Suez Canal

During a short trip to Cairo, I did two long drives for meetings in Suez and Alexandria.  We returned the same day on both occasions.  Last time, I managed to drive around Alexandria - to at least see it having done the drive.  This time, I had a chance to see the Suez Canal, for about ten minutes,  after our meeting.  Ships are kept at either end and released in groups.  We were lucky to arrive at a time when ships were sailing past.

Opened in 1869, it's nearly 200km long, 24m deep and about 200m wide.  All I knew about its history was the the Suez crisis of the 1950s.  Read its Wikipedia entry here to learn more.  I was not surprised to learn that it was dug by forced labour.  It made me laugh how the British opposed this - taking the moral high ground - only to seek to buy a large share a few years later.

To get a feel for the scale, have a look at the life-saving-tube thingy in the photo below.  It's a bout a quarter of the way from the right.

The thing that impresses me most is not the way this place looks; nor is its rather horrible (and predictable) history intriguing in any way.  What I do love about it is how simple it is, and how much it has changed the world.

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No Strings Attached

I've been meaning to test my new macro lens for a while now.  The dusty weather last week didn't help with shooting flowers.  I want my first flower post to be from our garden.  I took a couple of test shots, of flower petals and an ugly fly, holding the camera by hand.  The results were fantastic.

However having read a bit more about macro photography, I now realise that because you're so close to the subject, the smaller apertures give better results.  This means the shutter will slow down and you need a tripod.  I will get round to it when the weather is a little less brutal.

Cicking the header photo will take you to a generously large version to illustrate the detail possible.  For scale, consider that one of those metal-framed reels has a diameter of a medium coin.

Inside the house, in the wonderful but fake cold air, I took my time to set up... and yes I did use a tripod.  The colours and textures offered a couple of hours of fun.  It was either the sewing kit or the colour pencils.  I'll do the latter another time.

I thought of three titles for this post: String Theory (a bit square - I know), A String of Errors and (cringe) Stringfella. But I went with my wife's better suggestion.

I hope you enjoy the colours and images.  This lens has certainly opened a new door for me.

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Osu!

Yousef and I went to Bahrain over the weekend to watch my brother compete in the Middle East IKO Dojos Karate Tournament. I have a transparent belt in Karate, so I had no idea what to expect.  This was the first event of its kind in the region and participants were mainly from Bahrain and Kuwait.

I was pleasantly surprised by the turnout.  A lot of family support for the young men and boys.  There were even five-year-olds competing!

The fights were short and sweet, but the number of contestants was high - so things took a while.  The venue was good, but the organisation lacked experience.  Overall a very good event with a nice atmosphere.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous when my brother's turn came.  He started off on the defensive for fifteen seconds or so, then he changed his tempo and took control.  He won this fight which went into an extra deciding round.

He finished the night with the silver cup, coming in third place for his weight bracket.  Congratulations M.

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Puff Daddy

The last of my Scotland posts comes to you from Sumburgh.  It's not a secret to anyone who knows me that I like birds.  In fact I love birds, always have done.  Puffins are a special case for me.  Ever since I was six years old, I saw a picture of one in a book and kept it for years.  Every time we visited a zoo, aviary, or if I came a cross a book, I would seek them.  I even bought a tacky Swarovski model of a pair of puffins - which I probably like a little too much.

When I did some reading about the Shetlands, I discovered the clear association with Puffins.  It was therefore one of my first non-work-related questions to our host at the terminal, and he recommended a visit to Sumburgh Head, specifically near the old lighthouse.  It sounded fantastic, and it was. It was the perfect place to view these - and other - seabirds.  I had an hour to spend there; but it didn't stop raining for one minute.  The shots are not the best, but I include them to show you the potential this beautiful place has, on a perhaps warmer dry day.

The photo above may help you scale the place, with my car visible on the left.  The location is maintained by the wonderful RSPB.  Click here for more information about Sumburgh on their website.With a good lens and reasonable weather, this place would be amazing for capturing some truly wild shots of the many birds that call this place home.

