Spammers and scammers

I received this email recently and thought it might be fun to tear it to shreds correct it.

Of course, it is low-hanging fruit, badly composed, badly written and an obvious scam, which leads me to believe that the sender(s) are amateurs and probably the kind of chaps who sit in internet cafés in small African towns, churning them out daily. And yes, such people do exist.

The link in the email is to a compromised website that has a fake Apple sign in screen, if you hover the mouse over it you can see that it is not https://appleid.apple.com. I have frequently said that emails from institutions requesting you login to an account should not contain such links, you should always be required to type the address in a new tab but that's just a bee in my personal infosec bonnet.

So here is the email as seen in my spam folder:

This is an automated email, please do not reply
Dear Customer  *Would use your Apple ID and normal font  For your protetion protection, your Apple ID has been automatically disabled. we We have detected unauthorized login Attempts attempts to your Apple lD from other unusual IP addresses and/or locations,. Please verify your ldentity identity.  *spacing  today or otherwise your account will be remain disabled due to concerns we have for the  in order to maintain the safety and lntegrity integrity of the Apple Comunity community. *insert line What To Do Next: we recommend that you Verify And Update You are required to confirm your  billing information  Apple ID credentials to proof prove the ID is yours, the account belongs to you.  *insert line From Apple Support.  *insert line Click here to unlock   Click here to reactivate your Apple ID *insert line Note : If this mail is on your spam in your spam folder please mark it as not-spam. its help us for better information for you  *nonsense And if you can not If you are unable to clik click on the link please go to apple-id.service-termpolicy.com *does not exist
Thanks for choosing Apple, *wrong font
© 2017 Apple. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2017 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Email ID: 163327

Back to nature...

The Ragazza had been staying with me for a week and we'd done the beach, swimming near the pink castle and lunch at Trégastel, and we'd visited the Valley of the Saints, and so a return visit to the zoo at Trégomeur seemed like a good option for a sunny but not-too-hot morning.

We've been before but the zoo has new residents and we like to revisit those we've seen before, and it's such a nice, relaxing and interesting place in which to hang out that we keep returning.

The zoo has an Asian theme for its flora and fauna, so there is a lot of bamboo, including this black variety which I have not seen before. I have bamboo in the top part of my garden, I had thought it might be too invasive and I would remove much of it but now I am re-thinking that and wondering ig I might cut and mould it to create hidden areas...  
 

 
Perhaps even my own mini version of the zoo's Eastern atmosphere...

Interestingly, I recently passed a large out-of-town store along the N12 that sells large statues of Buddha and some of the Hindu deities. If I could just recall where precisely it is...

I was at dinner with friends last night and we got to talking about religions and Ganesha was discussed because, whilst not being a follower of any particular faiths or creeds, I am spiritual and I do like to adopt aspects of many of the world's religions and this guy is one that I like.

He's a remover of obstacles, patron of the arts and sciences and the deva of intellect and wisdom.
I especially like to have obstacles sorted for me.

But what of the animals, you may be wondering?
Well, the albino porcupine was a tad tricky for one young father to explain to his toddler.
'Sans couleur?' I suggested, and that seemed to the point.

They'd just been given a lunch of pellets and were happily munching away so we were able to observe them at close quarters. Their ears are very human-like and they hold their lunch between their paws in the same way that Tashi holds a chewie.

The young camel seems to think he's part of the herd of wild horses that share his paddock.

We discussed whether we could train a wild horse. The sign on the fence stated that they are not able to be but we think it could be done, given time and patience and some Horse Whisperer skills.

They remind me of the horses on the walls of the caves at Lascaux.

The zoo is in a valley, that leads to some pretty vistas as you walk around.

And the streams that flow through add to the sense of serenity, as well as providing natural boundaries for some of the animals.

I think these would look good in my garden and I know just the place for them.

This stork was, I think, on guard duty. The rest of the flock were dozing, large beaks tucked into their backs, feathers like duvets covering their heads, snoring softly. Well, that's poetic licence, I didn't actually hear any snoring.

I thought that the ants were a new addition. The Ragazza thought otherwise. Regardless, I'd never seen them before, ants make me itchy, and twitchy, I'm not a great fan of Formicidae, not since a swarm of them flew into my house in England one hot summer day. And these look like ants in wasps' clothing.

A little plug
Palm oil is a problem

The zoo does a good job of educating people about ecology, conservation, endangered species.
It makes for tough reading sometimes but it does not good to remain ignorant.
N'est-ce pas?

 

Good Intentions...

I had thought that I'd write more blog posts now that I am back in Brittany...
And that I'd be working on my novels...
And that TEFL course that needs to be completed by the end of September...
And so much more I had thought that I would have achieved by now.

It's  not that I am procrastinating, or that I am idling away my days, or that the will is not there.
It's that it is summer and I am in Brittany and there is the coast to the north with the beaches and the islands and the boat trips and I have been kayaking and that was an adventure and a half, and there is the countryside all around with the lakes and the gorges and wonderful walking with the dog, and there are exhibitions and events to attend, and there are old towns and villages to explore, and there are evenings spent with friends and lunches measured in gloriously slow, lazy hours and...

