A lake the colour of a strawberry milkshake ! Lake Hillier in Australia

What colour is a lake, usually?

When you picture a lake in your mind, what colour is that lake?

Blue, right?  

When told to imagine a lake -- any lake -- most people would think of a blue lake.

Well now, try to imagine a pink lake.  

Yes, pink like strawberry ice cream.

Or like a strawberry milkshake.

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Strawberry-Milkshakes#/Image:Make-Strawberry-Milkshakes-Step-14-Version-4.jpg

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Strawberry-Milkshakes

It's difficult, quite difficult, to make the mind conjure up a picture of a pink lake. 

Well, no need to try too hard.

Because here are some photos of the real thing -- an incredible, magically beautiful pink lake -- Lake Hillier in Western Australia.

photo link:  http://hillierlake.com/

photo link: http://hillierlake.com/lake-hillier-pictures/

Please visit   http://hillierlake.com/

to see the above and more photos, and to get some more information about marvellous Lake Hillier in Australia.

I would love to visit the lake.

Somehow, it made me think of the "Lake Isle of Innisfree", by W. B. Yeats:

"I will arise and go now, for always night and day

I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;

While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,

I hear it in the deep heart's core."

And from the rose-hued Lake Hillier, it would be interesting to travel, at least in the mind, to Homer's "wine-dark sea".

This world of ours -- what a beautiful place it is.

"...for peace comes dropping slow,

Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;

There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,

And evening full of the linnet's wings."

The Lion by Joseph Kessel -- book , movie , Pamela Franklin , and a marvellous bookshop in West Hollywood

I'd like to recommend a novel called  The Lion
(the French title is Le Lion)  by Joseph Kessel.

Peter Green translated the novel into English,
and, in 1962, it was made into a movie
with William Holden, Trevor Howard,
and Capucine.

The young girl (the main human character)
is named Patricia, in the book.
In the film, however, she is called Tina,
and her role is played by Pamela Franklin.

The novel is set in East Africa, in Kenya.

Patricia is a young girl living in the African wilderness,
and she has a special friendship with King,
a magnificent lion she regards as all her own, since
she raised King from the time he was a cub.

Sort of like Peter Pan, Patricia is living in her own
faraway-from-everything Paradise.
She doesn't want to grow up.
(And who would want to grow up,
if they were living Patricia's
Heidi-in-Africa blissful life?.......)

But, the world -- reality -- some would call it fate --
intrudes, as it always does, and what follows
is heart-rending, unforgettable.
It will make you weep, and it will haunt you.

And, somehow, it made me think of that poem
by W B Yeats, "The Stolen Child":

Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping
 than you can understand. 

As mentioned earlier, the role of the young girl 

in the movie (she's in the photo above with the lion)

was given to Pamela Franklin.

♥ At the end of this post, I'll give a link

for the full movie on youtube.

Don't worry about the Portuguese title

because the movie is in English.

Pamela Franklin later married fellow actor Harvey Jason.
Together with Louis, one of their sons, her husband
co-owns a very interesting and wonderful bookshop called
♥ Mystery Pier Books, Inc.
in West Hollywood,
California, USA.

♥ The link to their bookstore can be found
at the end of this blog post, and it contains
the address and telephone number.
So, do visit whenever
you're in that part of the US.

Meanwhile, try to get a copy of  "The Lion"
by Joseph Kessel, and read it as soon as you can,
and you can also watch the movie on youtube
(see the links below).

Plus, here is a novel which is also set in Kenya,
and is connected to lions.
It is a poignant, shimmering story of
mystery, suspense, murder, reincarnation,
and the eternal power of love...

♥ Link to the above e-book on Amazon Kindle:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008ZPVTCK

♥  Further, to read a sample for free --

i.e.    8  chapters

of the novel

"I met you in that past life A"

you can click on the link below: ♥

http://serene-journey-to-happiness.blogspot.sg/2013/06/read-them-here-for-free-first-8.html

Enjoy!    ♥

Links  re.  "The Lion"  by Joseph Kessel:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion_(novel)  (contains spoilers!)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamela_Franklin

♥ http://www.mysterypierbooks.com/  (the bookstore is co-owned by Pamela Franklin's family)

http://www.allmovie.com/movie/v99711  (for the poster & photos of the movie)

♥ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLKxk18RID0

(The above link is for the "The Lion" 1962 movie.