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Shetland Isles

The world sometimes feels smaller to me than the small Shetland Islands, north of Scotland.  I live in Kuwait, I work for a Houston-based American company, with a head-office in Sens (in France), and I cover the Middle East and the UK.  Last week, I had a meeting at BP's Sullom Voe Terminal. I later spent the late afternoon exploring the place including an hour of bird-watching.

The journey started early morning in Aberdeen, and the short flight was in a small Saab propeller plane.  We took off minutes before the Scottish air-space was closed (due to the ash cloud).  We landed at Scatsta Airport which is this little blue building. It includes arrivals, departures, security, baggage reclaim, a seating area, and even a place to eat.  I hired a car without seeing anyone from the hire company. The key was left with airport security and the car was in the car park outside.  I returned it to the same place, gave the key back to security.  Islands are strange places.

We went straight to our meeting at the oil terminal.  Our installed equipment here is almost as old as I am.  I'm always impressed to come across such reliable manufacturing.  We spent all morning and most of the afternoon in meetings - taking a break for lunch at their canteen.  About 3pm, I drove us to our hotel at the capital, Lerwick.

I had a short walk around Lerwick and found it to be very pleasant.  The people were nice, and the town very tidy and quiet.  We drove around most of Mainland, and I was shocked at how thinly spread the tiny population of 20,000 is all over Shetland.  One of the islands has a population of 80! I suffocate just thinking about it.

The roads are fantastic.  Miles and miles of nothing; with great bends to test the handling on your car or bike.  Watch out for surprises though... and I'm not talking just little furry things.  We drove to the south, an area named Sumburgh.  I needed to follow signs to the airport in order to find the light house (for a good bird-watching area - next post).  What I didn't realise is that I would physically be driving across the runway itself.  It had one of those barriers you'd find on a railway crossing.

This is a very special place; a very different place.  I can't give it justice in this brief post.  I haven't seen anything properly.  I had a few hours (as usual) and I needed to fit in as many tasters as I could.  The time of year is another factor.  Later during the summer, the weather is probably more welcoming.

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Grey-nit City

My wife and I visited Aberdeen a few years ago, and my limited memory of our visit is of a very grey city.  As my plane landed, I could see the long beach, the river, and grey!  Rows and rows of buildings and homes covered with local granite.

I reached Aberdeen late afternoon and went for a wonder around town - to catch the last light of the day.  I walked the length of Union Street and on to the beach, where colour came back to the party.

The above image is not processed to produce the selective colour... It's what you see standing in the same spot. The sea breeze was a welcome break before my walk back.  I needed to sleep well for the 4am start the next morning.

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Watermark

With the brilliant blue skies draped over us these few days, it's hard to stop thinking like a photographer.  Yesterday, I decided to capture a few shots of the water towers - something I've been wanting to do for some time now. I wasn't prepared for how and where to get the best shots.  Even more so, I wasn't prepared for the welcome and hospitality of the people there.

Not only did the gentleman invite me in... he handed me a cold bottle of water assuring me that I could take as much time as I needed.  It was like a dream.  On my way out, I stopped at the gate-office to thank him and his friends/colleagues.  I spent nearly an hour chatting, drinking coffee and, as if this wasn't impressive enough, we discussed photography.  They were genuinely interested in the subject and asked many interesting questions about what makes a photo.  I was so overwhelmed by the positive reception, and how nice the people were, I forgot to ask the most basic of questions!  For instance I don't know how many towers there are here, I have no idea about their capacity, nor do I know the height of each tower.  I would make a terrible investigative journalist, the worst in history.

The design of these towers goes back to the golden days of Kuwait.  Back to a time when we were making a bold statement to the world.  Kuwait was emerging as the modern city out of the sea and desert.  It was not enough to have things functional and doing-the-job.  There was a sense of difference which had to be achieved - often through an amazing attention to detail.  I've been around the world, and water towers are ugly and unsightly.  Here, they have become a landmark of each major suburb, and a design icon that says Kuwait as soon as you see a glimpse of the shape.

