Blogging with mehar_mah

"Mt. Fuji and tea plantation" Shizuoka by  Hiroshi Ichikawa. It is the 88th day counting from the beginning of spring, and it is said to be a turning point from spring to summer.  Tea picking of new tea is also performed at this time.  The tea leaves picked at 88th night are said to be fine, and it is said that drinking tea on this day will make them live longer ... This is Shizuoka, the place for tea.  A tea plantation is spreading at the foot of Mt. Fuji.  The splendid greenery that spreads over the gentle hills and blue Mt. Fuji create a beautiful contrast.  Shizuoka tea is cultivated using a traditional farming method called "Tea grass farming," which is recognized as a World Agricultural Heritage.

Aerial view of Santorini island, Greece by Amazing Aerial Agency. Beautiful, whitewashed buildings through the clouds! With its romantic sunsets, dazzling ocean views and whitewashed buildings clinging to rocky clifftops, the Greek island of Santorini (aka Thera) is the very picture of an idyll in the Aegean. But this tranquil scene belies the island's explosive geologic history, for this is the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history. The Minoan eruption, about 3,600 years ago, caused the centre of the Thera volcano to collapse into the ocean, leaving Santorini a jagged, crescent-shaped moon atop the sea. The impact of the eruption was more than just geologic - when the volcano blew its top, Santorini was home to a thriving outpost of the Minoan civilisation. A farming and fishing community had been established at Akrotiri on the island around 7,000 years ago, and by the time of the eruption had developed into a prosperous city built largel...

Spring is here! This image is a former waste water treatment field and it's called  "tricky field", situated in Berlin, Germany. These fields were once used for filtering waste water but there they are a sight for sore eyes and nature lovers. These trees, however reducing in numbers but nonetheless, give a breathtaking view in spring season. The “Berlin Rieselfelder” were created by James Hobrecht at the end of the 19th century for the purification of Berlin's wastewater.  Today, all of the trickle fields are out of order, but in 1928 around 10,000 hectares were used for wastewater treatment.  Wastewater treatment plants have now taken over the tasks of the trickle fields, which existed not only in Berlin, but throughout Germany. So lets celebrate spring and save water for the next generation.

"Mt. Fuji and Sakura" Yamanashi, Lake Kawaguchi Today is "Sakura Day"! This is the cherry blossom anniversary established by the Japan Sakura Association.  3 × 9 = 27, March 27, from 3 (sa) 9 (ku).  The current season is the 72nd season of cherry blossoms, and this year is March 25.  It is said that the cherry blossoms are starting to open ... At the foot of Mt. Fuji, the cherry blossoms at Lake Kawaguchi will soon be in full bloom.  The walking trail around the lake is lined with about 200 cherry blossom trees, making Mt. Fuji look like a picture frame.

A little owl love on Mothering Sunday A love so pure and so selfless! This little owl is shown feeding her baby son as we celebrate Mothering Sunday in the UK. The UK’s smallest owl, they reach full height at around 20cm– so are quickly caught up by their offspring. With striking yellow eyes and a mottled brown and cream colouring, it is not unusual to spot little owls sitting on fence posts like this one during the daytime, scouring the ground for food – from crickets and beetles to small mammals. They nest in holes – usually in trees but, thanks to their small stature, can set up homes in abandoned rabbit burrows and cavities in buildings and rocks. The little owl was introduced to the UK in the late 1800's and is now largely found in the farming landscapes of southern and south east England. They raise their young between May and July and are quite chatty, so listen out for their distinctive calls - the males can be particularly noisy when establishing their territo...

Portrait of poet Pablo Neruda projected on a building in Santiago, Chile It's World Poetry Day For World Poetry Day, we're seeing the stylized visage of poet Pablo Neruda projected on a building in his native Chile. World Poetry Day was established by UNESCO to acknowledge 'that individuals, everywhere in the world, share the same questions and feelings'. Neruda, a Nobel laureate generally held up by Chileans as their national poet, made his early mark with famously racy love poetry. But his palette of questions and feelings evolved, expanding into surrealism, epic history, and radical politics. His death in 1973 after a bout with cancer was mourned publicly by Chileans - in defiance of newly installed dictator Augusto Pinochet, whom many Chileans link to Neruda's untimely passing. For World Poetry Day, UNESCO encourages embracing the tradition of reciting poetry for an audience - so keep your eyes peeled for poetry slams and other gatherings of langu...

