Remember how my task for November was to watch Terminator and The Terminator 2? I've not done that yet, but this weekend, for sure! Yes I'm cutting it fine, a procrastinator even with my own hobbies! :P
Instead I will subject you to some of my writing, an interlude of sorts between tasks.
Fact about my life; I have no TV. Actually, that’s a bit of a lie, I ‘take care’ of my old flatmate’s TV. He moved away back to Denmark and moving a 37” television wasn’t really high on his list of priorities at the time. But I have no subscription to TV channels. I have been given a Freeview box, but lack the necessary cables to connect said box. To be honest, I don’t really miss it. Apart from a tear-jerking episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition of course, hehe.
I’m a little nerd at heart, and educational tidbits have always pleased me more than the Simon Cowell Thinks You Have The Talent Factor sort shows. So when a chance to watch Frozen Planet on BBC iPlayer came about, I took the opportunity to combine my three loves; The Internet, nature shows and David Attenborough.
I would honestly recommend it to anyone who can watch it, but I don’t know how licensing laws work, so it may not be accessible to people outside the UK.
The series follows certain animals at both the Arctic and Antarctic. In some instances it follows specific individuals or families. Watching some of the clips brought to mind a quote mentioned in the film G. I. Jane, a poem by D. H. Lawrence:
"I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.
A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough
without ever having felt sorry for itself"
If I had been watching this show when I was a bit younger, I would have felt sad about the hard lives that these animals, particularly the predators, lead. Sometimes I still feel a bit sad, but it seems almost insulting for me to pity animals who are so magnificent and so well adapted to their environments. According to the program, nine out of ten Polar Bear hunting attempts fail, but they keep going, because they have to. I often can’t even be bothered going to the shop for food, preferring to rake through my cupboards and calling a biscuit, some rice and an egg a ‘meal’.
I’ve been going through a bit of a morose mood lately. Maybe it’s the oncoming winter. I don’t think I have proper Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), perhaps just a sprinkle of it every so often. I had a bout of illness in the beginning of November which stole my voice for about a week. It made me realise just how miserable it is to sick and alone. In an un-gracious moment, I gave a one-fingured salute to the idea of doing housework, preferring to bundle up with a hot water bottle in bed over doing the dishes. I don’t think I’ve really gotten out of that funk yet. Watching shows like Frozen Planet makes me think a bit about how fortunate I am. When I’m cold I can turn the heating on, if I’m hungry I can buy or make food with very little real effort. I draw the line at courtship, those penguins have it easy, they’ve never tried Internet dating! But overall, the more I watch this, the more my mood improves (because Polar Bear cubs are so cute!), and I start thinking to myself ‘Come on Miss, make the effort!”. It’s now my new aim to install a new lightbulb in my living room, to replace the one that blew on the 31st of October (yes, I’ve been that bad :P).
Because I’m also an emotional sap, I get really weepy at certain parts. Like learning that Albatrosses mate for life and can stay with a partner for over 50 years! If a pair have been apart for some time they do a little grooming dance. They even showed footage of behaviour that can only be described as ‘cuddling’. For a long time I had regarded the mighty Seahorse as the most ‘romantic’ animal, as they link their tails together every morning to do a little dance. However I think the Albatross couples have the Seahorses beat! Also, much admiration for the Snowy Owl parents, because their dedication to their ‘Owlettes’ is astonishing, considering just how UGLY these baby Owls are. I mean, yikes. Never has fluff been so horrendously arranged. I also saw some very fat penguins, and wonder if they get cellulite and stretch marks? I suppose it doesn’t really matter to them, they’re gonna get laid no matter what! :P
Watching shows like this makes me want to learn more, and during some of the South Pole clips, David Attenborough (the God of Narrators) mentions the trials of Amundsen and Scott. Being half-Norwegian, I really should know more about Roald Amundsen than I do. Living in the UK, I should also learn more about Scott as well. From reading some of the book reviews about Scott, it seems the general populace is divided in to two camps; Scott the Idealist Adventurer vs Scott the Victorian Ignorant. Ideally I’d like to read an account without too much bias, but it is proving difficult to find. I have tentatively placed one book about Scott in my Amazon wishlist, in the hopes that it will prove a good read. Books about Amundsen have also gone on to the list, as well as a book about Fridtjof Nansen for the Northern perspective.
To my pleasant surprise, I discovered that in the making of this programme, the BBC have teamed up with Open University, who not only have a free poster for the show, but also a wee free course on some ‘Frozen Planet’ topics. I think I’ll give it a go!
If you are at all keen on watching Frozen Planet, please feel free to follow this link to the first episode: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00zj1q5/Frozen_Planet_To_the_Ends_of_the_Earth/.
Just for fun, I've also included the link to a free Frozen Planet poster which you can get from the Open University. I know I'll be getting one! http://www.open.edu/openlearn/nature-environment/natural-history/get-your-free-frozen-planet-poster
