The Jellyfish Incident...

Today I will tell you about an amusing incident from my childhood, known as The Jellyfish Incident. Myself, my older sister, my mother and my mother's boyfriend, Kevin, were having a holiday at the seaside. I forget which seaside it was, but that's not important to the story. Just know that it involved a sandy beach with small rock pools which were revealed when the tide went out. I was about 6 or 7, and my sister Mandy was 8 or 9. Kevin was 19, and me and Mandy liked him because he used to make purple and green pancakes for us. (My mother's reasons for liking him were probably somewhat different...) Anyway, this particular hot and sunny day the tide was out and we were exploring the rock pools, when Kevin discovered a large jellyfish, stranded upside down on the sand, gently baking in the sun. Kevin decided he Must Do Something About This immediately- no poor creature was going to die on his watch. He had the rather genius idea of using several spoons and a large chip pan we had thoughtfully brought with us on our camping trip. (For those of you who are not familiar with Britain in the 1970's, a chip pan is a large saucepan you fill with cooking oil, heat until it's roughly the temperature of a volcano and put pieces of raw potato in to cook until golden brown, then you remove them, smother them with tomato sauce and gobble them down whilst they are still hot enough to melt the enamel from your teeth). These chip pans have now been replaced by deep fat fryers which have cut down on the number of kitchen/house/entire neighbourhood fires by a significant number, but the chips never taste as good as they used to.......
My sister and I stood on the rocks clapping and cheering and generally being encouraging while Kevin and my mother attempted to persuade the unfortunate jellyfish into the chip pan. It was no quick task; every time they got a bit of him in there on a spoon, he would slosh out the other side, him being made of jelly and all. Anyway, eventually most of the jellyfish was contained in the chip pan, with the rest of him hanging casually over the side, and Kevin felt it was time to Release Him Back Into The Wild.
Thus, he waded out triumphantly into the sea, chip pan held proudly aloft while we all clapped and cheered some more from our rocky perches. His Hero status was complete.
There was a flaw in his otherwise perfect plan though; he hadn't considered that the tide was now coming in, so when he gently plopped the jellyfish into the sea, it merely began following him back to shore. I will never forget the look of pure terror on his face as he ran in slow motion in-the-sea type strides back to shore, followed by what must surely be the most ungrateful jellyfish ever. Today's picture is my recollection of that event..... I hope you like it....

Taking a Leap of Faith...

Ok, so I didn't write anything yesterday, as I was busy thinking...... I know. It doesn't happen very often, and it can be quite dangerous, so I try and keep quiet when it occasionally does happen. But now I will tell you what I was busy thinking about (besides unicorns and sparkly things)...... Me and Perfect Husband are going to adopt an ACTUAL DOG. Naturally we had only gone into the petshop to buy elderly dog vitamins for Whiney Dog, and then we saw them. All those tiny hopeful faces. People who know me will know that I'm not keen on dogs in general, I've always been more of a cat person, but I do like small dogs (cat sized ones!) and this is precisely what Bindi is. She's a 7 year old Chihuahua, (although she looks a lot older with her little grey face) and she is coming to live with us on Friday. Hopefully Whiney Dog (my husband's faithful companion of 12 years) will take to her as a new friend and not a Stealer of Perfect Husband's Affections, and all will be well. I will have my very own Whiney Dog, a small creature to be my friend and to curl up on my lap, and we shall love each other. That is the great hope; we'll see how things work out.
So today's photo is Perfect Husband and Bindi getting acquainted at the dog rehoming meet and greet.

The love of a good friend...

Today's photo is not mine; I just love it very much. The only details I know are that the Orangutan was a small, frightened and depressed orphan, and the dog was sick. These two met while they were both being treated and obviously found something in each other's love and companionship to keep going. I love the fact this simple photo says it all; we all need friends, we all need love, we all need someone who cares for us, and someone who we can care for. It doesn't matter if your companion is a fellow human being, an animal, or even a garden full of carefully nurtured flowers; it's love that surely makes the world go round.
Look closely at this photo and you will see the love and contentment of these two friends shining out. I particularly like the way the orangutan is holding onto his friend affectionately with three out of his four "hands"- how absolutely endearing!

Brain Freeze!!

