A Tale of a Frog and a Snake(Expedisi Kulamba, Universiti Malaysia Sabah) There I was, a four-striped tree-frog, minding my own business in a tree overlooking the research tent of the Kulamba camp – until along came a striped-tailed racer. … Continue reading
(Expedisi Kulamba, Universiti Malaysia Sabah) I have been to the rehabilitation centre in Sipilok, where they take young or captive orangutans and try to return them to the wild. They do good work. They’ve also been doing it for decades … Continue reading
(Expedisi Kulamba, Universiti Malaysia Sabah) Yep, I have a thing about fungi now. Here’s a cicada corpse. My perverse husband rejoices in these things. This insect was infected with a fungus growth that sent it mad. Something in that fungus … Continue reading
(Expedisi Kulamba, Universiti Malaysia Sabah) We two birders leave at dawn, sneaking out of camp before breakfast. It is the perfect time on the river. We encounter a roost of Black-Crowned Night Herons, and suddenly the air is filled with … Continue reading
(Expedisi Kulamba, Universiti Malaysia Sabah) The camp has twenty-one people, researchers, lecturers and assistants and university students. We are aided by boatmen from the village, glad enough to earn more than they can get from fishing. [Me, and some students, … Continue reading
Expedisi Kulamba Universiti Malaysia Sabah I am back – safe and sound. I think. And the 9 days away, cut off from so-called civilization now seem surreal. We travelled from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan by bus, crossing Borneo from one … Continue reading
I had an email from a reader of this blog who asked about themes. (Thank you Ink Paws!) Do I consciously write a book around a theme? Or is the use of themes by writers – as some of her … Continue reading
As a result of the marvellous discussion that arose from my post on “What is a trilogy?”, someone has sent a question: how did the fantasy trilogy come to be? What is its history? (Thanks Shawn). So I want to … Continue reading
I have recently read Jeff Vandermeer’s book Shriek, which is – among other things, about the horrible effects of fungus moving in on a city and its people. Definitely not nice stuff to think about (although the book itself is … Continue reading
….anybody at all. Birdwatching – or birding to give it the modern word – is for anyone from any social or economic strata or ethnicity. All you need is a pair of binoculars and a sense of fun, the kind … Continue reading
