I’m a photographer who writes to paraphrase Austin Kleon. Therefore, my blog combines posts on books (reading, writing, musing over), lots of photos (all taken by me, unless otherwise stated), culture and arts in general, some astronomy and space (I’m a Science-Fiction fan), and cats as cats rule the internet.
Not much time? Read My Top Ten Blog Posts.
Swift and agile
Sleek and prehensile –
Skittering across bark
And as dexterously over brick –
Squirrel.
The arch survivor –
A thief in woodland
A bandit of suburbia,
Beautiful peanut pirate.
You skim the rigging of
Rotary washing lines
And old telephone wires:
Your sail-tail
A Spinnaker of balance –
A back garden acrobat.
Grey down of fur covers
The machine of sinew
Tendons tight
Like bowstrings
Wired to shoot across
Fence top,
Gate post, sign post,
Post box – post haste.
The highwayman of the high street,
Terror of the terraces
Ply your profession –
Livelihood in the manmade Landscape.
A narrow escape
With a clutch of grapes
Hijacked from garden vine
Jam-packed with sweet juice.
You make a getaway
Into ornamental spruce
Where you have your hideaway.
by Finn Farnsworth who came second in the People Need Nature competition set on the Young Poets’ Network.
To read more poems, click here.
Did you know that October is Squirrel Awareness Month?
It all started in 1995 when Greg Bassett, deeply moved by his encounter with a fox squirrel at the Grand Canyon, founded the Squirrel Lover’s Club and Squirrel Awareness Week. This initiative later expanded into Squirrel Awareness Month, a testament to the profound impact a single squirrel can have on a person.
The creation of Squirrel Awareness Month helped highlight the critical role squirrels play in our environment. ‘Squirrel Awareness’ refers to the understanding and appreciation of the ecological importance of squirrels and the need to protect their habitats.
However, due to deforestation and urbanization, squirrel populations are declining in many areas. Squirrels, with their unique behavior of burying nuts, are key players in forest regeneration. Many of these buried nuts sprout into trees, contributing significantly to reforestation. This behavior underscores the vital role squirrels play in maintaining healthy ecosystems, a fact that we should all appreciate.
Interesting Facts About Squirrels
How to Celebrate Squirrel Awareness Month
Bonus: NASA engineer designed a squirrel-proof birdfeeder. Or so he thought.
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I come from the remote borders
of the land of oblivion. My songs
will not sound beneath your balconies,
I am the singer of the broken sanctuaries.
Artist, dreamer, sensitive and tender,
my music is a voice of affirmation . . .
I am like a winter twilight
in love’s garden.
I love the fire of the sun. My delights are
the flaming rose, the bleeding pink,
and I love the white swans on the lakes
and the blue clouds in the wind.
I love the sad—for life is Pain—
I love your black half-opened eyes
fixed in an unknown direction
where dead loves are forgotten.
I know full well that love is sleep . . .
and my soul sleepless. You are not
to blame for my sorrow. You are a dream . . .
I call you when I wake and you do not come!
You can come only as does death,
silent and fatal. You are anxiety,
no matter, come; my heart is strong . . .
Shed your petals in my hands, faded rose.
I knew in my dreams that love is good
and today, impenitent, a rebel against love,
I weep upon the lilies of your breast
and kiss you on the forehead.
Julián del Casal (1863 – 1893) was a Cuban poet and one of the most important forerunners of the Modernist movement in Latin America
Translated from the Spanish by William George Williams.
To read more poems, click here.
With graceful waves, ye waters, frolic free;
Uplift your liquid songs, ye eddies bright,
And you, loquacious bubblings, day and night,
Hold converse with the wind and leaves in glee!
O’er the deep cut, ye jets, gush sportively.
And rend yourselves to foamy tatters white,
And dash on boulders curved and rocks upright,
Golconda’s pearls and diamonds rich to see!
I am your sire, the River. Lo, my hair
Is moonbeams pale: of yon cerulean sky
Mine eyes are mirrors, as I sweep along.
Of molten spray is my forehead fair;
Transparent mosses for my beard have I;
The laughter of the Naiads’ is my song.
Manuel José Othón (1858 – 1906) was a Mexican poet, playwright, and politician.
Translated from the Spanish by Alice Stone Blackwell
To read more poems, click here.
Today, October 4th, marks World Animal Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of protecting our precious wildlife. It was Steve Irwin who once said, “If we can teach people about wildlife, they will be touched. Share my wildlife with me. Because humans want to save things that they love.”
Now, this is my mission, too. Share beautiful photographs of the amazing creatures we share our planet with, share my wildlife, and touch people’s hearts. Because humans want to save things they love.
October 4th is World Animal Day, but every day should be animal day. We share this Earth with other living beings, and the topic of animal rights isn’t just about animals; it’s also about us. Let’s all take part in building a world where both animals and humans can thrive. Animals also have a right to live free lives unharmed and unexploited.
As Emmanuel Kant famously said, “He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.” This is a powerful message that reminds us that the way we treat animals reflects who we are as a society.
