Sunday 20th December 2020...a nice Sunday afternoon read!!

Some really amazing photos here.  

 

Our world is filled with captivating and intriguing elements.  If we sit back and take a closer look at even the most mundane thing, we might be surprised at how fascinating it might turn out to be.  Here is a collection of 15 photographs of rarely seen things – from unusual-looking creatures and objects to some of nature’s weird wonders.  
 
 
1. A transparent fish also called the Sea Salp.
 

Sea Salps are one of the most remarkable creatures of Earth.  This barrel-shaped fish has a gelatinous body and feeds on phytoplankton (marine algae).  Sea Salps are not just unique because of their transparent bodies.  They are rare creatures that exist both as individuals and part of a larger organism.
 
 
2. These aren't broken shards of glass.  This is a frozen Lake Michigan.
 

Ice formation on Lake Michigan usually begins in January and reaches its peak in late February or early March.  During the peak winter season, temperatures sometimes reach -30°C (-23°F), resulting in ice shelves forming on the lake.
 
 
3. Baikal Dzen formation on Lake Baikal.
 

Lake Baikal is located in the Russian region of Siberia.  This freshwater lake is witness to the most unique phenomena known as the Baikal Zen.  It happens when stones brought by the wind to the ice of the lake are warmed and the day sun melts the ice under them. This causes the rock to remain balanced on a pedestal of thin ice.
 
 
4. A Bashkir Curly Horse.

The origin of this fascinating horse is a mystery.  The Bashkir Curly is known to be a calm breed of horse with a mild temperament.  Its other characteristics include a thick bone, strong, round hooves, intelligence, and exceptional memory.  What makes it stand out from other breeds of horses, however, is its distinctive curly coat.
 
 
5. The extremely rare Albino Buck, also called the 'White Deer'.
 

Sightings of albino deer are very uncommon and they are considered as mystical ghosts of the woods because of their fairytale-like appearance.  The chances of an albino deer being born are only 1 in 20,000, as the recessive gene that causes albinism in whitetail deer is extremely rare.  The stories of these unusual animals have been a part of several ancient Native American legends and folklore.
 
 
6. No, these aren't street craters.  They are dinosaur footprints in France.
 

These giant footprints belong to a large sauropod dinosaur and were discovered in Plagne, France.  These extraordinary traces of the now-extinct dinosaur were found by geologists and biologists from the Société Des Naturalistes d'Oyonnax (SDNO).  The footprints measure almost 155 meters in length and are more than 145 million years old.
 
 
7. Ever seen a music typewriter?
 

Better known as The Keaton Music Typewriter, this instrument was first patented in 1936 by Robert H. Keaton from San Francisco, California.  The typewriter was promoted in the 1950s and sold for around $225.  The machine made it easier to produce music copies in large quantities for publishers, educators, and other musicians.  The distinct circular look of the typewriter made it very popular in its time.
 
 
8. A 500 kg dinosaur bone found in France.
 

A giant 500 kilogram (1102.31 pounds) dinosaur thigh bone was uncovered by scientists in south-western France at an excavation site in 2019.  The femur is two meters (6.6 ft) long and is believed to have belonged to a sauropod.  This plant-eating dinosaur was found in the late Jurassic era and was one of the largest land animals that ever existed.
 
 
9. That's not a ball.  It is a single living cell.
 

While this may be hard to believe, the picture above is of a living cell.  Known as Valonia ventricosa, or “bubble algae”, this species of algae is one of the largest single-celled organisms in the world.  They are found in oceans, and their color mostly varies from grass green to dark green.
 
 
10. This is how an ant's face looks like under an electron microscope.
 

At first glance, this picture appears rather eerie as the antennae holes of the ant look more like eyes.  The image was captured using Electron microscopy (EM), which is a technique for getting high-resolution images of much higher magnification than a normal light microscope.  It is used in biomedical research to examine the in-depth structure of biological materials along with various other objects.
 
