Spectropia or Surprising Spectral Illusions Showing Ghosts Everywhere and of Any Colour. London, Griffith and Farran, 1865
This is the follow-up book to the Spectropia (1864) that I put up last Friday. This week I thought I’d share a bit of what’s between the covers including the directions. I’m afraid it’s all just a parlour trick meant to debunk the notion that ghosts exist. You can click for full size. [Read more…]
Through the magic of recommendations, I have discovered another interesting youtube channel about medievalism. I have watched this one video so far though, because reasons. But I intend to watch more when the opportunity arises.
I have often wondered how dental hygiene was done in medieval times. It is not a topic that is routinely taught at schools, not even good ones.
©voyager, all rights reserved
©voyager, all rights reserved
Yesterday I forgot to attach 2 photos so here they are today, a bright yellow daffodil and a deep pink hyacinth. Jack and I have been walking around our neighbourhood this week because of the flowers. Wild flowers in the woods are a few days away from blooming, but the bulb flowers of spring are opening up all around us. So far, daffodils, hyacinth and a few crocuses are showing off, but I’m most anxious to see the tulips, especially in our local park. Every year our city changes the colour scheme and it’s always a surprise until the flowers are open. The tulips are up and in bud, but they’re taking their own sweet time to bloom. I’ve got my eye on them, though, so I’m hoping to get photos when they’re at their peak. In the meantime, Jack has started his seasonal allergy tablets so he can tolerate walking on grass without picking his feet until they bleed. He likes to walk around the blocks close to home occasionally so he can pick up his p-mail and leave his replies. It’s very important dog business.
Yesterday we saw a sac of frog eggs that Avalus had found in his botanical garden. Today he’s sent us another amphibian egg sac that he found in the same botanical garden. It’s not as far along as the previous sac from which tadpoles were hatching, but here the babies are all shaped like little, adorable commas.
Laich, ©Avalus, all rights reserved
Speaking of babies, make sure to check in tomorrow for the next installment of Full Fish Ahead. Avalus has lots of babies to show us and they couldn’t be any cuter.
Tom Rachman. The Italian Teacher. Canada: Penguin Random House, 2019
I’m in the mood for something modern today and the cover of this Canadian book is such a riot of rich colour and texture that it fit the bill perfectly.
Via: Goodreads
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I’m still recovering from my long day of waiting for my dear hubby to wake up from dental surgery, but today is bright and warm and the sunshine is doing wonders for my mood. Jack and I had a slow, pleasant walk around our own neighbourhood today and the flowers are starting to open and all the colours are finally coming back. My neighbourhood is also positively busy with life. I’ve seen butterflies and ladybugs, gnats and ants. The birds are busy building nests, finding food and singing their songs. The squirrels are digging, jumping, running and twitching their tails. Soon they will be harder to spot as the trees get fuzzier and leaf day approaches. Now is when the magic of spring becomes visible and my senses can take a long drink of the sweet outdoors. These are the flowers that are blooming today and the hyacinth is scenting the air with a sweet bouquet. It’s grand.
Avalus has found some frog spawn in his botanical gardens and he’s sharing it with us.
Kaulquappen. ©Avalus, all rights reserved
Thanks, Avalus. I’m glad all is well with these tadpoles. Marcus over at Stderr had his own adventure with frog spawn and it’s worth the read.
From Avalus who was lucky enough to witness the birth of a phantom midge.
Büschelmücke. ©Avalus, all rights reserved
James A Henshall. Book of the Black Bass. Cincinnati: Robert Clarke & Sons, 1889
I like the typography used for the title on this book, especially the way the ‘B’s’ and the ‘k’s’ change from above the fish to below the fish.
Via: archive.org
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Yesterday was a perfect spring day with sunshine and warmth and all things good. Today is also a perfect spring day, but of the drizzly, rainy kind that feeds all the growing things. I’m not sure the little growing things really need the rain because the ground is still pretty wet from the last rain we had plus the winter melt, but the trees are doing thirsty work making leaves so they’ll use up any extra left over water. I know that there are parts of the world who are struggling with a too dry spring season and I wish I could share. Here it’s been snow and rain and rain and rain for many weeks. It should settle down eventually and I can only hope the trees get enough wet now to protect them from the blistering heat to come. The weather has changed so drastically over the course of my lifetime that I just don’t know what to expect anymore. I do love the trees, though, and I hate to see them suffer so let it rain on my beauties while they grow their summer suits. I can wait for the sunshine.
This week we have gorgeous spring blossoms from Avalus. This is a Mirabelle Plum tree and it’s magnificent. The critter in the last photo seems to agree, although it is likely not enjoying the blossoms as much as it will the fruit to come.
Mirabelle ©Avalus, all rights reserved
Mirabelle (2) ©Avalus, all rights reserved
Plums ©Avalus, all rights reserved
Squirrel ©Avalus, all rights reserved
Birds in Their Homes. Father Tuck’s Nursery Tales Series. 189?, London, Raphael Tuck & Sons .
A new leaf among the old. ©voyager, all rights reserved
After many weeks of hitting the snooze button our little forest has finally decided to wake up. Everywhere you look things are growing. The trout lilies are putting up leaves all over the place and I saw one or two trilliums from afar. I wanted to get closer, but the ground was a bit too muddy to wander off the path. I also didn’t want to trample any young, tender shoots still hidden in the leaf litter. The trilliums looked to be a few days away from blooming so I’ll go back on Wednesday or Thursday to see what’s what. Usually the first trilliums to appear are the red ones and they’re my favorite variety. I’ve been chasing the perfect red trillium photo for years, but the so far it’s eluded me. The red trilliums are wickedly difficult to photograph because the plant is short and the flowers point downwards so you need to get underneath the plant and shoot up. Not such an easy trick for an old dog like me. Someone suggested I use a mirror and I’m going to try that, but if it doesn’t work I’ll do the belly crawl a few times. I have a good feeling that this is the year I’ll finally get that photo.
Mystery plants. ©voyager, all rights reserved