Shakespeare's handwriting from the play 'Sir Thomas More,' British Library, London 'I'll call for pen and ink…' '…and write my mind.' It's Shakespeare Week in schools across the UK, so we're field-tripping to the British Library for a peek at the only surviving specimen of what's thought to be playwright William Shakespeare's handwriting (if you don't count legal documents). The scratchy cursive is inked within the script of Anthony Munday's 'Sir Thomas More,' a then-controversial play about a king-defying church leader. In 1603, the censorious royal Office of the Revels brought in Shakespeare among a team of writers to retool the script. But if Shakespeare's task was to tone things down, he may have had other ideas: his three-page addition includes an impassioned speech by the title character to a mob that's rioting over immigration policy. So, to recap: Shakespeare worked as a script doctor for picky...

The Circle Bridge in Copenhagen, Denmark It’s Pi Day! Well, not that mouthwatering and cherry or berries filling pie, it's the day we celebrate the mathematical constant π. This day was chosen since today’s date (March 14) expressed numerically (in US format) matches the number’s first digits, 3.14. Pi represents the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. It can be used to compute the area and circumference of a circle, such as the circles that make up the bridge we're looking at here in Copenhagen. (Who said maths wasn't useful in the real world?) Many towns, schools, and museums mark the day with festivities based around mathematics and, of course, serving pie. We can’t think of a more delicious way to study geometry.

"One pine tree of miracle", Rikuzentakata, Iwate It's been nine years since the Great East Japan Earthquake. In 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred.  The largest earthquake in Japan's history, has caused even greater damage, including tsunamis and nuclear accidents.  Nine years later, the recovery has progressed, but there are still traces of the disaster ... This "One Miracle Miracle" is a monument left in Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture.  This was once a scenic spot that was once designated as one of Japan's 100 scenic spots, but the pine was left behind and one side was exposed to the tsunami.  This one-honmatsu, which did not wash away by the tsunami, tells the state of the time that conveys the scars of the earthquake.

A resting grizzly bear cub in Lake Clark National Park, Cook Bay, Alaska Here's Snoozy, The Bear!  Like the snoring little grizzly bear in this picture, we guess you may feel tired after losing an hour of sleep before daylight saving time begins.  So, we give you a good reason to snore-today is a national siesta day.  This sleep-inducing day was created in 1999 by Boston University professor William Anthony and always happens on Mondays after the "leap forward."  "The idea is that even if it's just an hour less sleep, most of us need to sleep more." If this sentence describes you, then maybe it's time to try taking a nap.

“Celebrating Women Police” Haiti, Potoprus County Look at their smile! These women serving in UN-Stabilization Mission in Haiti. Today is International Women's Day.  It was enacted by the United Nations in 1975 to commemorate a demonstration for women's suffrage in New York on this day of 1904.  In Italy it is a day when women give each other mimosas ... Women has set their presence in every field of life. They bare every challenge with a smile on their faces. If you don't believe this, look at the woman in the labor room, bearing her child, suffering with pain but full of power and love.  Women's smiles are universal across different the world.

Spectral tarsiers in a ficus tree in Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve, Indonesia All eyes on sustainability We don't need an excuse to highlight and celebrate wildlife, but as it turns out, today is the UN's World Wildlife Day. This year's theme is 'Sustaining all life on Earth', focusing on biodiversity. The UN and its partners are producing a series of programs and social media activities, including an event at UN Headquarters in New York, a film festival, and an international youth art competition. Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve in Indonesia is a great symbol of biodiversity, protecting hundreds of species of plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Among the threatened mammals there are these spectral tarsiers. These small nocturnal primates have eyes that are larger than their brains, giving them an alien-like appearance. They're not in imminent danger of going extinct but are classified as vulnerable, and their population has de...

Saguaro cactus flowers, Coronado National Forest, Arizona, USA The desert blooms Spring may yet to have sprung here in the UK, but across the Atlantic, in the US state of Arizona, the Sonoran Desert is coming into wildflower season. Soon the big daddy of the cactus world – the saguaro – will start to bloom. This amazing succulent is the largest cactus in the United States (it can grow higher than 50ft and weigh several tonnes, when it’s fully hydrated). It can also live more than 100 years and will grow arms as it ages, creating that classic cactus profile associated with the desert and the Wild West. Its flowers are short-lived, typically blooming at dusk and remaining open only until the following morning. They form at the top of the plant and the tips of branches and are striking enough to be honoured as Arizona's state flower. They’ll go on to produce a red, edible fruit that will ripen by July. (© Jack Dykinga/Minden Picture)

