Dangerous animals – my association used to be hippos, or lions, or ferocious dogs, or angry bulls.
But small animals can be dangerous, too. The oak processionary moth has become prevalent in many areas in Germany were it was previously unknown, now there are often signs found on trees to warn of them. The signs have become permanent, they don’t bother to take them down in winter anymore.
I had a stroll through the vineyards around here yesterday, and no green yet sprouting there. But the cherry and apple trees are busy putting out buds, even old and gnarly ones.
Its suckers will destroy the plasterwork over time. In English I believe this plant is known as grape woodbine. Is there a connection to the cigarette brand “Woodbine”, I wonder? I knew a man called Woodbine once, who was neither clingy nor a (social) climber. So many associations!
Since I already posted about a proper storm or rather the aftermath of one called Lothar this week I am just sharing a view from our window yesterday. Not a real storm but a five minute long hailstorm. Luckily it was short and the pebbles were only small. Nothing to either write home about or keep in the fridge. I remember when a radio show host in Bavaria asked people if they had kept one of the golfball sized hailstones that pelted Munich in 1984, i.e. from 10 years earlier. He had hoped for one or two and the radio station was swamped with people coming by carrying cooler bags. That was before everyone had smartphones, of course. Today, people would just share their pictures online.
Before taking photos I had never noticed that curlicue at the tail of male mallards. It is quite distinct and rather pretty, probably with no other function than impressing the female of the species.
These two were quite obliging in showing off the difference between the genders.
Sometimes when I can’t think of a photo to use right away I go to various dicitonaries and try to find alternative meanings. In this case, I immediately thought of “high jinx” but I just couldn’t bring myself to post photos of friends when they were up to some. You know, privacy and all that.
Then I came upon the definition of “high Jinx” in the Urban Dictionary and – voilà:
high jinx = The act of simply getting your feline friend completely stoned. from Urban Dictionary
PS: No cats were harmed during the taking of this photo. He is called Louis and participated voluntarily in the shoot. He is alive and well and living in Newcastle, UK.