Here in Alaska we have been experiencing an exceptional Summer. Last year's was non existent; cold, grey, miserable, but this year we have had lots of sunshine and hot sun, and I have even worn shorts on a couple of occasions! The locals are so used to years and years of biting cold that when the temperature rises above freezing the majority complain that it's too hot. One of my coworkers (Grumpy Dog Lady Who Talks With Her Mouth Full) comes in every day saying that it's "brutal" out there and a "scorcher" whenever the temperature edges anywhere near 70 degrees.
Yesterday as I left work at 5pm I checked my trusty iphone and it told me that the temperature was 81 degrees-delicious! I stood at the bus stop in a summer dress enjoying the warmth. When I got on the bus the first thing I noticed was that the lady bus driver was wearing a bag of icecubes on her head while she was driving, so I complimented her on her lovely hat and took my seat. I then proceeded with my usual Ninja skills to try and get a photo to show you- this is the best I could do I'm afraid, but better than nothing and proof that I don't make these things up because I am bored......
(although yes quite frequently I do get bored so I amuse myself with nonsense like this.....it's either this or buy stuff off Ebay......)

Drunken Ebaying....

I did it again. I confess. I had a tiny, little peruse of Ebay whilst under the influence of a glass or two of red wine and bought a bracelet and a pony.
The truth of the matter is, I'm not even sorry. I have a penchant for things that sparkle you see, and this bracelet and I were destined to be together, oh yes. It was written in the (sparkly) stars. Most days I am sensible, and I am pretty good with my money. I pay bills, buy food and petrol, all the boring stuff. I save hard, I buy gifts for Fabulous Daughters One and Two, but these days I rarely treat myself. It is true that I don't really NEED anything, and as I get older I am trying to become less materialistic and more appreciative of what I have, and I do not, as a rule, buy things that I don't need. However, I had been watching this certain sparkly bracelet very closely for several months, lurking in the long grass of the Ebay Watching option, waiting for my opportunity to ambush it when it came down to the edge of the water for a drink........ and it did on Sunday afternoon. I was emboldened after a couple of glasses of wine, as I so often am, and I decided to try my luck with the "Best Offer" option. I put in what I felt was a perfectly respectable offer, although it was about a third less than suggested, just to see what would happen. Lo and behold they accepted and I am awaiting delivery with mounting excitement, and a small amount of guilt.
I shall put a photo on here when it arrives.
And the pony? Oh yes, Fabulous Daughter Number One collects ponies, My Little Pony to be precise, and I found a rare one on Ebay, made an offer and spent a bit more money!! Hooray! I am happy and I don't even feel a tiny bit guilty! I know I said I did earlier, but that was an outright lie.
I can always console myself with the fact that I am nowhere near as bad as Hapless Younger Brother who, a week or so after a similar drunken Ebay experience, had a box of 1200 yellow dusters appear on his doorstep......
Today's photos are me drinking...... and me skyping with Fabulous Daughter Number one while her ponies listen in.

Yay!!

Well naturally I am going to continue talking about the New Royal Baby! But first let me tell you what happened yesterday in the office. One of my American coworkers asked me if I'd heard the news, which of course I had (thank you, Facebook!) so we were having a brief but excited discussion about the day's lovely events. Another more senior coworker walked past, stopped and listened in to our conversation, rolled her eyes and said "Who cares? I'm not a Royalist- I hate people who think they are higher than everybody else." At this point I did actually step in and tell them that they were perfectly entitled to their opinion of course, but that it wasn't terribly nice of them to be miserable about it, when they weren't even involved in the original exchange of excitement and cooing! How perfectly rude some people are. I personally think that she has it wrong; the majority of the Royal Family do NOT think they are better than everybody else, and although they have no financial worries (unlike the rest of us) they DO have a lot of responsibilities, they ARE watched almost permanently, they DO have to remember they represent the country and her people, and they DO have their lives pretty much mapped out for them, sometimes a year or two in advance. They highlight and support a lot of worthwhile causes; in fact the Palace have asked that the public make donations in the baby's honor to the charity the Duchess supports, rather than send gifts-imagine the boost this could give them! This is not an easy life, and I think they do a brilliant job. Now of course not everybody shares this opinion, and that is not a problem for me, what a boring world if we all felt exactly the same about everything! But I DO so hate bad manners, and I WILL speak up ....even the Queen says please!
Incidentally, the same coworker who was so grumpy yesterday? As soon as she came in to work today, the first thing she said was "Oh have you seen the baby? It was just on the TV, Kate looks beautiful....that's what I love about her, she's so natural....." and so on and so forth.....gush, gush, gush! It would seem that even the hardest heart can be won over by such lovely and heart warming news-what a difference a day makes! Today's pic is not mine, but my favourite from the barrage of press outside the hospital....enjoy.