Polar Bear Cubs Looking out of the Den, Wapusk National Park, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada "World Wildlife Day" tomorrow.  "Polar Bear Children Hiding in the Snow Cave", Manitoba, Canada Tomorrow, March 3, is "World Wildlife Day."  Enacted by the United Nations General Assembly to commemorate the Washington Treaty being adopted on March 3, 1973.  It is a day to raise awareness of various wildlife living in the natural environment ... This is  Wapusk   National Park in Manitoba, Canada.  "Wapusk" is an indigenous language that means "polar bears", and there are so many polar bears that it is called the "capital of polar bears."  They hunt on ice floes, but in recent years the effects of global warming have reduced ice floes and are threatening extinction. ( © Robert Harding / Alam)

Sap buckets hanging on maple trees in a forest, Quebec Tapping for sap When springtime is around the corner, it’s time to go tapping for sap. Maple trees convert stored starch into sugars which when tapped, causes sap to flow. In this picture today, sap is likely dripping from the spout into the buckets attached to the trees. The amount of sap required to produce maple syrup is dependent on the sugar content of the sap. With a high sugar content, less sap is needed for syrup and vice versa. Once the sap is collected, it is kept cool and processed immediately to produce the highest quality of sweet maple syrup. (© Benoit Daoust/Shutterstoc)

Conwy Castle illuminated at night, Conwy Happy St David's Day! We’re celebrating St David’s Day here on the north coast of Wales in the spectacular walled town of Conwy. For more than seven centuries, Conwy Castle has towered over its narrow streets, against the mountainous skyline of Snowdonia. In its heyday it would have been white – lime render can still be seen on the walls – but even in its darker state it makes quite the impression, soaring out of a natural rock formation at the mouth of the River Conwy. Climb its battlements and you will be treated to sweeping views of the mountains, the sea, Conwy itself and the castle’s roofless Great Hall. You’re never too far from a castle in Wales – there are around 600 of them, many of which will be flying the Welsh flag on St David’s Day. Other ways to celebrate Wales’s patron saint include wearing a daffodil or a leek, the country's national emblems, taking part in parades, concerts or simply feasting on Welsh cakes, ...

"Polar Bears", Hudson Bay, Canada Today is "International Polar Bear Day".    Polar Bears International, a private protection organization, was established and spread worldwide.  A day aimed at protecting polar bears, the animals most affected by global warming… The main food of polar bears is seals.  I live by hunting seals on the frozen sea.  Therefore, when the ice on the sea is low, it becomes impossible to feed.  Polar bears living here in Hudson Bay, Canada, are facing such a crisis. (© Ralph A. Clevenger / Tandem Stills + Motio)

A polar bear sow and her cubs in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Three cheers for polar bears! February 27 is International Polar Bear Day, an observance created to bring attention to the important role these alpha predators play in the Arctic ecosystem. Though polar bears aren’t endangered - their current conservation status is ‘vulnerable’ - these magnificent beasts have become a sort of mascot for the race to slow the melting of Arctic sea ice. The Arctic ice is crucial to the bear's survival, as they hunt the ringed seals that bob up through holes in the ice. As Arctic ice decreases, the polar bear's hunting ground does too. ( © Steven Kazlowski/Minden Picture)

Birch avenue near Uffing am Staffelsee, Bavaria, Germany. Zapfig is g'worn The first rays of the day pass through the frozen branches of birch trees-you can admire the breathtaking ice landscape near Uffing am Staffelsee on Stafford Lake, where we will guide you today.  Uffing am Staffensee is a city in the Upper Bavaria of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The city is located 70 kilometers south of the capital of the state of Munich and covers an area of ​​43 square kilometers.  Staffelsee invites you to take a walk not only in the summer.  Put on warm clothes, enjoy the fresh air, and admire the views of its icy birch lake.  The lake covers an area of ​​about eight square kilometers and has a maximum depth of 40 meters.  Seven tree-lined islands make it the richest island in the Alps. ( © Reinhard Schmid / eStock Phot )

Boathouse on Lake Minnewanka in Banff National Park, Alberta. Lake Minnewanka is a 142-metre-deep glacial lake, fed by the Cascade River. The First Nations referred to it as ‘Minn-waki’ which translates to ‘Water of the Spirits.’ This scenic spot is located five kilometres from the town of Banff in Alberta.