As we start the international year of the dolphin, it's worth pausing to acknowledge a very sad milestone in our history. Last month, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society reported the loss of the baiji, or Yangtze River dolphin. This was the first recorded extinction of a cetacean species to be caused by human activity. As the website says:

Back in my home town, they say "It's not a small world, it's just a big Minehead." That's exactly how I felt today when I received a comment on this website website to a post I had left from Gary Young who I met whilst surfing at a famous North Devon secret spot just before New Year (see his picture opposite). Not only that, but a reminder to send him a particular link. The world is getting ever smaller with the internet. Blogging and forums are only facilitating that development.