Safari Sunday

Gwirrel's Garden

Time for some more creepy crawlies from around the garden…

I spotted this little leaf-cutter Bee filling in a small hole in the bricks.

These might be Honey Bees, I’m not entirely certain; they certainly look very similar if not.

Sadly I found this egg in a border, I hope I didn’t cause it, although there’s no sign of a nest nearby. I was ripping up some Herb Robert in the cherry border at the time and spotted it amongst the Geraniums. I think it’s a Sparrow Egg, which is a first for my garden… Well a first of any egg for my garden to be honest as I don’t really have anywhere for birds to nest and I’ve never noticed any obvious nesting activity in the Privet hedge – guess I was wrong.

I spotted the first Cinnabar Moth a few days ago and am waiting rather impatiently for…

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Candi Gunung Kawi: A Shrouded Grandeur

What an Amazing World!

The hot and humid air greets us as we get off the car and leave the comfort of air conditioner behind. We are in Tampaksiring, the same area that I visited in 2011 to see Pura Tirta Empul – the temple of replenishment. But this time we head to an even more ancient place, through more than 300 steps down the valley. A moment before we go down, the scenic view of Balinese rice terraces catches our attention. Alexander and I grab our cameras and stand right at the edge of a cliff to capture the beauty of the ripening rice paddies below.

Before we even go further down the steps, a rock-cut gateway welcomes us to the verdant valley, a reminiscence of the ingenuity of mankind to outsmart the nature. On the bottom of the steps, Pakerisan River flows calmly through the lush valley that inspired the ancient Balinese…

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