This week I've had The Ragazza here.
In ten days time an old friend from England is coming for a week of exploring and adventuring and hanging out.

But September brings La Rentrée when we all put away our buckets and spades, our beach umbrellas and our snorkels and we return to the serious business of study or work, and I like that feeling of starting on new ventures and taking up new opportunities. So while my own rentrée may be delayed until my friend leaves, but once I have safely delivered her back to the ferry there will then be a change of pace and of purpose for me.

But until then,  the sun is shining on the courtyard from a Breton-blue sky and the birds are singing and the adventures are calling and I so want to do it all while I still have the days in which to do it.
Because we never know when those days will run out
N'est-ce pas?  

Swimming with the tide...

Thursday dawned clear and sunny. 

After a couple of days of cold, very cold for August, temperatures and torrential rain, it would have been foolish of me not to have packed my bag and headed for the coast.

We arrived early, Tashi and I, and were surprised to see a high tide. I don't think we've ever been to that particular beach when the castle has been sitting on an island, it was quite strange, even though I have a large photographic print of just that scene, I had never seen it in the flesh, as it were.

There were several people on the beach, stripping off and preparing to plunge into the sea.

It was chilly, still only just past nine o'clock and with a stiff breeze blowing off the water. 

I hesitated. For a few seconds. And then, with Tashi safely in the car that was parked right by the beach, I stripped off and followed them.   

I didn't swim out to the castle.
I haven't really done much sea swimming for, oh, fifty years, not since my family lived on the Rock of Gibraltar and we swam in Rosia Bay, I've mostly done lengths in a chlorinated pool or splashed about with The Ragazzi as I taught them to swim, so I'm out of practice.

The waves lapped against my face, the retreating tide pulled me out to sea, I caught a knee on a submerged rock and it was cold, very cold.

But, I reminded myself, not as cold as that ice hole in the frozen Finnish lake that I keep saying I'll jump into one of these winters. And it was fun to be bobbing about in the sea on a Thursday morning when I could have been sitting at a desk in a corporate cage.

And there was a lovely feeling of companionship with the other swimmers.
Especially the large brown dog that joined me. No, I told her embarrassed owner who was standing on the beach, I didn't mind having her doggy paddle alongside me.

And then, grinning like a kid, I sat on the sand wearing a jacket on top of my wet costume and with a towel wrapped around my goosebumpy legs, and sipped coffee from my thermos flask, and thought that life can be wonderful.

Several hours, a shopping trip to Ploumanac'h and lunch in Trégastel later, the tide was low and Tashi and I were able to walk towards the castle.

Do you remember that place among the rocks where at low tide there appeared to be a perfect little swimming place? When I first found it I decided to return to check it out when I had my swimsuit and towel with me so...

 

Tashi was able to stand on the sand right nearby and bark without disturbing the snoozing sunbathers way back on the beach, and I was able to walk a few steps and then plunge into a channel that was deep enough for me to swim and calm and warm enough for it to be a pure pleasure.

I floated, I dipped and dived, I splashed and I swam.
And then we padded back towards the car, clambering over rocks and wading through rock pools and slopping over muddy channels, and dripping wet from my swim, to lie on the beach and let the sun dry me.

.

Castel Meur - Plougrescant...

I really wanted to call this post 'Between a Rock and a Hard Place' but that would have been corny and so predictable and it must have been used thousands of times already in relation to this place:

It's called Castel Meur and it is famous for having been built between two huge blocks of granite.  Of course, back in 1861 there were no restrictions on where people could construct a house, though it must have taken either a lot of courage or a large measure of stupidity to build your home with its back to the sea and at the mercy of the storms that batter this coast.

Perhaps the first owner knew that one day his home would be famous.

During the years since his death it has stood empty, served as a second home and then came into the possession of his grand-daughter, although I don't see how the numbers add up, if he built it in 1861 he would have to have been born almost two hundred years ago but who knows?

The new owner returned from America in 2004. I'm not sure if she lives there full-time but when I went there were cars outside and the front door was open so someone was in residence. It seems that the lady was not happy with the house's notoriety, and when a coachload of Japanese tourists stole some of the roof tiles as souvenirs it was the last straw, and she had a wall built to encircle the house and land, and banned the use of pictures for commercial gain, which put an end to the previously popular postcards of Castel Meur.

 

It's not just Castel Meur's owner who is protected in these parts, the rocks and pebbles are where the rare plover chooses to nest and to lay one or two eggs each spring.

Just as along the Sentier des Douaniers, walkers here are restricted to wire-lined paths along the sea and steered away from the flora and fauna. The result is that the area is incredibly beautiful, a real wild rock garden.

Visitors are also forbidden by law to take the pebbles from the beach.
In fact they're banned from the area of the beach where the pebbles occur lest they disturb the plovers.

Someone seems not to have heeded the warning notices...
this pebble was the size of my hand, beautifully blue and speckled, like a bird's egg.

