flotsam

Sputnik II has a friend!

I thought I’d get to work on my ‘orders’ (so far two people have asked for/implied that they want turtles).

Sputnik is a starfish gone bad. Flotsam is a turtle without a carapace.

Satin scraps are fun to work with. I would’ve used sequins I’ve taken off other stuff, but I couldn’t find my collection! And THIS is why cleaning your room is not a good idea!

flotsam and entrails

la petite (and my dirty paint-stained pants)

earth hour

it's earth hour this saturday!
learn a little about it here
switching your lights and appliances off for an hour is not a HUGE gesture. but, as I frequently say here, the little things count.
If you live in Goa,or know somebody who does, there will be an Earth Hour program at Lourdes Convent, Saligao
before you switch off- here are a couple of links you might want to check out
http://greenliving.about.com/od/greenprograms/a/Effects-Of-War-And-The-Environment.htm?nl=1
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/03/120314-solar-drip-irrigation-in-benin-africa?source=gecnl

news

So there's some sad news:

Goa's environment minister passed away early this morning.

For more information go here

There are discrepancies in the reports by different papers (age, time of death), but the cause and end are the same- heart attack, expired. RIP.

In happier news, I came across a group of social entrepreneurs while on Facebook earlier today:

RUR

And while looking for their homepage (which I couldn't find this time, but I shall endeavor to!), I also found UnLtd India. Like the idea.

watermelon anyone?

local watermelons from the village of Parra. the season is short, so eat some quick!

meet the turtle

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Last night on my way home from work, I saw a turtle/ terrapin/ tortoise trying to cross the road. Unfortunately I couldn't stop to help it, but other people were doing their best to avoid it, so I live in the hope that it got across safely.

Did it influence today's post? Read on....

I decided to make something for my little cousin. A pretty starfish with silver sequins.

That's what Sputnik II started out as. Then I realised he looked nothing like a starfish. He did however look like a shell-less turtle. I provided him with protective covering et voila! Behold- my first ever satin soft toy! He looks a little like a Muppet :)

Needless to say, I'm keeping him, and will make my cousin something else to go with the little pink bag I have stitched for her.

snake in the hall

The last time I posted I wrote about spotting one wild thing close to my home.

That incident was followed soon after by the appearance of another wild thing, this time IN my home.

It seems the mama mongoose does not lack prey. I wish she'd spared the kittens.

Mum went into the hall to bring our hens in (they perch on the windowsill). She says she heard something fall, and there, wriggling on the floor in front of her, trying desperately to get into a corner, was a DEOD (that's Konkani for rat snake)

We had to chase it a bit, but mum eventually managed to get it into a bag and release it back into the garden. We do not advocate killing snakes. We've had cobras and Russell's vipers around the place but as far as possible we've asked someone to catch them and release them elsewhere.

What was I doing while mum did the hard work?

I was in charge of keeping an eye on it, and telling mum to be careful :D

Watch it slither here and here

wild thang!

This post doesn’t really have anything to do with saving the earth. It does however contain a small seed of hope.

A wee grey cat recently littered in one of the storage areas around my house. She had three kittens in her kindle (so it isn’t just something you read books on!); adorable squirming fluff balls!

Now comes the sad part: a mongoose found them and ate them. Starting with their heads. It wasn’t a pretty sight. Mother Grey, when she returned, was distraught- obviously.

So where’s the hope- I didn’t think there were mongooses (yes, that's the plural. i checked.) left in my part of Goa. And it looked like this one was pregnant. HOPE!

In memory of the little ones.

totally charged!

People all over Goa are celebrating, or mourning, because of the election results.

Woo hoo?

Meanwhile... life goes on.

Here's to people who are intent on making a change without having ulterior motives.

For instance, the good people at GOACAN, whom I've known nearly half my life.

An example of something they do: collect batteries.

I see your brow furrow. What do I mean, they collect batteries?

Well, what do you do with yours? Throw them in the bin once they no longer generate power, right? But then what? Those batteries probably go into what passes for landfills here, leaking poisonous and corrosive elements into the soil. Or they're burned *the horror!*

Through their battery collection drive, which has been going on for at least four years now, Roland and Lorna and those who work with them are trying to

1. prevent that

2. eventually return batteries to the producers who should be able to dispose of the hazardous stuff safely.

How do you get involved?

Get in touch with me and I'll tell you. :D

pot pourri

I need to up the ante! Two ladies I admire and adore have said that they will read this blog. So I must make it worthy!

How do I do that? Perhaps it is time for some direction, some structure. Hmm. The thing I like best about my blog is that it isn’t rigid. But a little more focus (instead of the nebulous recordings of thoughts) would be good.

Here’s a DIY I learned from one of the above-mentioned ladies:

1. Eat an orange.

2. Keep the peel.

3. Dry the peel.

4. Break it into little bits.

5. Place in a bowl.

Et voila! Your own orange peel pot pourri!

It smells absolutely lovely, and is a much better scent in a closed room than Musty.

It could make a nice gift if you put in a pretty box or in some fancy sheer cloth.

BONUS: You consume part of your daily requirement of fruit every time you make a new batch.