just thinking aloud: A SCORPION IN MY TRAINER

just thinking aloud: A SCORPION IN MY TRAINER:   A SCORPION IN MY TRAINER This ferocious looking black beetle jumped out of my garden shoes this morning. We were on a short trip to Dubl...

A SCORPION IN MY TRAINER

 

A SCORPION IN MY TRAINER

This ferocious looking black beetle jumped out of my garden shoes this morning.

We were on a short trip to Dublin for a few days to mark our anniversary. We came back last night. While we were away it has been sunny and hot here. I was a bit worried about young plants in our garden. The first thing in the morning I did, is to go in the garden, many of the plants were on the verge of wilting, the soil underneath was very dry.

I pulled out the hosepipe to give them a good soak. I did not want to get my feet wet this early in the morning, so I pulled my garden shoes, in fact it is just an old pair of trainers.

I was about to put on them when I saw a dry leaf that has fallen inside the left one. To take it out I tapped the shoe upside down hard on the floor. The leaf fell out and this beetle followed. The unusually large size (for a beetle in UK) and a scorpion like upturned tail, gave me a start. I got the phone from the gown pocket and took a snap before it could scuttle away. I did not want to commit a murder before knowing whether it was harmful to me or the garden. Well, if it were some other time in the day and it was not such a peaceful morning with mild breeze and birds chirping, my immediate reflex, particularly when I was still holding the trainer, would have been to splatter it on the garden tile.

I continued watering the plants and later after the breakfast looked online to find
out a bit about this lucky beetle. To my surprise the first thing stood out was the name “Devil’s coach horse beetle.” Frightening isn’t it. But names could be deceiving as is in the case here. Despite looking so fierce and like a small scorpion, it has no sting, The posture is to threaten any rival or predator. Rarely if provoked or handled may bite causing minor discomfort. In similar situations it may squirt a foul-smelling but not harmful liquid. This beetle is extremely useful in keeping garden pests in check.

 its scientific name is “Ocypus olens,” olens in Latin means smelling. If you call it by its proper name, it does not feel dangerous!

The appearance which successfully saves it from eaten alive in nature, also gets it easily killed by us, humans. This was one lucky beetle, and this beetle reminded me again not to judge a person or an object by its appearance.

IN THE LAND OF PHARAOHS

IN THE LAND OF PHARAOHS

        Since early childhood when we were told in the Primary School about the seven wonders of ancient world, I wanted to see them. In high school, I learned that only one of the wonders remains intact, the Great Pyramid; the others are either missing or exist only as ruins.

The dream laid dormant till I became a doctor and had enough disposable money but by that time due to other responsibilities, other holiday destinations and the political situation in Egypt, I kept postponing the visit to the Great Pyramid.

This year Bibha, my wife got the brochures on classical Egypt tours and booked a guided tour as a new year gift to me.  Our trip was booked to start on 10^th of March.

We were eagerly looking forward to this trip, reading the travel guides, checking the weather in Egypt and discussing what clothes to take there. Everything was going smoothly and as planned. And then….

Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu started  a war against Iran 12 days before we were due to fly. Soon the whole of middle east was engulfed.

Up to the last day we nervously kept on checking the U.K. Government Foreign Travel Advice page and avidly watching all the news and relevant social media channels. Fortunately, Egypt remained quiet, no missiles or drones transgressed its skies, and no immediate threats reported. We reached our hotel in Cairo in the midnight on 10^th as planned.

 In the morning we were greeted by a nice sunny warm day and a cheerful local guide, Mohammad, who remained with our group of eighteen, throughout the whole trip.

Very first morning we went to see the Great Pyramid, situated in the Giza plateau at the edge of Sahara Desert. I was so excited. Many a times a much-vaunted iconic tourist place fails to rise to the expectations, nothing like that here!

