Free Rice

just one word for the day -- go to the following website www.freerice.com
it's fun and it helps feed people ...

in Halifax

-3 degrees!!! Yep that's the temperature outside right now at 9h30 am. Rather fresh like I like to say .. but the sun is filtering through the clouds and the light is absolutely gorgeous.
I've been here for a week - my oh my it doesn't feel that way at all!! - visiting my friend Marta who is a post doc here with Heike Lotze at Dalhousie university. The two of us met when she came for a short stint to UBC 4 years ago, whilst she was still working on her PhD. It's been wonderful wonderful to get to spend some time with her - and to have each other for company whilst we work 'til the wee hours of the night. Marta is a little machine -- very inspiring when lots of work needs to be done ;o)
However, we did take Tuesday off as Boris and Heike had invited us to their lovely house by the sea for dinner. It's an absolutely stunning place - in a little community of about 40 people, right by the water, it's quiet, idyllic, peaceful and yet you can see nature unfolding it's beautiful wildness right around you. The day before I arrived the tail of a hurricane had been sweeping through sending 15, yes FIFTEEN, meter waves crashing against the seashore!
After a week of working until 1 am we also took saturday off - which was a real treat!!! ...went into town and the market -- I LOVED it, it's located in a an old brewery and has so so much character, little stands of people selling cheese, right next to stand of people selling scarves, or ham or fruit of postcards! Full of visitors and regulars gently elbowing their way around... irish music playing at this corner, an incredible violinist practising at the other end. We sat on the steps in front of him for a while, his music delight to our ears... whilst eating a cinnamon bun that was rather tasty!!
On the way home we stopped in multiple small shops - getting inspiration for various xmas presents...
...and in the evening we went 'round to one of marta's friends' house, Diego and Allison - incredibly warm hosts and aquaria fans. They have truly stunning tanks -- 2 saltwater ones and 3 freshwater ones! The incredible thing about the saltwater ones is that they do not use any filtration equipment at all!!! and the corals look SUPER healthy - i was seriously amased -- trick of the trade - as few fish as possible ;o)

Diego is from Mexico - and his parents were visiting - so we got an amasing treat: mole. Absolutely fantastically delicious!!!
ahhhhhhhhhh life is good I tell ya!

Today we may brave the crazy cold and go explore a little bit when we take a break later this afternoon - Peggy's cove maybe.
Stay tuned ;o)

what it feels like in the tumble dryer

...this is exactly how I feel -- like I've been spun around and around and around and 'roud again... not really knowing where up nor down is... but slowly I am finding back onto my own two feet... the other day i said in an email to a friend of mine - i am trying to slowly move myself back into the eye of the storm.
the epiphany i had whilst caught in the storm and being tumbled around ... and whilst reading eat, pray, love by Elizabeth Gilbert (a book you HAVE TO read by the way) is that sometimes (that is relatively often these days) I've got my little control issues... i guess particularly as a scientist when you run experiments or play around with models, sure there is a certain amount of uncertainty that you have to content yourself with - but often you're the one in control... and studying in a place with so many strong personalities around 'control' is something important... but admitting deep within yourself that it's ok *NOT* to be in control and letting go is just as important ... and so i am smiling at myself as i know this but actually doing it is a whole other thing!!! ... and yet, it's just like in climbing where when you let go of the wall no matter how hard your brain is telling you don't do it, you know you ain't going to fall very far ... letting go in this instance is just as counter intuitive on some levels yet i also know nothing is really going to happen!!!

So i've moved to halifax for the next 2 weeks -- to focus on work and find my centre of balance again. I need to get a draft of my third chapter together - and it's been a real headache, to the point where it's had be up at night... the last couple of weeks have been relatively productive though so i am hoping to continue riding that wave. Plus my friend marta is here and she's got just as much insane amounts of work to get through so we can motivate each other and take breaks together :o) ... and she understands these crazy ecopath models better than i do so i hope to absorb some of those extra beams for sure and incorporate them solidly into my brain!!!!

the turtles are calling ;o)

wow nelly -- the work life does seem to have sucked me up... although part of the last three weeks have been :o) as I had visitors for part of them - the last 2 weeks have certainly seen me more or less hiding in a hole and working away... the last 2 weeks have been rather tough on my morale I must admit. Aspects of work and just a whole bunch of other curve balls thrown at me ... and this feeling that you somehow landed yourself in a pool a little too deep for you to be able to safely swim either to the side or to the shallow end. Perseverance here though is the key ... so i am sticking to it, trying to stay focused and disciplined and getting enough rest and exercise to keep my endorphin levels as high as possible!!!

I am about to escape to get a bit of fresh air-- and fresh it is! - only 7 degrees, but I thought I'd post a couple of pictures from a hike I did when my friend Mike was visiting and Cara, a friend of the family was still in Vancouver as well - out to Eagle Bluffs. It was absolutely spectacular and fantastic - the day was perfect weather wise too, bright sunshine, blue sky, you get to walk through bits that are open, passing by numerous little lakes with orange trees pondering their own reflections...and then a whole stretch through the forest ... before coming out to a steep cliff with an absolute STUNNING view of Vancouver and Mount Baker to the south in the distance, whilst out west you could see the edged contours of Vancouver island sticking out black from the water. That hike definitely belongs to one of the most incredible hikes I've done since moving here.

As for work -- well, TAing (mostly marking assignments and exams) has been taking up quite a bit of my time ... reading what the students have been writing & their attitudes makes me wonder sometimes what the school system has become...
Then i need to hand in a draft of the write up of my Caribbean model results by the first week of November. It's making me nervous as - although I've got most of it together, there are so many things I feel are out of control or I don't know about or simply haven't had a chance, still, to wrap my head around. Hence, I've decided to take myself out to Halifax so i could spend some time with my friend Marta and have her inculcate some her Ecopath wisdom to me!!! I'm looking forward to it ... I think if I am absolutely honest with myself, I've terrified myself more than necessary by this model; and I simply need to jump with both feet and immerse myself in it. I am actually looking forward to it! As Dwight Moore taught us at a workshop I recently attended ("getting on track with your thesis") that would put me at developmental level D3 - i.e. I have moderate capacity but HIGH (to variable) motivation!
and here I go - back to my mediation functions - in other words describing how sea turtle cropping influences predator prey interactions in seagrass beds!

chronically ill indeed

As my friend Pablo commented on one of my posts the other day - are 'we' indeed chronically ill? mmm - it's a good question - I do think at least in parts we are. Looking up the definition for chronically it says - Lasting for a long period of time or marked by frequent recurrence, as certain diseases - well there you have it. The harms we have inflicted upon nature (and by extension onto ourselves?!) are definitely for long periods of time. However, somehow because it doesn't directly or immediately affect our health (in our cushy developed world that is) we somehow always foster the hope somehow it'll get fixed.... but look the ozone hole is still there and bog as ever despite the ban on CFCs back in the 90s... we give ourselves too much credit for understanding how this world functions and how we can 'fix' things gone awry. Well the world has an amasing capacity at being uncertain and full of surprises ... and we should think before acting .. rather than do it anyways and then hoping we can fix it later if it goes pear shaped. Just like that saying goes - better safe than sorry....