To achieve this pleasing result whilst maintaining a minimalist design, there are some aspects that are not immediately apparent, at least not to me.  I've seen these towers from the air (you could try Google Earth too).  The symmetry in their locations, as well as their simple and elegant shapes, are beautifully finished by the elegant white and blue lines.  Two colours, no more, and simple stripes from top to bottom.  The genius is in the matching of the lines: look at how all the lines correspond from one tower to another.

For readers from outside Kuwait, below is what the towers look like from the street level.  They're visible from the highways and local parks.  They're grouped together on farms, each tower standing as tall as a 10-storey building.  When I took the three shots below taken from a little distance, the dry land in the composition made me think just how much this place is a Concrete Oasis.

To the staff on site: Thank you for your warm welcome, your interest and of course for your wonderful hospitality.

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Lady Fingers

Back when I was a student, I cooked three times a week, sometimes even more.  Later, when I started working, I cooked in weekends.  Then I got married.  It was hard to compete so I gave up... Now - a lifetime later - I cook to relax.  I do it now and then and I usually specialise in two things: Fish and Pasta.  This morning however, I couldn't resist the meat I saw, and decided on a more basic dish.  I asked my wife to leave the cooking to me.  Time to sound the alarms and hide away the children.  I will probably have to pay our maid overtime for the extra washing-up. I was about to cook - life was good (for me).

Lady fingers, or Okra, in a lamb-and-tomato stew, served with rice.  Marag Bamia is the perfect dish for a cloudy afternoon.  The traditional desert to follow is a thirty-minute nap.  I have read it mentioned in many books.

Ingredients are nothing fancy: lamb, onions, garlic, tomatos (fresh and paste), okra and rice.  The only seasoning is a little salt.  Use fresh ingredients - the best you can find of everything.  Provided you remove the fat from the lamb pieces, it makes a reasonably healthy meal. Less than one tablespoon of olive oil was enough for the whole deal.  It serves six people, or three men.

Choose the small firm okras, remove the tip of the head and soak for a short time.  Now we're ready to see flames and feel heat.

No sticking to the pan is ever allowed! Have a glass of water handy to keep adding as you stir...  I love this part!

When the meat is perfectly browned, add water and tomatoes to the mix.  I do it gradually and wait for the boil before I add more.  This keeps the stew from thining out.

Timing is everything.  This is the moment the rice should start its playtime.  It means both are served perfectly steaming - and together.

After the rice is cooked and drained, it goes back in the pan and on top of a tawa to settle nicely on a slow heat.

Time for the star of the show.  The okra is added and both pans are now on a low heat with the lids on.  You could leave the kitchen for a short break at this point, but I always choose to stay and watch the steam.

I used the excuse of photography to have a small serving - before everyone else.  I think I'll use this excuse again.

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Spring

Three more shots from my few golden minutes in the garden yesterday.  These were taken outside, with natural light - no reflectors, no flash.  Apart from cropping and adjusting the shadows - I didn't do any editing.

I am getting more and more excited about buying a macro lens this summer.  I'm ready for the new world that it will uncover.

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To Bee

I spent a few minutes in the garden this morning - smelling the roses.  Actually, we don't have any roses but I wanted to get a couple of shots of the flowers on the Gardenia.  By the grace of God, this beautiful plant has survived four summers and has given it's best bloom this spring.  I wasn't taking the shots for the blog.  They're for my garden log-book and are therefore less artistic and more practical.

I'm writing this post to share, as you can see, a different set of image.  It's hard to spend any amount of time in a garden, this time of the year, without finding a special something.  It's an almost certain investment if you look hard enough.  For me, my reward was this curious insect.

The photo below is when I first noticed it.  It just hovered there almost watching over me - probably wondering what on earth I was doing.  I took the photo with the assumption that it would be my first and last chance.  Little did I know it would go on posing for me a little more, to which I happily obliged.  It was the most wonderful start to a very long day at work.

Bzzz...

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