Digigran

What a shock to get back from here to find that Spring had not yet sprung. I was expecting daffodils and bird song and just saw lumps of grey and damp stuff. What have you all been doing ? I bet it's something to do with all those trillions of plastic bags weve all been using, and their ability to contribute to the destruction of the environment See. My renewed green consciousness has arisen from my visit to the Galapagos Islands which was idyllic. The skies were heavenly blue with only the fluffiest puffs of clouds floating by occasionally, the scenery stunning as sen from a high point, like this:














No one is allowed to take any thing to eat or drink onto the islands themselves except for bottles of water to keep hydrated and all visitors are sworn to picking up any waste plastic or paper wrapping that does escape. Everything therefore seems so pristine and unspoiled and the animal life which attracted me there abundant and contented and unafraid. I went because I wanted to see these:









But entered up being much more impressed and interested in these fascinating birds with the endearing name of Blue-footed Boobies. I took loads of pictures of them, some with their eggs, some of them making their nests on the ground, sometimes even on the paths used by the visitors, because they are so unafraid of humans. I chose this picture to show you because of the display of the wonderful eponymous blue feet. There are two other kinds of Boobies endemic to the island- the masked booby and the red -footed booby, but this little fellow is the most endearing. They are such maladroit creatures too. Sometimes they misjudge landing on their perches and crash into the cliffs. They also allow the predatory frigate birds to rob them of their fish as they come back into land. This is a picture of the robber-bird in full flight.



The male frigate birds is displaying to attract a mate. The great red balloon is a kind of wattle beneath his throat, inflated during the courtship ritual. I had seen the birds at the coast while working inTobago, but never witnessed their courting rituals, or their brigand activities before. They attack and hold onto the Boobies when flying into shore with their catch and force them to drop their prey (fish) which they then catch in mid-air and bring into land . Poor little boobies, I can identify with them having encountered a few academic brigands in my time and having suffered several crash landings too.

I also snorkled in very deep water with sealions- one of my mates is shown below Both of us look less than elegant on land, but in the water half a dozen sealion puppies came rolling and turning round me as I swam, biting my flippers and staring through my mask. Astonished, I glided over turtles,

and floated with the fishes.

So it's a little hard to be adjusting to life back home with Edward and the garden to see to, as well as the marking and the report to write and a growing envy of my colleagues, Dr Kate, Dr Joolz and Guy who are all getting ready for their big show at the AERA . Ah well, we can't have everything, though despite their protestations about the writing, theirs is a very big adventure.

This little BLOG may however one day serve to show Alexander where I have been. I sent him his first postcard home- just in time to mark his first quarter of a year old. Also wrote myself a postcard, inspired by this book:

which , if you haven't read it, might make for a good read on your American flight, though I did find the in- flight movies irresistible, myself. The writer, Alice Steinbach, is a bit self indulgent and writes too much about her social successes in high society, but it's good on why travel is good for one's sense of identity and serves as a reminder of the more adventurous selves we all once owned. So enjoy your trip to San Fransisco and be sure to wear flowers in your hair in memory of less drab times.