Daring to Whistle

I've been following this really nice 'mutual self help' site for whistlers for a while. The idea is that you attempt to play the 'tune of the moment', which right now is 'Mug of Brown Ale'. At long last I have dared to post my version. I recorded it using a cheap PC microphone and the freeware audacity, which is really very good.

Flightless wasp (bee?) at Torrey Pines

Our charming docent (see previous post) pointed out this wee bee. I am afraid it's a bit fuzzy, but the darned thing never stopped moving.

Balboa Park, San Diego

We spent a really nice relaxing day wandering around Balboa Park, which is a kind of Italianate (Mexicanate?) place. Imagine a very large, warm, non-Welsh version of Portmeirion and you'll get a not particularly good idea of what it was like. We ate lunch with a man in a cowboy hat and a german who looked precisely like Robin Williams, which felt a little surreal. There was this rather nice hothouse, though this being San Diego it seemed not to be particularly sealed against the elements. More of a wind break than anything else. Our Hotel was this tall slim affair. At night, we would be woken up at about two AM by a great big train going past. The first warning was the dinging of the bells on the level crossings, followed by the stentorian honking of the train's whistle.

Torrey Pines State Park

We had a gentle stroll (which had been publicised as a 'vigorous hike') around the Torrey Pines State Park, escorted by a 'docent', who turned out to be a nice little Scottish lady with an endless fascination in all of the wildlife of the park. Her focussed enthusiasm was infective, and I had lots of fun trying to photo everything she pointed out, including the nondescript pile of twigs that was supposedly a rats nest. P.S. 'Docent' turns out to mean 'someone who teaches', and in the US seems to refer to volunteer guides. Never seen it used in British English.