Sunday Sevens #49

I love sharing my weekly updates with you in the form of a Sunday Sevens. Thanks to Natalie at Threads and bobbins for creating the series. 🙂

Book I’m reading:

Seven Wonders of the Industrial World – Deborah Cadbury.

I’ve picked up a book from my library, (OMG I can say library!) OK, a very small library! :p (David is cringing with the amount of books I am buying!) It’s a book I bought years ago and not had the time to read. So I thought I would read it for my 2018 Year in Books. Deborah Cadbury’s book accompanied the acclaimed 2004 BBC series Seven Wonders of the Industrial World.

I have to admit the series was inspirational. The Industrial Revolution created revolutionary thinkers such as Isambard Kingdom Brunel, whose world changing designs were built by the superhuman navvies who toiled, bled and died creating a modern world! It made me stop and think of how we take for granted these wonderful works of engineering.

Awe-inspiring accounts of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, (which to me will always be the Roebling Bridge), and of Joseph Bazalgette’s Cholera defying London sewers are among the best episodes of the series. Add wonderful music by the then up and coming Hollywood composer Steve Jablonsky and you have the ingredients for a superb TV series. I was gifted the DVD set for a birthday and the book only adds to the incredible achievement of these men of vision.

Have you seen this TV series, read the book? What are your favorite industrial wonders?

Cooking:

Returning to the mundane, this week I managed to do some cooking. It’s been a while since I cooked a meal from scratch. It may have been for one (as David cooked himself a curry) but I was happy with the result. I followed the recipe from the Quorn site, of Fajitas with Quorn Pieces. I served with warmed tortillas. The meal was filling yet ultimately healthy as the main base was vegetables.

Spicy Quorn Fajitas

Honey bee on Salvia

Red Campion

Yarden:

All the sun of last week has made a big difference to the yarden. The potato chits and wildflower seedlings have pushed through the soil and the red campion has started to flower. The only sad demise from this winter was my beautiful Salvia Mystic Spires. It was loved by bees well into the autumn months. I am mourning this beautiful plant and hope to find a replacement in the shops in future.

#walk1000miles:

My miles this week have been an accumulation of walks with Riley, housework and sessions on the cross trainer. My miles this week has been 30, bringing my annual total to 607 miles.

 

Walking the Dog:

Christine and Riley

Riley and Bennie

This Sunday David and I got up at the ungodly hour of 5.30am to take a drive to Formby Point for an early morning walk with David’s sister, partner and doggy nephew, Bennie! It was the first time both dogs had met each other. After a good sniff both dogs walked side by side as we took to the sand dunes and walked along the beach. I think they both enjoyed their 3.5 mile walk.

That was my week, how was yours?

Thanks for reading,

Christine x

‘Tyger, tyger burning bright’.

The title of this blog is a line from a William Blake poem, The Tyger. It came into my mind when David and I last visited Chester Zoo‘s Islands. This time, we did go in search of tigers, Sumatran Tigers in fact. It has been a joy to follow each stage of Islands as they open to the public. After visiting Panay, Sumba and Papua in phase one, it was then the turn of Monsoon Forest a few months later, and now Sumatra is finally open with the introduction of the tigers to their new enclosure.

Sumatra at Chester Zoo Islands

It was my birthday on Friday, 30th October, so David and I ventured forth to Chester Zoo in the drizzle. However once we arrived at the zoo, the sun started to fracture the grey clouds. As we ventured towards Islands and reclined on the Lazy Boat Ride (which I love!), the sun’s rays shone, unseasonally warm upon us.

The downside to the tiger enclosure however, was that the glass windows that feature in the outside part of their home, was full of frost and condensation. Perhaps it will be a forthcoming issue for the zoo in winter months? Fellow guests commented about this to the keepers, though I don’t know of how they can combat it. We have been to other zoos that have also had condensation on the windows. I think this is a universal problem for most zoos. It did make for poor viewing of the tigers who were sat on a rock right opposite the frosted window!

However, it was not just the tiger enclosure that suffered from condensation, the new orang-utan enclosure (yet to be occupied,) also had issues with this.

We ventured around Islands twice in the hope that the condensation would lessen as the day warmed up, but alas it didn’t.

The army of volunteers that populate Islands needs a mention, they offer a friendly, helpful and informative service and they make the Islands experience even more fulfilling.

We visited Monsoon Forest twice on our tour of Islands, the Sunda Gharial is an enclosure that is always busy, (I’ve still not got a good picture of them). There are more free flying birds introduced into the tropical forest and looking over the canopy of plants really gave the impression of being in a forest.

Monsoon Forest

Part of Monsoon Forest is the Tripa Forest Research Station. I’ve commented on this before but I really love the authentic feel to the place.

Tripa Forest Research Station

During our visit to Chester Zoo we purchased a joint yearly membership, at £135. This means unlimited visits and special days when family and friends can come along with members and pay half price admission. Then there is the 10% discount in shops at the zoo and one visit a year to a number of zoos in the scheme, including Twycross Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park! I am so happy we have the membership again. We can visit Islands whenever we have a free weekend. It will be nice to see Islands evolve throughout the seasons. 😀

I’ll end by sharing the William Blake poem.

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art.
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?