A grand day out

Mid-morning, Ailsa took me out for a drive around the northern part of East Falkland. Last time I did this (with Chris in 1980/81) there were no roads, just tracks across the land, over grass, rocks, bog - but after the 'conflict' (Falklands War) new gravel roads were built making most journeys much quicker. We visited three settlements - Johnsons Harbour, Port Louis and Green Patch, and called in to see some of Ailsa's friends in all three. To an outsider their lives seem incredibly hard and I don't think I could cope as well as they do, even though I would love to live down here. But the sense of community is great and they all help each other when help is needed. I had forgotten just how remote the Falklands are. Imagine something in your house breaking down and having to order a new part from the UK which then has to come down by ship. Everyone is resourceful here - old things are kept for spares and nothing is wasted. It is a truly green society. In the UK we just chuck things away and trot along to the shops to buy a new one. What a horribly wasteful way to live.
This is a photo of Estancia - the lovely cosy house is centre right and the big green shearing shed is centre left. In the foreground and background is the pasture for their sheep and cows and you can see in the distance the peat banks for their fuel. The tidal water beside the farm is actually 23 miles from the open sea.
We're off to the bright lights of Stanley tomorrow ... how will I cope?!