2024

We must have been forty miles away when David Godfrey yelled out, "Land ahoy!". He had been up on deck finishing "The Stud". Fortunately, the storm of the previous eighteen hours had abated. Once again, the sky was as blue as a robin's egg and the ocean was like a lightly ruffled tablecloth.

"Where? Where?" I cried, scanning the ocean's rim. And then I saw it - a tiny smudge on the horizon and even as I stared, the smudge seemed to grow bigger. Other bloggers were by now clustering on deck, all hoping to catch their first sightings of our faraway destination. Bruce and Keith squabbled like Statler and Waldorf in "The Muppets"

Hours passed before I snapped the picture at the top of this blogpost. An albatross wheels expertly on the ocean breeze as Queen Mary's Peak rises from the ocean to a height of 6,760 feet. Essentially, that's what Tristan is - a massive volcano rising up from the bed of the ocean and still active, still growing. Up there on that peak there is a crater lake in the shape of a heart - a message of peace and love to the rest of the world. Lord knows we need that as we stand on the precipitous edge of 2025:-

It seemed to take forever for "The Jolly Puffin" to reach the island's tiny wharf. When the ship was finally tied up securely, we disembarked and made our way up to Prince Philip's Hall to be processed. The island council requires all visitors to be properly registered. By the way, the entire council was there to greet us. Hosting "The Laughing Horse Blogging Awards" is one of the biggest events Tristan has ever known. I shook hands with them all and spent time talking to the chief islander - James Glass - middle of the back row in my photograph. On behalf of Laughing Horse, I thanked him profusely for his kind hospitality.

Below, Dave Northsider posts a letter home to his family in West Cork, Ireland. This is the only postbox on Tristan da Cunha. Please notice how stylishly Dave is dressed. Beige cardigans are all the rage right now...

We were all having a walk around Edinburgh of the Seven Seas and chatting with the friendly locals who came out to meet us. I wanted to check out St Joseph's Church and to make sure that everything is ready for tonight's ceremony. Mary and Jennifer came up there with me - their arms interlinked in friendship. We noticed JayCee and Peregrine heading off towards the site of the 1960s eruption with jetblack lava flows now cooled into lethal jagged rocks.

 This is the flag of Tristan da Cunha:-

The strange creatures to the left and right of the coat of arms are spiny lobsters which are an important source of revenue for the island. James Glass assured me that they will be on our New Year's Eve dinner menu. The flag's scrolled slogan reads: "Our Faith Is Our Strength".

I snapped this picture when heading up to St Joseph's Church as Mary and Jennifer lagged behind both wheezing like rusty bellows in a blacksmith's shop.

This is the church's interior:-

Frankly, I am surprised that the island council didn't glitz it up for us but it will just have to do. You can't have everything.

The island council arranged for all "Laughing Horse" visitors to lodge with local Tristanians as there are no hotels on the island. I am with the Swain family just a hop and skip from the catholic church. Monica aka "Dawn Treader" is in the next room.

The visitors who arrived by sea from Cape Town dropped off their bags and walked half a mile to the allotment area. It is called Potato Patch and every household has an allotment there where potatoes and plenty of other vegetables are grown. The volcanic soil is rich and fertile and  there are no slugs whatsoever. Dave Northsider's eyes were popping out of their sockets.

As we were being shown round, we heard the unmistakable humming of an aeroplane. We looked up and soon there it was - dressed in its R.A.F . livery - an Atlas transporter aircraft. But what was it doing here? After all, there's no airstrip on Tristan.

And then all became clear. The cargo hold door dropped open and out jumped twenty or more parachutists. Chute cords were pulled and they drifted down to the ground like dandelion seeds. Who were they? Was it an invasion? Perhaps they were Argentinians.

Soon all became clear.

Just outside the walls of Potato Patch and twenty yards from me, one easily recognisable bloke landed on his back like a sack of spuds with a great"Oomph!". It was Cro Magnon of "Magnon's Meanderings". Before I could reach him another blogger landed on top of him with her legs akimbo. She was laughing with delight and it was none other than Meike Riley, author of "From My Mental Library".