 
11. The very rare Blue Java Banana, which is said to taste like ice-cream.
 

While facts about this amazing fruit may appear to be a hoax, they are indeed completely true.  Blue Java bananas have a taste and creamy texture that is similar to vanilla ice cream.  Apart from their unique taste, these bananas stand out because of the bright blue color of their peel.  These delicious fruits are widely grown in Southeast Asia and relished as a dessert.
 
 
12. This is a leaf, right?  Wrong!  It is actually a Sea Slug.
 

This is a solar-powered sea slug, or Elysia chlorotica, and looks like a leaf.  It can grow to more than 2 inches long and possess an exceptional ability to steal algal plastids (also known as chloroplast robbery), stop feeding thereafter and survive off the photosynthesis from the algae for the next six to eight months.  They are found in shallow waters along the east coast of North America.
 
 
13. Here is a look at grains of sand when magnified 100 to 300 times.
 

Sand appears the same to all of us.  However, Gary Greenberg, a scientist from Hawaii, has shown through these images that when magnified by a hundred-fold or more, each grain of sand exhibits its distinct characteristic.  Using high-definition 3D lenses that he invented, Dr. Greenberg took these pictures “to show people how ordinary things are truly extraordinary when you look from a new point of view”.  Bear in mind that sand compositions vary depending on where they are from.
 
 
14. A "Split Lobster", which is half male and half female.
 

No, this is not a photoshopped image.  This is a split-colored lobster that has a condition known as gynandromorphy.  This means it is half male, half female.  In this particular specimen’s case, the blue side is the female one and the brown side is the male one.  Amazingly, this rare genetic variation happens in only about 1 out of every 50 million lobsters.
 
 
15. This is not a painting, but a view of the sun via a UV Lens by NASA.
  

At first glance, the picture above appears to be a painting.  However, this is actually a series of unusual eruptions from the outermost atmosphere of the Sun that was captured by a team of astronomers using NASA’s three Sun-gazing spacecraft in 2013.  According to the team, a series of fast puffs, that took place over a period of three days, forced the slow ejection of an enormous burst of plasma from the sun's atmosphere.
 

 

 

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 Stay safe and healthy!!

Yashi Kochi!!

Saturday 19th December 2020.... sunny and lovely!!

This is probably the scariest thing I have ever done in my life...

My blog from May 2016..

Thursday 5th may 2016....a pretty oh hum sort of a day!!!!

Well I did have a good sleep and just took it really easy this morning having breakfast outside when it warmed enough to do so and then went onto the computer to finalize my South Africa plans the house sit now starts next Wednesday in Simon's Town which is about 35 outside Cape Town and is supposed to be a really nice town and the house looks nice with ocean views!!!
Next on my list was so laundry as there is an outside line here to hang the clothes in the sun!!!
I think that 14 km hike yesterday took a lot out of me as I have no energy this afternoon so I just went outside in the recliner they have and read and had some light lunch.
I wanted to get a different angle on the sunset today so I drove about 12 km to a place called Danger Point where there is a lighthouse..but the road ends abruptly about 500 yards from the lighthouse and no way to access so sorry no sunset shot tonight!!

Back home the long shower and had one of the meals I cooked and froze the other day and 9 pm approaches quite fast and you know what means ....yes another live soccer game this one from Liverpool....I am enjoying my soccer games on TV......

So there you have it my boring day!!!

Did I forget anything??

Oh yes...I remember now I did go here

 and watched the boat being taken into the ocean

 and getting on and away we went at a quick pace

 This bird made three attempts to get the fish

 before he was successful!!!

After about 15 minutes the captain stopped and turned off the engines and my first sighting of a Great white shark!!!!

 Then it was time to don the wet suit and booties and mask and into the cage....yes I really got into that cage!!!!

Words are hard to describe the feeling of being there looking at this monster knowing the damage he can cause!!!!

Going for the bait he actually bumped into the cage a feeling of wonderment came over me oh and yes a tiny bit scared!!!!

The before shot!!!

 Still calm afterwards!!!

