The best of books..........................

Today I will open this book.

I'll make a nice cup of tea, perhaps nibble an English 

chocolate biscuit (I have some squirreled away, naughty I know), 

grab a Summer-weight throw for my bare legs, and 

snuggle into the love seat tucked into the bedroom window bay. 

It's my favorite place to read, with bright natural light, 

and butterflies and bumble bees outside in the buddleia bush

which brushes against the glass in the Summer breeze. 

I'll commence reading this acclaimed first novel.

It's a very special book because of the way I acquired it.

The card above is an aerial photo of the city of Bath in England. It was enclosed with the book, along with a delightful silk bookmark. There is a special bookshop in historic Bath, Mr. B's Emporium of Reading Delights where recently author Tan Twan Eng was reading from his first book, The Gift Of Rain. 

My copy was inscribed by him and then mailed across the pond to me, arriving last week with a ring of the doorbell.

There is now a second novel, The Garden Of Evenings Mists, which again received accolades, and already I have it on my wish list.

 And who is Ruth you may be wondering? A kind and 

generous lady, originally from Germany, who lives 

in Wiltshire, England. 

Ruth started e-mailing me after reading about my visit to La Maison Bleu in Penang, Malaysia last year. 

She had already read Mr. Eng's first novel where the house is mentioned and went online to learn more about it. My blog post popped up, she enjoyed my photos from Penang, and has continued reading my blog ever since and 'traveling' with me.

Ruth insisted on gifting me with the book, not even allowing me to pay the postage. Her kind words were "I was in search of photos of La Maison Bleu and I found the world". What a lovely thing to say. Comments such as this make blogging so worthwhile. 

So dear Ruth, again I must thank you for my gift. 

I'm truly excited about reading the story and thankful 

for your friendship. Hopefully Ruth and I will meet 
in person when I next visit my home in England.

The beautiful beaded necklace? From my dear friend Patti in Washington State whom I visited recently. 

Just thought they looked perfect here, rather like cooling raindrops.

What are you reading this week? 

Chazma River, Kamchatka...................

June 3, 2013

Kamchatka, Russia

Click on pics to enlarge

The ship repositioned, and around 4:00 PM, following a breezy but beautiful lunch on the Lido Deck, we were back into Zodiacs - me with dry socks and the boots dried somewhat after my attacking their linings with the hairdryer in my cabin (see former post!) - and headed up the Chazma River.

Chazma River with steaming hot springs in the distance....

...still a lot of frozen snow on the ground.

First sighting of a local bear - note the grandeur 

of the still heavily snow covered mountain range, and 

this was Kamchatka's early Summer.

Pic above via Paula ~ she of the big, long expensive lens!

We did manage to get in closer to the bear who just stared 

at us now and then while munching on his late lunch.

Nowhere in Siberia can such enormous brown bears be found, but they are very abundant in Kamchatka, home to the densest population of brown bears in the world. An adult male can weigh up to one ton and stand nine feet tall. They are somewhat comparable to the American grizzly bear, though not so aggressive and predatory, thankfully!

Once on land, we were surprised to find several 
dilapidated huts.....

Also, many of the Brits donned their very British swimming costumes (guess Paula and I HAVE been gone from Britain far too long), and braving the possibility of a bear showing up while partaking of the waters, took the plunge. Hats bikinis and Speedos off to them!!!

 Wild spotted Orchid

Meanwhile I did my usual foraging through the undergrowth capturing Nature's simple and elegant beauty.......

Much loved by all, the Dandelion 'clocks'

With the sun going down turning the water into dancing diamonds, and the steam rising to almost obliterate the little wooden huts, we returned to the waiting ship thrilled from the unexpected adventure............ready for dinner, and the evening recap which was full of laughs when the pics of the ardent swimmers and spa plungers were shared!

Kaminestaya Bay, Kamchatka....................

On the beautiful bright and sunny morning of June 3, Caledonian Sky approached its anchorage off Kamenistaya Bay for an expedition morning ashore. The Kronotsky State Nature Reserve (a World Heritage Site) was established in 1934 and is one of the oldest reserves in Russia. At the beginning of the warm weather the deserted shoreline comes to life. Hundreds of rapid steams and rivers run to the ocean, cascading over waterfalls on their way. The Reserve supports 27 species of animals from marmots to big-horned sheep, 212 species of birds, and more than 600 species of vegetation, all make this a nature lovers Eden.

Temp. High 6C/42F

Bright sunshine 

Gentle SE breeze

Click on pics to enlarge.

Heading ashore...................

Once ashore - which was a wet landing and 

yours truly ended up with water-filled boots when a 

wave hit as I swung myself out of the Zodiac, 

bad timing, - there were beach and birding walks, 

and a jaunt to the waterfall........ 

....this passenger, an accomplished watercolorist, 

always whipped out her sketch pad and palette and did 

some lovely paintings.....

...whereas Paula and I did the beach walk in the 

warm sun and took a ton of photographs, as always, 

hoping to be creative in our own way.

A really beautiful spot, unspoiled and pristine.

Back to the waiting ship, hoisting up the Zodiacs, raising the anchor.............then heading to the most enjoyable afternoon at the Chazma River......bring your swimsuits and bear repellent!