Here’s the trailer for another excellent film about wildlife in the Slovak part of the Carpathian Mountains. This time it’s bears in the Tatra Mountains, the highest point of the Carpathians, and about 80 miles west of me. The film is by Erik Baláž and Robert Rajchl. It amazes me that I live in suchContinue reading “Keeper of the Wilderness”
Monthly Archives: April 2015
First lizards
Slovak folklore has the tradition that the date of April 24th, Saint Juraj’s Day, is when snakes emerge from their holes in the ground after hibernating for winter. This male and female lizard pair were sunbathing on the 26th. That’s 2 days out, damnit! Either the folklore is wrong or we just get lazy reptilesContinue reading “First lizards”
Dead Bat
I see a lot of bats flying around in the day time. Until fairly recently, in the towns they roosted in the gaps in the side walls of the ubiquitous socialist apartment blocks. However, there has been a flurry of energy-saving reconstruction, mostly polystyrene blocks placed over the walls and then plastered over. This hasContinue reading “Dead Bat”
Spring blossom
Plum tree starts to bloom An explosion of bright white Shame the petals moult
On the road again….
Finally, after a month of stress and sleepless nights, I’m on the road again. Feisty passed her MOT, second time round after many repairs. Riding home from Bardejov in torrential rain and heavy wind, gravel, oil and mud slides covering the pitted and twisting back roads, I had Canned Heat playing again and again inContinue reading “On the road again….”
Violets and strawberries
Finally, we’re starting to see Spring flowers. This is a bizarre grouping of violets and strawberries. For some reason, strawberries seem to have spread everywhere this year, including far from people’s gardens. I’ve never understood the old song “Violets are blue, dilly dally…” as they aren’t. They’re violet. Which is basically purple. I can understandContinue reading “Violets and strawberries”
Ballad of the Rose Chafer
Jade beetle brought down to Earth Winged emerald Late Spring frost caused your demise A dead and dismembered Rose Chafer (Cetonia aurata). A beautiful and noisy flying beetle which haunts the summer garden and forces you to duck as it flies past.
Born to be wild or bike bondage?
Presently, the irony of the mythical image of motorcycle ownership as enabling one to be wild and free is making me groan. Sleepless nights, vastly depleted bank account, dealing with corrupt and vindictive officials, begging friends for favours, trying to find mechanics or a tyre service who will actually deal with motorbikes in my region,Continue reading “Born to be wild or bike bondage?”
Cloud forest
The weather here at the moment is extreme. We go from bright sunshine to blizzard and then back again every few hours. Because of this, the snow covering on the trees doesn’t last long and its evapouration causes a cloud layer. Many visitors to the forest here are shocked to discover how similar it isContinue reading “Cloud forest”
Tao of Prepping – Free PDF Ebook giveaway!
I’ve decided to give away for free, in PDF download format, my book “The Tao of Prepping”. You can download it for free from here – http://edwardotoole.com/tao_of_prepping_free_pdf.html Please spread the word. The more people who read it, the happier I would be. Hopefully, it will give its readers some pause for thought about the worldContinue reading “Tao of Prepping – Free PDF Ebook giveaway!”
Carpathian Adventure 