Natural splendour, real musics, wines, wordpower
Photos are copyright Doug Spencer.
Featured image shows New Zealand’s highest peak, viewed from its inland side, at 4.34 pm on March 27, 2019.
I suggest you zoom in on the high ridges to see the windblown fresh snow streaming into the air, like sand off a dune.
Comments closedSitting beside a very rustic little jetty in a hamlet on New Zealand’s South Island is a delightfully “unlikely”, internationally renowned restaurant.
Fleurs Place (pictured above) is a one-off.
Fleur (real person) serves teethsqueakingly fresh seafood, cooked simply and superbly, without pretension.
However, the “diner” closest to us preferred to catch and prepare his (or her) own lunch!
Comments closedThey are very close, as the proverbial crow flies – if the proverbial crow chose to cross New Zealand’s Southern Alps.
Equally beautiful, but quite unlike: the stark contrast between coastal side and inland side is reminiscent of Patagonia.
One CommentAfter days of almost-continuous rain the clouds suddenly lifted…and the nation’s two highest peaks revealed themselves.
One CommentWhat will happen is the system will crash faster than we realise. Yes, it will reassemble and there will be forests, but they won’t look anything like what we have now. We are going to see this transformation before our eyes…
Comments closedPropithecus diadema – the Diademed Sifaka or Diademed Simpona – is a large, utterly distinctive lemur.
It is critically endangered, but relatively easy to see in the (rapidly diminishing) wild, only a few hours away from Madagascar’s capital city.
The next image will explain why many people regard the Diademed Sifaka as the loveliest lemur.
Comments closedThe former is a popular street tree in Perth.
Generally known as a “Cape Lilac”, it is in fact originally from the Himalayan region.
The latter is an endemic local – a magnificent, endangered bird.
One CommentAs regular readers/viewers know, Pelican Yoga is partial to eucalypts’ bark, most especially when those trees shed and renew their skin.
I am no expert on particular species, but I can positively identify this one.
The relevant sign (next image) will let you know if your guess is correct; chances are excellent that you will “bark up” the wrong tree!
Comments closedMadagascar-bound, flying from Australia?
Lucky you!
You’ll be even luckier if you spend some days on Réunion Island, en route; if the natural world is more your world than “resort world”, Réunion and Madagascar are infinitely more rewarding Indian Ocean island destinations than is Mauritius.
Comments closedArguably – metaphorically – when it is Australia’s Murray-Darling, as recently described:
the canary, and the coalmine, for the world when it comes to water stress.
Comments closed
