Census of Marine Life..

I just found this video posted by National Geographic. It is about a census of Marine Life, they searched for the tiniest creatures in the ocean. I absolutely love the visuals of the video and the music, I have re-watched it so many times. I think this is why I like it, rather than the actual subject of the video.

It is interesting. The video has a little fact at the end: Microbes make up as much as 90% of the ocean's biomass. Equal to the weight of more than 240 billion African Elephants.
Well, that is a lot. Enjoy!

Animals In War Memorial

I went to Hyde Park today and whilst walking down Park Lane I saw the Animals in War Memorial. I have never noticed it before and didn't even know it existed. The monument is truly powerful and so moving.


The sculptures themselves are beautiful. The largest sculpture, the horse (as I believe horses were the main animals used during the wars), is depicted as willingly working in all it's might and strength. The expression on the dog's face is also very moving. Man's best friend is painstakingly innocent and naive but willing and positive in the way that dogs always are.


Beneath the main heading "Animals in War", the memorial has two inscriptions:

"This monument is dedicated to all the animals that served and died alongside British and Allied forces in wars and campaigns throughout time."

The second, smaller inscription simply reads:

"They had no choice."


The smaller inscription nearly bought me to tears. The monument is truly moving and inspiring. It is such a wonderful idea and the ethos and thinking behind it is to be truly commemorated. Although I felt such a sadness for the loss of the animals, I also felt a strong sense of happiness and pride in the monument being built. I think it is amazing that individuals (and a lot of them) have recognised and paid a tribute to the sacrifices that animals made during the war. Seeing this monument today restored some of my faith in humanity.











More information about the memorial can be found here.

Pouffe Pooch

I was out riding the other day and my friend Jack came along with me for the walk. We were walking through one of the big country parks where you get alot of other country walkers, cyclists and most of all.. dog walkers. Now don't get me wrong, I love dogs. But when I think of dogs, I think of ones like this. You know, real dogs. And most of the dogs at the park are like this. However, every now and then you see a dog out walking that looks more like this. Now although I would not class this as a real dog, I can understand that this creature is somehow still related to the canine family.

Now when Jack and I were walking/riding through the park we came across a lady that appeared to be walking two pouffes (see Wiktionary; A thick cushion, sometimes of leather, used as a seat or a footstool). I'm not joking. I have since scoured google images and I seem to have found pictures of this lady's dogs online. She had a black and a white one, which can be seen respectively here (hiding in her bedroom) and here (laying in another room of her house).

Luckily Jack and I managed to get some video footage of the dogs, and can be seen below. Enjoy.

PostSecret

I have recently become infatuated, obsessed even, with this blog. It's updated every sunday. It is an ongoing art project where people are invited to send in their secrets on the back of a postcard. They can be about absolutely anything; a regret, fear, betrayal, desire, confession or childhood humiliation. As long as they are true and have never been shared with anyone before.

Some of the entries make me laugh, some make me smile happily and others make me sad. But every now and then I will read one that truly pulls on my heartstrings. Not even pull on them, stand on them. As I remember this isn't fiction, this is real people and real lives. Below I have selected a few of my favourites, the funny ones, the touching ones, the astonishingly honest ones and those that I will remember forever.

Bookshop

Today I have spent my afternoon lost in one of my favourite bookshops (according to the shop itself it is Britain's largest second hand bookshop). It's so old and quirky I love it in there, right down to the wooden floorboards that creek with every step. I love how because all of the books are second hand (or more), they have a past. If books are allowed to have a life and so a past. You can almost feel the history coming off their pages. I picked up one book that had written on the front page, "To dad, all my love annie" dated 1945. That is a long time ago, 65 years, and that book is not one of the oldest ones there by far. It gives me tingles on the back of my neck.

I only left with one book, a play actually - Sheridan's The Rivals. I don't even have any money to spend so I shouldn't be spending it on books I don't need. I'm being reminded of another quote again..


"When I have a little money, I buy books; and if I have any left, I buy food and clothes."
— Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus


Fortunately I'm not this bad, but I fear I'm not too far off.

Heart don't fail me now...

I cannot stop listening to this song.









Is it strained, when I call you
Or do you think, that I might forget
Oh your love, is radiating…
The farther away
I go.
Do you count, on me now
And do you wait, up for me all night
I wish I could run, to you when you need me
You know I can’t be far
…..for long


Heart don’t fail me now
Cause there is no time to waste
Don’t shut me out, we shouldn’t wait another day…
I’ve searched for you, on my hearts high speed chase
Hear me out, may be the only chance to say
Hold me now….
I’ve said it every other way

McDonalds

Hi everyone. Hope you are all enjoying your cheeseburgers. Come over and say hi. Love Stacey and Jack xx
p.s. can someone please lend us £1 so we can get a burger. thanks.