So, on this World Animal Day, let us celebrate the beauty of our planet’s wildlife and remember that it is our responsibility to protect it. Let us work towards building a world where both animals and humans can coexist in harmony.
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The sun was shining high in the African sky when Lion, Jackal, and Wild Dog went out hunting together. It did not take them long before they had brought down a wildebeest, a springbok, and a hare.
Lion spoke to Wild Dog. “My cousin, how shall we divide our food today?” Wild Dog answered, “My King, I think that you should have the wildebeest, our friend Jackal should have the hare, and for myself, I don’t mind if I have the springbok.”
Lion’s eyes had grown wide and fierce. He raised his mighty paw and knocked Wild Dog to the ground. With one eyebrow raised, Lion turned to Jackal, “Now, my good friend, you may like to divide our meal a little better.” Jackal spoke with a serious heart, “My King, the wildebeest will be your lunch, the springbok will be your dinner, and the hare you shall have for breakfast tomorrow morning.”
Lion was taken aback, “Jackal, when did you become so wise?” Jackal responded simply, “When I saw Wild Dog lying on the ground.”
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Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris). That tiny pink tongue 😍.
The original photo was a bit meh so I played around in Photoshop and voilà! The little musician ❤️.
The Australian pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus) has the longest bill of any living bird, the record one measuring 50 cm (1.6 ft)! However, females tend to have smaller bills than males.
📍Emu Bay, Kangaroo Island, South Australia
All photos were taken with Canon EOS R5 and Canon RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM.
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Say what you will, and scratch my heart to find
The roots of last year’s roses in my breast;
I am as surely riper in my mind
As if the fruit stood in the stalls confessed.
Laugh at the unshed leaf, say what you will,
Call me in all things what I was before,
A flutterer in the wind, a woman still;
I tell you I am what I was and more.
My branches weigh me down, frost cleans the air.
My sky is black with small birds bearing south;
Say what you will, confuse me with fine care,
Put by my word as but an April truth,—
Autumn is no less on me that a rose
Hugs the brown bough and sighs before it goes.
Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892 – 1950) was an American lyrical poet and playwright.
To read more poems, click here.
This is a charming African story explaining the long neck of the Giraffe.
In the beginning, the Creator gave the Giraffe the same legs and neck as all the other animals; in fact, the Giraffe resembled the larger antelope. All was well until the drought came.
As the best grazing and browsing were eaten, the animals began to go hungry. One day, Giraffe and his friend Rhino were talking, “Oh, Rhino, there are too many animals looking for grass on the plains; all they do is trample the last remaining grass.” Despite the dire situation, Giraffe’s determination to find a solution was unwavering.
Rhino suggested they go see the man-magician, a wise and powerful figure known for his ability to solve problems. After they told him their story, the man-magician told them to come back at noon the following day, and he would help them.
Giraffe, filled with hope, went to see the man-magician. They waited and waited for Rhino, who, unfortunately, had forgotten the plan.
Finally, the man-magician gave the Giraffe all the magic medicine, including Rhino’s share. That potent potion made his neck and legs grow long. Since that day, Giraffe has been able to feast on the succulent leaves on the treetops, which he now has all to himself.
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I
Thou winged symbol of the quiet mind,
Thou straying violet, flying flower of spring,
Heaven-hued and heaven-hearted! Thou dost sing
As thou some sweet remembered thought didst find,
And, counseling with thyself in musing kind,
Didst softly say it over. Thy swift wing
Knows but a quiet rhythm; thou a thing
Of peace, to passion innocently blind.
Thy russet breast means married love, long hope,
Sheltered experience, small and sweet and sure.
All of the brown earth’s natural purity;
But something heavenly, beyond our scope,
Steeped thy blue wing in color strange and pure,
Intense and holy as the mirrored sky.
II
Pulse of the gorgeous world, jubilant, strong,—
Thy song a whistled splendor, and thy coat
A fiery song! From thy triumphant throat
How I have heard it pouring, loud and long.
Whipping the air as with a scarlet thong—
The joyous lashing of thy triple note
Which all the tamer noonday noises smote
And clove a royal pathway through the throng!
Thou singest joy of battle, joy of fame.
Glory, and love of woman; joy of strife
With life’s wild fates; and scorn’st, with jocund breath
For prudence’ sake to dim thy feathered flame—
Thou heart of fire, epitome of life,
Full-throated flouter of vindictive death!
III
And lo, among the leafy, hidden groves
Within my heart, they both do flit and nest,
Saintly blue wing and vaunting scarlet crest,
Yea, all of life and all its myriad loves.
Even as Nature holds them, sifts and proves
And balances, so shall my soul find rest
In Her large tolerance, which without rest
Or lagging, toward some wide conclusion moves.
So, though I weary sometimes of the stress,
Leave me not, little lovers of the air.
Dearest of Nature’s fine antitheses!
Thou of the musing voice and heavenly dress.
Thou, royal firebrand,—neither could I spare.
My scarlet Passion, nor my winged Peace!
Karle Wilson Baker (1878 – 1960) was An American writer.
To read more poems, click here.
