Mindless racial hatred!

Last night I received one of those 'Pass It On...' emails and usually after reading the content and having a laugh (at the humorous ones natch.) I select the friends in my contact list that I think will appreciate the joke and indeed pass it on... But what I saw in this email that I received (I'm not going to say from whom) left me totally disgusted. It showed pictures of soldiers of one nation holding childen and people of another nation at gunpoint and various other awful things. What sort of person wants to pass this dreadful stuff on? and for what purpose other than causing racial hatred and tension? I find this sort of thing absolutely abhorrent and I feel saddened that people can be used by the propaganda machine so easly to perpetrate their terrorist activities.
Am I the only one who has refused to pass this rubbish on? Am I the only one who actually uses my brain and stands up to say a resouding 'NO! this stops here!' ? These sort of images are held by every country about another's violations and war crimes. We would be naive at the very least or stupid to think anything otherwise. What you give out comes back to you, what goes around comes around - so I am sending out my message of love and peace throughout the world as we used to in the 60's and 70's but somehow I wonder if I am truly too good for this world as I feel worlds apart from those who seem to stoop so low they are wallowing in the myre of spreading doom, gloom and misery.

New dog on the block.....

Just returned from our 'little corner of heaven' and have to say how pleased I am that I stuck to my guns over the installation of a gas central heating system in our new house. It was absolutely freezing at night over there, probably seeming more cold due to the lack of efficient heating in the houses and apartments. People usually have the air con units that can blow hot or cold air but although that is quite warm, it is expensive, and only warm whilst it is active. The night we arrived it was snowing and the wind was bitter. The days were warm and sunny, not warm enough for swimming but lovely to sit out in and sunbathe. I still fail to understand how something that feels so wonderful can be so unhealthy.

Whenever we are there we feed the local stray animals, dogs and cats and really anything else that looks stray!!! It's rather funny but you actually get used to the usual neighbourhood dogs barking at various times during the night and together with the constant cricket-creatures chirping it all adds to the 'magic' of the mediteraenean experience. However, on the last couple of nights our nights were disturbed by a totally new voice, as it howled into the night every hour or so. Blessed thing woke all the other dogs in the neighbourhood up and for the first 3 or 4 times they were all trying to outdo each other, vying for rank in the pack. Of course the newcomer will undoubtedly settle down into his new role once he gets used to the sounds of the neighbourhood that are not threatening. Until that time though I'm quite pleased that I returned to UK and the peace and quiet of our neighbourhood, excepting car doors of course!!!