Speaking of our world being chronically ill ... A federal report shows that loggerhead sea turtle populations are suffering from significant declines - sad story indeed especially when you consider that data from 1989-1998 showed that the number of nesting sites had increased about 4% each year. In an article published in The New York Times reasons for the decline are mainly attributed to commercial fishing ... but it could be a whole slew of reasons and combination of things...

As for illness itself - I've not been feeling all that hot myself these past couple of days ... my body is intensely fighting a war against some bugs that want to take over my immune system for a little while... onset of fall, and the creeping-in cold always kind of throws your body in a bit of loop. So I've been making myself tasty veggie based soups, taking lots of vitamins, inhaling niaouli oil - a natural antiseptic - and getting more sleep than I usually do. Nothing more frustrating than trying to work and producing only blank mind waves.

So I am going back to bed - creating a comfy little corner for myself with a bunch of pillows and taking some scientific reading there with me -- and a cup of hot herbal tea.
If only it'd be that easy to help cure mother nature...

PS - oooh and that second chapter did get handed in to Daniel ... though it still needs some work

Rambles and that second chapter

So after a pretty much sleep deprived week and a terrible headache on Friday day, things started to look up on Friday eve. After collapsing at home for a wee while, I cycled down to the Charlatan, a bar on Commercial Dr. to meet up with a group of friends. I didn't stay long - but they had both guiness and strongbow on tap (yayyyyy - a very rare event here in Vancouver!) so i delighted myself in a black velvet - yum! ...and the bartender was super nice and gave it to me for free!!! Just the perfect way to end a downtrodden week I tell ya!
Saturday morning saw me rise and shine early (well certainly the former, not sure about the latter) as my friend Kate was having her wedding brunch that day. A bus that I picked up downtown then took us on a long ride over to Coquitlam. There are some insanely posh houses over there -- very movie type decor looking though, alcking serious personality or charm. The buffet (at the Coquitlam gold club s'il vous plait) was exquisitely tasty and I got to catch up with a friend of mien from Tasmania I didn't know was going to be attending the wedding! Kate looked beautiful and happy -- and the groom to be seemed very calm and serene!
Long ride on the bus home... and then a fun trip to the climbing gym!
I think i may have gotten myself addicted...
Attendance at a house party in the evening, after a tasty meal-cooking at home ... some typical house tasks on sunday... and then I was headed to the wedding itself. However, as I was about to hop out of my flat and hop on the bus, I got a dsitraught phone call from a friend of mine whose laptop had justd ecided to join the never neverland of computers.... 2 weeks before her thesis submission. Eeeeekkk! I gave her a couple of emergency computer support numbers, crossed my fingers before hopping into Neil's car who very gallantly and kindly offered to drive me to Cecil Green Park house. Despite the gray skies and continuous downpour, nothing could have possibly obscured the couple's day -- they both looked stunning & both looked deeply happy and in love :o) The ceremony was shot and sweet and truly lovely. Tasty food and some touching and funny speeches followed... then some dancing and a very dangerous looking carrying of the newlyweds on chairs!!! careening at top speed around the dance floor! Very funny ... I took this as my high note of the eve and said my adieus.

Sadly my friend's computer was completely toast :o( - and so I spent most of monday madly backing up and synchronizing my computers and drives - you just simply cannot be too safe.
Today I made some progress on producing a decent draft of my second chapter so I can give it to Daniel by tomorrow --- I'll have to get up early though and do some solid work on it to get it to that point though. Somehow it just doesn't flow :o| ...just seriously wish writing came to me easier!!!!
Cara - daughter of a friend of the family - arrived today as well, and will be staying with me until friday. She's wanting to get a feel for the city and see whether she'd consider moving here!

Right - and with that I am off to bed!
Boa noite

Sleep - or lack thereof - and climate change

Yikes - I've not done too well on the keeping the momentum-going-on-the-blog-front these days.!
Truth be told this week has been somewhat of a blur :o| I worked pretty intense hours over the weekend trying to get an updated draft of my UNEP report in -- which I did... albeit at 5 am on Monday. 3 hours of sleep later I had to be at school ... the last couple of days have been filled with running all sorts of errands that need to be taken care of and trying to get back up to speed on the PhD front. My second chapter is coming together slowly ... though will still require quite a substantial amount of work before it's ready for publication... which is ok, but on some days the light at the end of the tunnel seems incredibly dim :o| and I just want to hide under the covers and make it all go away.
Give me a few days and extra sleep and the light will come back shining bright and clear I know it ;o)

In the mean time here's an interesting story from this week's nature, written by Lovelock and Rapley, about how our planet could be helped to heal in the face of climate change by setting up a pipe system that would be "say, 100 to 200 metres long, 10 metres in diameter and with a one-way flap valve at the lower end for pumping by wave movement. [This nutrient rich water] would fertilize algae in the surface waters and encourage them to bloom. This would pump down carbon dioxide and produce dimethyl sulphide, the precursor of nuclei that form sunlight-reflecting clouds."

Let the tongues go wild!

how we're losing nature

So the other day I pointed out how I truly believe nature makes some of the most amasing art... Trying to finish (FINALLLY!!!!) a second draft of my second thesis chapter -- this has been somewhat of a protracted affair to say the least, I keep on coming across numbers that are just startling... and I've always wanted to put them up on my website. One day I'll get around to it - in the mean time they'll be here for everyone's discomfort.
So here goes a few of them:

• More than half of all natural habitat on agriculturally useable land has already been cleared
• 3/4 of harvested fish populations are overexploited
• Caribbean green turtles have declined in numbers by 99.9% since the arrival by Columbus
• Australian dugong populations and Chesapeake Bay oyster harvests have declined by 98% in the past century
• Shark numbers in the northwest Atlantic have plummeted to 75% of their size in the last 15 years alone

This all has serious economic repercussions for humanity , including for e.g. a $2 billion bill for income support and restraining following the collapse of the Newfoundland cod fishery due to overexploitation.

Today in the news I read that the European Union decided to ban bluefin tuna fishing for the rest of the year. Why? because the imposed quota has already been reached ... yet, how much of a difference this will make is debatable as about one in every three bluefin landed is caught illegally .. an activity not least perpetrated by the French! Yes there are definite moments when I am not very proud of my heritage!!!!
The story of the bluefin tuna is a sad one -- not very many are left roaming the sea... and in the Med, in the Sea of Sicily, where ancient tradition had local men's lives intricately linked to that of tuna (in many villages tuna fishing was considered a right of passage) by fishing using tonnaras, a thousand-year old ritual, the last such operation closed last year.

