Penitentes are spiky snow formations in the Andes, consisting of tall thin blades of closely spaced hardened snow; their blades point towards the sun. Their height ranges from a few centimetres to even 5 metres. These pinnacles of snow or ice grow in the Dry Andes above 4,000 metres. Penitentes are a common sight in […]
Patomskiy Crater is a huge convex cone with a funnel-shaped recess and a rounded hill in the middle, discovered in 1949 in Irkutsk, Siberia. Several theories ranging from a nuclear blast to a secret gulag mine and even a meteorite strike did the rounds. The cone is 80 metres tall, 10 metres deep and has
Jindo Island is the third largest island in Korea; the Jindo County is an archipelago of 250 islands. Extreme low tide at the end of February and again in mid-June every year, causes a walkway between the main Jindo Island and a small Modo Island to the south of Jindo. This is a natural land
The sun was setting when Tom Bradley walked home carrying his bags. The war was over and now he would be able to work on his farm. He saw the farmhouse and began to walk faster. As he came closer, he saw that the paint was peeling; there were weeds in the garden, and the
Farmer James Drew was a very quiet gentleman. Whenever anyone needed help, he was there. He was, however, rather lonely, for he lived alone on his farm. After the day’s work was done, his helpers went away and he sat reading and smoking his pipe. He had a talent, for he played the flute. Sometimes,
The picturesque Overtoun Bridge in Milton, near Dumbarton, Scotland, saw bizarre happenings. In the past half-century, some 50 dogs have leapt to their deaths from the same historic bridge. All of the deaths have occurred at the same spot, on the right-hand side of the bridge, on clear, sunny days. Some supernatural force was propelling
“Where did you find a name like Miranda?” asked old Mrs Pratt. “It’s from Shakespeare, mother,” said Wendy, her daughter-in-law. “Oh, him!” Mrs Pratt said, “No wonder! And what is that on her wrist?” “That’s a charm, mother,” replied Wendy, “It’s a butterfly!” Mrs Pratt didn’t believe in charms. So when Wendy had gone to
“I hate telephones!” grumbled Mr Dover, “They ring at the most awkward times–when you’re eating breakfast or dinner, or having a bath! Just throw the dratted thing out!” Mrs Dover made soothing noises and said, “No, dear! Our farm is so far from the village. You know we need the phone to talk to Melissa
Henty’s Farm was a lonely place. It was far from the village, so it was difficult for Mrs Henty to get any help to work there. Mr and Mrs Henty had to find a solution. They built three small cottages on the farm and sent an advertisement to many newspapers for the cottages. They would
Every night Farmer Casey saw a dark shadow move across the meadow. It puzzled him. ‘I must check what that is,’ he thought, ‘If that’s a wolf or a bear, it’s dangerous for my animals.’ The next night he sat outside with a gun and a torch, watching. There was a full moon that night.
It had been raining all day and everyone at Wexford farm was feeling low because he/she couldn’t step out. The animals collected inside the stable were also wet and droopy. Suddenly a voice chirped up, “Let’s play a game!” It was Bean, the smallest kid of a goat. “What game can we play here, crowded
Every year a jumble sale was held by the Vicar’s wife. She went around collecting old things from people– tables, chairs, decorative pieces, clothes, dishes, shoes, etc. Everything was sold and the money was used for the orphanage. This year, it would be held on Moleworth Farm. Farmer Moleworth was a grumpy man but his
The school fair was to be held on Dowser’s Farm. “It will be fun for children to see all the animals and the birds on the farm too!” beamed Miss Pattison, the principal. Mrs Dowser had become nervous with all the arrangements being done by the school teachers who rushed all over the place. On
Gelatinous and translucent Blobs started falling off from the sky in 1994 at Oakville, Washington. Washington’s State Department of Health studied the Blobs and concluded that the Blobs had white blood cells found in human bodies and also had bacteria that are usually found in the digestive system of human beings. Each Blob was the
The vicar and his wife, Miss Venture, the school principal, and Mr Bolton, the bank manager, were all coming to tea, along with some other neighbours. Tables had been laid out under the oak tree in the garden. Farmer Hudson and his wife were busy. Henry had been told strictly to behave himself. Henry obediently