It's that time of year once again, when the wintry landscape and wide open spaces of the UK give rise to a certain sense of agoraphobia. There was nothing for it but to seek remedy in the form of a holiday visit to a tiny little island (TLI) - a Portuguese one down near Africa, only 56km across and with a cake named after it!
It was lovely. It is lovely, with so many qualities to commend it. No riffraff, no graffiti, no chewing gum on the streets, no guns, no crime to speak of, no litter, no Harley Davidsons (and therefore no HD oiks sporting the HD ponytail/T-Shirt/tattoo(s) combo)... the list goes on and on. Of course, I've nothing against two-wheeled motorised transport, and indeed there were plenty of small bikes and scooters to be seen, as theme seem ideally suited to TLI transport needs.
As beautiful as this TLI is, I did not lose sight of the problem areas in the world, and tuned in to CNN for reminders every day about the difficulties facing places like Kosovo, Iraq, Taiwan, and of course Spain. But though it would be easy and perhaps wrong for visitors to this TLI to bury their heads in the sand against problems in the rest of the world, it is at least pleasant and even necessary to be reminded that there are still small unspoilt corners of the world which are beautiful in every sense.