I'll paste here a description of it taken from the National Geographic, who recently dedicated an entire edition to the fisheries crisis:

"The story of giant bluefin tuna began with unfathomable abundance, as they surged through the Straits of Gibraltar each spring, fanning out across the Mediterranean to spawn. Over millennia, fishermen devised a method of extending nets from shore to intercept the fish and funnel them into chambers, where they were slaughtered. By the mid-1800s, a hundred tuna traps—known as tonnara in Italy and almadraba in Spain—harvested up to 15,000 metric tons of bluefin annually. The fishery was sustainable, supporting thousands of workers and their families.

[...] In 1864, Favignana's fishermen took a record 14,020 bluefin, averaging 425 pounds (190 kilograms). [...] One sign of the Favignana tonnara's diminishment is that it is run by a Rome marketing executive, Chiara Zarlocco, whose plan for the future is to dress the fishermen in historic costumes as they reenact the mattanza, [which occurs when the tuna are channeled into a netted chamber and lifted to the surface by fishermen who kill them with gaffs]. "

the mighty leatherback and why nature makes the best art

Today i went to visit my friend T Todd (Jones) who lives (at times quite literally) out on south campus; to say hello as I had not seen him in ages and to show my friend Ben Todd's in captivity reared leatherback. 2 years, 2 months and 2 days is how old it is. Pretty incredible when you think that these creatures typically foray in pelagic waters. Yes they look a bit awkward and aren't necessarily pretty - but they are truly stunningly beautiful creature; and there's something mythical in a way about them.
On the way back to the AERL - the lovely (ironic!!!) building in which my office sits - under the warm sun and staring straight at the blue sky I couldn't help but think of an email my sister had written me about an exhibit she had gone to see in Edinburgh by Richard Long. He turns nature into art or as he calls it "art made by walking in landscapes". Actually I'd like to think nature is art all in and of itself ... it's just that some particularly talented and perceptive folks such as Long and Andy Goldsworthy are incredibly apt at bringing out the beauty and catching it's sometimes ephemeral aspects.
Nature simply is truly and astoundingly beautiful :)

fishkini on the northwest passage

With global warming heating us up, you'll soon be able to strut and display the latest swimwear fashion, aka the fishkini (read on if you want to find out more about this!!) on the deck of a cruise ship whilst navigating through bits of icebergs along the northwest passage route.The most direct shipping route from Europe to Asia is fully clear of ice for the first time since records began in 1978, says the European Space Agency.
That is CRAZY! - and of course raises the concern that all sorts of political mayhem may ensue... well in a way it's already happening.
Canada of course is saying that since the route passes through its territory it gets the right to decide who can and can't traverse it; while the EU and the US, of course, are arguing that it should be considered 'international waters' hence usable by anyone. Then back in August there was the whole Canadian versus Russian versus Danish geological quest going on - with the Russians planting a titanium flag on the seabed thereby claiming it was their bit of underwater land... the Danes then later set out on a similar mission - whilst Canada's Foreign Minister quite wittingly said that Russia's tactics were so 15th century! Tensed battles are to ensure that's for sure whether it be for the Northwest right of passage itself or all the ores that have been sleeping far far below that ice :o(

... and so what was that about the fishkini? Well, turns out that you can do much more with tilapia than just marinate it and eat it!!! It's skin can be dried and dyed to make funky 'leather' accessories: bags, wallets... and now bikinis... it's neat and comfy because it breathes and is waterproof boats a model wearing one of them at a fashion show in Thailand.
Not only that, but it adds value to the farmed fish too! Here take a look (you'll have to suffer through some advertising first) -

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the sun's still shining .. and the salmon dancing.

Not a salmon picture this is -- I confess; but a pretty picture to start your day nevertheless I hope. It was taken on Mayne Island at the end of July.

About salmon though....yesterday, my friend John sent me the link to one of the most hilarious (and space chicken-ey) videos I have seen in a long time. It is really fun (and the pufferfish is just hilarious), though what a shame they couldn't get the species right!!!! Especially considering the text is actually pretty clever and i guess raises awareness about the salmon's plight !!!

My friend Jennifer and I were just talking about how given the animation quality there must have been quite a bit of money that went into it -- she's going to blog about it (so keep an eye on the website!) and give them hell for getting the species wrong .... hehehehe!

It's actually quite fascinating the attention marine beasties are getting in the name of economic promotion. TELUS' campaign is all about animals in general - of late though many of their campaigns use seahorses, or (coral reef) fishes to sell their products. Now I am not too sure what a reef fish and a phone may have in common but... it makes for colourful ads and I guess that's part of the selling package! I was going to include a link to one but their website only has a Canada goose on there....
This also reminds me of an add I saw a while ago for some washing machine which convinced you that it was 'deeply different' by having the inside of it turn into an ocean - socks got transformed into sponge reefs, mittens into whale sharks! I must confess I thought it was very clever and... I really quite liked it! hmmm - I miss the oceans and the fishies

Right enough philosophizing about washing machines (though never too much philosophising about the oceans - hehehehe!) - it's 10 am and I better get to work. On the agenda today, more papers to read so I can finalise (FINALLLY!!!!) a draft of my second chapter - hopefully by next Wednesday it'll be in good enough shape that I'll feel comfortable circulating it to my committee. Fingers crossed. Also need to do more contract work .... The sun beating down on my bed is so tempting though ... sigh ;o)

10 days later...

Sometimes I truly can't believe just how quickly time goes by. For the past 2 weeks more or less I've been super motivated by work and to work. All I want to do to some degree is just get things moving. I must admit, there is something about a sense of accomplishment that just adds somewhat of a rose tint to your glasses! It's not easy every day to feel motivated to sit indoors starring at a screen all day - especially when the weather has consistently been sunny of late and the temperature ranging in the 20s. That being said it is a nice treat to be able to go and sit in the sunshine for a brief while, take in the rays and read a book at lunch time ... before getting back to it.

Last week I had been working on entering much of my Caribbean Marine Protected Areas (MPA) data into MPAGlobal - a database compiling the most up to date data of Marine Protected Areas worldwide. The project itself is the PhD thesis of a good friend of mine and colleague Louisa Wood at the Fisheries Centre. We work a fair bit together and it's been nice to be able to collaborate on the Caribbean portion as it were of the data.

The other bits of my time have mainly been taken up by (i) finishing putting together a report for UNEP Caribbean office on lessons learned from a number of activities implemented at various MPAs in the region: Sian Ka'an in Mexico, Hol Chan in Belize, Bonaire in the Netherland Antilles and Soufriere in St Lucia; (ii) trying to put together an abstract for a presentation and/or poster at the upcoming sea turtle symposium in Loreto, Mexico; and (iii) getting all the data I have for Kaloko Honokohau marine park together so i can start putting it all together for my ecological model.

