Freya's Garden: ноября 2012

вторник, 27 ноября 2012 г.

Sea Shepherd :: Captain Watson Offers $20,000 Reward to Help Apprehend Gulf Dolphin Killers

Captain Paul Watson, founder and President of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, is personally offering $20,000 of his own funds for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for shooting and stabbing dolphins along the northern Gulf Coast of the U.S.

In recent months, dolphins have washed ashore in the region with bullet wounds and missing jaws and fins, and federal officials report they are investigating the spate of mysterious killings. Most recently, a dolphin was found dead off the coast of Mississippi with its lower jaw missing. In areas such as Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama, dolphins have been found shot, stabbed and mutilated. Officials in the region have reported they believe that the person or group responsible is on a ‘rampage’ because they are not just killing dolphins, but also mutilating them.

Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) yesterday announced they are asking everyone from beachgoers to fishermen to wildlife agents to be on the lookout for injured or dead dolphins, as well as any unusual interactions between the mammals and people. Attacks on dolphins, animals that are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, carry fines and jail sentences. It is not known who is killing the protected animals, but in the past fishermen and charter boat captains have been convicted of harming dolphins they thought were taking bait or fish. Given the stress the Gulf region is still under from the devastating oil spill and the damage done to fish populations, there may be displaced anger that they are taking out on the friendly and curious dolphins, which they may view as competition for fish.

“I regard the killing of a dolphin as murder, and what we appear to have on the Gold Coast is a dolphin serial killer. I want this sadistic killer stopped, and I have set aside $20,000 of my own savings to be paid out to any person who delivers the evidence to find and convict this person or persons. Any person coming forward with evidence may remain anonymous and can communicate with NOAA, NMFS, or Gulf Coast law enforcement officials with this information,” said Captain Watson.

Sea Shepherd is asking anyone who has information related
to crimes against Gulf dolphins to come forward.
File Photo

Shakespeare & Winter Pancakes

Varieties of pancakes are probably the earliest and most widespread types of cereal food eaten in prehistoric societies. Usually pancakes are made of flour, milk and eggs with added salt and sugar.

There is an evidence that the Middle English word Pancake appears in an English culinary manuscript from 1430. However there are other words for this kind of cereal dish.

The Oxford English Dictionary records the word flapjack as being used as early as the beginning of the 17th century, referring to a flat tart or pan-cake. Shakespeare refers to pancakes in All's Well That Ends Well, and to flap-jacks in Pericles, Prince of Tyre:

mareseosullivan.wordpress.com

How to make Winter pancakes - .a video instruction

"Come, thou shant go home, and we'll have flesh for holidays, fish for fasting-days, and moreo'er puddings and flap-jacks, and thou shalt be welcome."

Act II Scene I

понедельник, 26 ноября 2012 г.

A Fruit of Aphrodite

Quince is a phantastic plant which is cultivated for thousands of years. In the world literature there are a lot of references to quince that was often translated as "apple", such as the fruit in Song of Songs. It may have been a quince. For the ancient Greeks the quince was a ritual offering at weddings, as they believed that quince had come from the Levant with Aphrodite.

Quince is a beautiful and strong plant. It is resistant to frost and does not need much fertile. The fruits can be left on the tree to ripen further. However it's better to pick them before the first frost.
There is only one quince tree in our homestead garden, it gives a lot of fruits. A quince jam is very tasty and looks nice as a dark amber.

среда, 21 ноября 2012 г.

Walking with a charcoal pencil

In the old vineyard

A tree in a deep ravine

Tree roots

In the early foggy morning I woke up with an unexpected thought that I drew sometimes ago. I fished out from the bottom of a travel bag my charcoal pencil, almost forgotten. Taking also an old block note mostly spent for some household stuff notes, I went for a long walk in the mountains with my elder dog. While he was searching foxes or rabbits I was making sketches. It was so exciting to work with the pencil again. When we making photos we see everything as a camera – objectively and impartially. When we have a pencil we see everything with a fantasy and imagination.

вторник, 20 ноября 2012 г.

An Instant Still Life

An art of still life takes it roots in Ancient Greek and Roman wall paintings. For centuries still lifes are ery popular in interiors. People always enjoy pictures of flowers and plants beautifully arranged with various nice objects. If we look around we can find a lot of amazing still lifes. Just keep an eye on them for a moment and smile.

суббота, 17 ноября 2012 г.

The sense of Van Gogh 's Red Vineyards

Today walking with dogs in the mountains we found an old vineyard. It was almost empty and ready for Winter winds. Looking at its' red leaves I remembered Van Gogh's "Red Vineyards in Arles". There are no obvious similarities, except the sense of ending of a year, completing of country works and coming winter.

суббота, 10 ноября 2012 г.

November brigtness

After several days of cold wind, rain and thick fog sun again gives warmth and brightness to mid- November days. This is the short period to take nice pictures, to make the quince jam and to fix the window seal for keeping as much heat inside as possible.