The Queen Vic

I thought this was an amazing view of one of the world's largest liners - possibly the world's largest liner, I don't know, I'm not too up on things nautical - just outside my front room window.  I guess I'm pretty privileged with this view, although I'm not in a luxury flat but in one of the early shared ownership developments.

It's one of the joys of living in Gibraltar.  Such a small place, perhaps insignificant in many ways.  No G8 or G10, or however many there are, summits here I don't imagine.  No World Cup, few if any history-shattering events.  But the sun shines for most of the year.  The people that live here tend to be genuinely friendly, caring people.  Children can play outdoors pretty safely and the elderly tend to have family around them.  You don't have to pay for health care if you can't afford it, and a trip to the beach is only a walk away.

I may point out the flaws, and if I do so, it's because I want things to get better.  Gibraltarians deserve the best.  There's probably more talent, more skills, more facilities and more heart per square metre crammed onto this small mountain than anywhere else in Europe.  And that's why I feel rather more privileged than the fortunate few who can afford to lumber the ocean on a glorified tub, consuming resources and squandering money that might be better spent feeding a small African village for a few months than on sun oil and sea-sickness tablets.

So cheers to the Queen Vic for knocking home a few truths for me!