I did manage to escape not this past weekend but the one before that though. Neil, two of his friends and I all hiked up to Brandywine meadows close to Squamish. The weather was very soggy which also made for very very muddy trails.... but despite the rain and the goo it was wonderful to be outdoors :O) ..and there actually is something quite special and mystical even about hiking when it's foggy and quite damp out. The forest smells different and you somehow feel like you're being hugged by the forest's cocoon. Once we got to the top we got greeted by an amasing view of the meadows full of wildflowers. The rain kindly stopped whilst we were setting up the tents, but it only meant that the bugs came out in full force!!! before dinner time we all decided to go for a walk ... which we kind of broke short because I landed 40m away from a grizzly bear!!!!!!! bot really noticing it was there as I was too focused on where I was putting my feet (the ground was basically slush). Somewhat nervous we all hiked back to the camping spot, only to discover the bear was about 100m away... eventually though he moved away. never to be seen again... apart from his paw + claw prints along the footpath going back down the next morning! Quite the spectacle!
What saved our dinner and made for general pleasantness of the evening and morning was Josh's tarp!!!! It allowed us to huddle and keep both warm and dry - a definite wise investment I say!

I am not too sure what this weekend will bring - with several deadlines looming ominously over me I know I'll want to work most of it ... but the sun will know how to tempt me out ;o)

Of shrimps - economics and ecology

Here's an interesting article for you, tallying answers to the question - why shrimp consumption has been on the increase. The blog author wanted to some degree test the theory that answers would vary depending on whether the respondent is an economist, or not, and thus focus refer to changes in "supply", or "demand" respectively. Given the responses, the hypothesis faired only so-so, and part of the answer probably is attributable to the decreasing price of shrimp.

Now I say this is all fine and dandy from an economics point of view -- but, and this is where those who know me will start laughing as they've heard this probably far too many times (!), no shrimp story is complete without telling you that eating farmed or non-trap caught shrimp is bad bad bad bad bad bad news!!!!!! ... and should you *ever* sit at a dinner table with me eating those, I will give you a very hard time!...so much so that you'll probably feel guilty next time you eat them, and wind up enver eating them again!

SO why is eating shrimp such a bad idea - I'll try to keep it simple:

1. Most shrimp tend to be caught using trawling gear - this not only destroys the seafloor (the refuge place of many a fish, think cutting down trees in a forest) but also leads to all sorts of other non-targeted species being caught in the nets. Shrimp trawling is renowned for having the highest incident of bycatch (those species you weren't trying to catch). The usual statistic is that for every pound of shrimp you catch, you'll end up with 4 pounds of 'unwanted' juvenile fish and other marine life in your hands... and ocne the shrimp have been sorted out that bycatch usually just gets chucked over board.
   
2. OK OK - so you turn to me and say but I only eat farmed shrimp, so I am all good.... well think again:
   
1. A lot of imported shrimp come from farms that were set up in mangrove habitats. This means, more often than not the mangrove trees themselves had to be cut down to make space for the farm to be established - now mangroves are very important and productive systems. Why so? Here are but a few of the services they render: they protect coastlines from erosion (even potentially protecting communities from dangers such as the impact of tsunamis), they provide important nursery habitats for juvenile fish, and they harbour a lot of species that local communities depend on for self sustenance;
2. and.... shrimp that grow in farms need to be fed... and they get fed fish meal and fish oil... and those fishes that were ground up to feed the shrimp to then feed you, would have otherwise probably ended up on someone else's plate in Thailand for example.
3. lastly, sadly, many shrimp farms are usually renowned for their rather miserable working conditions
   

Now it's relatively easy for me to say all this and abstain from shrimp - 1) because I believe firmly in what I do (being a marine ecologist and therefore by extension respecting mother nature as much as I can) but 2) also because I am allergic to these beasts! Thus, if you really have an incredibly soft spot for shrimp and can't possibly imagine your life without ever eating shrimp again, I have the answer for you!
Eat shrimp that were trap caught - such as British Columbia trap caught spot prawns.
Eating sustainable seafood is possible; depending on where you live here area couple of websites that you'll find helpful and useful

• Blue Ocean Institute
• Seachoice
• if you're in the UK check out the Marine Conservation Society's web page, they've got a slew of information re: when to buy which fish etc... for just an overview download their good fish guide

- print out their little wallet size card and keep it handy :o)

So now you have no excuse; and by eating responsibly not only will you be looking after our oceans, but you'll also be making sure you'll be eating fish (and/or shrimp) for years to come!

Now go out there and convert at least one of your friends ;o)

Nelson Mandela

Every morning before I get started with work I've taken to reading the BBC World News - it's usually relatively succinct and covers it all. One story that touched me today is the unveiling of Nelson Mandela's statue in London opposite the Houses of Parliament. The mayor of London present at the events said something that stuck with me - "Long after we are forgotten, you will be remembered for having taught the word one amasing truth; that you can achieve justice without vengeance."

In stark contrast to World News how about this bit of video!! no comment ;o)

The weather is gorgeous today - blue, blue skies, 29 degrees and radiant sun. I must admit today I am struggling to stay focused on drawing up species list of all the creepy crawlies that occur at that park I mentioned yesterday, KAHO, in Hawai'i. Some classical music and a cup of Earl Grey should help though :o)

...and well in the end I gave in ;o) ... and am feeling all the better for it; hehehe! Savas, his friend Cristiane and I ended up going kayaking to the arboretum from lake Union... and what a paddling trip it was! Although the cut between Lake Union and Union Bay is fraught with crazy sailors, yachts and other boats that have you confronting some serious chop, the arboretum waters themselves are comparable to a glassy mirror. It's truly beautiful: water lilies everywhere, herons striking a pose as you turn into smaller tributaries, ducks flashing their bums plucking at the more than abundant seaweeds (I actually think there are a few too many nutrients in that water!)... and the peacefulness of it all... yet we're merely meters away from the crazy 520 interstate - the bridge under which you've actually got to paddle it you want to enter the arboretum waters...

Et pour finir la soirée en beauté as we'd say in French Savas and I had dinner at this newly established fabulous restaurant in Queen Anne - according to me it boasts some of the best pizza ever... though that may be because i am serioulsy pizza deprived in Vancouver! ;o)

Right - off to bed it is - as tomorrow has got to be another incredibly productive day before I head home to Vancouver

Lunar eclipse

Not sure if any of you got up to see the lunar eclipse - but it was well worth it! A big bright orange pie in the sky - sort of eerie yet fascinating.... and I must say that my friend Savas boasts the best balcony from which to view such celestial magic. Only downside --the incredible light pollution surrounding the residential areas around here.
Since getting here I've managed to be rather productive, which was the whole idea after all - be productive, and improve my running performance more than ever before! The last two days we've gone for a run 'round Green Lake park - a beautiful place to go, and where most of the folks, judging by their bodies (and yes they 8do* like to show them off!), jogging around the body of water must be some accomplished runners. Not sure if it makes you go faster or not though ;o)
I've spent all of today working on getting a handle of what the ecosystem of The National Historic Park of Kanoko Holokohau is like, what the main threats to its balance are as well as finding out where I am most likely to find all the information I will need to develop an ecosystem model of it (using the software Ecopath with Ecosim, aka EwE- yes I do like the fact that it sounds like ewwww!). Of course I am of the conviction that taking a trip there would help me tremendously ;o)
However until then it's back to the books ... and Green Lake Park to give the midn some fresh air and a touch of sunshine.

