The December 2021 Night Sky
Welcome to the December night sky. The dark cold nights of this month are ideal for observing the many meteor showers we have in December. I am aware of at
The November 2021 Night Sky
Welcome to the November night sky. Now with the end of summertime and the clocks going back, the long dark and cool nights of autumn are truly here. As the
The October 2021 Night Sky
Welcome to the October night sky. Shortly after sunset over in the west, a bright star-like object will be seen – this is planet Venus. On the 29th of the
Would your home survive a rural fire?
Around four years ago, I had the privilege of accompanying Val Charlton, Managing Director of Landworks NPC, an expert on rural fires and Firewise Communities in South Africa, on a
The September 2021 Night Sky
Welcome to the September night sky. Now that the long hot nights of summer are coming to an end, we are approaching the autumn in the northern hemisphere, with the
Weather extremes – from fires to floods
This week marks exactly three years since the start of the Monchique fire, which burned for seven days consuming over 27,000 hectares of land, spreading to the neighbouring municipalities of
The August 2021 Night Sky
Welcome to the August night sky. This is one of the best months of the year for night sky-watching as we have warm nights and noticeably more hours of darkness
Illicit firearms trafficking
Being on the south west corning of Europe, Portugal is a landing point for the importation of drugs from South America (mainly cocaine) as well as countries such as Morocco
The July 2021 Night Sky
Welcome to the July night sky. This is the month in the northern hemisphere of long hot days and dark starry nights. Now looking towards the south, just after sunset,
“Combat is not a solution to fires – prevention is”
These are not my words but those of Brigadier General Duarte da Costa, President of ANEPC (National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority), during a recent interview. I could not agree