There were 16 people on the boat and 8 went in the cage in two groups..it was a moment that ranks right there with the elephant in Kruger, the grey whales in Baja and the turtle in Mexico....
We came back and had something to eat and it was three hours of rushed adrenaline and fabulous memories///

Saving the best till the last!!!
I took this shot when I was on the top of the boat!!!!

Does not look real does it????  BUT I assure you it is and even if I say it myself what a shot!!!!

Yashi Kochi!!

Stay safe and healthy!!!

Yashi Kochi!!

Friday 18th December 2020...day of rehabilitation!!

Had another good morning relaxing with breakfast and some reading.

I am not anything of a gardener but I have enjoyed watching the Lavender plants grow and bloom and I actually cut them back this morning.  Also happy to see my green plant

Start to bloom

Somehow came across this photo in my archives..

This is Major what a great Newfoundland dog...I rescued him around 1981 when I was living in Alberta..I was deliver groceries to a house next door to the local dog catcher..he was tired to a tree and I went in the yard to him and spoke to the crazy Welsh lady who was the dog catcher....she told me that if he is not claimed by the evening he would be shot.....I immediately put him in my truck and took him home.

At the time I was married to Connie and of course both her girls were thrilled when I let him out of the truck..he was a very special dog and when I got divorced a few months later it seemed all I got from the joint property  was Major.....I had him for a couple of years before I gave him away to a young family that lived on a farm.

At noon I went for my first physio appointment and Fernandina spent over 80 minutes with me and treated my knee, elbow and rib with both her hands and electric machines and sonar ......she gave me a written list of exercises she wants me to do and I am to return on Monday...the cost was an unbelievable 500 pesos.

I met Gregg at my house and he gave me the hiking poles he had ordered for me off Amazon Mexico, two days for them to arrive...

I will use these as a safety precaution and then when I get back to my serious hiking they will be perfect for those down hills!!

Watched my  Brother’s soccer team in a live game from Hull, unfortunately they did not win!!

It felt really good to be out of the house without help today and to be able to walk slowly without pain is a huge bonus for me.....

This is from my blog in May of 2016...hope you enjoy the read....

Friday 20th May 2016.....Heather, Linda and Larry do NOT READ THIS POST!!!!!!

How about that for an attention grabber???
Today was beautiful sunny, clear blue skies and the the perfect day for my Table Mountain Adventure!!!

So the tallest peak in the centre is where I am heading!!!!  There are two ways to do this...the more sensible way is

or you can do it this way!!

I chose the hiking route and all I will say it was one of the toughest hikes I have ever done!!!!

BUT

The views were quite amazing on the way up!!!

Still a way to go...

I need to get right into the V of those rocks....
Now when you are getting weary and you look up and see you still have a good hike in front of you sometimes you just need that little bit of extra motivation to keep on going...just saying!!!

Well I did make it and the views were worth waiting for!!!!

So the reason for the heading of this blog is that I saw an advert on the Internet and it was called "Dope on a rope!!!"
Advertising an abseil down the mountain!!!!!
It caught my attention and I have never done anything like this before so i thought I might as well....
Unfortunately no photos but I was in a group of 4 and we were given safety instructions, a helmut and of course sign the WAIVER!!!!
So I decided that I needed to be first and I got my harness on and sat on the ledge for a second thinking...well I won't tell you what I was thinking!!!!

 Great view with me out on the ledge

 The gear!!!

OK I am fastened onto the ropes and my last shot before I turn around and go over the edge..

For the uninformed this is what I am doing!!!

An abseil (/ˈæbseɪl/ or /ˈɑːpzaɪl/; from German abseilen, meaning "to rope down"), also called a rappel after its French name, is a controlled descent of a vertical drop, such as a rock face, using a rope.

Climbers use this technique when a cliff or slope is too steep and/or dangerous to descend without protection. Many climbers use this technique to protect established anchors from damage. Rope access technicians also use this as a method to access difficult-to-reach areas from above for various industrial applications like maintenance, construction, inspection and welding. Rescue teams are also known for using this method as a way to access injured or stranded victims.

History

The origin of the abseil is attributed^[1] to Jean Charlet-Straton, a Chamonix guide who lived from 1840–1925. Charlet originally devised the technique of the abseil method of roping down during a failed solo attempt of Petit Dru in 1876. After many attempts, some of them solo, he managed to reach the summit of the Petit Dru in 1879 in the company of two other Chamonix guides, Prosper Payot and Frédéric Folliguet, whom he hired. During that ascent, Charlet perfected the abseil.

It was a drop of 112 meters with 70 of them free fall...
So basically what you do is lean back facing the mountain and push off with your feet and let the rope glide through your hands...you control your speed but i was also hooked up to another rope which the guide at the top also had control to make sure i did not go down too fast......the views looking down took my breath away and it was fine till the rocks were no more and then just air...I managed to keep my speed quite slow and I really must say i did enjoy the feeling but it definitely got my blood pumping...took me about a minute and I was down and another guide got me out of my harness and then it was a 25 minute hike back up the mountain to the start...just what I needed another hike up....
These photos are the couple that followed me down...

I do know even after walking back up getting my back pack and paying for the ticket for the gondola ride back down the mountain my heart was still racing...I think I can safely say it is the scariest thing I have ever done!!!!
The gondola ride was different in the the floor slowly turned 360 degrees whilst going down a great innovation and a way to get sightings of everything!!

Looking down!!!

Looking up!!!
Well that was a day!!!
Came home and took the girls out for their walk and fed them and I opened the back door in to the yard where they play and within 5 minutes Storm was gone again!!!
I doubled checked the fence and cannot see how she is getting out but obviously I have to keep the back door closed a shame because they used to like it out there.
I went looking for her and found her close to where she was yesterday.....got her home no point getting mad at her she does not know any different, what a shame she has not been trained!!
I had a really long soak in the tub, a light dinner and just watched some TV I will admit am I am very tired!!!
In all the years of doing the blog I stay away from all political, religious and sexual comments and rarely i tell a little about my personal life but I do want to share something that has been going on for a couple of months with me.....
First of all about 23 years ago I collapsed on the tennis court in Smoky Lake where I used to live, playing of all things tennis with my Dad...I was rushed to the hospital and kept in a few  days where I was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation, or an irregular heart beat...for the next couple of years after that i could always tell when my heart would go out of sync and I would have to stop what ever activity I was doing but then one time it went irregular and stayed that way...I had a wonderful Doctor in Nanaimo and he was honest with me telling me that it will be that way and for me to get used to it...he said no medication will help accept a baby aspirin every day and that i was to get an ECG every year, both of these things I have done.  He also told me not to change my lifestyle but to continue being active and doing all I do but one day i would probably need some surgery..well I took his advice and you know from reading these blogs over the years I have not shied away from the physical stuff!!!
Thankfully I have had not a single heart issue at all.
About 5 years ago the same Doctor took X rays of my knees and told me I had a slight arthritis in my left knee and a more severe one in my right knee but again, no medication and if I could still participate in the things I do..to go for it and again I have without any issues.
So where am I going with all of this???  Just to let you know that I have felt in the last few months that I know I am slowing down.....the hiking is a little harder for me....I don't always get the drop shots in tennis I used to get.....my knees sometimes ache a little and my recovery time is a little longer.
For my age I think I do really well and I am not complaining and I am so blessed to have the great health that I do but for me I notice a few extra pounds around my belly and even though I feel like a kid I know I am not and perhaps in future I may need to tone back a fraction some of the stuff I do and give my body a little longer to heal.....wow that was  a mouthful!!!

Some people ask me why and what Yashi Kochi means ......

Sweet dreams!!!!

What is interesting for me reading this is all those years ago I had the arthritis in my knees but luckily never stopped me playing...so this old body has been good to me!!

Stay safe and healthy!!

Yashi Kochi!!