Saturday 2 January 2016

It's Been a Long Time - Happy New Year!

I hadn't realised how remiss I'd been in supplying my global readership (or is that reader?) with geo stories until someone pointed out in December that I hadn't blogged since August.  How terrible is that?  I have no defence: (a) I am travelling less with work (um, not at all to be honest) so my source of geo finds is more localised and (b) my spare time is spent walking the South West Coast Path rather than trig hunting.

However, to usher in the New Year I'm back and thought I'd share my geo Christmas.  I am frequently informed that I'm awkward to buy for but at least I like maps.  So there is a definite theme to those who kindly purchase me gifts.  I'm also intending to travel more in 2016 so asked for some accessories to help.  Such as the buff in the picture below.  I've been eyeing these up for years but never got around to it.  But this one is too adorable to ignore.
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And I received some handy travel bags - "Walk on Earth", "I'm a Wanderer".
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I've enjoyed Mark Ovenden's previous books so am looking forward to getting my teeth into this one. I suspect this will ignite my desire to visit each one of these underground systems now. I've done a few (London, Rio, Glasgow, New York, Beijing, Frankfurt to name a few) but there are oodles more to experience.
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And this book too was on my wish list. How geography and politics are entwined. Looks good.
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For an impatient person I bizarrely enjoy sitting down and tackling a jigsaw. And this one looks just up my street. Or, rather, up my A to Z.
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And one gift bought a real lump to my throat, from Norma Hall when I met her for lunch before Christmas. Ken, her late husband, had always promised me a tripod - he'd "picked up two for a fiver" he proudly declared - but he died before the grand handover. I was touched she had remembered.
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Anyway my 2016 is kicking off to a good start with a trip to Malawi next week. So my little blue bags are filling up with bits and bobs (mainly deet and anti-histamine) and I have the sun in my sights. All I need is a map in my hand and I'll be made.
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