Seattle

SO I've 'escaped' to Seattle for a few days to visit my friend Savas and also to get my head stuck into the books and make some significant progress before term starts and with it my TA duties and the maelstrom of other stuff ... eeek start of term it conjures images of packed buses, a full campus, mayhem everywhere ... ahhh the quiet days of summer will be over!
I got here on the weekend - just so I could relax some before going full throttle into work mode -- Saturday night we went to a lovely Mexican restaurant before going salsa dancing at Century ballroom. Some pretty incredible dancers, but also a lot of showing off!!!! Kinda fun to watch though!
Then yesterday we went for nice walks - my injured toe prevented us from going on a hike on Mount Rainier :o and hung out with one of Savas' friends who is in town for a couple of days from San Francisco.

I like Seattle - it feels somewhat more industrialised than Vancouver - but also somehow more cosmopolitan. It definitely has an 'American city' feel to it that I don't miss in Vancouver - but it has sort of the same dynamism & the same easy access to outdoors feel.

Reading up on work emails this morning I had this bit of news that merits being cited again:
According to "Aquaculture and Fisheries: A Global Strategic Business Report" published by Global Industry Analysts Inc., about one billion human beings worldwide depend on fish as their primary means of animal protein, particularly in coastal areas where reliance on fish is normally higher. [the crazy thing is actually going to that company's website and attempting to download the report you're told it will cost you $3950!!!! that cannot possibly be the case - that would be absolutely ludicrous! ]

The other bit of ocean news I've wanted to post here for a while but always seem to forget is the following sad report:
Large-scale analysis of the world's largest reef system indicates that coral destruction is faster and more widespread than researchers previously thought. Over the past 2 decades, coral has disappeared at five times the rate of Earth's rain forests.
If you follow the link you can actually read the whole article online, as it was published in PLoS ONE a new generation of open access publications.

Random thoughts

Today feels like it's been a long day - and yet when I look at the list of accomplished things, I've not done all that much :o| ... but I also can't say I wasn't productive ;o) ... yes one of those!
All sorts of thoughts have been pushing and shoving around in swirls in my head. I've been thinking about my family lots -- as my brother just headed out to Geneva to be briefed on his new mission in Sri Lanka. He should land into Colombo some time this weekend -- and then head out to Ampara on the East coast sometime next week. Of course I am anxious -- but I must admit that after Afghanistan and the Sudan and having spent a little time in Sri Lanka, this feels much more 'normal' - whatever that may mean in the context of humanitarian aid! I miss him heaps -- it's been over a year now since I last saw him; feels like much longer given how communication whilst he was in the Sudan was rather difficult at best. And although I am glad he got to spend about two months in Europe and thus enjoy 'home' with mom and dad in Montpellier and quality times with the lil sista, I can't feel but a pinch in the heart that I wasn't so lucky. Will just have to make sure I suppose that I absolutely capitalise and maximise on my own sisterly quality time next time I see him ;o)

The sun was out today though -- making sure sad thoughts didn't prevail ... even making me smile :o) beams feeling nice on my skin when I strolled to the bus stop on my way downtown to treat myself (finally!!) to the Monet to Dali exhibit
Neil and I have wanted to go see it for a while -- yet something always came up. It was nice to go in the afternoon too as, though it was crowded, it wasn't crazily packed - which would have made reading of any of the sign postings next to the paintings impossible to read whilst squished between 5-6 people all the while trying to not obscure other people's view of the paintings themselves! Why is it that they make those signs so RIDICULOUSLY MALL????? Ever heard of BIG FONTS?! ;o)

I am constantly on the lookout for good books - right now I am reading this crazy novel (Paddle to the Amazon by Sarkell and Wilkins) about a dad and his two sons (later one of them quit) who decided to canoe all the way from Winnipeg all the way to Belem via the Rio Negro!!! I kid you not!
However, on the more intellectual shall we say side of things, dad has just sent me a review that inspired me to get the following book - Bottom billion: Why the poorest countries are failing and what can be done about it by Paul Collier. If you want a review of the NYT article - go to page 7
This paragraph was the reason why I want to go out and get it - "The Bottom Billion" stands on a foundation of painstaking quantitative research, and it is admirably succinct and pithily written. If Sachs seems too saintly and Easterly too cynical, then Collier is the authentic old Africa hand: he knows the terrain and has a keen ear. If you've ever found yourself on one side or the other of the arguments about causes and remedies for development problems then you simply must read this book.

Right - I better go make dinner, stop trying to find reasons not to devote my life to Ecopath and get some work done ;o)
Oh but before I go check this out - Vancouver, has for the 5th time in a row been voted the most livable city to live in worldwide by the Economist magazine. This was kindly forwarded by my friend Ahmed who's sillily decided to move out to St John -- bahh we'll find ways to lure him back ;o)

Mount Strachan

I've not been very good at keeping up with my blog -- but today, walking to the bus stop under the drizzle I decided that I was very much wanting to use this site as a bit of a diary of sorts. I do enjoy reading back over things - see how impressions right then and there compare to memories ... particularly since reading, or starting to read rather "Stumbling on Happiness" by Daniel Gilbert - it's an awsome awsome book. There are many statistics in there that will startle you, and many facts that are quite mind boggling. The part on memory when comparing what we recall to what we actually experienced goes something like this - apparently magicians as well as scientists have demonstrated that memories, especially memories of experience are notoriously unreliable. The scientific study asked a group of people to pick a colour swatch. Some of the volunteers were then asked to describe it for ~ 30 seconds whilst the others did nothing. All volunteers were then asked to pick, from 6 choices of swatches, the one they originally chose. So now get this - only 73% of the non describers actually got the colour right; and an astonishing 33 percent!!!! out of the describing group accurately identified their original chosen colour! Crazy eh?! Therefore "our remembrance of things past is imperfect, thus comparing our new happiness with our memory of our old happiness is a risky way to determine whether two subjective experiences are really different."

This weekend I was meant to go climbing - or at least attempt climbing as I've never been before. I've really wanted to go for a while now, but have always been too chicken to do it - partly because I am so terrified of heights - but then I see climbing as a good way to overcome it! Unfortunately the weather wasn't quite up for it - and so a little group of us, Neil, Cindy and Matt ended up going hiking instead... and so up mount Strachan we went. The trail description in my little hike guidebook got us throughly confused (and entertained!) - but we did manage to find the south summit ... and enjoy some tasty goods, tea and stunning views when the fog would decided to clear. It was kind of neat actually to ascend through the fog, the sun filtering through every now and again -- and finding yourself in front of a wall of white-fluffiness that would all of a sudden literally evaporate and as though a curtain had been opened, let your eyes glide over a stunning view of Vancouver's surrounding areas.
Through the alpin-ey meadows the path took us - through many pretty flowers and bright green leafy things, pink and white mountain heather, partridge foot (i think) and along mossy rocks.