"Have I died and gone to heaven?" beamed Magnon.

There was Ellen D from Illinois and Bob Slatten from South Carolina, John Gray (The Legend), Thelma Wilcox  of "North Stoke" fame and who was that over there by the rhubarb enclosure? Why none other than Yorkshire's own Tasker Dunham! Given his ongoing health challenges I was astonished to clap eyes on him. I ran over to shake his hand and disentangle him from the parachute cords. Of course we did not hug.

"Dr Dunham I presume!" I said.

"I told you I'd make it!" he grinned.

Photo  © Steve Reed 2024

It was at that moment that the Atlas flew past again, disgorging three Australians - Andrew de Melbourne, Kylie Tai and Elsie Rivers. They drifted to earth holding an Australian flag between them before landing in the chocolately brown quagmire where cattle assemble for their feed supplements. Urrrgh!

Other bloggers who bravely parachuted in were Jenny from "Procrastinating Donkey", Addy from west London, Ed from Iowa and author of "Riverbend Journal" and all the way from The Isle of Lewis in Scotland - Graham Edwards. Plus Michael from Virginia, Bob Brague from Canton, Georgia and Donna from the suburbs of Denver, Kelly, Margaret, Deb, Diaday, Marvellous Marcellous and Debby and of course Christina from Blackburn, Lancashire. I am sure I have missed a few.

Around six o'clock we gathered in Prince Philip's Hall for a dinner that did indeed include spiny lobsters and fresh vegetables from Potato Patch. Alcoholic beverages were purchased at The Albatross Bar and we mingled happily with the Tristanians before heading up to St Joseph's Church in a conga chain, laughing and stumbling and shrieking. Such merry japes!

As 2024 ebbed away into the starry South Atlantic night, we were entertained by local rock band The Spiny Lobsters before the audience of bloggers, blog visitors and islanders was hushed. It was time to announce the three special category winners of  "Commended" awards:- 

1. BEST NEWCOMER - Well not really a newcomer at all but new to The Laughing Horse Awards Committee.  She has been blogging out of Berkshire, England since early 2009 at least. Her blog is varied, kindly, intelligent, usually upbeat and often witty. She receives comments and provides replies with brightness and good manners. You might say that it is at heart a domestic blog because it brings in her family members, including her pets. And the winner is... Janice Jabblog for "Jabblog" Now  entitled to copy and paste this exclusive 2024 widget into her blog:-

2. BEST SCANDINAVIAN BLOGGER - This special award goes to Monica Dawn-Treader for "Beyond The Lone Islands". Monica has been blogging away from southern Sweden for the past fourteen years - not in Swedish but in her second language - English in which she is  surprisingly competent.  Her blog is honest and thoughtful - often giving interesting insight into her town and Swedish life in general.  There are many helpful photo-illustrations. She remembers and she looks forward with humility, glad to be alive. This award has been won ahead of stiff competition from Finland, Norway and Denmark .  Monica is now  entitled to copy and paste this exclusive 2024 widget into her blog:-

3.  BEST BLOGGER IN ADVERSITY Casual visitors to "A Yorkshire Memoir" may not realise that the owner of this blog, Tasker Dunham, has been battling lung cancer for many months now. He doesn't like to bang on about the serious effects of the condition and associated treatment and medication but it is always there in the background. It is frankly amazing and testament to his stubborn resilience that he keeps up with other blogs and on a pretty regular basis continues to publish or republish  fascinating and varied blogposts. We applaud and praise him for his ongoing contributions to blogging.  Tasker is now  entitled to copy and paste this exclusive 2024 widget into his blog:-

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Time has run away like sand in an hour glass. Midnight bells are chiming across the wide Atlantic as 2024 passes the baton of human existence to a brand new year - a clean slate - 2025. The overall winner of the "Blogger of the Year" award will be announced tomorrow. From Tristan da Cunha  it's over and out for now, wishing you.... 

A Happy New Year!