Pileated woodpecker photographed during daily run with Hera.
Photographed and posted by Geoffrey
Drake goldeneye preening his feathers. Viewed and photographed during a morning run with Hera.
Photographed and posted by Geoffrey
Mink seen sitting on the edge of the Rideau River while I was out for a morning run with Hera.
Photographed and posted by Geoffrey
Lady cardinal with a male courting her nearby.
Photographed and posted by Geoffrey
Geoffrey’s hunting diary: Hera and Nos on a winter run
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Footage of Hera on her daily run in early March 2013. She is a plucky little dog, going for a run almost daily over the winter months. We stayed home only on days when the temperature dipped to -30 C and below. On this occasion we run into my hunting buddy Jason and his dog Nos.
Video produced and published by Geoffrey
Drake mallard getting ready for the spring nesting season 2013. He found his mate in the wintering grounds and followed her north to the marsh where she was hatched. This process ensures the gene pool is spread across the northern breeding grounds. He is not a particularly devoted husband and father. When his mate finishes laying her eggs and begins incubation, he happily takes his leave.
Photographed and posted by Geoffrey
Hen mallard getting ready for the spring nesting season 2013. She will need lots of protein to get ready for egg laying, feeding on invertebrates that fill the ponds and puddles formed from melting snow.
Photographed and posted by Geoffrey
Says he, ‘I am a handsome man, but I’m a gay deceiver.’ — George Colman, the Younger ( 1762-1836)
Is it more comfortable for gay actors to play straight characters or for heterosexual actors to play gay roles? As an actor myself, this question crossed my mind. I took training in acting techniques at the Ottawa Theatre School, in workshops with professional theatre companies and with an acting coach. I appeared in many amateur stage productions over the years. The three actors in the photographs above are known for playing gay and heterosexual characters in British television series. Russell Tovey, the man seen embracing the woman, is famous for playing heterosexual characters in Being Human and Him & Her. He is gay. James Sutton, the young man wearing the green and a cream striped pullover, and Guy Burnet, seated next to him, became widely known for their portrayal as gay characters in a relationship in the British soap opera Hollyoaks. Both of these men are heterosexual. Having seen their respective performances, I am duly impressed. They are fine actors. They were able to successfully inhabit their characters, gay and heterosexual, giving a believable portrayal; still, I wonder, is it easier for a gay actor to play straight or for a straight actor to play gay? Continue reading
If one of those bottles should happen to fall…
I have a passion for the study of history and for music. I love learning about the past and listening to music from across the ages. Occasionally the two passions become congruent as is the case of the opera by Francis Poulenc (1899-1963), “Dialogues des carmélites” (Dialogues of the Carmelites), composed in 1956. The opera is a fictionalized account of an order of Carmelite nuns who were executed during the Reign of Terror in the French Revolution and are remembered as the Martyrs of Compiègne. Continue reading
Coffee: that “Muslim drink”
Coffee, a hot beverage brewed from the ground beans of the Coffea plant, is a beverage I relish. I take two mugfuls of black coffee every morning, savouring the flavour as I sip it from my mug. The consumption of coffee is a pleasure so many people enjoy every day across the world. Coffee drinking originated in the Arab world in the 15th century and remains integral to Arab culture. Coffee was introduced to Europe in the 16th century by Venetian merchants who had trade relations with North Africa, Egypt and the Middle East. Coffee was approved as a Christian beverage by Pope Clement VIII (1536-1605) in 1600, having been frowned upon by some Christians as a “Muslim drink.” Kudos to His Holiness Pope Clement for doing so, as this delectable beverage and its consumption would play a role in transforming European society from the remnants of the social order of the Middle Ages to modernity. Continue reading
Geoffrey & Mika 