The Great Pyramid made for Khufu, 2^nd Pharaoh of fourth dynasty was as majestic and commanding as I had imagined since childhood. The perfect geometric proportions of this ancient monument at this grand scale lets you awe-stricken. The pyramid is 146 metres tall and each side at the base is 230 metres. I touched a stone at the base and imagined it being carved by a stonemason 5000 yrs ago!

There are two more huge pyramids in the vicinity, one made by son of Khufu, the 3^rd Pharaoh Khafre and the other by his grandson Pharaoh Menkaure. There are many smaller ones for their queens and important nobles.

The massive, Sphinx which have the body of a lion and a human head (said to be of pharaoh Khafre) is nearby.  After the great pyramids, this is the next most magnificent structure here. You cannot but admire those ancient architects, sculptures and engineers. 

One wonders how these people 5000 yrs ago built such massive structure.  Next day this mystery was solved.

Early morning next day, our guide took us to much older burial monuments in Saqqara and Dahshur areas of Cairo. There he showed us the Stepped Pyramid, and with a great flourish said that this pyramid holds the key to the mystery of The Great Pyramid. 

The Stepped Pyramid was built about 200 years before the grand pyramid. It was
the burial ground of Pharaoh Djoser the founder of the Third Dynasty, it was designed by his chief architect, Imhotep. It is made of six rectangular platforms of diminishing size, creating steps and reaching up to 60 metres. Each rectangle had evolved from earlier tombs (mastaba)which were made in the shape of rectangular mudbrick boxes with a flat roof and were only a metre or two high.

We saw another pyramid in Dahshur, Bent Pyramid. This was built after the stepped pyramid in a bid to create a smooth sided pyramid. It appears bent because the architect had to decrease the angle half-way for stability. This was built by pharaoh Sneferu father of Khufu. Its height is 104 metre.

From the experiences gained from these pyramids; architects were able to design and create the perfectly smooth surfaced Great pyramid for Khufu!

The Pyramids were not built by aliens or magic but by the unsatiable ambition and inquisitiveness of human beings. Their ability to learn from both, the successes and failures of past and their determination to persevere to reach their goals.

After 3 days exploring Cairo, we flew to Aswan for our Nile cruise for exploring the rest of the wonders of Classical Egypt along its banks.

 

 

NIGHT FESTIVITY: PRE AND POST LED STRINGS.

 

NIGHT FESTIVITY: PRE AND POST LED STRINGS.

Christmas is just three days away. Our small neighbourhood has turned into a fairy land. In the daytime it just looks as it always looked but as soon as the daylight is gone, it changes as if by magic. Almost every house is decorated with strings of twinkling lights in various configurations. Looks like millions of fireflies have descended and settled on every balcony, window, and bush.

In the town centre, things are even more exuberant and heavily illuminated.

Overhead strings of lights line every street, forming shapes like stars, angels, reindeer, Father Christmases, and flowers, all shining and twinkling. It looks like the whole town is beating excitedly, in anticipation of Christmas day. Despite all the problems which are still exactly as before, one cannot but feel happier when these little gems start twinkling at the sundown.

Decorations and lights were common in the past too, but never to this extent. There were much fewer lights and decorations in private homes except for a few very enthusiastic households.

This occurs worldwide, not only in developed countries. Of course, the occasions are different, according to the prevailing culture and religion. I remember as a child in India on Diwali, we used to count how many lights were put on ours and our friends' houses. But now they are countless on every building!
What made this possible is the invention and improvement in production of LED lights. It is safer and brighter. It is cheaper to buy and easy on electricity bills.

Putting the lights on, in the long darker and cold nights of winter feels uplifting and certainly increases the feeling of community in the neighbourhood.
But like most things in life, too much of anything is terrible.
This increase in external lighting certainly starts getting on the nerves if it becomes a regular phenomenon all the year around. All living beings have evolved with the rhythm of lighted days and darker nights. Their physical and mental well-being is dependent on this circadian bio clock. The darkness is essential to appreciate the beauty of these twinkling lights!

Christmas Lighting, A London Street

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR