I woke up with this song in my head

So after being battered by dreams of huge waves constantly crashing down on my head all night, I was so relieved when I woke up with a rather soothing song in my head this morning.

At first I couldn’t quite place the band to which the melody belongs and, for one magical moment, thought I may have become a musical prodigy overnight.

However, after washing my face and sipping some coffee I suddenly remembered a snatch of the lyrics (in no particular order): “Black and white horse, you run before us.”

Then it all started coming together.

It’s a song by Beach House called Zebra, and even though I’ve only heard it once or twice, it seems to have made quite an impression on me.

Give it a listen. It’s pretty, and like I said, quite soothing.

Wednesday wish list

Five things that I wish were mine this week:

1. This Rowdy Rucksack with world map print. 

2. Rugged, yet feminine lace up boots a little like these. Perfect for wearing with skinny jeans and oversize jerseys, floaty dresses and tights or even soft high-waisted maxi skirts.

3. Pixie hair. I want to try going pixie so, so, so badly, but just a little bit scared.

4. A Sea Wolf album – just discovered their music this week and fell in love. My favourite songs so far are The Garden you Planted and You’re a Wolf. Give them a listen.

5.  A magical, bearded mixture of Adam Brody (as Seth Cohen), Sufjan Stevens and Bear Grylls to cross my path and be my soul mate.

Photos from: 1, 2, 3… Adam Brody, Sufjan and Bear

Monday menagerie: Flamingos

Let me just start by admitting that I have, rather sadly, never paid flamingos much attention.

I knew about them, of course (I mean, who doesn’t?!): large birds, pink plumage, crooked beaks, like wading around algae-filled lakes, and sometimes the ocean. Pretty ridiculous all in all. Just not ridiculous enough to drag my attention away from elephants and owls. *Sigh*

Maybe it was the trashy trailer park connection that put me off. (But probably not). Or maybe, like with particularly flashy people, I just didn’t really know how to handle their over-the-top gregariousness, so avoided them instead.

Whatever the case may be regarding my former indifference, the fact is I’ve suddenly developed a solid fascination with these jewels of the air and water. And I think I have Karen Blixen to thank (or maybe blame), as it was one of her signature wish-I-could-write-like-that kind of descriptions in Out of Africa that made me sit up and see flamingos for the wildly fantastic creations they are.

The flamingos are the most delicately coloured of all the African birds, pink and red like a flying twig of an oleander bush. They have incredibly long legs and bizarre and recherche curves of their necks and bodies, as if from some exquisite traditional prudery they were making all attitudes and movements in life as difficult as possible…

The noble wader of the Nile, the sister of the lotus, which floats over the landscape like a stray cloud of sunset…

(Don’t you wish you could describe something like that?)

So, let’s get right to it… Flamingos. A few fun facts:

• There are six flamingo species: the Greater (found in parts of Africa, southern Europe and southern Asia), the Lesser (found in Africa e.g. the Rift Valley and NW India), the Chilean (temperate South America), James’ flamingo (High Andes in Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina), Andean flamingo (same as James) and American flamingo (Caribbean, Mexico, Belize and Galapagos) 

• Flamingos are known to be monogamous (how romantic, right?). They form strong pair bonds of one male and one female, although in larger colonies flamingos sometimes change mates, presumably because there are more mates to choose from (not so romantic, but totally understandable).

• The pink, orange or red color of a flamingo’s feathers is caused by carotenoid pigments in their food, and a flamingo’s diet includes shrimp, plankton, algae and crustaceans.

• They don’t only appear to be hugely flamboyant. They actually are that way as well!! They’re gregarious and highly sociable, dwelling in flocks of up to a million or more.

• Sometimes they like to form MASSIVE communal self portraits in Mexican lakes.

• In the wild their life expectancy is 20 – 30 years, while they have been known to turn 50 in captivity. That’s really, really old for a bird!

• Finally, flamingos are fun.

Pic sources: 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5

Bizarre Friday video

This is probably the most bizarre, yet cute video I have EVER seen. And I think you might agree. It involves a sloth, a cat and a lot of long-clawed stroking. Weird. But cute. But weird. But…

Thanks Imar for passing it on.

Want MOAR sloths? Check out this Monday Menagerie post I did a while ago.

Oh, and just to end the post off on an equally cute and bizarre note, here’s a gif of a cat in a shark suit chasing a duckling while riding a Roomba.

You children of space, you restless in rest

Build of your imaginings a bower in the wilderness ere you build a house within the city walls.

For even as you have home-comings in your twilight, so has the wanderer in you, the ever-distant and alone…

Would that I could gather your houses into my hand, and like a sower scatter them in forest and meadow.

Would the valleys were your streets, and the green paths your alleys, that you might seek one another through vineyards and come with the fragrance of the earth in your garments.

But these things are not yet to be.

In their fear your forefathers gathered you too near together. And that fear shall endure a little longer. A little longer shall your city walls separate your hearths from your fields…

Verily the lust for comfort murders the passion of the soul, and then walks grinning in the funeral.

