A Bit Of Male Bashing

These amazing images of a zebra fighting off a lion were captured by Thomas Whetten in Ngorongoro Conservation area, Tanzania....

The lion's attempts to bag a takeaway lunch were rewarded with an almighty kick to the face. Next time, maybe he'll leave the hunting to the experts... the lionesses!

The Girl With The Violet Eyes

Elizabeth Taylor

27 February 1932 - 23 March 2011

I do think the term “Hollywood Legend” is bandied about too often these days…but I also think that today we lost a genuine one.

Some famous quotes of the great actress-philanthropist....

"If someone's dumb enough to offer me a million dollars to make a picture, I'm certainly not dumb enough to turn it down."

“Some of my best leading men have been dogs and horses.”

“I am a very committed wife. And I should be committed too – for being married so many times.”

“The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.”

“If it is not to make the world better what is money for?”

“When people say, ‘She’s got everything’, I’ve got one answer – I haven’t had tomorrow.”

Spring Has Sprung!

It's official...spring is here! And it even says so on the calendar...

The sun has been shining, the evenings are getting lighter and the bulbs are blooming.

Symbolising rebirth and new beginnings, the daffodil is virtually synonymous with spring.  Though their botanic name is Narcissus, daffodils are sometimes called jonquils, and in England, because of their long association with Lent, they’re known as the “Lent Lily.”  

Lore connecting the daffodil to not only a sign of winter’s end but a lucky emblem of future prosperity is found throughout the world. In Wales, it’s said if you spot the first daffodil of the season, your next 12 months will be filled with wealth, and Chinese legend has it that if a daffodil bulb is forced to bloom during the New Year, it will bring good luck to your home.

 A gift of daffodils is said to ensure happiness.  But always remember to present daffodils in a bunch – the same legends that associate this cheerful flower with good fortune warn us that when given as a single bloom, a daffodil can foretell misfortune.

Hope your weekends have been good!

Bad Moon Rising?

I saw a Full Moon rising tonight….a huge orange orb that seemed so big and close that I felt that I could almost reach out and touch it. Not quite though…although slightly closer than normal, it’s still over 220,000 miles from Earth! Tonight’s Moon is a “Super Moon" - the Moon appears at its biggest and brightest in almost 20 years.

There has been a lot of hype surrounding the lunar phenomenon, with some people claiming that disaster will trail in its wake. Some were warning of earthquakes and volcanoes caused by the Super Moon, weeks before the catastrophic Japanese earthquake and tsunami struck.

The Full Moon does create higher tides because of gravitational pull… however, Super Moons happen all the time. When the Moon orbits closer to Earth it is called a Perigee and when its orbit is the farthest from Earth (about 254,000 miles) it is called the Apogee. The Moon will continue to approach closer and farther, depending on where it is on the orbit around Earth. The term "Super Moon" was invented to describe the location of the orbit in proximity to Earth, which gives a slightly larger and brighter than normal appearance to the Moon.

It was definitely worth taking a look upwards… times like these I wish I had a far more sophisticated camera!

........

I see the bad moon arising.

I see trouble on the way.

I see earthquakes and lightnin'.

I see bad times today.

Don't go around tonight,

Well, it's bound to take your life,

There's a bad moon on the rise.

I hear hurricanes ablowing.

I know the end is coming soon.

I fear rivers over flowing.

I hear the voice of rage and ruin.

Hope you got your things together.

Hope you are quite prepared to die.

Looks like we're in for nasty weather.

One eye is taken for an eye.

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Made In Japan



Up until now, I haven’t posted anything about the appalling situation in Japan. I’ve felt that anything I wrote would sound clichéd and totally inadequate, given the unprecedented scale of devastation and human suffering.

It is now almost one week on from the powerful earthquake that triggered a massively destructive tsunami, and had even more frightening consequences - damage to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Turn on the TV news or open your internet news sites and you will immediately be bombarded with horrifying images of the very real dangers and terrible conditions in Japan today.

I am not going to repeat any of that here.

Instead, I would like to pay homage to the people of Japan and to remember just a few of the many wonderful things that they have given the world. Some of these things impact heavily on my daily life....


Aikido
Japan has given us several martial arts... judo, jujutsu, karate to name a few. But it’s Aikido (often translated as “the Way of unifying [with] life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit”) to which I devote 3 hours a week. I’m still a long way off even vaguely knowing the basic moves...put it this way, Steven Segal has got nothing to worry about just yet... but I’m probably fitter (if fatter) and more flexible than I’ve been since my early 20s.

Nat In Action

Digital cameras
I am a complete photo junkie and my compact Canon is possibly one of my most prized possessions... it goes wherever I go and just about every photo that I’ve uploaded to this blog has been taken by it.



