Ozzy Osprey went fishing this morning and got first prize. “Pardon my butt view whilst I gobble down my sushi breakfast.” It certainly wasn’t Mr. Bass’s lucky Monday.
The fish looks almost as big as he is, but Ozzy isn’t sharing.
Wishing you all a peaceful and successful week.
Paula’s theme for ‘Thursday’s Special’ this week, is ‘Wintry’. I’m cheating a bit with this photo, taken as our cruise ship sailed through Glacier Alley in the Beagle Channel. It was actually summer there, but the snowy scene is very wintry indeed.
The channel is named after the famous ‘HMS Beagle’ on which the young naturalist Charles Darwin was a passenger on his first expedition in 1831. The journey lasted five years and resulted in Darwin’s first book containing his findings and ideas about evolution.
Happy weekend, everyone.
“I chose life over death for myself and my friends….I believe it is in our nature to explore, to reach out into the unknown, The only true failure would be not to explore at all. “ ~ Sir Ernest Shackleton
On January 5th, the 95th anniversary of the great explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s death, our cruise ship anchored just off Grytviken within King Edward Cove. The now rusted whaling station is today the site of the South Georgia Museum, and lies within a sheltered harbour tucked between Hope Cove and Hobart Rock, on the western shore of Cumberland East Bay.
We got ourselves all togged out in our many layers of warm clothing and hopped onto the Zodiac inflatable which would take us ashore.
The first place to visit was the whalers’ cemetery where there are sixty-four graves.
The most visited and photographed of these is, of course, that of Shackleton himself, who used Grytviken when planning the rescue of his crew from the ill-fated ‘Endurance’ in 1915. His body was returned to South Georgia at his widow’s request after he died from a heart attack whilst at sea in 1922, and he was laid to rest in his favourite place on earth, Antarctica. The back of this simple granite column is engraved with a quote from his best-loved poet, Robert Browning, “I hold that man should strive to the uttermost for his life’s set prize.”
Elephant seals and fur seals occupy the main beaches around the bay.
This one was proudly keeping watch over his harem and family.
The sound of snoring from this super-relaxed napper was very audible indeed.
Who could resist taking a photo of this cute baby seal?
King Penguins come ashore to moult during the summer months. This one was happy to pose, as he was still sporting his full plumage.
The Grytviken whaling station was established by sea captain Carl Larsen in 1904, and in its heyday was serviced by 300 men. It was abandoned in 1966 when whale numbers had dropped to an alarmingly low level.
Abandoned whaling ships litter the coastal landscape and add to the ghostliness of this place.
The seals were just everywhere. One had to be careful not to trip over them.
The tiny Norwegian church, the oldest church in Antarctica, was shipped from Norway and consecrated on Christmas Day in 1913.
It’s been restored and is in good condition, although it hasn’t had a pastor since 1931.
It was a most fascinating visit and I wish I could show you all the photos we took inside the museum, but maybe I’ll do that in another post.
I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing some of what I saw on my amazing trip. More to follow when I have sorted through my photos.
To Tango…..
Wishing you all a splendid Wednesday.
This photo was taken from the bow of our cruise ship as we sailed just off Torgersen Island in Antarctica. Such a wonderful experience to see so many of these beautiful creatures frolicking in the ocean.
Wishing you all a great Sunday.
Well, it’s so great to be back home again after over a month away. I have so many photos to sort through, as you can imagine.
First things first, though. My backyard was all safe and sound and a few of the regular critters have put in an appearance. Sammy squirrel has been scurrying around, but not staying long enough for a photo opportunity. I’m very tempted to reinstate the birdfeeder. Even if it’s against the rules, I’m sure that Sammy would be very much in favour.
Daisy, Danny and Deidre duck have been doing regular tours of the lake. The cute threesome seems to be inseparable for the moment.
Mr. GBH has been hovering around his favourite fishing spot, and presented a very elegant profile this morning.
Igasho who is still bright orange has taken to hanging out in the trees, stretching himself out along the branches. Such a lazy life!
We have many pelicans inhabiting and whitewashing the trees along the lakeside. This one seemed to have quite a lot to say for himself.
Although it’s winter here in Florida, we are having really sunny and warm weather. It’s so nice to be back living in a postcard.
I will do my best to visit you all before the end of this week.Hope everything is well with you.
Here we are in Buenos Aires. Across from our hotel room is a very sad-looking abandoned building. I wonder who painted this colourful cat, high up there. The sight of it certainly brightened my day.
Happy weekend to you all. We’re almost at the end of our month-long trip, and I’m so looking forward to getting home again. See you all next week.
No, I haven’t disappeared off the face of the earth. The internet on board ship is very scarce and also expensive, so I’m going to have to start posting all my photos of our wonderful trip, when we get back home to Florida, which is only in a couple of weeks’ time.
Today we are at Cooper Bay, South Georgia. It’s very cold and snowy, but the Gentoo Penguins are out in force.
Just for good measure, here’s an iceberg as big as our ship.
Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday and a very Happy New Year. Tomorrow we are due to land on South Georgia Island.
anotherdayinparadise 
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