Liverpool; Black & Whites

Tags

App, Buildings, Hipstamatic, iphone, Life, Liverpool, Photographs

A Little Absent

Not so absent minded, but absent from the ether of the Internet. I decided I needed a break from sitting in front of my iMac for a few days, and that still applies at the moment as I write this from my iPad.

Do not get me wrong fair readers, for I am not neglecting you all, just taking a deserved break, so with that no photo updates, just the odd bit of scribble and/or life updates for the next few days.

So I ask, do not despair, lament, or regret, I will be back.

GALS; The Genocide

Tags

deep-freeze, Eggs, GALS, Genocide

After speaking to an expert on GALS, I decided to commit genocide and have taken the new 206 eggs and placed them in the deep-freeze in order to destroy them.  If they all hatched I would be over ran, and in light of the fact that they cannot be released into the wild, and I doubt I wouldn’t be able to sell, or pass them all on, it is the sensible thing to do.  However, all is not lost as the first batch that was laid on new years day still may hatch, although there are more and more broken eggs, that seem to have crumbled, probably due to nothing being in them.  No babies have been seen, but I am still hoping that one or two survive.

GALS; More Eggs Final Count

Tags

80, Eggs, GALS, Giant African Land Snails

Another 80 eggs laid by one of the GALS, so a total of 317 in the “incubator”. It really does amaze me as to where the hell the eggs are stored within the snail before laying. Todays eggs look a little green, but that being due to them not drying out as yet.  I wonder it they have a yolk within them like chicken eggs and the likes.

More details as and when, and if they eggs finally hatch.

GALS; More Eggs

Tags

111, 126, 237, Eggs, GALS, Giant African Land Snails

Conditions must great in my snail vivarium as they seem to be breeding again.  I already had a clutch of eggs which was at a count of 111. Yes slightly less than the original count as some of the eggs crumbled. Today I removed another clutch of eggs, this count was 126. However, it does not stop there. Whilst I was giving the tank a little clean, one of the snails was buried, which means only one thing, more eggs.  I lifted the tank and had a look from below, and yes, another clutch of eggs. S/he is still with the eggs, so s/he may be still laying, but as soon as the coast it clear, I will be removing them and doing a count, but so far 237.

One of the things I have to now take into account is the fact that as they are not native to this country, it is illegal to let them out into the wild so I have read.  This will mean I have three choices, 1 to keep them all, 2 to sell them, or 3 to euthanise them at the egg stage.  The last choice will mean putting the eggs in the deep freeze, which will kill any life within and thus solve what seems to be a thriving population.  So far I am not sure what to do.  I read on a site that the hatch rate of the eggs are quite poor, but on inspection I see little colours through the egg shell and can see there is a wee snails in them, so who knows.

The Gadfly

Tags

Gadfly, Macro, Photograph

Garden Spider; Up Close & Personal

Tags

Garden, Macro, Photograph, Spider

February Rain

Tags

Atlas, February, February Rain, Susan Levine

if I knew where love would get me
I’d have turned that car around
I saw each sign & exit
but I could not make a sound
then the road became a river
and this boat she ran aground

the running kept me holy
but the winter wind was wild
in a city paved with lonely
I sought comfort for a while
then your blue eyes and soft blankets
took me in just like a child

I wanna love you love you love you
like I’ve never known pain
but this february rain keeps coming down
if I could hold it all above you like an Atlas of sorts
would you say to me “of course I’ll stick around”
‘cuz you’re the best thing I have found

my poetry deserts me
in my time of greatest need
no twisted rhyme could testify to
what’s been tangled up in me
but when I fear I’ll float into the sun
baby you’re my gravity

I wanna love you love you love you
like I’ve never known pain
but this february rain keeps coming down
if I could hold it all above you like an Atlas of sorts
would you say to me “of course I’ll stick around”
‘cuz you’re the best thing I have found

It’s no great consolation to have crossed the world alone
Some days a car’s a car and a boat is just a boat
There’s no better destination
than the sum of all our fears
So come on baby let me sing it sweetly in your ear

I wanna love you love you love you
like I’ve never known pain
but this february rain keeps coming down
if I could hold it all above you like an Atlas of sorts
would you say to me “of course I’ll stick around”
‘cuz you’re the best thing I have found
the best thing I have found

Starlings Make a Pose

Tags

BBC, Birds, Nature, Photograph, Starlings, Wildlife

I took this a few years ago whilst having a lunch at a McDonalds, they decided to wait for some fries, and I sat with my camera. Later that month the BBC Local News used it in a feature.

Liverpool Life

Tags

Hope Street, Life, Lime Street, Liverpool, People, Photograph, Residents, St Georges, Wacker Quacker, Yellow Duck Marine