It's a BOY!!!

Ok, so unless you are a hermit living in a cave (in which case you're not likely to have access to the internet and therefore won't be reading this) you will know that The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Kate and William, have been expecting a baby. You will probably also know that said baby has now arrived and is a BOY! A future King weighed in at 8 pounds and 6 ounces, which actually is a pretty big baby for the poor tiny Duchess, who resembled a drinking straw in her pre-pregnancy days, albeit a very pretty one.
There are surely a lot of different opinions on the British Royal Family, and here is mine;
I love them! I actually used to work at Buckingham Palace as a Housemaid; I started a month before the Duke and Duchess of York got married, in 1986. Princess Diana was still alive and married to Prince Charles back then, and William and Harry were toddlers. I have always had a lot of respect for the Queen, I think she does a brilliant job of representing our country and works tirelessly for her people. I think they are worth every penny we pay them for the trade they bring to the UK, for the work they do for charities and the environment etc. Yes there have been some problems in the past, but I feel that now they are all more hardworking and popular than ever. As a Brit living in America I have found a lot of Americans to be very positive about the British Royals too.
So I am thrilled along with a lot of other people to hear this happy news. I think William and Kate will make very good parents, and wish them luck taking the British Monarchy into a new era.
Of course I have to mention Princess Diana at this point; such a shame she can't be with them to coo over her new grandson, but I think she would be very proud. So today's photo is not mine, but it is a lovely one, for a lovely occasion.

Save the Bees!!

Today I want to talk about a thing I am quite proud of. I am on Facebook, along with most of the world, and I "like" a lot of pages concerning environmental issues. (Yes, I am one of those tiresome do-gooders) I often share stuff and sign petitions, not to annoy my friends and family, but because this is part of who I am, and I figure if one of my friends or family also share and sign, it will have that magical ripple effect, and yes we can and should actually change the world around us for the better.
A day ago I got an email concerning the bee situation, and the fact that so many pesticides used on a regular basis are affecting bees in a terrible way, causing the deaths of whole colonies. This is shocking and even on a very selfish level, so senseless. Without bees we would be faced with much less choice in our food shops, so if we don't look after them we are really shooting ourselves in the foot. Anyway, I signed the petition and shared it with all my facebook friends.....and one by one, my friends are contacting me to say they have been signing the petition and even sharing it amongst their friends! What joy! I am so pleased and proud that a tiny action on my part has lead to actions on my friend's parts, and their friends.....the magical ripple effect is working! This restores my faith that for every selfish, wasteful person on this planet, there are also good people who do care and are trying to do their bit to help look after it.
If you wish to sign this petition too, I have added the link for you. Go forth my busy bees and save your planet and your fellow creatures!

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/usa_save_the_bees/?sXKgteb

Today's photo is one I took on a visit to the Botanical Garden in Anchorage; a little bee enjoying himself among the foxgloves.......let's look after him and his family.

Puppy Dog Blog!!

Today one of our agents at work brought their new puppy in. When I say agents, I don't mean I work for spies, (although I reckon I could be a good Miss Moneypenny) but realtors.
The puppy is a mix of Bichon and Chihuahua and is 100% adorable. This is huge thing for me to say, because as a general rule I'm not fond of dogs, I'm more of a cat person. I do love little tiny dogs though, and having a cuddle with this tiny warm pile of fluff was just the thing to get me through a very busy day at work. she snoozed on my lap while I got on with my work....
Here are painfully cute pics...

Flowers to cheer up the world!

So, my hair is naturally curly. It isn't really the kind of hair I can do much with, it simply won't co-operate, and doesn't understand the essence of styling. I have found a way round this however, by simply wearing a flower clip each day to match the colour of my outfit. This seems to distract people from my hair's unruliness, and I get many positive comments ie;
Scary Lady on the Bus "where do you work?"
Me (scared) pointing "Just up there" (There's no way I'm telling a stranger where I work)
Scary Lady "I see you every day and your flowers always look so pretty, they cheer me up!"
Me "Thank you" (Now I feel slightly ashamed that I was scared of her when she just said something so nice. Still not telling her where I work though.)
So here is a photo of me with one of my flowers. I am tired of seeing "Duckface" selfies all over the internet, so I adopted a new type of face, which my friend affectionately dubbed "WTF" or, What The Face.......??!!

My fabulous drawing skills....

Oh, and for any of you who doubt my fabulous drawing skills, here is my impression of yesterday's traumatic moose experience....if you have no idea what I'm talking about, read this......

http://busadventuresinalaska.blogspot.com/2013/07/moose-monday.html

Aha! I found it!!

