The Original Madeira Island News Blog

Source : Diário de Notícias 6/3/2008

Two house fires in Funchal in the space of a week, and one death have provoked the highlighting of the huge number of run-down … Read more

TODAYS PHOTO :  The Portuguese frigate ‘D. Fernando II e Glória’, constructed in 1843.

Source : Diário de Notícias 5/3/2008

As mentioned in a previous blog, a new set of … Read more

Source : Diário de Notícias 4/3/2008

This is probably the least news I have ever seen in the daily newspaper. Full of nothing stories about the number of car accidents … Read more

Source : Diário de Notícias 3/3/2008

Reports today that the high price of drugs on Madeira attracts more traffickers than is the trend elsewhere in Portugal. During the past year … Read more

Source : Diário de Notícias 2/3/2008

A big whinge today about the increasing number of ‘unlicensed’ mountain tour guides and levada walking guides taking the business of those who do … Read more

TODAYS PHOTO : Roof Donkeys – Thanks to Janice for the photo. There are two, one behind the other, but as there seem to be steps perhaps they made their … Read more

It’s here again, that dubious day, where those who are salaried work for nothing, those with birthdays get their four-yearly presents, and women get the chance to ask their partners … Read more

Source : Diário de Notícias 28/2/2008

In one of today’s big stories, tourists were ‘indignant’ that when visiting the miradouro (viewpoint) at Cabo Girão yesterday, the public toilets were closed, … Read more

TODAYS PHOTO : Reported today rises in ticket prices for the ‘Lobo Marinho´.

Not much of interest in today’s news, and the blog was not helped by the fact that … Read more

Source : Diário de Notícias 26/2/2008

Todays Diário is doing a survey amongst its readers asking which band they would like to see performing on Madeira in 2008. The list … Read more

TODAYS PHOTO : The first ‘Commercial Wave Farm’ in the world, in Porto. Courtesy of the BBC

Source : BBC Website 22/2/2008

An interesting article on Portugal’s attempt to be … Read more

TODAYS PHOTO : thanks to Karen! Please feel free to send in your photos

Source : Diário de Notícias 23/2/2008

One of the headline stories today is that the Government … Read more

TODAYS PHOTO : see below

Source : Diário de Notícias 22/2/2008

One leftover story from yesterday’s newspaper is as the result of the new year smoking ban on Madeira. The … Read more

Cracking day most of yesterday, and I saw around 20 people on the beach or in the sea at lunchtime.

If anyone has a Portuguese driving licence (ie, issued in … Read more

Source : Diário de Notícias 20/2/2008

In rather a timely fashion (see earlier blog), The Diário reports yesterday in one of it’s lead stories about the abandonment of dogs by … Read more

Source : Diário de Notícias 19/2/2008

The prices of processing and supplying tap water on Madeira has increased by 12.7% since last year. As councils (Câmaras) are obliged by law … Read more

TODAYS PHOTO : It’s hard to judge the height of this ‘scaffold’ from the photo, but I reckon (from a fairly clear view) it was around 25 metres, and in … Read more

TODAYS PHOTO : excuse the quality of the photo, as it was taken from about half a kilometre away, but there were 3m waves here yesterday. Weather back to normal … Read more

Now that AFPOP seems to have disappeared off the face of Madeira, there is little in the way of social events, and I regularly get messages through the website asking what … Read more

Today seems a little brighter with some blue sky on the horizon as I write, but some good 3m+ waves in the sea, most going straight over the sea defences. … Read more

I can’t really start today without talking about the grotty weather here. Aside from Thursday which was a lovely day, it’s been a hit & miss wet week, probably the … Read more

TODAYS PHOTO : Pretty or deadly? Nice flowers you may think, but the rockface in the background is the cause of a long term road closure going west out of … Read more

TODAYS PHOTO : these two dogs live on top of a two story house roof, as you can see. They are always there, night and day, have nowhere else to … Read more

What a grotty wet cold night, and today so far is much the same. Probably the coldest night I can ever remember here. Still looking out I can see plenty … Read more