But you, children of space, you restless in rest, you shall not be trapped nor tamed.

Your house shall be not an anchor but a mast.

- Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet: On Houses

Monday Menagerie: Pallas’ Cat

So you think you’re having an identity crisis, do you? Well, today I’d like to introduce you to a creature that is certainly far more confused than you have ever been.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Pallas’ Cat… or the Manul.

While undeniably adorable with all that soft-looking fluffiness and the huge eyes, these little guys are pretty damn weird-looking.

Photo: Wikipedia

I mean, let’s just take a moment to study the above photograph. Firstly, I’d like you to place your hand over the lower half of its face. What do you see? A monkey, right? Or maybe a teddy bear on a caffeine buzz.

Now, place your hand over the upper half of its face. What do you see now? A slightly grumpy kitty, no? Maybe a Dr. Seuss character on the loose then.

Okay, now, let’s move on to this next picture.

Photo: Wikipedia

Place your hand over its head and look at that body. What is that?! Some strange sort of marsupial (but aren’t all marsupials slightly strange? I hear you ask. Yes, yes they are), a misplaced soft toy?

Well, the truth is the manul is generally accepted to belong to the cat family. Not sure how the other felines feel about this, but guess it gives old Pallas’ Cat some feeling of belonging… if you can ignore those round pupils and the koala-like ears.

Photo: Zooborns

They are found in the grasslands and montane steppe of Central Asia and have been classified as near-threatened by IUCN since 2002, due to habitat degradation, prey base decline, and hunting.

Here are a few fun facts:

• The species was first described in 1776 by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas.
• Pallas’s cats are solitary. 

Photo: Wikipedia

• They spend the day in caves, rock crevices, or marmot burrows, and emerge in the late afternoon to begin hunting. 
• They are not fast runners, and hunt primarily by ambush or stalking, using low vegetation and rocky terrain for cover.
• They feed largely on diurnally active prey species such as gerbils, pikas, voles and Chukar partridges, and sometimes catch young marmots.

Photo: Wikipedia

Sound like all-round pleasant little blokes to me! Your best bet of ever seeing one, would probably be in a North American zoo. Not sure if there are any in the Joburg Zoo or the National Zoological Gardens in Pretoria (let me know if there are – would love to see them!)

Alternatively, take a trip to the mountainous regions of Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Kashmir or the Tibetan Plateau… if you dare!

DIY Flower garland

My cousin, Larel, turned 21 the other day and decided to celebrate the momentous occasion by throwing a ‘Magical Forest’ themed party. In the first place, I can’t think of a theme more suited to the fairy-dust-sprinkling person she is (her middle name is quite suitably Fawn) and in the second place, I thought it would be the PERFECT opportunity to wear a lush flower crown.

My original idea was to just buy a plastic one from a dress-up shop or something, but I wasn’t sure where to go. So, I asked Twitter and that is when Rebecca from Love Made Visible suggested I try making one myself.

Now, I’m no DIY goddess, but thought I may as well TRY… and, you know, if it does end up being the epitome of a Pinfail, well, so be it.

I scouted around the internet and found a pretty simple tutorial for exactly the type of garland I wanted on Honestly WTF and set out on a mission to gather all the items I would need:

• Flowers and greens with stems trimmed to about 5cm (I just bought two bunches from the flower sellers in Adderley Street, but picking your own certainly makes it even more authentic.)
• Florist wire
• Florist tape or string
• Scissors

I got the florist wire and tape from Little Denmark in the Adelphi Centre, Sea Point (but you can probably find it at any florist shop) and the guys there were super helpful with tips and ideas of their own. They were also a bit disappointed that the garland wasn’t for some big occasion in MY life: first they thought I was getting married, then when I told them it was for a 21st they assumed it was mine (bless!)

Now for the actual making-of:

Bend two pieces of wire into a semi-circle and put them together to form a circle that would sit snuggly round your head. Where the two semi-circles overlap, wind the two wires around each other and then cover with florist tape or rope.

Now, arrange your flowers and greens into between 10 and 15 little bunches of about 4 or 5 flowers each. If you want a uniform crown, make sure that each bunch contains the same flowers, arranged in the same way. However, if you want a more wild/natural-looking garland, try having a variety of different flowers and arrangements. Tie each bunch together (tightly) with florist tape or string. 

Finally, start arranging the flower bunches around the wire circle, securing each (tightly) with florist tape. Lay each bunch of flowers over the stem of the previous bunch, so they all face the same direction. Make sure the bunches are secured tightly, so they don’t fall off the moment you pick the garland up off the surface you’re working on.

Once you’ve completed the circlet, ever so carefully lift it up and place on top of your head, like so…

No, I didn’t go as a naked nymph. I went as Autumn , can’t you see? And was actually wearing a red velvet strapless dress.

To keep it fresh, sprinkle some water over the completed garland and place in the fridge (placing an icy cold flower crown on your head is the perfect pre-party refreshment!). The best way to transport it is to place it in a flat tray until you get to your destination.