Name of the youtube movie:

O LEÃO ( 1962) Willian Holden, Capucine e Trevor Howard espetaculares

(Even though the above title is in Portuguese,
the movie is in English)

Name of the youtube channel:
ArlindoDuplo

♥

J H Patterson, the man-eaters of Tsavo, and a unique mystery novel

John Henry Patterson   (10 November 1867 - 18 June 1947) 

was a contemporary of  James Edward  “Jim” Corbett 

 (25 July 1875 - 19 April 1955).

Link for the above photo:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:John_Henry_Patterson.jpg

Further link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Henry_Patterson_(author)

Both Patterson and Corbett were British soldiers, both were hunters, 

and both are connected to Kenya.



Link giving an article on Jim Corbett,
including information on the part of his life
which was spent in Kenya:

http://journeytoaah.blogspot.com/2016/01/jim-corbett-man-eaters-of-kumaon-from.html

Jim Corbett killed several man-eating tigers and leopards

in India, and later wrote a number of books, including

"Man-Eaters of Kumaon".

J H Patterson authored several books as well, 

the most well-known being 

“The Man-Eaters of Tsavo”.  

By the way,  to know  how to pronounce

the word  "Tsavo",  click the link below

to hear an audio pronunciation:

http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=tsavo&submit=Submit

(www.howjsay.com is a good, reputable
audio pronunciation dictionary,

and it is available free online)

In 1898, Patterson was sent to a part of East Africa

 -- present-day Kenya -- to oversee the construction 

of a railway bridge in Tsavo.  

His book recounts his experiences with

the nightmarish man-eating lions 

that were preying on the railway workers 

and local people in that area of Kenya. 

Eventually, after several perilous attempts, 

Patterson managed to kill the two man-eaters.   

Here is a photo of his book:

Link for the above photo:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Man-eaters_of_Tsavo_book_cover.jpg

Incidentally, the  "Man-eaters of Tsavo"  book
can be read for free online, for instance at the
Project Gutenberg site:

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3810/3810-h/3810-h.htm

Not long afterwards, Patterson for a while

became a Game Warden, overseeing

the wildlife reserves in East Africa.

Further, here is  a novel  which is connected to Tsavo

and the well-known pair of man-eating lions in 1898.

The book is unique -- I believe it is the one and only 

reincarnation novel in the world 

which is based on the real-life man-eaters of Tsavo.

It tells a story of murder, mystery, romance, and

reincarnation...

♥ Link to the above e-book on Amazon Kindle:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008ZPVTCK

♥  Further, to read a sample for free --

i.e.    8 chapters

of the novel

"I met you in that past life A"

you can click on the link below: ♥

http://serene-journey-to-happiness.blogspot.sg/2013/06/read-them-here-for-free-first-8.html

Enjoy!    ♥

Jim Corbett -- Man-eaters of Kumaon -- from hunter to wildlife conservationist -- from India to Kenya

James Edward  "Jim"  Corbett  (25 July 1875 - 19 April 1955) 
was a hunter who later became a wildlife conservationist.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jim_Corbett.jpg

Having hunted man-eating tigers and leopards in India, he later authored

“Man-eaters of Kumaon” 

and other books in which he wrote about his hunts and experiences.  

Incidentally, it may be possible to read  “Man-eaters of Kumaon”  for free online.  

Try searching for it on the internet.

Eventually, Jim Corbett the hunter became Jim Corbett the conservationist 

of wildlife and forests.

He was influential in establishing a national park in India to protect 

the endangered Bengal tiger, and the park was later renamed in his honour.  

Located in beautiful Nainital district of Uttarakhand, India, 

Jim Corbett National Park is also a part of Project Tiger.

Tigress walking on the gypsy track in Bijrani zone.

Photo by Soumyajit Nandy.

Photo link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bengal-Tiger_Corbett_Uttarakhand_Dec-2013.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Corbett_National_Park

Other links:

http://www.jimcorbettnational-park.com/jim-corbett-tour-packages.html

http://www.corbettnationalparkindia.in/blog/advantages-of-jeep-safari-and-elephant-safari

Speaking of the above area, Corbett was born in the town of Nainital in India on the 25th of July 1875.  (Zodiac sign: Leo).

The side view of Gurney House where Jim Corbett used to stay (Nainital, India)

Photo by Schwiki

Photo link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gurney_House-the_home_of_Jim_Corbett.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurney_House

In 1947, however, he moved to Kenya in East Africa.

He went to live in the Kenyan town of Nyeri, which is near Mount Kenya 

and near Treetops Hotel in Aberdare National Park.

