” On the Planet Earth, Man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much …… the wheel, New York, wars and so on – whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time.
But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man, for precisely the same reasons.” ~ Douglas Adams – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Wishing all the Dads a very happy and relaxing Fathers’ Day.
Here I am again in Umhlanga Rocks South Africa, and this morning we went walking along the sea front. At this time of year, the Aloes are coming to the end of their flowering season, and although the birds have had a really good peck at them, I was struck by how beautiful they still look against the deep azure of the sky.
It’s great to be back here for a short while. Happy Sunday to you all.
All of my isolated subjects for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge are animals or birds, as these are my favourite subjects to photograph. I thought I’d do this post as a sort of fashion parade.
First up we have the gorgeous Tricolored Heron looking very swish and dapper, with blue beak makeup and wearing pink stockings. The outfit is topped off with a white feather fascinator.
Next up is the dashing Grandpa Igasho, wearing bright orange hose to match his stunning fiery mohawk. Note the wonderful and very tough keratin jacket which is made from actual lizard scales.
Peli pelican, showing off his handsome profile, poses amongst the flattering green foliage. His splendid gray- brown and white feather ensemble tones really well with his spectacularly large orange and gold-tinged beak.
Here we have the stunning Great Egret attired in a dazzling snow-white feather suit, with black tights and fashionable yellow footwear, chosen especially to match his eyes, beak and face make-up.
Majestic Woody wood stork could be called ‘cute’ in the old dictionary meaning of the word, which is “ugly but interesting”. He could well be the poster boy for ‘skinheads of the wild’ and his attire, although somewhat on the grungy side, would appeal to those of his fans who wish to look unusual and not too polished.
Last but by no means least, is the elegant and long-legged Miss Rosy spoonbill, flaunting her striking, bright pink plumage. The rather large and somewhat bizarre-looking built-in spatula at the end of her beak, whilst not exactly attractive on a young lady, is a great asset when it comes to mealtimes.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my solitary subjects found here in Florida. I wish you all a happy and relaxing weekend. I will be busy packing for our trip to South Africa.
To visit Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, click the badge.
I’m finally getting used to my new Macbook Pro and have learned how to put my photos on my desktop. Everything seems different to my previous one, which is very confusing.
One thing that is a constant, however, is little Sammy. He’s as cute as ever and always nibbling away at something he’s found in the backyard.
Wishing you all a very good week.
I haven’t spent much time watching my Backyardigans lately, but hubby spotted Mr. Turtle cruising around. I wonder if this is the same one who we had outside our garage door last month. If so, little Terrence has really grown a lot.
If any of you have noticed that I’ve been missing in ‘inaction’ for a while, It’s because I’ve been down with this dreadful coughing flu ‘adenovirus’. Some days I’ve managed to surface for a couple of hours, and most nights I’ve spent coughing myself silly. My son and family arrive on Friday and I’ll be really busy catching up with chores until then, and also have an article to write for our club magazine, so I’ve decided to take a blogging break for a while. Please feel free to chat amongst yourselves whilst I am gone.
Have a great weekend.
Debbie Smyth of ‘Travel With Intent’ blog is now hosting ‘6 Word Saturday,’ so do hop over there and add your contribution.
Four Brown Pelis perched up high in the swaying branches.
I’ve often marvelled at how they keep their balance and even manage to sleep standing on a branch. Surely it must be exhausting having to hold on so tightly so as not to fall. Well, apparently their talons have a pulley system of tendons so that the bird’s foot closes and grasps automatically as the ankle and knee joints are bent. They can only release their grip once the limb is straightened, so instead of having to expend energy holding on for dear life, as we humans would if we were clinging to a branch, a bird’s magical system simply locks their talons in place. How cool is that?
Have a great Sunday. If you want to see more ‘Fours’, just visit Ailsa’s Travel Theme here.
Ms. Igua says, “It’s SO easy being green; nothing to it really. ”
Happy weekend to you all.
To see more easy-peasy green stuff, click here
Just outside our kitchen window is the rather sad remains of a water feature and rockery. Now that our ‘abandoned house’ renovations are almost completed, this area will soon be enclosed in the new screen room which is now under construction. We intend to put some Koi in the pond and build a nice rockery around it. Unfortunately for our wildlife creatures, they will no longer be able to sit ‘atop the rock’. I’ve so enjoyed photographing each and every one as they’ve posed for me here.
Samantha squirrel often sat atop there to eat her breakfast.
Sammy also liked sitting there, when he wasn’t busy dashing up and down palm trees.
Rockstar Iggy, so enjoyed displaying his finery atop the rock.
Grandpa Igasho often took the opportunity of showing off his handsome visage and especially his mohawk, atop the rock.
Sweet little Anatole, enjoyed sunning himself whilst displaying his dewlap, atop the rock.
Basil the Brown Basilisk often sat atop the rock, dreaming of finding true love.
I guess it will be the end of an era, once the construction is finished. There’ll be no more photos taken through my kitchen window. I think I’ll be rather sad about that, and so will my gorgeous visitors, but at least I’ll no longer be tempted to have a go at cutting their toenails.
To see more contributions for the ‘Atop WPC’, click here.
Little Terrence was parked right outside our garage door this morning. “I’m a bit lost, can you help me, please?” he asked in a very tiny voice.
I knew exactly how he felt, as I’ve often been lost. Thank goodness for GPS these days. In the bad old days when I had to rely on map books to find my way around, you would often find me parked at the side of the road, map book in hand, turning it this way and that, trying to decide which direction I was actually facing, and then endeavouring to work out whether to turn around or go straight on. I must have inherited my lack of sense of direction from my dad. He was always making u-turns. It’s not just on the road that I get lost. When exiting a public toilet in a shopping mall, I invariably turn the wrong way and head towards the men’s. Then I suddenly realising that there’s no way out at that end of the corridor. Hubby thinks this is funny and always has a weird smirk on his face when I eventually find him again because he knows what I’ve just done. Anyway, dear little Terrence had found a kindred spirit in me and was gently taken to the backyard, where he was deposited in the lake. I’m sure he’s now happily reunited with his family.
Hope your Thursday is a good one.
Reflections can play tricks on the eye. Mervyn Muscovy at his most colourful.
I hope he was off to buy flowers for Muriel. Happy Women’s Day to you all, especially if you’re a woman.
