Born with a passion!

It's funny how some things date back as far as you can remember. When posting the pictures of the last post, I suddenly wondered: Has there ever been a time when I wasn't hooked on animals?


Cyprus 1982 - A toddler on a mission:
"Mommy - now THAT's where we're heading."


Cyprus 1983 - Too young to known that pigs are "low status" animals in most parts of the world. In my eyes, they were gorgeous!

Tunisia 1985 - when my love for Barb horses was awakened

Zinder 1987 - A rare picture of me in the background (where animals are concerned). Monkeys were definitively a little more frightening; especially those that jumped and bit. As the youngest in the family, I was also the easiest target for Sandy's hierarchical ambitions.


Zinder (Niger) 1988 - When one of the Eden volunteers got herself a dog, everybody knew where to find me...


Tjömme (Norway) 1988 - For some reason, my younger second cousin was slightly less enthusiastic about these marvelous creatures! However, today, she is a cat person, which explains it all.


Stavanger (Norway) 1990 - Always loved visiting relatives with dogs. This collie was actually a model, so I wasn't the only one who found it beautiful.


Stavanger 1990 - "Now this is tricky... Will it fly off me if I move?"


Falkenberg 1991 - Posing with Chaski, the father of Bamse. A great working dog who always asked for something to do. If there was no tennis ball in sight, he would bring whatever was available; from golf balls to rotten apples.


Zinder 2000 - Bamse, daughter of Chaski and just as intelligent. Unfortunately, with her mother being a Bernese Mountain Dog, she was little preoccupied with doing what she was supposed to and I am quite sure that in her eyes, I belonged to her and not the way around...


Zinder 2001 - Rediscovering my love for Barbs (well, that actually started in 1998)


Zinder 2002 - Moving on to new challenges, although I have made up my mind not to have my own baboon as long as I keep traveling the way I do


Niamey (Niger) 2005 - It must be universally known by now that animals make a great complement to any picture!


Zinder 2005 - It's unfortunate when you have to say goodbye though. This was the last picture of Bamse and me; she died three weeks after I left for Sweden (nearly fourteen years old). She had a good life and we had lots of fun together, but I still miss her though!

Greetings,
Ishtar

The inevitable when holidaying with me (updated)

Ok, so here's a post in reply to Karin's comment inNature offers a Time-Out. Her comment:

"You just can't pass an animal without taking a picture of it, can you? I remember our cycling vacation in Skåne, lol!"

Skåne - summer 2003

Very true, I am guilty as charged. We went cycling in the south of Sweden; a fabulous week with great company great weather, and great scenery. Helsingborg by the sea was definitively my favorite town - but towns are rarely the highlights of any trip.


Helsingborg 2003

Now, our teamwork was quite interesting. Karin made sure we stopped regularly to eat properly (she's a dietitian today) while I made sure we stopped to enjoy all the animals!

I had actually forgotten how many pictures there was of me together with animals in some way, until I looked in the archives!


Ishtar: "Ah - a cow!" First thought? "Let's feed it!"


Ishtar: "Ah - a foal!" First thought? "Let's bond!"


We did have fun riding Island ponies on our way back (which was Karin's idea!). It was a great week, one of the best vacations I've ever had!

I think that everybody who's been on holiday with me knows that I always end up taking pictures of the beautiful creatures. Even better, right in their midst!!

In 1999, Hanna and I went to Paris together, and what do I find?


... a picture of her posing in front of yellow German flowers...


... Ishtar having a closer look at a German mare & foal...


... and then a goat!


We did end up seeing a lot of Paris though (maybe because they had so few animal distractions?)



We learned so much about French culture (and the fact that you can never walk safely on the Champs Elysées if the color of your hair is blond...). Good thing though that we were good at defending ourselves!

Ishtar

Animal life

Esther and Madougou the vet, who comes by on his weekly visit to check on the mystified foal in Arwen's stomach. I always wonder: will it be alive, dead or resurrected this time...? :-)

Arwen at peace in the deep white sand...

Sahara looks a little less elegant, but enjoys her rest just as much...

The horses' view from their "garden"...

Arwen licks my back as I and Baloo check on her udder. The color of her milk is supposed to be an indicator of when the foaling will take place, but many mares will often show some of the signs or none at all, so in the end, it's pretty hard to tell until the day comes when she starts to sweat and go into labour...

Arwen's favorite hobby after racing: rolling in the sand...

Baloo the guarddog has made some new friends and enjoys the shower that Sahara gives him...

"I look even cuter when I roll over! Want to see?"

Kinza - our Polish Alsacian from Nigeria - with her own unique charm.


Ishtar