A haiku

I dont often write poetry, but I felt like this picture deserved one. Cherry blossoms, from the edge of the Tulip garden in Tonami, Japan.

Soft in the warm light

 Twirling, dancing, daintily

Spring is upon us

Dear Rocket, A story about Japan... Part One: Plants

Rocket, you know I travelled to Japan to attend Arctic Science Summit Week, 21 - 30th April, 2015.

I ventured out into the countryside, a kiwi keen to learn more about various Shogun and Emperors, while sampling the local food that left me feeling stuffed - and nervous about what a whole firefly squid might do in my belly!

(Lets be real, I know it will be digested, but eating it whole was certainly an experience....)

Koi carp were common in the ponds and water features - it was striking to see them contemplated so quietly, while here in NZ, they are a massive pest!

Koi carp in Toyama Castle park. Came up to say hello and nibble my fingers!

Then all of the other carp arrived, things got a bit messy... I removed my fingers from the water, and left smelling of fishy pond water

The conference was extremely interesting, but on my day off, I found something which delighted this botanist's senses... The Tonami Tulip Fair! The Dutch probably wouldnt be impressed, but I found it so colourful, it smelt like hot summery days and looked like a vibrant rainbow!

I spent a few moments watching the cherry blossoms sway in the warm breeze!

The Sakura, or Cherry Blossoms, were blooming at their best in Toyama before I arrived, I managed to catch these in a shady spot of the tulip fair! The Sakura 'front' moves from south to north in the Spring - then in Autumn, the Autumn leaf 'front' moves back down the country from north to south.

In the Botanic Gardens in Kanazawa, I saw trees, with all their branches propped up! Turns out, when it snows in Winter, the boughs of the trees can snap under the weight of all the flakes of frozen water. Using poles to hold them up = problem solved! Long-lived trees with fascinating scaffolding.

Being Concise

Lesson #3. Be concise. Make every word tell. Make your point well and once. Then Shut Up.

Okay, writing boot camp is getting hard. I would say I have ‘hit the wall’ like they do in marathons, but its only my third day so I cant have hit the wall. Yet. I want to write about that feeling at a later date, so cannot have it too soon! Today the lesson is about being concise. The first draft of this piece was not very concise. The second draft was a bit better. The third going over though, that really narrowed it down. However it meant that I had to write MUCH more than the 250/250 words each time! 

This task was quite difficult. One: I am very chatty, and no one can tell me to be quiet while I type (Actually I often get told to not hit the key board so hard. Cant they see I am furiously trying to concisely share my points!!). Two: I am not sure what point I am trying to get across.

And this is not ideal when trying to be concise.

Is there a better way to write that I wonder…

This is not ideal when being concise.

There, that took it from ten words to seven! Right now, I am not convinced that this post is going to meet the Lesson #3 objective however, as I am yet to come round to making a good point. How about this: Sometimes, writing is hard.

Writing Boot Camp Day 1 - Telling a good story

Lesson #1 - Telling a good story.

This may be cheating - there wasnt any mention of it in the Boot Camp write up - but I am already stuck for ideas to write about so I thought I would write about this photograph.

I took this picture in March of 2012 during a trip up the Maungatua Mountains (just inland from Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand). It is the delicately veined, pale white petal, dark blue anthers and lime green stigma of Gentiana bellidifolia (it may be a different gentian species, but this is my best guess). A day in the life of this flower consists of waiting for the sun to come, bright rays pouring over the edge of the mountain, sparkling off the nearby tarn and slowly heating the closed flower. At a certain temperature (not sure what it is, but I watched a gentian open on the Remarkables near Queenstown after a night of snow) the petals unfurl, and the sun can shine in and gently heat the anthers and stigma. Insects will visit this flower, small flying ones, that cluster in the base either drinking nectar or basking in the warm sunshine. Maybe other crawling beasties will visit - and nibble away at the petals, something I imagine would taste like soft pancakes.

As the sun gets higher, then lower, the whole cycle of floral opening begins, but in reverse. The insects leave, the flower is sucked dry, and the petals begin to slowly furl up till closing time. In the night, little things scurry around, up and over the flower, ignoring the ripening seeds inside the closed petals. During the previous day, one, maybe two or three of the small flying insects brushed against the receptive stigma leaving a few grains of pollen stuck to the surface. That began the process of plant reproduction, and within a few days the ovary below the stigma will be dark purple and swollen with brand, new seeds.

I dont know if that is a good story. I like it but I have spent a large part of my life immersed in the study of plant sex, flower colour and reproduction!! It takes all types =)

Day One of Boot Camp - successfully completed. Feeling positive and optimistic about developing a writing habit!

Spark and Me - a late night adventure

This is a Spark. Also known as a Kicksled (according to Wikipedia). A very Norwegian item, I am told. I was lent one by a friend, to get home last night.

So, out I ventured onto the flat street. I had been advised that it worked best when it was a bit icey, so I headed towards the middle of the road (I normally avoid this, as ice causes me to walk like a new born giraffe on caffiene, before FOOSH-ing). (FOOSH: Falling On Outstretched Hands).

I was kicking away, one foot on the Spark, and having a wonderful time! You slide along gracefully, as if you were a professional ice skater, about to perform some fancy-pants trick. The wind was biting into my cheeks, my breath was frosting behind me as I swished past a couple out for their evening stroll.

I came to the top of the hill, excited about the idea of simply standing and holding on, while I zoomed past the idle snow scooters... I stepped on, and gently pushed off, then held on, narrowed my eyes against the cold, and headed off! Down the hill! Which suddenly got steeper!

I realised then, that I hadnt received any instructions on how to stop.....

So, with some kiwi ingenuity, I edged the Spark towards what looked like a soft snow drift. One of ski/skate bits hit the snow, speed dropped almost immediately, and I stumble-ran for a few steps, slid, (saw my life flash before my eyes) ran some more, before being able to come a halt, before the intersection with the main road.

Relieved! I did the quick check for people watching, but due to the lateness of the hour, I had saved myself without embarrassing observation!

This hasnt dimmed my excitement of the Arctic wind in my hair, the stinging snow nipping my cheeks, or the adrenalin rush of the downhill speed when riding the Spark. Cannot wait to try again, especially after being informed of the 'technically correct' way to halt the Spark - put your boot down so it slows you down!