August 2017

This month the world saw a solar eclipse (it was not visible in Penang) and some varied local action.

This month saw another milestone on the personal calendar. The 14^th also happened to be pub quiz night. I was treated to a cake that Helen had ordered at half-time interval in the quiz. Most quiz participants ended up with a piece of the action…….and very nice it was too. We capped off a good night with a win. 

  We were on the podium at other times during the month with a second and a third and another win.

In the above image taken on the 21st August...John is away.....from the left, Liz, Helen, Mike, G, Carol

My photography was again limited with the only action occurring while taking a nature photographer from Adelaide on a morning excursion. I had earlier got him and his partner into Stephen’s Place at Fraser’s Hill. which they thoroughly enjoyed.

The George Town festival is currently on, Helen has been to a number of events. We had lunch in town one day and saw two photographic exhibitions. One was centred on local wildlife by an ex-pat Dutch photographer. I have not come across him but I am afraid to say I and others were rather critical of his abilities. The other exhibition I enjoyed …it was by Jimmy Nelson who specializes in taking ethnic images of cultures that are likely to be heading towards extinction. He has a photo book entitle, ‘Before they pass away’. 

The book has attracted a good deal of criticism ‘https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/oct/29/jimmy-nelson-indigenous-people-survival-international. Nelson travels to various locations and poses his subjects in ‘their environment’. He lets them choose what they wear even though it looks over-the top at times. It is the kind of exhibition that makes you think and to me it was very good and at the same time rather false looking. He uses a large format camera and some nice lighting. I particular liked his single portraits but some of the shots, including two Maori women near Huka Falls looked very unnatural.

I also liked some of the images in a recent National Geographic image competition. I reproduce two here, the first was the winning image of a volcano at night with accompanying electrical action. The other tells a nice story about the tiered system on the Bangladesh Railway system.

I recently saw a cartoon of my favourite Kingfisher species. It was referring to the variety of protein in the diet of this species. A number of my images certainly support the varied diet……which includes cigarettes.

I am often aghast at the pharmaceutical standards in Malaysia (Singapore was not a lot better). In my training labelling medicine properly was of paramount importance. Helen recently had a persistent cough that required a trip to the doctor. Illustrated below is the labelling on the cough medicine. This is the end point of four years full-time study.

I think it reads 'Take 10mils three times daily'....there is clearly a perceived need to conserve biro-ink.

On the brewing /baking front I have been concentrating on different Kombucha flavours. Brewing Kombucha starts with a mixture of black tea and sugar. A SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast) is placed in a brewing jar with this mixture. The bugs consume the sugar and multiply….in this environment this process takes around 8-9 days. The liquid is decanted and put in small beer bottles. Fruit extract is added to provide flavour and sugars for the secondary fermentation which takes around 5 days. The stand-out flavour so far is raspberry. Grape, mango and apple (separately) are OK but not spectacular. Currently there is pineapple, passionfruit, lemon and lemon and ginger brewing.

On the subject of food and beverages, Straits Quay was the focal point for an attempt to make the Guinness Book of Records for the most food stalls in one place. It was not advertised or promoted locally but they did seem to get the numbers.

Finally, August saw the start of the 4 Nations rugby competition. The All Blacks ran up a big score in the first half of the first game v The Wallabies but relaxed too much in the second half but still won by 20 points.
I had a friend watching the second test with me. We were in disbelief at the 17-0 scoreline but were relieved to steal the game in the last minutes.

I was sorting through some images when I came to the Kaikoura shots.  I wondered what happened to the pool the baby seals swam in so ecstatically before the Kaikoura earthquake. I realise there was a major slip over the highway at Ohau Point. Recent information estimates the highway could re-open by the end of the year. One local lad managed to get to the pool and says it is intact but the public track needs some clearing and there are a few obstacles for the pups to overcome but not all gloom and doom. I checked Youtube for a good record of the phenomena before the earthquake.  I found a short but professional documentary that is excellent. Found here

The current status of the road at Ohau Point.

On the last day of the month....being National Day in Malaysia...together with a few friends we walked up Pearl Hill. Coco knows this walk well and is always very keen to go.

At the start of the walk I noticed a smallish raptor land in the tree above carrying a mouse. Another bird of the same species came in later. I took an ID shot with my small camera and a naturalist friend ID's the birds at Crested Goshawks......as seen in the pic from the internet.

A week or so back I was real happy to come upon a pair of otters eating fish near the shore. Again I did not have a big lens with me but shot them on video on my phone.  The video can be seen here

....and finally my perturbed booking via Expedia and Malaysia Airlines has been resolved....I have had my fare returned to me. It is noteworthy that neither company decided to tell me though and both will remain on my blacklist.

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