Solio, private game reserve, Kenya

A rhino in the mist. This is a scene in the private game reserve, Solio, in Kenya.

I’m not sure what a private game reserve is, another place only for the rich and famous?

Istanbul, east meets west, or west meets east

This is the bridge that connects east with west, though both sides are in Istanbul, Turkey, which is hoping to stage the Olympics.

Why do we always say east meets west and not west meets east?

Kivalina, Alaska

This small community in Kivalina, Alaska will probably be the first American victims of global warming if the sea levels rise any further (which is virtually certain).

Santa Cruz, Peru

Peru isn’t just about mountaintop ruins, or lines in the desert, or the Amazon rainforest, it is also about breathtaking valleys like Santa Cruz.

Olinguito, new mammal

For the first time in 35 years a new species of mammal has been identified: the olinguito. It is a member of the raccoon family and can be found in the high rainforests of Ecuador and Colombia.

Four consecutive double letters in one word

Tattooees’s

It is common practice with the plural possessive form to drop the final s, but if one opts to retain it the result is four consecutive double letters in one word (Please tell me I am not the first to come up with this!).

The other popular word with three consecutive double letters, bookkeeper, can also be found in this form, ie bookkeepers’s, but of course in this case the four double letters are not consecutive, although I have seen subbookkeeper, but I am not sure if this is a true word. Or you could even go one further and have  five consecutive double letters with subbookkeepperson, though I am sure this manufactured word does not really exist (except here!).

Lightning strikes the London Eye

The large ferris wheel on the south bank of the River Thames in central London, known as the London Eye got a jolt from a bolt recently.