Sushi
I’ve been a huge fan of Teppanyaki Barbecue since I first tried it at a fantastic Japanese restaurant in Flagstaff, the evening before I set eyes on the Grand Canyon. But more recently, I’ve become interested in sushi and had a go at making some....well, supervised B's efforts in any event.

Sushi for two

The list goes on and on... androids, the landmine-clearing robot, magnetic steel, the microprocessor, the pocket calculator, Walkman, CD players, DVDs, HDTV, the camcorder, Japanese cars, nuclear medicine, cultured pearls, origami, Zen Gardens, karaoke...OK, maybe best to just keep quiet about that last one!


It’s easy to see that the highly innovative and creative Japanese people have enriched our modern lives in so many ways.

In return, I would like to send some positive thoughts to the people of Japan today. Maybe, just maybe, it will give them the strength to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives.

At the very least, I hope that they will somehow know that the rest of the world has not forgotten them....

You may also wish to light a candle for Japan HERE

Every Dog Has His Day

Pricey Pooch photo found here

A red Tibetan Mastiff puppy has become the world's most expensive dog after being sold for the equivalent of almost £1 million... to an obscenely wealthy coal baron from the north of China. The pup's new owner reckons he'll recoup his investment in just a couple of years, as he'll be hiring the mastiff out for stud duties.

"Hong Dong" (Big Splash) will certainly want for nothing.

 

But I do wonder if he'll be as happy as these slightly more ordinary hounds....



Happy hounds snapped on the Isle of Wight, October 2010

Notes From Nat

Dear Traveller Insurance Broker

I have just one thing to say to you:

Hahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrr!

I warned you in my letter last year that I would not give up the fight until you handed over the cash you owe me after my trip to Amsterdam got cancelled...thanks to that blasted Icelandic volcano and its clingy little ash cloud. It’s taken almost a year of stroppy letters (and an intervention from the Financial Ombudsman), but now you’re finally going to have to cough up. Sure you’ll choke on every pound...

Volcanic ash cloud pic from here

.....................

Dear Census 2011 Questionnaire Writers

You guys probably know what you're doing by now..... after all, Britain has carried out a Census every decade since 1801 (except for 1941 during WWII).... but isn't the last response on Question 19 a bit redundant? Presumably, if you can read the answer box which says "Not at all", you should not tick it?

 I’m just saying....

.....................

Dear Overly Friendly, Strange Cat

You know I love cats... well, apart from those little f*ckers that keep crapping in my flower beds! And yes, you are ever so cute and friendly, coming over to keep me company whilst I'm trying to restore some semblance of order to that Weed Fest masquerading as my garden. The problem is, it's just a tad difficult to make any progress with the weed clearing with you squirming your way around my legs, rubbing up against my back, lolling and rolling on top of the weeds and trying to catch my hand every time I get a grip on one of the little suckers. And all this whilst purring loudly and appreciatively the whole time. Might I suggest you invest in one of those rope covered scratching posts for your personal entertainment, so that I can get some flippin' work done!

Yours truly
Nat

It's All About Nat

A few weeks back… when I’d fallen off the blogosphere for a while… the lovely, talented Colette over at Simply Colette gave me not one but two blog awards.

Apologies for the long delay in keeping up my side of the bargain, Colette, but as the old saying goes “Better late than never!” (except perhaps in the case of Charlie Sheen’s comeback, which is better never than….)

So, first up is....

Here are the rules...
1. Link the person who awarded you! Check.
2. Post seven random facts about yourself. OK, I’m pretty random in general, so see below…
3. Pass this award along to 15 other bloggers (only if you wish)! I'm going to copy Colette on this one and award both to the same bloggers....so check out the list below award number 2!

7 Random Facts About Nat

1. I have a ridiculous memory… I can remember minute details like exactly what I was doing, what I wore and what I ate on Day X, and I have very clear memories from my early childhood. When it comes to books and films, though, I can watch or read them ten times over and they seem new each time.

2. I’ve met Lewis Hamilton (2008 Formula One World Champion) – at his book signing in 2007….he was very friendly and chatty, and seemed like a genuinely nice guy.

3. If I could live anywhere in the world, I’d like to live near the ocean, and walk on the beach at sunrise and sunset every day.

4. I was so painfully shy as a child that I refused point blank to talk to anyone for the first few months of school. My teacher warned my parents that I would never get far academically.

5. Somehow, I managed to graduate from university with my PhD in Pharmacology…some people think that means I know a lot about farming. Actually, I know very little about a few drugs (not the recreational ones!).
6. My favourite colour is red…. cherry, burgundy, crimson, amaranth (ha! new one!)...all shades just as long as it's red.
7. I’ve mentioned many times my arachnophobia (plus a great dislike of anything else that crawls, flaps and buzzes) and my morbid fear of flying. But I also have a slightly irrational fear of birds flying in front of the car when I’m driving… I worry they will go splat! across the windshield, and I can’t stop myself ducking behind the steering wheel every time one flies in front of me.



