Wilkinson's World

The instructions inside the box say that you should first enjoy an ice cold beer.  Not a problem for me at all in our current Namibian heat wave.  Then take another can of beer, drink about a third of it and place it firmly inside the holder on the frame.

That done, you take one wholesome chicken, rub it inside and out with oil and seasoning of your choice (I chose lemon, herb and garlic). You can get really creative with your spice rubs (e.g. mustard, peri perid, garlic – whatever).

Then stretch the cavity of the chicken over the beer can.

If you have a Weber Kettle barbeque, or a barbeque with a lid, you place the chicken in the centre and cover the barbeque.  Your regular kitchen oven is also fine if it’s big benough.  (If using an oven, you need a drip tray under the grid, in which you place your potatoes or vegetables for roasting.)  The chicken gets cooked for about 90-120 minutes over medium-high, indirect heat (no coals or burners directly under the chicken), or at 180C in an oven.

While it’s cooking and giving off the most delicious aroma imagineable, you can enjoy knocking back a couple of frosties.  When done, you remove the chicken carefully from the beer can in the barbeque or oven (don’t burn yourself) and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.  Your reward for all this effort?  The most tender, succulent and tasty chicken you’ve ever eaten.  It is absolutely delicious, as the moisture from the beer has risen and permeated the meat.  My mouth is watering just thinking of it.

Don’t take my word for it, give it a try.  The South African manufacturers can be contacted at www.beerbird.co.za.  I’m not being paid to advertise for them by the way (I wish I was!)   I just think this is such a super idea.

 

 

 

Was the moon being eaten by a dog?  Swallowed by a snake?  Watching this event as it slowly unfolded in the clear skies over Windhoek, it was easy to understand some of the myths that were developed by our forebears to explain the slow “disappearance” of the moon.  Of course the moon being swallowed by a snake makes a certain amount of sense if you believe the myth that there is a rabbit living up there!

The more accurate explanation that the moon is simply passing behind the earth so that the sun’s rays could, for a short time, not reflect off the face of the moon is not nearly as much fun as the myths!

In many cultures eclipses of the sun or moon are strongly associated with pestilence or calamity, as it is thought that the sun (in the case of a solar eclipse) or the moon (in the case of a lunar eclipse) was growing weak through an illness that could be spread to folk on earth by the rays that reached us.  Pots, pans and other utensils should be turned upside down to prevent them from becoming “contaminated” during the period of the eclipse and causing devastating illness when they are subsequently used to prepare food.  Some people stay in their homes with doors closed and curtains drawn until the horror has passed.

When a solar eclipse takes place it can be seen from a relatively small part of the world, but a lunar eclipse can be seen from anywhere within that half of the world that is experiencing darkness at the time the event takes place.  A lunar eclipse also lasts for considerably longer than a solar eclipse, so it seems reasonable that it is seen by many more people.

The colour of the moon can become quite spectacular at the height of an eclipse, as the dust particles in the air cause the blue light to be scattered and the moon becomes red as a result.

Lunar eclipses are not very rare events; and even total lunar eclipses such as that seen on 15 June 2011 occur every few years.  Nevertheless, to have one occurring in the early evening (before bed time!) and to have clear skies throughout was a treat.

In practice photographing an eclipse can be a little tricky as the light is reducing continually until the point of maximum coverage of the moon, and therefore the exposure needs to be adjusted minute by minute.  As shutter speeds are lengthened a tripod becomes essential, and the surprisingly quick movement of the moon becomes problematic if you don’t have the equipment to track the movment.

The accompanying photographs were taken from Windhoek on 15 June 2011 and are timed from the approximate start of the eclipse; the time elapsed until each picture was taken can be seen by moving your mouse pointer over the picture.

 

 

There are two varieties of oxpeckers found in the southern African region – the Red-billed oxpecker and the Yellow-billed oxpecker.

Red-billed oxpeckers (Buphagus erythrorhynchus) are medium-sized passerines, with a length of about 20 cm.  They have brown upperparts and heads, buff underparts and pale rumps.  Their bills are red, the eyes are red or yellowish and they have yellow eye rings.  They nest in holes in trees, which they line with the hair that they have plucked from their hosts.  The females lay a clutch of two to five eggs, which hatch after an incubation period of around twelve days.

Yellow-billed oxpeckers (Buphagus africanus) are very similar in size and plumage colouration to the Red-billed variety, but have a yellow base to their red-tipped bill and a pale rump.  They also lack the conspicuous yellow eye ring.  Breeding habits are similar.

Sinners or saints, the oxpeckers are interesting little birds.  They feed almost exclusively on the backs of larger mammals, not limiting themselves to a diet of ticks and blood, but also taking dead skin (finally a use for dandruff!!), mucus, saliva and even ear wax.

On a recent visit to the Kruger National Park in South Africa we witnessed Red-billed oxpeckers making themselves at home on a variety of different species.  Some hosts appeared almost indifferent to their presence, whilst others tried actively to unsettle the birds by flicking their ears, swishing their tails, stamping their feet or generally making it difficult for them to retain their perches.  The oxpeckers, for their part, seemed oblivious to the discomfort that they wrought as they pecked into the host’s ears (after that ear wax!) or perched on the host’s face.

Few of the larger animals seemed immune to the oxpecker’s attentions and they even settled on hippos as they emerged from the water.