Up the hills and down the gullies it went -- and on the final descent we even encountered snow!!!
Some of the more adventurous threw rocks onto some of the snow arches to find out if they would resist some impressive stunts ;o) ... but we eventually decided that it was probably safer to just sit underneath the arch and grin broadly into the camera ;o)

The only thing that you needed to do on this hike was continuously move - or you'd end up surrounded by a massive cloud of nauseums, or in layman's terms heaps and heaps of small black flying insects that preferably settled up your nostrils, tickled your ears or settled for the corner of your eyes!!! Whenever a slight breeze would pick up though they'd disappear and all in all they weren't all that bad.

We even got the sun to peak through the clouds and warm our faces and bodies lying on the stone when we made it to the top -- *l*o*v*e*l*y and a sort of treat for getting ourselves out into the outdoors.
I've come to realise that the start to my weeks are so much more productive when I get to get out on the weekend -- and it feels as though my soul is given a bit of time to expand and stretch its wings before being confined to a body sitting for the greater part of most days!

Right - I wanted to finish off bits of work before going to bed tonight so I'll sign off :o)

Back in YVR

Hmmm... it's been a while since I've posted anything ... and I am going to try and promise that I'll make sure to update everyone SOOON about the remainder legs of my trip to the South Pacific - namely Wallis!
In one word though -- it was absolutely *i*n*c*r*e*d*i*b*l*y* amasing and beautiful and I learned a ton! Seriously though, I've never in my life come across a place that is more picturesque than this one! The pictures sort of speak for themselves don't they ;o)

Since being back life's been pretty hectic and crazy ... getting back into the PhD mode has been somewhat slow... yet productive, which is good!
Got my first chapter accepted for publication, which is way exciting!!! .. and now trodding along with the rest of things.

Work has however been interrupted by some very excitedly fun activities, amongst others a weekend to Mayne Island with some friends of Neil's. It was without a doubt one of the best weekends ever - so so much fun! I'll post some pictures soon!
...and since the long weekend is coming up - hoping the weather clears again - a group of us is scheduled to go hiking on sunday. I can't wait -- the outdoors, yeahhhh!!!! I can hear my bum screaming yeahhhh too -- it's been adverse to sitting in a chair for too many hours a day and in a lot of pain! ...and no it's not an excuse to procrastinate!

Keep beaming**

Ile des Pins and my last week

Several days since my last entry ... it's been two days already since I got back from l'Ile des Pins, yet it could just as well have been yesterday... I've said it before but man time flies. This will probably be a short entry as I've got so much to finish and tidy up before my departure for Wallis on Saturday at 8 am. However I wanted to post a quick update.

So let's backtrack -- Saturday evening -- we drove out to Patricia's house for her birthday party. Lovely flat, super spacious with a great balcony. The ambiance was smiley and relaxed - lots of rum and tasty wine .... and of course lots of tasty bits of food! Patricia got absolutely showered with presents -- some very bright pink sparkly sandals, a cute sexy top, little trinkets and a necklace. iIven how early we had to leave the next day for our fieldtrip to l'Ile des Pins we finally peeled ourselves off the couches at around 1am. The night was super clear and the sky full of stars. So weird to not find your bearings in the sky at night! At home Julie and I made some 'tisane' and sat out on the deck until 2:30am chatting and giggling. She is a really wicked girl and I am going to miss her a ton when I leave... 'fieldtrips' are remarkable that way, you get to live so intensely with people for a short (or long) period of time, get pretty close in a relatively short period of time and then you just take off... but it's :o) to get to meet such incredible people.

On Sunday then we take a 30 minute flight over to the island - the sky is cloudy so we can't see the reef :o .... makes for an all more surprising and flabbergastingly exciting flight home!!!!

Claude meets us at the airport -- upon arrival we drop our stuff off, gear up, pick up the rental car and drive to our first survey site. The weather is cloudy and the sky looks threatening... but we're determined and excited and nothing will stop us!

We're meant to survey a number of locations that were chosen from their 'seagrass' signature (i.e. the way they look) on satellite images.

The first two sites are seagrass beds alright - we record the species present as well as any algae mixed into the bed and write down a short description, including depth, substrate etc...

After a lunch break where we eat possibly the longest and biggest sandwich I've ever faced!!! we tackle the next site -- here, surprise surprise no seagrass, but lots of algae!!! ahhhh mapping from satellite images is one hell of a tricky business!!!! Algae and seagrass can look so so similar!!! ... emphasising the importance of going on the ground and finding out what it is you're looking at!

We're pretty dead tired byt he time we get home and so get to bed not too late following dinner.

On monday we've rented a boat. Jean Louis will be our 'marin' for the day - he's smiley and super cheerful. He's also a diver and a local and so knows all the sites we're meant to survey really well. He giggles when we mentioned we're looking for seagrass -- saying, you won't find any at any of those sites... but if you're keen I can show you where to find some grass!!!

We still survey all the algal beds which we thought were seagrass beds... and add the two sites Jean Louis takes us to.

The weather is GORGEOUS by now ... though we have a westerly wind blowing -- which NEVER happens!!! I tell you some little funny man always plays tricks with you those days you need to go out onto/into the water!

I can't believe my eyes -- the water is absolutely crystal clear, a multitude of turquoise, dark blues -- nature at its most stunning. A couple of clouds in the sky emphasise the sharpness of the light, lending the rocks that jut out of the water a more marked contrast. This place is absolutely surreal. The terrestrial horizon is lined by tall 'pins colonaires' typical of the island --- and the reason why it is called the Isle of Pines in the first place. To think that people (ME) get to work in places like this makes me burst out laughing!!!! No matter the weather this truly *IS* paradise!!!!

I love my work :o) -- and I get to learn so much!! Claude, the algologist, is in 7th heaven with all the algae we come across. She is an amasing teacher, and doesn't tire of my questions - and which one is this again? and how do you call this one? but this one looks exactly like this one!!! pointing out details time and again on how to differentiate between the multitude of green, brown and variations thereof, I pull out of the water.

The diversity is mindblowing -- truly. At one site, we go explore a little adjacent reef -- HUGE red gorgonians stretch their fans out into the water. I've never seen anythign like it - they are BEAUTIFUL. Big fish swim in and out of crevaces, clown fishes dance in their anemones, every now and again being courageous they dart out towards you as if to say, hey, you're in my space, get lost!

