Rambling and stalking

Had a problem with the PC last week and it had to go to the doctors to be mended (OK I admit it, my dad fixed it for me) so I wasn't able to Edward Stalk as usual. Even more worrying was the thought I'd lost all my data, not just work and accounts related stuff but the first draft of my dissertation on erected mayors in the media.

However, all is now well and normal services can resume. I also have a little grey box, plugged into the side of my computer, which apparently is an external hard drive and is backing up my data files every night. It's wonderful what the pixies can do these days!

Rosie is getting some work experience at a local firm of solicitors and appears to be enjoying herself, Sandra is off doing whatever podiatrists do and I'm just waiting for the dish washer to finish so I can get on with my house work as a means of avoiding a riveting analysis of focus groups as a means of capturing social science data. I seem to have an almost instinctive distrust of focus groups, possible because Tony Blair and New Labour ran the country into the ground by doing what focus groups told them to do, well at least Tony did do that until his mate Bush (and of course God) started talking to him so he didn't need focus groups any more. Yesterday I avoided the focus group question by opening a strange suitcase in Edward's room and disciovering it contained clothes that had not been unpacked since a trip to Canada and the US east coast which we went on three years ago!

Well, that's the rambling over, time for the Edward stalk. The boy is in Gibraltar today, that British possession which so upsets the Spanish!

Apparently Britons love cruising to ‘home from home’ Mediterranean cruise port Gibraltar – and not just because it has some excellent pubs and tax free shops (good buys include glassware, china, leather goods, alcohol, perfume, silk and cashmere garments).

Gibraltar also offers wonderful views of Algeciras Bay and the Moroccan mountains from the Rock Restaurant, served by cable car from the Grand Parade.

Birdwatchers can spot more than 230 species and there are clearly marked nature trails you can follow to discover the country’s flora and fauna.

The most famous ‘fauna’ of course, are Gibraltar’s Barbary apes - get off the cable car at the halfway station to see these, then proceed to the top and hire an audio tape charting the Rock’s fascinating history.

Alternatively spend a day at the beach - Catalan Bay is the prettiest, with its colourful fishing boats and excellent seafood restaurants.