Eyjafallajoekull!

Seriously, that's the name of that troublesome volcano?  I thought that it was someone randomly hitting their computer keys.  Like, "Anyone fancy going to Uhfsdfhskijj this weekend to do a little zdscvkjshuv?".

I appreciate that we have been relatively untroubled by the recent eruptions in Iceland and that our friends and family back home were probably directly affected, no doubt annoyingly so.  The news coverage here of the volcanic ash/no fly zone debacle was of surprised disbelief and focussed mainly on tragic all American families separated by the ban (wholesome mom and dad stuck in dangerously liberal Amsterdam whilst their 12 children pine at home*). 

The ban was also deeply worrying to our local priest, the wicked excellent Father Dan of St Joseph's.  Father Dan used to (I think) have his own TV show and now does skits, sorry, sermons, for Catholic TV (some recent crowd-pleasers here and here).  He is a brilliant showbiz priest, the kind of cleric Father Ted really would have wanted to be.  Father Dan is teeny-tiny and has tremendous hair and a big personality.  On Sundays he wears a roving mike and descends into the congregation to give his homilies that generally focus on some amusing anecdote from his week. 

Last week Father Dan rushed up to us before mass and gasped "Oh my goodness, you aren't planning to go home soon are you?".  We reassured him no, we would be here for a while longer.  It transpired Father Dan has a vacation (to Las Vegas!) planned in early May and that his companion (Petula Clark!) would be flying over from the UK and so he was worried he may have to spend his time in Sin City alone.  I am sure he could have made some pocket money marrying people if he found himself with time on his hands, but clearly he's called in some favours upstairs and happily the ban has been lifted.  So there you go, friends and family back home, you can thank Father Dan and Petula Clark for getting the skies going again.

*As the Tea Party faithful declare on their placards: "Liberalism is a Mental Disorder".  So, if Clegg & Co. get into office (wouldn't that be great? please vote LibDem!), Americans will think that the British are mentally defective!