As light falls -- it's winter here and we're close to the equator so the sun sets early, at around 5h30 pm, we cruise back towards the hotel and snorkel our last site --- right in front of the hotel. To gloriously finish the day, this is a seagrass bed :o)

We download all the pictures we took to help us describe the sites and literally fall into bed after a tasty and hearty dinner.

Claude takes off the next morning early, whilst Serge and I stay on the island to go see the mayor and thank him for allowing us to carry out our surveys. Customary law is still in effect here and a number of sites are considered tabu on and around the isle. Trespassers will be severly punished. As such, anyone wishing to carry out any research needs to ask permission not only from the official authorities but also from the chiefs. It took close to 6 months for the chief to authorise this mission - and so we wanted to be sure to thank him. He's busy in a meeting and so we leave a message... and go on to do one more site before enjoying the island as tourists.

There is no doubt about it this island is truly magnificent -- and New Caledonia at some of its best. To me this is definitely one of the most amasing sites I've ever visited on the planet.

I've added a couple of pictures so judge for yourselves ;o)

Weekend fast approaching

Saturday is market day - and there's no better way to discover a city than to explore its market. So many colours, faces, sounds, and of course smells!

The fihs displays are impressive -- you can still find HUGE fishes here, groupers that are at least 1m in length, parrotfish about 50cm or more (are you taking note Sonia?! ;o)), HUMONGOUS crayfish, rockhinds, snappers, lots of squid, octopus, and fishes I have never heard of being eaten before...


Julie and I oogled the stands, trying to determine who was selling the best tuna -- some of the sellers aren't doing themselves any favours , at least in my humble opinion, by sort of throwing all the fish onto the ice without some attention paid to presentation.


On we went to the vegetable and fruit section - you kinda have to do a few rounds 'til you have found your bearings in terms of who is selling the best veggies, what stands has the freshest herbs, who has ripe papayas versus one you can let ripen on your shelf for a couple of days... it's quite the detective work ;o) and it is so much of what makes shopping at the market **FUN** :o)


I then amble along the crafts sections -- lots of pearls, lots of coral :o( :o( :o( and lots of shells too :o( :o( .... though vendors when asked are quick to point out that most of the corals and shells come from the Philippines and/or Indonesia... not from around the island itself... I am keen to find a couple of presents for family and friends though given how I'd like to keep corals and shells in the sea where they belong, my choice is drastically reduced. Add to that that prices are simply horrific ... you end up looking a lot and not much else!!!


We have a coffee and eat two very ripe 'pommes canelle' and drive on to the women's cooperative. They sell heaps of arts and crafts made out of palm fronds ... I am REALLY tempted to buy a beautiful bag, though worry canadian customs may not be so keen on me bringing that home -- must check what the website says about that or maybe even ask...


Julie and I then spend about an hour preparing lunch. On the menu, traditional tahitian fish salad, riz nature, and tuna sashimi with a soy ginger sauce. I am telling you food here is ridiculous!!! The traditional tahitian fish salad goes something as follows -- using a thing cloth (or in this instance a dish towel) squeeze the coconut milk out of finely ground fresh coconut, marinate little chunks of raw tuna in lemon juice for about 10 mins (then discard excess juice), finely chop about two tomatoes, and 2 green onions, cut some cilantro -- mix and put in fridge for 10 minutes.


EAT :o) YUM I tell you --- it is all finger licking GOOD :o) Plus the sun is finally filtering through the clouds adding the extra special goodness to it all.

Then on to work --- more images ... still the same one in this instance... I am not satisfied with what my image classifications are spewing out --- grrrr :o

In the afternoon Julie and I go for a stroll -- and I take some picture of the little bay along which the institute is located -- rather nice don't you think :o)


Now I need to finish a few things before we go and bake a few 'rocher noix de coco' for Patricia's birthday and I pack for tomorrow's early departure to l'Ile des Pins.

Lots of happy beams your way :o)

Another day in paradise

I can't believe it's nearly the weekend again -- I remember Serge (who is supervising me here and with whom I worked in Florida before) telling me that somehow it seemed as though time flies by faster in Noumea. I have to say I agree -- it does seem as though the days somehow have fewer hours!!!

The sun poked its head from between the clouds a couple of times today -- which put me in an awesomely good mood despite a few major technical hiccups… like my computer freezing a few too many times – so I decided to defragment it which took a good 2 hours… then my external hard drive not being recognised by my laptop anymore… and one of the USB ports dying on me too… The external hard drive is with the IT folks so let’s hope they fix it --- fingers crossed.
I guess being in paradise doesn’t really keep you safe from such mishaps!!!

A friend of mine was commenting how upon receipt of my last email he stood in front of a world map in his office – he then commented how quite in the middle of nowhere New Caledonia is!
I guess it’s true – although then you start to look at all the other Pacific islands, and I go man o man those places area REALLY in the middle of the big blue sea!!! I guess this is also what makes this place so unique! New Caledonia is considered, as far as I know at least in terms of its marine biodiversity, is considered one of the world’s ‘hotspots’ … i.e. there are lots of things here that don’t exist anywhere else, thereby making New Caledonia even more of a pretty special place!!! There is something of the quaintness of it that really becomes me – quality of life here is incredible … and when the city gets to you – though the capital in itself isn’t too big either,120 000 people, there’s plenty enough of wild spaces to go and explore!!! Makes me realise time and again how incredibly lucky I am to have had the fortune to have met the people that are welcoming me here for a while.

I was working on Cuba’s seagrass yesterday --- the process is tedious and progress is so slow … frustrating – yet patience was rewarded as my classification seems to do alright in placing seagrass where I see seagrass. I got through most of an image yesterday though need to finish tweaking a few things and then move on to the next one.
Tonight it’s Patricia’s birthday – a girl who works here and joined us on the weekend trip to Le Cap. We might stop by there for a wee while… though not too late for me as I want to get lots done before we take off to l’Ile des Pins on Sunday morning bright and early. I can’t wait – people say it’s one of the most stunning places around here. More seagrass experience in close up!!! The pictures this time show some of the thing we saw last time snorkelling around.
Hurray --- hopefully the weather will be kind!
Tata :o)

Thundershowers in Noumea

New Caledonia is indeed a tropical paradise -- this much I have found out in the 2 weeks I've been here. However, I was also told the sun tends to shine *A LOT* and as such I should make sure to take plenty of HIGH FACTOR sunscreens in my 20 kg of allocated luggage. Looking up at the sky I feel as though were I to stretch my hand out I could touch the clouds - thus one thing for sure I ain't running the risk of getting a sunburn any time soon!!!!

That being said we're luckier than our neighbours in Australia who had huge cargo ships strand on their shorelines -- threatening to spill their contents onto the beaches - due to high speed winds and crazy thunderstorms...

Another advantage to the situation is that I actually don't feel as itchy to grab my mask, fins and snorkel to go expore the underwater world -- I have work to do after all, much of which involves sitting in front of a computer - oh how so ever exciting!!! - and looking at pretty pictures (aka satellite images). Why this? ... well to draw little polygons around the area I recognise as being seagrass beds. Right now I am tackling Cuba -- which has lots of that grass --- the turtles feeding in those areas must have big fat bellies!

