Mother hen and chicks!

 

This mama has been warming her 4 eggs for weeks now and nothing has popped. There were 10 but we ate 6 and now as I see the other mamas with 10 and 12 chicks I feel bad. I hope they pop soon and turn out to be athletic and smart ;)

 

This is the scene around the house and if I could I would watch them move around the whole day. They are so cute and adorable. I tried to hold one but mama got really angry!

The one on the middle is the mama and all her chicks are keeping themselves warm. How do they all fit under her? It is unbelievable. 

It might seem like a very insignificant thing but it is actually amazing what nature and mothers are capable of doing.

A day of work - Sanctuary

 

Today at work we were waiting for the wood pigeon to appear but no luck. 

I hadn't been there for a while so it was very relaxing to sit inside this beautiful forest. 

Nature there is untouched, tourists are not allowed to enter and therefor its green stays the same. 

I feel a strong peace and big desire to breath in there. It is a place where I can be in touch with myself and reflect on my life.

A day of work - Kominato beach

Today on this peaceful sunny day I worked handing out flyers at the entrance of this beach. 

Every time I go there I get blown away, I cannot believe where I am and what my eyes are seeing. 

The gradation of the ocean is serene, you can see all tones of blues in one surface.

 

A group of high school students were on a kayak tour. They seemed to be having so much fun, they had a different energy, difficult to explain but I will try. Since I came to the Island time has slowed and the excitements of life are more down to earth things like the excitement of a sunny day or the zucchini seeds popping out. They on the other hand seemed to be having faster excitements like an adrenaline for the next second to come. 

 

Kuwa no mi

Today there were filming a program here for NHK with C.W. Nicol a Welsh writer and actor who now resides in Japan and is an environmentalist as well. His achievements are inspiring, I would like to read some of his writings. There was also a very modern looking couple with very fancy camera equipment and a very cute brittany spaniel, a french dog. Ohhh, want one of them!
Ogasawara's beauty brings people here with all sorts of interests, it is inspiring to see what other people out there are doing.

On the way to Kominato Beach

 

These days I have been working on handling flyers about the ecosystem of Ogasawara. I start in a point and then I move to the next. This is on the way to the next beach called Kominato.

Tako-no-ki The routs of this tree resemble an octopus and in Japanese Tako means Octopus.

There are 2 types of Tako-no-ki. One unique to this Island and the other one that was brought in from abroad. They make bags and jewelery with its leafs. 

 

Bugambilia 

 

A man running a small agricultural farm. Not very common in Ogasawara. 

Farming is not very well supported in this Island as well as every were else in the world. It is sad to know that if that boat that comes once in a week does not show up due to typhoons, we all run into our 3 little supermarkets and buy everything available. What if! What if! one day it did not come for any longer. Are we prepared to deal with that? It is a scary thought but it does cross into my mind sometimes and that is why I have planted zucchinis :)

A creature

After having veggie burgers with tofu sauce (yummy)
Mark and I were chilling out and suddenly this creature was flying inside the house. 

I opened my Ogasawara field book to check what it was and it could not be more convenient, the moth/butterfly flew on top of the book. It looks like one of the unique species but it doesn't have the black dots that you can see in the picture. It has transparent blue-green wings and it measure around 3 cm. 

 

It is still there as I write this. I think that he's found friends for tonight. 

New Ideas!

1. Build an earth oven

2. Build an extension room

3. Grow veggies

4. Write about it

5. Bake bread in the earth oven

6. Do yoga course

7. Teach yoga

8. Learn about cob construction

9. Stop worrying and smile

Pelan Pelan Village

Our landlord is the owner of this village. It means slow slow village, and it is an Eco hostel in the mountains of Chichijima. On the way to the village you walk through a dirt road for 5 minutes and if you walk slow enough you can discover magical  beings

  

Starfruit

Starfruit is originally from the Philippines and now well known throughout Asia and Central, South America.  In Spanish it is called Carambola. I think we used to drink Carambola juice when little. When the fruit is cut in half it has a star shape and there for the name.

Our landlord gave us a jar of starfruit jam. This year the tree gave so many starfruits that she is making, dry fruit, jams, breads, alcohol and any other possible thing to use all of the fruits. 

 

On the way back from work I walk through a road next to a temple and I found this tree and then I discovered the fruit. I didn't think it came from a tree but more from a vine looking plant. 

It reminds me of the lights they hang at Japanese festivals called "Cho-chin"