Came across this photo today while reading the BBC news "Days in Pictures" online .... these penguins can hardly wait to unwrap their presents, containing tasty snacks - at a zoo in Hanover, Germany. It's a shame these poor kin are locked up in a zoo, but I am happy to see they weren't forgotten this Christmas!
Penguins love this time of year, all the Christmas decorations and displays, the sparkling lights and of course the frost, snow and cold, bitter weather! Makes me feel right at home!
Time to say farewell to Vancouver, our time here is over .... we will be heading back to Alberta today. Looking forward to hosting Glammy in my home city. We will definitely miss the plentiful fresh fish available in Vancouver *sigh* ... won't be seeing any signs like this!
Having a relationship with Glammy Glacier is hard to keep secret. Given the pressure of her adoring public, Glammy caved in to their request and persuaded me to agree to participate in this Glamour magazine photo shoot with her. (honestly, could I ever deny her anything?)
We headed off to Granville Island for a little retail therapy ... life is grand.
Glammy insisted I climb into this mangled piece of driftwood to demonstrate what great camouflage cover it gave me. Granted, penguins do not often find themselves in situations requiring camouflage, but it is a fine example of the things Glammy will notice and comment upon.
Can't tell you how much fun Glammy and I are having just hanging out in Vancouver!
Glammy was "well impressed" seeing these totem poles; being from England, she has never seen anything like them! She was particularly intrigued learning about the the stories told by these totem poles.
People are always so nice to us ... offering to take our photo wherever we happen to be! This picture of us was taken along the sea wall, a part of the 8 km walk around Stanley Park, in Vancouver. The park was named for Lord Stanley, the Governor General of Canada in 1888 when the park was officially opened, establishing the then fledgling city's first official "greenspace". It is estimated that 8 million people visit this evergreen oasis of 400 hectares (1,000 acres) each year. Glammy and I thought it was a pretty sweet park!
There is no doubt - I am the luckiest penguin alive! The love of my life, Glammy Glacier, travelled all the way from the UK to Vancouver. What a surprise! I just adore surprises! I couldn't believe my eyes when there she stood, a pink vision of perfection before me, amongst the fallen autumn leaves. My heart skipped a beat or two and I could barely breathe. Glammy sensed my disbelief, and was the first to make a move, waddling right up to me, so close, our beaks nearly touched. It was a magical moment.
Before you all inquire as to how exactly this surprise visit came about, I will tell you: It will come as no surprise to those closest to me, to hear that I have been keeping in touch with Glammy daily, since my return to Canada via email, regular post and the odd telephone call every now and then (not always the easiest thing to co-ordinate given Glammy's hectic schedule, not to mention the time change, but I digress...). Naturally, Glammy knew of my plans to travel to Vancouver. Being the smartest, most glamorous, most fashionable, feminine, pink female penguin in the world, she knew exactly where to find me - near the ocean!
The Haida Nation are the Indigenous people of British Columbia's Queen Charlotte Islands, located northwest of Vancouver. There are several wonderful examples of Haida carving styles on display, both inside and on the Museum of Anthropology grounds.
Vancouver is THE place to be - I mean, who doesn't love to be near the ocean? where better to feast on fresh seafood??
and I'm lovin' all the maple trees (amongst others) here in Vancouver, in various stages of color change, from green to yellow and crimson red. I love the contrast! The only thing that could possibly improve the scenery I see here, would be sharing the sights in Vancouver with my precious Glammy!
Time to hit the road ... going to Vancouver, but given the distance I need to travel to get there, will probably stop along the way.
I'm thinking of taking up the piano again ... it's been a while since I've tinkled the ivories, but I need something to fill the lonely hours on my own. Oh Glammy, how I miss you! Your letters from England lift my spirits to no end; I spend hours on end reminiscing the time we spent together this past summer. I am going to practice diligently so that I might play for you, that is, if you ever come to visit me here in Canada. How sweet that would be.
Yikes! Had a close call while the mountains this past weekend. This guy's breath was terrible! Luckily I waddled my way out of this! Glammy, if you reading this, rest assured, I'm fine.
Decided to get away from it all and headed to the mountains for a 3 hour hike ... ending up at Elbow Lake. Phew! It was mighty hard work waddling over 2,000 ft straight up a mountain but the icy cold lake at the end, was worth the work!
They say all good things must come to an end. Who are "they" and why, oh why, do "they" have to be right about that?!
