Hello Kevin,
welcome. I hope you enjoy your time here. I think you will find that we are, on the whole, a friendly, helpful lot.

Just along the road from Pentax USA then? Do they have an outlet store .

I have heard that high speed trains (TGV, Eurostar and the like) are only better for the environment than planes if they are full. Now at the moment due to lack of planes they are full, but normally that is rarely the case.
It is the same with slower, normal trains compared to cars too.

I can't be bothered to look for the data but it is out there on the net somewhere.

Terry, the fact that this pointless thread has raised many points may be true but it is still a good thread. Random thoughts and discussions are I think interesting and sometimes funny. No one says you have to read all or any of it.

The upside of the ashes - spectacular sunset colours.

A couple of snapshots just taken from my attic window:

[IMG]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c205/Bargwynbu/K20D3483web.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c205/Bargwynbu/K20D3482web.jpg[/IMG]

Pity I don't have a better view of the sky .

You are right Andrew, my mistake. I meant Guyana and Suriname. Rivers being the reason they still drive on the left. One of these years I shall get to Suriname and see for myself.

I have a new mouse. A rather sexy red Microsoft Arc. Matches the red of the lid of the netbook nicely, and is very comfortable to use. Much much better than the touchpad.

I got it for less than half the Microsoft RRP.

I liked the Explorer Mini Mouse too, but couldn't find it cheap enough, and it isn't as good looking .

We'll see how the Arc lasts anyway.

But it could be as long as 48 hours

On the LHD/RHD argument - Suriname, a former Dutch colony, in South America, drives on the left, so definitely not only islanders or former British colonies. It along with Belize are the only countries in the mainland Americas still driving on the left
Sweden drove on the left until 1967, Iceland until 1968.
Canada drove on the left until 1923, and Newfoundland only switched sides in 1947, just before it joined Canada in 1949.
Argentina only switched because of the Pan-American highway.

The ash cloud is not actually visible. The cloud you see is just that cloud.
It is very fine but it is not a danger to health (unless you happen to be in jet flying through it :winknor will it effect the weather. Just the potential for some stunning sunsets and sunrises.

You don't want it to rain while that stuff is about either - it will make a real mess then.

My husband was due to fly to Marseilles. First it was OK, then Eurocontrol closed the airspace over the Netherlands, Belgium and part of Germany. then they re-opened. So I though he'd gone.
I get a phone call to say he is in the train on his way home again. He was ready to board when he got a call to say the meeting was cancelled as half of those supposed to be attending couldn't make it due to the ash.
So he unchecked himself and came home.
His company will rebook it for next week now.
He says Schiphol was really busy and verging on chaos.
It is expected that it will be closed later today, and even if it isn't planes are in the wrong place so it is difficult to get flights out even to destinations unaffected.

Update- Dutch airspace will be closed from 19.00 European Summer time.

Harry Potter is our minister president. At least until June.

Luckily I have lots of other channels to watch to avoid the BBC election overkill. It hasn't started on Dutch TV for the elections here yet, but no doubt it will.

I couldn't care less about either election as I have no vote.

Another sunny day.

Now to check if the ash cloud is going to stop my husband's business trip.

Is the altimeter to tell you how far below sea level you are at home?

Me? I am about 50cm below NAP - the marker was on the wall but they took it away. Definitely at the foot of the Heuvelrug.