Giant cock in Trafalgar Square

I went past Trafalgar Square on a bus and was surprised to see a large blue cock sitting on the fourth plinth.

I know in the past there have been some "strange" statues on that plinth.

This latest one is a large blue cockerel, named 'Cock'.

It was created by a German artist and unveiled by the mayor, Boris Johnson.

In 2013 it was a boy on a rocking horse.

If you want to know more, google it!!!

Somerset in the spring

I spent a few days with friends in Somerset in March. The woods are full of wild daffodils and the primroses are starting to appear.

The weather was mixed, blue sky and sunshine, then hailstones

We went to a friend's farm. I loved these donkeys, they are spending the winter at the farm then in the spring they will return to their beach job at Weston.

The cows in the yard were inquisitive and one kept licking my camera!

Full moon in London, March 2014

I can't resist taking photos of the full moon, even though my camera is no good for this.
This is the full moon 16th March 2014 as seen from London. It rose from behind the houses in the distance.

Charcoal kilns in southern Vietnam

Whilst caving in Dong Nai province in southern Vietnam in Feb 2014, I saw this small scale charcoal industry. Dong Nai is the province just to the northeast of Ho Chi Minh City.
Many people in the region use charcoal for cooking, especially for heating pots of water and for grilling meat.

The kilns are inside the attap roofed building

 

Wood is put into the kiln and it is then heated and turns into charcoal. It is a hot and smokey process.
This area has many cashew trees as well as other fruit trees, so these are probably used when older.

The smoke is coming out from the bottom, not from the top

there is no smoke from the chimney on the roof

I don't know why this kiln is covered up

 

 

 I tried to find out more about this charcoal industry but didn't find much. However I did find an interesting article on a village in another part of this province, where lepers are involved with the charcoal industry, charcoal kilns help lepers.........

 

 

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission

Haze 2014

2014 began with a prolonged dry spell. January and February were very dry, causing a water shortage in many areas. Some places had water rationing, of 2 days off, 2 days on.

By early March the air quality was at a unhealthy level in the Klang Valley.

The Star 3 March -
"First the water, now the haze.

It looks like Klang Valley residents can't find any respite in the weather. Having to endure weeks of disrupted water supply, they now have to contend with the haze.

The air pollutant index (API) reading shot up to near-unhealthy levels by Monday afternoon with Port Klang registering an API of 117 (API of 100 to 200 is categorised in the unhealthy range) at 2pm. Petaling Jaya (92).

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March 13 The Star, some headlines :

Water levels in Sungai Selangor Dam nearing critical level

Haze worsens due to peat fires and farm burning

Very unhealthy API in Port Klang

Photo from Star 14th

Klang 8.15am 13th March

 

The rainy season started by early April and was said to last until mid May, then it would be hot and dry again!

By the 2nd week in June it was very hot. I was thankful to leave Malaysia mid June. I then read the haze had returned -
Star photo 24 June

It was reported that unhealthy levels of air pollution were recorded in Port Klang, while other areas in the country recorded moderate and good readings.

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See Part 2 for August update.