Today I direct you back to a reference in an earlier post, about the drunken Alaska Native couple that were sitting at the bus stop one day....they had a large, grubby Husky toy with them for some reason and kept trying to insist I took it with me. I declined as politely as I could, and they didn't push the subject, thankfully. (Maybe I should have taken it; having spent an hour last night shampooing dog vomit off the bedroom carpet I am thinking a toy dog would have better manners.)
Anyway, I was looking through some old photos and like magic, there was the very one I took as I approached the bus stop that day..........
PS. Neither the couple nor their canine friend got on the bus; mostly my drunken homie friends just sit at the bus stop and hang out.
PPS. As my work moved to a new office, I get the bus at a different stop now, and there aren't any drunken homies. Although the stop is outside a tattoo parlour so there are still some interesting sights to be seen and reported on......


http://busadventuresinalaska.blogspot.com/2013/06/zombies-are-not-always-cool.html

Moose Monday!!

My Monday got off to a fairly traumatic start. First of all Whiney Dog was sick at 1:30am. I woke up to the sounds of her stomach making weird turbulent squishing noises, followed by her making throwing up noises; this was then followed by a moment's perplexed silence, and then she seemed to decide that she was awfully clever and had created a little snack for herself, so she proceeded to make awful slurping eating noises. Oh yuk! So as there was no time to shampoo the remains of her self- created midnight snack off the bedroom carpet- guess what I'll be doing when I get home from work?
So I left the house to go to the bus stop, and Holy Sh**! As soon as the door slammed shut behind me I realized with horror that there was a large moose in the neighbour's driveway, with only a car separating us! I stood on the doorstep with my heart pounding, unsure what to do. After a few seconds I figured that as the moose had its back to me, I should be ok as long as it didn't turn around and spot me. I walked as quietly and as quickly as I could in the direction of the bus stop, which fortunately was away from the moose. I kept looking over my shoulder but luckily the moose hadn't moved. Then, oh horror! I saw the two baby moose at the end of the street; I was walking TOWARD them- I was BETWEEN the MOTHER and her YOUNG!!!! Just as I had time to digest this, ratcheting my heart rate up another notch or two, both of the babies suddenly started galloping in my direction! I dived between two parked cars just in time for one baby to clatter up the street towards its mother, chased by a small dog which was in turn being shouted at by its owner. The other baby had galloped off in the same direction I was heading. It stood across the road from me and watched me uncertainly as I walked quickly away, towards my bus stop. I can tell you that my heart was still pounding and my hands were still shaking and I walked all the way to the bus stop practically with my head on back to front, watching for them all to come after me. Apparently a mother moose is extremely dangerous when she has young, understandably, and their favourite way of dealing with anything they think is a threat is to stomp on it. There have been several people unfortunate enough to have met their deaths this way, and that was why I was so traumatised. Soon it will be time to go home after work...... I REALLY hope they've found somewhere else to be by then..... This is Mummy Moose......

And this is one of her babies.......

Great Land of the Tattooed!!

Today I shall tell you about something new and interesting I have discovered; and possibly some of you have too, thanks to this magical land called Internet. Kalimedia have published a series of maps called the Atlas of True Names which contain "True Names" of places, meaning that they have set their boffins to researching the original meanings of place names around the world. I am delighted to announce that I come from the Great Land of the Tattooed, or as it's known these days: Great Britain.
I adore this name, and fortunately I am living up to it by already having three tattoos and considering a fourth. Tattoos are a somewhat controversial subject; I personally love them, but ONLY if they are well drawn and not too clichéd, although looking at the numerous galleries of terrible tattoos on the Internet is a great source of entertainment on a rainy day. People all around the world have been busily tattooing each other for various reasons for thousands of years, and the word "tattoo" comes from the Tahitian word "tatau" and was introduced into the English language by Captain Cook, after one of his expeditions. Many of Captain Cook's men returned from their expeditions with tattoos, which is why sailors are often associated with tattoos to this day.  Hmm, maybe my next one should be a cute little anchor....
Today's photo is of my "Eye of Horus" tattoo, which is a symbol of protection and good health.

Celebrate your inner fabulousness!