 

I wished I'd taken a bag for rubbish.
There were a few bits of paper, tissues, plastic bags and cigarette ends on the paths and they offended me. I'm not averse to clearing up after other people and I do usually carry a bag for such purposes and a hand gel to protect myself from the germs - a hangover from chemotherapy days - but this time I was not well equipped.

Next time though...
When the tourists have left and I can return to enjoy a more solitary, less sociable morning.

   

I couldn't quite decide if the novelty of the house's location and the beauty of the shoreline would provide adequate compensation for the disruption caused by the tourists who flock to this spot.
Even an abundant supply of pine cones may not be quite enough. Have I ever told you that I love to collect pine cones? Don't even wonder why, I am just a human squirrel!

 

Maybe the wild fennel growing among the rocks  would help?
Fennel and freshly caught fish for supper...

and then a glass of chilled white wine as I admire the sunset and look for dolphins and whales in the granite rocks.

Please tell me you can see the baby whale?

I think that I proved how smooth a driver I am that day.

As I pulled into a car park at the restaurant for lunch someone tapped on my window and waved my fitness bracelet at me, seems it had been on the roof of my car since I'd left the car park by Castel Meur, some three miles away. Sadly those extra miles had not been added to my mileage total.

The House Rules

Last night friends came here, ostensibly for a belated birthday celebration, but really just to hang out, to eat and drink, to chat, catch up on each other's news, have fun.

And we did, until certain people kicked off.

This little guy went off to bed early.

He probably had the right idea.

I should have joined him. 

     

Suffice to say I was not impressed, but last night I was polite and restrained.

And today I decided to stay home, to have a quiet day with just my dog for company. 

We mooched around.

I cleaned the dining room, polished the table with bees wax, was pleased with the shine... 

Admired the flowers that one friend had brought from her garden and smiled at the perfect colour coordination, considered sketching them...

And I waited for the apologies that I thought would be forthcoming.

There were to be none.

Now this bothers me a bit. 

Maybe it shouldn't, and I am learning not to let myself be affected by the moods of those around me, not to be a sponge for their complaints or a magnifying glass for their negativity, and I do think I am getting better at not feeling responsible for everyone else.

But I do expect that friends who come to my home will act with respect and consideration.

Perhaps I should email those concerned a copy of this with a polite request that they read it and respect the house rules?

and dog makes twenty..

That's how it feels sometimes, living with Tashi.

They say that owners and dogs become more and more alike with the passing years, and there may well be truth in that because my own started out as a confident enough puppy and has become, during the last nine years back in England, almost neurotic.

Frustrating at first, especially as I like to have adventures and I enjoy the company of my dog as I am out exploring, until it occurred to me to watch my dog's moods and see if they matched my own. And of course they did. It was an eye-opening experience.

When I was relaxed and happy Tashi was playful, he would bring me his toy to throw and we'd indulge in gentle games of tug of war over it, or he'd fight an imaginary bear on the rug, rolling and growling and looking to see if I was amused by his antics.

When I was sad he would sit at my feet and sigh deeply.

And when I was stressed and anxious and fearful my poor pup was a nervous wreck.

I daresay, on reflection, I shouldn't be surprised by his mirroring my moods. He is a dog. He depends on me. He has no way of knowing what is happening around him and takes his cues from me. Ergo, I am afraid, Tashi is afraid. And there had been much to be afraid of during those nine years.

But now we're back in Brittany.
We're in our own home where we please ourselves, where we are safe, where we can close the shutters and keep the world and its ogres at bay. When we need to.
And when we want playmates there are plenty and most of them are pretty crazy people.
And when we feel like an adventure, well, we are in Brittany.

It's time to teach my dog to relax and stop worrying.
Physician heal thyself...
 
So while we are both a work in progress I am adapting the adventures to be more Timid Tashi friendly. For instance, I love the beach. I especially love the beach between Trégastel and Plouman'ach, la plage de Tourony, because it is from there that I can, at low tide, walk to the pink castle and at high tide it's safe and pleasant for swimming. And, more to the point, dogs are permitted.

So far, so good.
Except that Tashi is afraid of the sea. And he is terrified when I swim in it. To his canine consciousness I am probably being devoured by this large, mass of water that persists in licking at his paws before retreating to gain strength for another attack.

The last time we were there I took him on several gentle walks into the sea while reassuring him that all was well and we wouldn't lose our toes to the Salt Monster. Eventually he relaxed a little. But not enough for me to risk a swim, and that was frustrating.

So, I have a Grand Plan.
We go to the beach at low tide, we walk all the way to the castle and there, among the rocks, we find this spot where a few paces into the water there is a drop of some six feet, thereby providing a natural swimming pool for me and a safe (and more importantly very close) place for Tashi on which to stand guard. And if he feels the need to bark a little at first, well, we'll be far enough out not to be a
nuisance to other people.

Of course, this means checking not only the weather but also the tides.
And Saturday looks like it could be ideal. Low tide at midday and sunshine is forecast.
So, watch this space....