.........................................................

And secondly...

What the Award entails:

"Pass on the award to 8-12 fabulous blogs who take your breath away with how they inspire you! Post on your page who you are giving the award to, so others can visit them as well. Make sure to let them know you are honouring them! If you are a recipient of the award, please take the time to answer these questions, so we can get to know more about you!"

1. What inspires you?
To write? A piece of music, an evocative scent, a newspaper headline, a shaft of sunlight breaking through the trees as I walk through the forest…. anything can trigger a memory or provide inspiration. It can hit when I’m least expecting it.

2. What is your favourite season and why?
It’s definitely spring... this is the sunniest season in the UK and although not yet very warm, it does not have the awful humidity of summer. I love the snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils in bloom, followed by the carpets of bluebells, the cherry blossom and the budding trees. The promise of new life, the lambs on the farms….the expectation of a long hot summer that sadly never seems to materialise.

3. What are you most looking forward to this year?
Getting back to normal life after a couple of years of constant worry, the chance to travel and spend time with family and friends living far away.

4. If you could write a book about anything, what would you write about?
I’d like to write a travel comedy…but I need to travel a lot more before then, and become funny (as in funny ha ha, not funny peculiar!)

5. What is your greatest passion?

Travelling and capturing my travels in photographs… I wish I could spend more of my life doing so, but sadly there are bills to pay.

6. If you could change one thing about your life or yourself what would it be and why?

Greater self-confidence. In so many ways, I am still that painfully shy child inside a grown-up’s body.

7. Lastly, what is your favourite novel?
As I mentioned earlier, I have almost zero capacity for retaining information about most of the books that I read. One novel that has stuck in my mind though is “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini… this book really moved me and will probably haunt me forever.

OK, that's more than enough about me. Now I’d like to pass this award onto the following inspiring bloggers….

Archie and His Family

Being Brazen
Bossy Betty
come sit by my fire
Eloise In NY

From Chaos Comes Happiness

Meowlissa The Domesticated
Patrick Tillett
The Vegetable Assassin
Verbal Diarrhoea
Wandering Saffa Chick

I’d also like to pass the award onto some photography and travel bloggers that I admire greatly... they may not want to take part in a personal writing post, but I still want them to get the recognition they deserve...

Alan's Photo Blog

Life Is A Road Trip
Message In A Milk Bottle

Postcards From Malaysia

Sleepless in Gainesville

transient travels

The Retirement Chronicles

By the bye, I've been taking part in the Free Photo Competition hosted monthly by Joan at The Retirement Chronicles.... you should really have a look at all the entries for January and February.

Pancakes For Supper!

To celebrate Shrove Tuesday, we had savoury pancakes for supper... given my rather shoddy culinary skills and half-arsed excuse of a stove, I worried the evening may end in tears, house fires, divorce and some hungry bellies, but it was a surprisingly successful cookathon!

I made curried mince filling (you can use lamb or beef) but you could try any other savoury filling, like cheese, tuna, cajun chicken, whatever takes your fancy.

I cheated a little, using a batter mix from a well known British supermarket... just have to add one egg and 250 mL water.

Best served with Mrs Balls' chutney... one of South Africa's greatest exports, luckily easily available in most British supermarkets.

Are you having pancakes today?

Mind Your Head!

This past weekend, I was up in Yorkshire, and had the chance to visit the White Scar Cave, part of a network of caves under Ingleborough hill in the Chapel-le-Dale valley of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Discovered in August, 1923 by two amateur geologists, Christopher Long and J.H. Churchill, White Scar Cave is the longest show cave in Britain. Visitors to the caves walk through an artificially enlarged fissure to meet a natural stream passage - containing underground waterfalls, stalactites, stalagmites, flowstones and other natural limestone formations.

Underground waterfall

Copper deposits

Limestone formations

The curious cave formations include the Devil's Tongue....

The Witch's Fingers.....

The Squeeze.... the narrowest part of the cave...

Not to mention this....er... rather phallic symbol....

The tour culminates in the impressive Battlefield Cavern, which is a huge boulder-strewn cavern that was formed by glacial flood waters during the last Ice Age, and is decorated with thousands of straw stalactites. Battlefield Cavern is one of the largest known caverns in Britain with a length of over 330 feet (100 metres) and a roof soaring in places to 100 feet (30 metres).

Unfortunately, photography is no longer permitted in the Battlefield Cavern, so I don’t have any of my own photographs to show, but here is someone else’s...

Photo of Battlefield Cavern from here

We were kitted out in flattering (not!) red hardhats... a very necessary accessory I discovered, as I must have hit my head at least 20 times on the low sections of the cave... places where it became necessary to explore Evolution In Reverse (walking like a gorilla!).
 
The low roof was not such a problem for this little visitor...

 
Hope you all had interesting weekends!