Today a nod of respect must go to a man I don't see on my bus very often, but when I do, he always makes me smile. I say man because nature made him one, and that much is obvious, but he is choosing to dress as a woman. He wears pastel coloured jeans and a smattering of glittery accessories, or occasionally like yesterday, he makes a brave foray into the world of skirts. Not a vulgar mini skirt with fishnets, teamed with overly ripe blusher and red nails, a mistake many cross dressers make (trying far too hard; most women don't overdo it to this extent so it's a dead giveaway when a man does it) but a long black hippy type skirt, teamed with a white blouse, pearl earrings and a dainty white straw hat. I salute this fellow human being, because he has chosen to defy convention and wear exactly what he pleases, and this is a good thing. Unlike the lady who chose the bus as a suitable place to cut her fingernails this morning. This is NOT a good thing. Learn a lesson from Skirt Man and have a little decorum please. Today's photo is not mine, but I like it, for obvious reasons.

Orange hair, sharks and a Chrome T Rex!

So this morning some of the usual suspects were present on the bus; Lady with Orange Hair for one. This lady used to have grey hair and obviously decided she was bored with it, so much that one day she got on the bus with hair that was the most startling shade of orange I feared for my corneas. It wasn't altogether unpleasant, I just wished she had warned us all the day before.
Man Who Smells of Poo was missing although not missed, especially as he almost always chooses the seat next to me and I have to hold my breath or turn away, feigning interest in the sights out of the window; I believe good manners are extremely important, and although not washing is pretty much considered bad manners in my book, I feel that my being sick on public transport would also be considered bad manners. It's good training for if I ever decide to become a free diver I'm sure.
Talking of diving, this leads me on to a tv programme I was watching recently, about sharks attacking people, a gruesome but interesting subject. A most unfortunate lady was recounting the tale of swimming off the coast of Florida when something grabbed her, shook her around like a rag doll and proceeded to take a considerable bite out of her leg. Luckily she lived to tell her story, and the shark expert decided that the shark in question was most likely a Bull Shark of about 16-17 feet in length. I immediately got out my tape measure and measured our living room to be 18 feet  long, then I scared myself by imagining swimming in the sea when a creature almost as long as the sitting room came up and attached itself to my leg via its viciously sharp teeth.........
So to cheer myself up today's photo will not be of blood stained swimmers, but of the chrome life size T Rex which artist Philippe Pasqua has installed in Paris. I LOVE this and would very much like it if he installed something similar in my garden.

Bikini Wars!!

Follow this link to an article about what exactly a bikini ready body should look like. I sent in a photo of me in a bikini (from 2 years ago, been too cold to wear one ever since!) along with several other random women. Yes, I am number 7, stupidly being the only one to wear a bikini in the snow!! The response was interesting to say the least, debates raging over "overweight" women daring to wear a bikini, being applauded for their confidence, or berated for their laziness...... pages and pages of comments. I was ridiculously pleased to read positive comments about my own photo; although that wasn't the point of the whole exercise. The point is, we're all beautiful as long as we are warm, caring and giving people; ugliness comes from a nasty, uncaring attitude to life. Get out in the sunshine and enjoy yourselves everybody-life is short!!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/29/real-bikini-bodies-look-like-this_n_2981220.html

Be nice, people!

Today's post is simply about what we all know we should be doing anyway, and indeed what a lot of people already do....and that is..... just be nice! To each other, to ourselves, to our planet, and to animals. Ghandi said "A nation's greatness and moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its animals" and I really feel that a lot of us realize this, and are doing as much as we can to live in harmony with nature as much as possible, but more can be done. I feel sad when I read some of the stories on the internet; animal abuse, poverty, pollution....but I also feel heartened by all the positive stories out there too; how people are speaking up for the vulnerable, and showing kindness in all sorts of ways, big and small. We need to keep doing this as often and as much as we can, the rewards will be truly worth it. Just look at this photo; not mine sadly, I only wish it was. This is Marco Queral, who has been taking photos of whales and other sea creatures for the last 20 or so years. What an experience to be so close to this whale- I am willing to bet it was emotional! I hope you enjoy this photo...

Hooray for the Fashion Police!

The Fashion Police have been working hard, so it would seem..... spotted on the bus again but doing MUCH better this time....the nice young man who always wore his socks with his sandals and offended my sense of style greatly; but now just look! Hooray! Follow this link to see what I am talking about.....
http://busadventuresinalaska.blogspot.com/2013/06/good-moringi.html

Stomach Brain!!!!

