Seahorses and Nannying

Tuesday, May 29- 

So maybe I shouldn’t have swam in such cold water… I’m sick L

So, I stayed in and worked on my Blog, talked on skype with Gretch for 2 ½ hours, and then caught up with Granny and Paps.  Amy came over with Nix and we played with him while doing laundry.  Then I taxied the kids to ballet and soccer, then made dinner.  I went to my bible study in the evening.  This was our last new group meeting.  Then off at 9:45 to Manly Wine with Mary. Yay for more girl time.  

Wed, May 30th- still sick, grocery shopping, blog, kids to soccer, dinner

Thursday, May 31

http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/view-image.htm?gid=7857

I had a dream about seahorses last night.  This led to my research and discovery of native seahorses.

Below is an article on Seahorses in Sydney:
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/seahorses-thrive-on-shark-nets-expert-20090519-bdqw.html

Seahorses are fascinating marine organisms; these creatures are bony, scale-less fish, with equine-like facial features.  Seahorses swim upright, unlike most fish.  They also have flexible, well-defined necks.  What I find most interesting about Seahorses is their courtship and mating rituals.  

"True Courtship Dance", prior to mating

Baby Seahorses

Before breeding, Seahorses court for several days.  The male approaches the female. They begin to flirt under the sea, changing colors as they swim side by side, holding tails.  They fratrenize closely, gripping onto the same seaweed.  They even perform a "pre-dawn dance" in unison which leads to a "true courtship dance".  After this pleasant soiree, the couple lets go of any anchors and drifts upwards, spiraling, snout to snout.  The female then deposits up to 1,500 eggs in the male's frontal pouch.  The male carries the eggs for 9 to 45 days.  (In other words, the male is the pregnant mate in this scenario, i.e. role reversal.)  


Watch this beautiful video of the courtship dance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvGRVWGpdNg


Depending on size, Seahorses can birth anywhere from 5 to 1,500 babies.  Most, however, have around 100-200 young.  When the male gives birth, the couple no longer cares for the young.  Because there is no protected gestation, the survival rate is less than 1% for these tiny upright swimmers, hence the large litters.  Talk about every seahorse for himself.  These little guys have to grow up from the moment they slip into this world. 

Pygmy Seahorse, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
http://underwater.com.au/image/id/9502-pygmy-seahorse/

In my Aquatic Science class in high school, I studied the Leafy Sea Dragon.  This large and special type of Seahorse adapts to its environment with leafy appendages, camouflaging it in the seagrass. 

Leafy Sea Dragon, South Australia

Enlightening Documentary on Leafy Sea Dragons in Australia:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuI4ncViU4Y 

In my neck of the woods:

I hope to find Seahorses holding on to the Wharf nets in the swimming pool.  Unfortunately, they are said to disappear during the winter months (June-August), potentially in deep water, so I may not spot any.  I'm just so fascinated with the male pregnancy and overall physical attributes of the seahorse.  I would also love to scuba dive in South Australia and see the Leafy Sea Dragons, but I don't know if I'll make it there this go round.  Some day though.    

After researching much on Seahorses, I worked on my blog.  Then, I met up with the sister of Amy’s host mom.  She has two kids she needs me to watch a couple days a week.  They are 1 and 4.  I figured I could use the extra money for my music video project and future travels.  I’ll watch them during the day while my other kids are in school.  It’s nice because Amy and I can watch the cousins together. It reminds me of growing up with my cousins.  We were all around the same age and inseparable.  I hope to raise kids with my sisters too.

Friday, June 1- I made breakfast, took Stef to school, babysat Ollie and Asher while the kids were in school, picked up Stef, took her to hip hop, fed them dinner and then, at 8:00pm- time off! I went to Amy’s to get ready.  We left one minute late which led to us missing not one but two buses….so we were 2 hours late to meet up with Mary in Manly.  It wasn’t that great of a night.  Public transportation can get old after awhile… I just need a private driver…hmmm… not a bad idea.  

Saturday, June 2^nd – It was pouring outside so Amy and I watched Vampire Diaries and ordered pizza for lunch and Thai for dinner.  We were total bums but it was definite bonding time.  We caught funny lines like “cool as a cucumber” that we now use on a regular basis. 

Sunday, June 3rd- I went to my Redemption class at 2pm and then met Jo at 5:30.  Jo is the wife of one of the assistant pastors at St. Matts.  She’s hilarious and chill. I’m so excited to get to know her better.  Then I went to church at 6:30. 

Monday, June 4^th- We had a momentary fiasco with Stef- she didn't inform me of a project she had to turn in today… It was an oral presentation.  So I worked on it with her early in the morning and we fortunately made it to school in time, notecards in hand. Bullet dodged.  So, I still had the day to myself- I went to my beach, Curl Curl, to cut back bushes and make a trail to my spot on the cliffs.  I found a videographer that can work with me on my music video.  He even lives in Manly.  It looks like my dream is coming to a reality!  However, since the spot where I want to film is on a remote cliff, I needed to forge a way for us to get the harp up there.  So, today was "cut-back-trail-through-forest-to-cliff-dream-spot" day.  No biggie.  Others may call this insane- pruning a trail to record and play the harp at one of the more difficult spots in Australia... But for me- I had to do this.  I saw myself playing here, and so I was going to. So gardening day it is.  We'll record this Saturday, the 9th.  I hope it doesn't rain.  It's been raining on and off for the past several weeks.  Say your prayers...