more parabolic manoeuvres aboard a specially modified Boeing 727.

The plane, operated by Florida-based Zero Gravity Corporation, will take off and land from the space shuttle's runway at the Kennedy Space Center.

Taking the plunge
Hawking's aides will place him gently on the floor of the plane during the sharply angled climb up into the sky, then watch him float up as the plane dives down. Nasa uses a similar technique to prepare astronauts and test equipment for space flight.
If Hawking does not suffer any ill effects from the ride and wants to experience additional minutes of weightlessness, the pilots will continue making parabolic manoeuvres.
Hawking also has a reservation for a suborbital flight with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic venture, which is scheduled to begin service in 2009.
Virgin Galactic will own and operate at least five spaceships and two mother ships, and will charge £100,000 ($190,000) to carry passengers to an altitude of about 140km on sub-orbital space flights.

Prince Harry

Should he stay or should he go? What do you think? Any good night clubs in Basra?

Former England star dies................

Alan Ball dies at the early age of 61. He was an outstanding member of the 66 world cup team!

Boris Yeltsin dies.............

Russia says Goodbye To a former President ~ Boris Yeltsin who died today.

Today is St George's day

But is he the saint for England, France, Outer Mongolia, North Wales,The Moon??????????????

Neck & Neck

Flying the flag

The French are voting today in the first round for a new President of France. Not sure whether there may be clarity at this stage. Of course, I'm not allowed to vote although I am resident here. Hmmmmmmmmmmm! And this is a Republic!!!!!!!!!

Hey I've got teeth

Hi.....I've got teeth and a something jumity thingy and me names James somity thinby.................

Kier & Robbie

Holidaying in Bonnie Scotland ~ Spring 2007

Jules is 30 something today

Happy Birthday Jules

Spring at La Grenerie

A view of our garden at La Grenerie today. The weather has been superb & we have been able to pot up some gereniums, plant ground cover in the borders, have a fire and generally catch-up with our chores.

Then we sat in the sun & read and by 6pm had opened a bottle. We're quite content now.

Dressage at Pompadour ~ Spring 2007

Carol & Gladys visit to Pompadour..............................

Golden Wedding celebration in the Limousin.

A little recollection of Liz & Alan's special day in 2006.

Howard Hodgkin ~ Bamboo

How I love this painting.

Logging St Hilaire Les Places

Spring garden

Confolens in Spring 2007

Had a great day out at Confolens. Suggest visiting La Marmite for a steak & kidney pie with chips. Absolute bliss!

Lake at Nexon ~ Spring 2007

Girl in Green

Limoges Carnival 2007

Enchanted

Towering

M & M

Marilyn..............Background to my Space Blog site.......

Rugby Nations

Cymru am byth

Ole Jack

Robbie in reflective mood

Robbie.

2nd April 2007

Kingwell Farmhouse in the snow ~ Where we used to live before moving to France.

Carol & Vernon ~ 1st Post in this Blogging Year