|
 by John Clare
Prehistoric Portugal
Sorry the way things are
going at the moment. The world seems to be against us in every respect.
We've had the wettest winter on record here in the Algarve, with about
a metre of rain in five months. We'd normally only get that in 18
months in London. Here, it's about two and half years' supply. It's
crazy. My next door neighbour's drive is impassable. Most of the top
end of the drive is piled up at the bottom end. And the banks of the
river that runs through my garden have now collapsed in no less than
three places, and one of those collapses has taken a large chunk of
rockery with it.
On a recent trip into Spain I found towns with a similar problem, and
obviously the snow-ploughs had been out shifting walls of mud off the
roads. At one place we visited the mud was piled four feet high down
both sides of the road.
So, after four months of being rained to death, then my recording work
stopped by high altitude volcanic debris, followed by a lightning
strike that turned my router into a real solid state, and putting my
website service out of action, plus three sections of wall supporting
river banks collapsing, I was already in a nervous state when the giant
rat appeared.
It was a metre long! I swear I gave up the drug taking years ago, and I
hadn't just got back from the pub. This rat had a rope-like tail about
18 inches long, curved up at the end. The rest of the body and head was
maybe a bit longer than the tail, but not much. It looked like a rat
and moved like a rat. If it was a rat then, quite frankly, I quit.
I've had something like a cross between a small polar bear and a badger
on my verandah. Straight bushy tail, shortish front legs, rather sweet
face. Somebody told me what that was, but I've forgotten. And, some
time back, we had a most unusual beast trot in front of us. It had a
face like a cat, and a body like a very small brontosaurus. That beast
was almost a metre long.
The outback is certainly varied in this part of the world, and I knew
Portugal was a bit backward in parts, but even I didn't think we still
lived in the Jurassic time zone. What was this modern day brontosaurus?
And was that other thing really a giant rat? If it was, then all I can
say is, we've got to stick together on this. Dont leave me in the front
line!
On the other hand I have just inherited a new arrival. Quite why a
white horse gives birth to a black foal I'm not sure, but there it is,
barely standing above the level of the long grass. Perhaps mother will
spearhead the fight against the giant rats, who knows?
john
|