Wow, they say you learn something new every day..... and today I have learnt that we humans have a kind of mini brain in our stomachs similar in size to a cat's brain!!
Honestly, it's true.
There are over 100 million brain cells in your gut, (as many as there are in a cat's head) and these are busy digesting our food, plus keeping in close contact with its bigger friend, the head brain.
A good example of this communication is when you get that whole "butterflies in the tummy" kind of feeling; this is when the blood gets diverted from your gut to your muscles when you are scared or nervous, and the weird feeling is your stomach brain protesting to your head brain!
Of course there are probably many other conversations that go on between the two, and we can only imagine what they might be..... last night's tv for example, or politics, or whether in fact the Loch Ness Monster is real, and if there is life on other planets...... I like to think that my stomach brain and head brain have such interesting discussions....particularly when I've had a glass of wine or two...
So today's photo is of my beloved Tiger, sadly no longer with us.... maybe my stomach brain and his little cat brain are still in touch on some level......

It's 4th July!

It's July 4th today. In America, this is also known as Independence Day, the day when in 1776 America declared its independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. As a Brit who has been living in Alaska (for those that didn't realise it, Alaska is part of the USA, even though it isn't joined on to the Lower 48 and tends to get treated somewhat like a leper colony) for the last two years, I have mixed feelings about this. My heart is British, and I love my country and am proud to be British, and unless you are in my head, you have absolutely no idea just how much I miss my home. But, when you live far from home in a new place, you have to be respectful of other's cultures and traditions. You are a guest in their country, and like all guests, must be polite and a good representative of your own country. So although I joke to Perfect Husband who is American, that we should observe July 4th by arguing and fighting with each other all day long, I respect this day as a day special to all Americans, and I say to you all "Happy 4th July!"
I have a photo for today, but in my own fiercely patriotic way it is not an American Flag adorning my fingernails. It is my own joyously cheerful Union Jack. I mean no disrespect to anyone, in any country, so please don't be offended. This is just my way of saying, this is who I am in my heart, and I am proud. I hope everyone the world over feels the same individual sentiment, and I wish you all the best day.

No, Old Man, no!!

I have nothing against male genitalia. In fact I would go so far as to say I'm rather fond of Perfect Husband's.
I do have a slight problem with the genitalia of a random stranger being displayed in public though, and this is exactly what happened this morning. I was walking to the bus stop as usual, and I passed an old man sitting on his doorstep having a cigarette while wearing a dressing gown. The problem was that the dressing gown needed to be pulled down slightly, only a couple of inches, and that would have avoided the slightly awkward sight that met my startled gaze as I looked across to smile and say good morning. I honestly don't believe this old guy was aware of his transgression, a simple mistake I'm sure, but that didn't stop me from feeling that maybe as soon as I arrived at work I should perhaps gouge my eyes out with a spoon.........
There is no photo to illustrate. You're welcome.

Moose!!

This morning I was walking to the bus stop as usual and I walked past the neighbour's house. They usually have a large, sad looking dog tied up outside their house, but this morning there were two. They had really big ears and were watching me solemnly as I walked past...oh. They weren't dogs at all, they were two baby moose (mooses?) lying in the grass. Which meant that somewhere in the vicinity was a large and almost certainly extremely protective mother moose. Ah.
Of course I stopped long enough to take a photo, after first looking around furtively to make sure I wasn't about to get my head stomped on (this is apparently a moose's favourite way of dealing with threats to their young) then I hurried on to catch my bus. I wonder what happened to the neighbour's dog? Perhaps the mother moose fed it to her babies...... we may never know......

Here's to Bonny Scotland!

Perfect Husband and I went to the Alaska Scottish Highland Games on Saturday; slightly strange seeing men in kilts and sporrans etc, playing the bagpipe, then opening their mouths and speaking with American accents! Of course, some of these people are just interested in all things Scottish, but some have Scottish ancestry; past generations of their kin who bravely left the Wintry wilds of Scotland for....... the even more Wintery and wild Alaska!!
Ah well, at least they tried!
I am English, and we have a long history of fighting with Scotland; in fact we have a long history of fighting with a lot of people! But no country or nation is perfect, and I personally love to immerse my self in as many different cultures as I can...it's so interesting to see how different people are, what they eat, what they believe, how they dress, how they live..... it would be so boring if we were all the same, as if made from the same blueprint. How terribly dull.
There was a band playing; called Celtica Pipes Rock, which was comprised of Scottish, American and Austrian people, mixing traditional bagpipe music with heavy rock guitar- it actually really worked well, and as one of my facebook friends commented on this photo;
"God, I love a man in a kilt!" I have to agree, and am currently searching online for a suitable kilt for Perfect Husband.......... ;)