“Treetops became famous around the world 

when Princess Elizabeth, as she then was, 

stayed there at the time of the death of her father,  

King George VI, which occurred on the night

 of 5/6 February 1952, while she was at Treetops.“

“Jim Corbett, her bodyguard at the time, 

wrote the now famous lines in the visitors' log book:

For the first time in the history of the world, 

a young girl climbed into a tree one day a Princess

and after having what she described as her most thrilling experience

she climbed down from the tree next day a Queen —God bless her.“

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treetops_Hotel

Jim Corbett continued to live in Kenya, in Nyeri, 

and it is in that town that he passed away 

on the 19th of April 1955, at the age of 79.   

His last resting place is Nyeri.

Incidentally,  Nyeri is also connected to Lord Baden-Powell 

(1857-1941), founder of the Scout Movement. 

"In 1939, Baden-Powell and Olave moved to a cottage he had commissioned in Nyeri, Kenya, near Mount Kenya,... 

The Paxtu cottage is integrated into the Outspan Hotel buildings and serves as a small Scouting museum.

Baden-Powell died on 8 January 1941 and is buried at St. Peter's Cemetery in Nyeri." 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Baden-Powell,_1st_Baron_Baden-Powell

As mentioned earlier in this post, Jim Corbett moved to Nyeri, Kenya, in 1947 -- a few years after Baden-Powell had passed away.

And, as per a Wikipedia article on Nyeri, 

(see the last paragraph of the “Tourism” “In Town” part), 

Jim Corbett  "also spent his final years in Paxtu, the B-P's cottage."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyeri

Further,

"In 1994 and 2002, the long-neglected graves of Corbett and his sister (both in Kenya) were repaired and restored by Jerry A. Jaleel, founder and director of the Jim Corbett Foundation."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Corbett

In addition, during his time in Kenya, I wonder whether Jim Corbett, 

author of “Man-eaters of Kumaon”, went to visit a certain area of Tsavo

 -- that particular part of the Kenyan wilderness 

which became well-known in 1898... 

because of two man-eating lions

 -- the man-eaters of Tsavo... 

Robin Christmas Cards from the British Red Cross gift shop

It's never too early to plan for Christmas!

Here's a Christmas card which has
a lovely, nostalgic picture of a robin
perched on a classic red pillar box.
A snowy, Christmassy scene.

You can get the above card online
at "Village post Christmas cards"
at the British Red Cross gift shop site.

Here's the link:

♥ http://giftshop.redcross.org.uk/giftshop?product_id=797

And here's another classic Christmas card
with a pretty picture of a robin in the snow
with lovely red berries:

The British Red Cross gift shop
has the above card available online at
"Robin and berries Christmas cards"

Here's the link:

♥ http://giftshop.redcross.org.uk/giftshop?product_id=782

What's more, note what is mentioned on the above site:

"All of the profit from the sales of our gifts and cards
will be used by the British Red Cross to help
people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are."

That's the wonderful thing about this particular gift shop.

♥ Its profits  are used to help people in need all over the world.

♥ So, do support them, and share this information
with other people -- it's a for a good cause.

Click on the following link for their online gift shop:

♥ http://giftshop.redcross.org.uk/category/gift-shop

These are the things that you can get at
the British Red Cross online gift shop:

--  items for Christmas
--  greeting cards
--  exclusive items
--  gifts for her
--  gifts for him
--  home accessories
--  toys & games
--  books
--  special sale items

In fact, visit the home page of  the British Red Cross --
you'll also be able to see their items for


--  education
--  first aid
--  independent living products:

♥ http://giftshop.redcross.org.uk/index.php?route=common/home ♥

Nice photo: Robin in the snow 3

Good picture of a robin in the snow.

Chubby robin.  Stout.  Stalwart.  Very nice.

Link to the photo (Wikipedia Commons):

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robin_in_the_snow_3_(4250400943).jpg

Information from the above link:

'Christmas Card' Robin seen at Sandwell Park Farm, Sandwell Valley

Source:  Robin in the snow 3

Uploaded by Magnus Manske

Author: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK

A Mary Cassatt painting and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Here is a painting by Mary Cassatt called
"Two women seated by a woodland stream".

What a lovely, serene picture.