I cannot describe to you how heavy my heart was watching the train depart the Moreton station. Glammy has gone home, and our time together has come to an end, but the friendship we have forged over these past months will last a lifetime, of that I am certain. I will soon be returning to Canada, and will be separated from the love of my life. We have committed ourselves to keeping our friendship alive. I am hoping and praying Glammy will accept my invitation to come to Canada for a visit. Deep in my heart I know we are destined to be together, forever.
Alas, my UK adventure is coming to an end ... prompting me to look back at some photos and recalling the fantastic times I have spent with Glammy ... not sure how I will be able to leave her behind - we have developed a very deep bond. To be honest, I don't want to think about it.
During one of our evening walks, Glammy and I stopped by the Moreton in Marsh Cemetry and came upon WW2 tombstones, where 45 airforce personnel are buried together in a group. Of those 45, 12 were Canadian, the majority remaining from Britain, but we also noticed some airforce headstones from the US, New Zealand and South Africia. We later found out that during WW2, Moreton-in-Marsh was one of many flight training stations for the RAF Bomber Command. The building work for the training station was delayed by bad weather in January 1940, and despite the delays, by November the Air Ministry saw it fit to send the first Squadron over, despite the thick mud everywhere and the 'J' type hangar which had a roof but no sides, earning the bombing station the nickname of "Moreton in the Mud."
Spent some time talking to the locals ... it takes a bit of getting used to the Irish accent and the way they speak; bringing to mind Yoda from Star Wars, talking in reverse, ie: sit yourself down there, why don't you?
Ahh... a castle fit for my queen!! The royal apartments are shown in the background here ... while we couldn't go into the private residences, we did see the royal state rooms and Queen Mary's Doll House, which both Glammy and I found very interesting! The doll house was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1924. Nearly every item in the house was specially commissioned on a scale of twelve to one. The mechanical and engineering equipment is made to work, including the water system, the electric lights and the two lifts! Sadly, we could not take any photos of the doll house, but check this site out for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Mary's_Dolls'_House
Fox hunting facts:
- an activity involving the tracking, chasing, and sometimes killing of a fox (traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds (or other scent hounds), and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, following the hounds on foot or on horseback;
- originated in the UK in the 16th century;
- earliest known attempt to hunt a fox with hounds was in Norfolk, England, in 1534, where farmers began chasing down foxes with their dogs as a form of pest control;
- foxes feed on rodents, rabbits, birds (including chickens) and other small game (thankfully, they never developed a taste for penguin);
- has been (and unless banned) is still being practised all over the world, including Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Russia, and the United States;
- fox hunting is controversial, particularly in the UK, where a ban on fox hunting was introduced in November 2004. Proponents saw it as an important part of rural culture, vital for conservation and pest control, while opponents argued it was a cruel and unnecessary sport.
We found Postman Pat to be a very fine chap!
For those of you in the world who have not grown up watching Postman Pat, copy & paste this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ-CQEF5Or4
The Minotaur and the Hare is a bronze sculpture created by Sophie Ryder in 1995. It can be found on The Promenade in Cheltenham, opposite Cavendish House.
Hanging out by the fountain is one way to stay cool on a warm day. As you all know, I'm one cool penguin dude and surprisingly, I have not lost any of my "coolness" going exclusive with Glammy Glacier.
Most have a desire to be "cool" at some point in time, however, I find not everyone makes the effort to be cool which is understandable, given the effort. It takes dedication, time, and creativity. Being cool could bring about some positive changes to your life: ie: you'll find yourself in control, and well-liked, among other things. So with this in mind, I've decided to share a bit of "Slappy Wisdom" on how to to be cool:
Exert Self-control: If you lose your composure, you are at risk of doing something irrational, potentially even uncool.
Be Patient: It takes time and practice to be cool; it won't happen overnight. Depending on how much effort you expend, it could take weeks, months or possibly years. Besides, no one likes someone who is easily rattled and complains. Being a chronic complainer is definitely not cool.
Have a good sense of humour: Who doesn't like to laugh? If you make others laugh, you'll be cool. (just don't make fun of others when attempting to be funny.)
Be Humble: just like complaining, it's not cool to be a bragger or arrogant. If you're cool, don't brag about being cool. It's just not done.
Be Confident: there is no reason why anyone shouldn't like you, right? Don't waste any time trying to be liked by everyone. The fact is, not everyone will like you, and if they don't, that's their problem.
