La Palma is the only place I know with taxi stops. They’re mostly for hikers to get a taxi at the end of their walk. It’s a very good idea. As you can see from the photo, the taxi stop has a phone number, so that you’re not left patting all your pockets saying, “I know I had it somewhere.” And each taxi stop is numbered, so that the taxi…
The moon over the sea from La Venta viewpoint I went to a free talk on astrophotography, which was part of the masterclass held in Los Cancajos this week by Astrolapalma. It was brilliant! The two teachers gave a talk each: Christoph Malin on light pollution, and Babak Tafreshi of The World At Night project. These guys are famous astrophotographers, and their photos and time lapse videos are stunning. And…
Sunday was busy. A remarkable number of the archeological sites on La Palma line up with astronomical calendar events: particularly sunrise or sunset at the solstice or equinox, and the rising and setting of the star Canopus. Since Sunday was the equinox, I went with a group of friends to one of these sites to see the sun rise behind the highest point of the island, the Roque de Los…
So my son had his birthday party on Thursday. They’re pretty easy to organise these days: tidy living room, provide nibbles, drinks and extra batteries for game console remotes, and shut the door. Half way through, supply pizza and birthday cake. Easy, right? Nah, that would be boring. I promised my on a special lunch. He’d been asking to try American-style biscuits for ages, so I’d rashly promised to do…
Yay! My son’s passed his resit exam, and he’s through to the next year of school without any extra work to fit in. We’ve even done the paperwork. All that’s left to do is the bus pass.
“A Breathtaking Window on the Universe” is now on sale in Los Sauces, Barlovento, Garafía, Puntagorda and Tijarafe. You can find a full list of places to buy it here.