When I saw the painting, it made me think of the two elder Bennet sisters in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

It made me picture Jane Bennet and Elizabeth Bennet taking a rest after a walk by a stream in a garden at or near Longbourn,  or perhaps in the parkland at Pemberley (after Elizabeth married Darcy)...

http://www.wikiart.org/en/mary-cassatt/two-seated-women-1869

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Cassatt

By the way, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is available to read online for free at the Project Gutenberg site.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1342/1342-h/1342-h.htm#link2HCH0061

Project Gutenberg is a wonderful site where you can read thousands of books for free online.  Do take a moment to visit it.

https://www.gutenberg.org/

Red Panda

I came across red pandas recently on the internet, and would like to share some information about them here.

When people hear the word "panda", they usually think about the giant panda (see the photo below) which is black and white.

Above photo by J. Patrick Fischer

Link to the above photo:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Grosser_Panda.JPG

However, the red panda looks quite different.

The red panda is small -- slightly bigger than a house cat,
and has a long bushy tail.

In fact, when zoologist Frederic Cuvier described the red panda in 1825, he gave it the name ailurus fulgens. which means "shining cat" or "fire-coloured cat".

(As per this Wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_panda under "Phylogenetics":

Ailurus, (from Ancient Greek αἴλουρος, "cat"), 

based on superficial similarities with domestic cats. 

The specific epithet is the Latin adjective fulgens, "shining".

Ailurus fulgens.  It reminds me of the name Fulgencio (for men) and the name Fulgencia (for women).  Both Fulgencio and Fulgencia mean "shining/glowing".

http://www.behindthename.com/name/fulgencio

http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Fulgencia

Anyway, the red panda is incredibly cute and cuddly!!
I want to give it a bunch of hugs.
Wish I had one as a pet...
See the pictures and video below.

Above photo by Greg Hume

Link to the above photo:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RedPandaFullBody.JPG

Above photo by Carlos Delgado; CC-BY-SA

Link to the above photo:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ailurus_fulgens_-_01.jpg

And here's a very cute and short (a bit less than 2 minutes)
video on youtube:

Name of the above youtube video:
Red Panda playing in the snow

Name of youtube channel:
Mmovies21

Link to above youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6GaPkkGZGw

Links to more information about the red panda:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_panda

http://library.sandiegozoo.org/factsheets/red_panda/red_panda.htm

Panda Car

A panda car.

Wondering what it is?

Curious and want to find out more?

Click on the following link.
It will take you to a Wikipedia site
which will give you details about panda cars. ♥

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panda_car

Link to the above photo:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Yuan_Zi_-_panda.jpg

About the Panda

Thinking about the panda bear recently, I started wondering about its name.

What's the origin of the word "panda"?  Which language does it come from?

I looked it up, and it seems a bit of a mystery.  No one really knows.

But here's some information I found:

"Name

No conclusive explanation of the origin of the word panda has been found. The closest candidate is the Nepali word ponya, possibly referring to the adapted wrist bone of the red panda, which is native to Nepal. The Western world originally applied this name to the red panda. Until 1901, when it was erroneously stated to be related to the red panda, the giant panda was known as "black and white cat-footed animal" (Ailuropus melanoleucus).^[99]

In most encyclopedic sources, the name "panda" or "common panda" originally referred to the lesser-known red panda,^[100]thus necessitating the inclusion of "giant" and "lesser/red" prefixes in front of the names."

Perhaps the word "panda" is from the Chinese language?  Turns out that the answer is No.

In China, one of the most popular names for this cuddly bear is "dàxióngmāo (大熊貓 literally "giant bear cat")."

Now, let's move on from this bear's name to its babies -- its cubs.

When a panda cub is born, what is its colour?

Is it 

a) black and white

b) white

c) black

d) grey 

e) brown

f) bamboo-green

I hope you didn't choose any of the above.

A panda cub, when born, has a colour which has four letters. 

_ _ _ _  

(Hint 1: There is only one vowel.

 Hint 2:  Part of the word can make you go "ouch"!!

 Hint 3: Think about " _ _ _  curl").

Further, here's another piece of information.  "The giant panda produces the proportionally smallest baby of any placental mammal."

When a panda cub is born, it arrives  "weighing only 90 to 130 grams (3.2 to 4.6 ounces), or about 1/800th of the mother's weight."

To give you a rough idea of the tiny weight of a newborn panda cub, think about an apple.  A smallish apple is about 100 grams!!

Link to the above apple photo:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Apple_03.jpg

Link to the Wikipedia article giving the above information regarding pandas:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_panda

And now, here's a short (about 1 minute) and sweet video by CCTV News.

Its title: 

So Cute! Panda asks for hug to get down from tree!

By the way, just in case, here's the link for the above panda video on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVywPAjtppg