Author Archives: admin

Curtain-twitching

Posted on April 19, 2015 by admin

Saturday was a quiet day, mostly staying in and taking pictures of the neighbours through the window. Fortunately, our neighbours are exhibitionists:   According to Wikipedia, kestrels generally raise around four chicks per pair, so this could be a lively … Continue reading →

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Big Birds

Posted on April 12, 2015 by admin

As well as the storks, we’ve come across quite a few big birds in the last few weeks. Herons occupy the same kind of territory as the storks: One of the biggest surprises buzzed overhead while we were admiring the … Continue reading →

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Stalking Storks

Posted on April 11, 2015 by admin

One sign of spring in Bratislava is the return of the storks, several pairs of which nest in the suburb round the corner from us, Devínska Nová Ves. Here the Morava river marks the border between Slovakia and Austria, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Slovakia | 2 Comments

In the Nature

Posted on March 7, 2015 by admin

Every Slovak loves spending time in the nature, and the coming of spring means there’s a lot more on show now. A few weeks ago Dúbravka was a winter wonderland: Some animals at least left their marks: Tatran Chamois were … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Slovakia | 1 Comment

Snowy Calamity!

Posted on January 30, 2015 by admin

Today we had a reminder that completely failing to deal with unexpected events, such as snow falling in the middle of winter, is not a uniquely British phenomenon. The trolleybus network was knocked out, and the buses are apparently incapable … Continue reading →

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Petermann Island

Posted on January 2, 2015 by admin

Petermann Island was our southernmost point (65°10′S 64°10′W), and the end of the road. When we landed, we were given the option of going to one side of the island to see “Iceberg Alley” — tempting — or to see … Continue reading →

Posted in Antarctica, Nature, Travel | 1 Comment

Nearing the End

Posted on January 2, 2015 by admin

The last day of our trip was rather nerve-wracking as well as enjoyable: we sailed through the Lemaire Channel towards Petermann Island, but there was a risk that there would be too much ice in the channel for us to … Continue reading →

Posted in Antarctica, Nature, Travel | 1 Comment

Reading List 2

Posted on January 1, 2015 by admin

I got through 43 books in the second half of 2014, thanks to a lot of tram rides and three weeks on a ship with no Internet. There ended up being quite a range in terms of categories: Factual Everything … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | 1 Comment

Port Lockroy

Posted on January 1, 2015 by admin

After leaving Brown, we spent the evening on our way back west, towards Port Lockroy. We made our acquaintance with a range of ice forms on the way; I’m not sure which is which, but I believe that brash ice, … Continue reading →

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Base Brown

Posted on December 31, 2014 by admin

Base Brown, named after an improbable Argentine national hero, is of particular interest as being on the continent itself rather than one of the islands. It was burned down in 1984 when the station’s doctor went a little crazy and … Continue reading →

Posted in Antarctica, Nature, Travel | 1 Comment