I can't complain though -- at least when I look out the window I see the ocean, little boats rolling in the bay, and I am surrounded by smiling faces. Plus the atmosphere in this place is motivating - everyone works very very hard but yet they also know how to stop and have a break, have a laugh and cheer each other up. A good combination :o)

In other big news -- the kind of news that doesn't hit the international press, but certainly is in capital yellow letters on the front page of the local newspaper -- gecko exports (mostly to feed snakes etc...) have been banned!!! You can see the little critters everywhere here -- and they make one hell of a noise! I was woken up with a jolt the first couple of nights thinking someone was knocking at my window. Noticing noone was there I wondered who on earth was making this loud sound -- only to find out a day later -- the geckos indeed!!!! ... and they only measure about 5cm! Kind of nice to have them around though to gobble up all the flies and mosquitoes that zoom around.

OK - it's lunch time for me now -- the picture above was from my first day in the water here, when the sun was still out ;o) (no I am not bitter about it!!)

Weekend in Le Cap

Life in the tropics I must say just adds that certain zest to life!!!
I had been missing terribly - no matter how much I love spending my time in Vancouver and discovering that life candian styleeeee kinda suits me!!!
...this however is an adventure of quite different sorts and proportions... first off it's french... and those of you that know the french just about know what that means ;o)
Truly alive and well - with highs as high as they can go, and lows obviously that can be quite dark too, though I've been lucky not to experience anyone's wrath (yet!).
Sometimes I truly feel I must be living in a dream - so surreal and beautiful this place is ... so warmly I have been received. I truly feel so so so so fortunate and lucky!!! :o)

This past weekend was spent halfway up the western part of the island - in a place called Le Cap. Jean Louis and Claude own a place there, or rather manage a 475 ha large estate for a family who now lives in France.
The place is breathtaking: undulating hills, lots of green spots, though most of the forests have been transformed to pasturelands. Driving in you see happy cows munching away on what appears like tasty grass, looking slightly bewildered at the approaching car. The 'hut' itself is basic, but boasts all the amenities you can possibly dream of - even hot water and electricity!!! Quite the luxury indeed!

Upon arrival, after a three hour drive on thursday night we had a simple dinner and went to bed relatively early as friday was field day.
Got up early the next morning - put togetehr all the snorkeling apparel, got the boat ready to rock and roll, and drove to the mangrove. From there it's a 10 min fast ride down the river to the ocean. I simply cannot put into words the thrill experience to sit on that boat, cruising through the mangove and seeing the waves crashing onto the reef a short distance away. We were lucky weatherwise too as the ocean's surface was smooth as a mirror, and there was not a breath of wind, making work rather easy. We spent about an hour silently watching dugongs and green turtles surfacing above a vast expanse of seagrass to catch their breath. Quite the clever little devils they are always popping up behind your back!!!!

Then off to work we went -- got geared up, jumped into the turbid waters and surveyed the sites we had plotted on the map the day before -- aka seagrass seagrass and more seagrass! - but exciting it was as so much more diverse than anything I've ever experienced in the Caribbean in terms of flora ... and fauna! Lots of fishes zooming around -- and here and there big coral heads with literally a million of little fishes and bigger fishes hiding out!
Lunch consisted of baguette, camembert and saucisson sec -- ah mais oui on est francais apres tout -- thus when you eat, well, you might as well and better eat in style :o) ... i have to confess I've had to call time out on my vegetarian tendencies whilst out here -- (i) i would have never survived and (ii) I probably would have been by now forced fed some form and shape of meat by flabbergasted frenchmen who would have thought I was completely and utterly mad and thus most imminently brought to reason!
More seagrass discoveries in the afternoon - more fishes and some snorkels above large coral heads --- the diversity of just about anything and everything is mind blowing --- i must grab on tight to my snorkel to not breathe in tons of saltywater from all the jawdropping I am doing ;o)
I've given up on the shooting to the surface and wiggling and letting out a multitude of sounds of excitement, realising that people here WORK in the Pacific and thus this crazy diversity and variety of things is 'normal' to them --- including the 5 sharks you see on a dive, the blue, purple, green, yellow branching corals - true FORESTS of them --- the dazzling coloured reef fishes - oh I could go on and on!!!!

...but back to my seagrasses....
so we do some more surveying, rescue a small shark caught in a drifting gillnet .... untangle, or attempt as best we can the 150m at least of net caught in the branching coral and pull it up into the boat... and drive home... welcomed by Pierre and Celine who have just arrived to join us in the celebrities that will be taking place this weekend - in honour of Jean Louis who is celebrating his 60th birthday!
Lavish dinner -- we've come to expect no less....

Saturday we go on a long hike through the forest - Jean Louis knows his estate rather well -- taking us through vast plains, dry forests, the naouili forest, and swampy bits too -- the trees are alive with birds chriping, whistling ... a true cacophony .... my friend John would be in 7th heaven!
More food is had upon return --- 5 types of cheeses, wine, grilled meat, and a huge salad; desert is a chocolate and walnut tart. Yes, quite the feast!!! as I said we are dining with the french after all! Lunch is shared with the other folks that have just arrived - Greg, Patricia, Julie and two of Jean Louis' friends, Jojo and Alain.
Before nightfall (the sun sets early here at around 5h30pm) we set out on a trek again to go see a batcave. Jean Louis leads us at a record pace - man i want to be that fit when I turn 60!!! - up the hills, through the brush - his sense of orientation is bedazzling - and into the cave. It is absolutely PITCH BLACK of course, and with our headlamps we can see millions of small bats whizzing through the cave... you can feel them brushing past you at full speed too!!! We don't stay too long -- thank goodness, caves do make me a little claustrophobic, clamber back out and take another path back down to the house. The sky is ablaze with pinks and orange clouds.... hmmmm I really do love this place :o)

The true festivities are about to begin -- champagne flows with a variety of apperitifs; red wine for dinner with raclette!!!! The food is out of this world, the stories too -- we laugh and laugh and then laugh some more. My belly aches and I am not sure if it's from all the laughing or eating!!! The sky has cleared so we go out and stare at the stars --- go for yet another walk and see LOADS of small deers -- they are considered a pest here and thus hunted.... Jean Louis dabbles in quite a bit of that too...
Finally, exhausted, round bellied and with a huge smile on our faces everyone collpases into their beds ... or tents...

The next morning we pack -- chit chat, help clean up and Serge, Julie and I set off relatively early as we want to stop by a few sites on the way home - La Roche Percee and la Baie des Tortues... quite the stunning views despite the low clouds and greyness of the sky... we have a nap on the beach and drive home, sharing stories of travels and adventures, work ... and generally conclude that we're quite the happy, enthused, motivated and incredibly lucky bunch :o)