Waterfalls of Stars: Ten Years on Skomer Island

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Condition: Good. Good condition. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains. Buch. Condition: Neu. Neuware - Waterfalls of Stars is Rosanne Alexander's love letter to Skomer Island, the nature reserve where she spent ten years as a warden. It portrays a relationship with nature enthralling in its immediacy and engages readers as she cares for Skomer's bird and seal colonies while exploring her own character during periods of isolation from the mainland. Forgotten the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Visit BookSleuth Waterfalls of Stars is Rosanne Alexander’s love letter to Skomer Island, the nature reserve where she spent ten years as a warden. It portrays a relationship with nature enthralling in its immediacy and engages readers as she cares for Skomer’s bird and seal colonies while exploring her own character during periods of isolation from the…

With great sensitivity, and humour, Rosanne Alexander relates their experiences on Skomer, including her observations of the island's wildlife and landscape. It is an important breeding ground for many birds, and shearwaters, puffins and kittiwakes and the seals become a source of pleasure and companionship. With her lyrical evocation of the natural world and its enthusiastic and resourceful approach to the problems of island life, Alexander's book will inspire and entertains anyone who has felt the need for escape.That wonderful Welsh publishing house, SEREN BOOKS, takes us on a walk on the scenic side with two books to gladden the heart of any lover of the natural world. From the novelty of Celtic names for the stars in our skies to the adventurous wild Welsh island life—-these two books will take you far away from the boredom of an urban winter. These island sagas all carry the same message of an isolated life in the middle of the ocean, family life with no electricity, few neighbours, rare visitors, no shops — none of the trappings of modern living —and completely inaccessible for half the year due to inclement weather and unruly seas. Rosanne Alexander vividly portrays the cacophony of the birdlife, the colourful profusion of wild flowers, the enchanting seasonal arrival of the seals and the many hostile encounters with the waves. But, as with the other island authors, what shines through is her love for her way of life, the delight she takes in the flora and fauna of her habitat and the pleasure it gives her to be providing and guarding a sanctuary for the wild birds and animals in her care. When Rosanne Alexander s boyfriend Mike was offered the job of warden of Skomer, a small uninhabited island off the south west tip of Wales, they had just ten days to leave college, marry (a condition of employment) and gather their belongings and provisions for the trip to the island. This was the first of many challenges Roseanne and Mike faced during their ten years on the nature reserve, from coping with periods of isolation when they were the island s only inhabitants, to dwindling food supplies during the winter when rough weather made provisioning from the mainland impossible. Thrown on their own resources they had also to deal with catastrophes like the devastation of the island s seal colony following an oil spill.

We have always known the stars in our skies by the names traditionally given to them from Greek mythology: Martin Griffiths reveals the equally traditional names they have long held from the annals of Welsh lore, names like Blodeuwedd and Rhiannon for the Andromeda constellation, Ceffyl-Dwr and the Mount of Rhiannon for the Pegasus constellation, Sarn Gwydion for the Milky Way galaxy — and also from the fourth branch of the Mabinogion, Llew Llaw Gyffes represents Perseus, and Arianrhod is the Welsh name for the constellation Coronae Borealis. Hive Store Ltd 2020. (hive.co.uk) is registered in England. Company number: 07300106. VAT number: 444950437. This was a little mixed for me - I absolutely loved the animal stories, the stuff about seal pups and puffins, goats and birds! And I loved her love of the place and that wonderful cozy feeling of belonging. Dark Lands, Dark Skies is subtitled The Mabinogion in the Night Sky. For both the amateur and the professional astronomer it is an intriguing guidebook to the changing night skies over Wales in each season. But of interest to all is his impressive research into the naming of familiar constellations after heroes of Welsh myth from the Mabinogion.Alexander’s writing is captivating. It is experiential, fresh, and alive, reflecting the peripheral environment where this book was born. Perhaps this is why travel writing, or at least books about place, remain as popular as ever. They give us a dose of fresh air which gives us a craving for more and more and we are not satisfied until we step outside and find something worth writing about. Loved this book. I lived in Marloes, so not far from Skomer. I frequently used to cycle down to Martin’s Haven as a teen. I recognised a couple of names mentioned in this book. I think the author and her husband lived on Skomer for some of the time I also lived in Marloes. I remember the divers going missing that Roseanne refers to the book. With great sensitivity, and humour, Rosanne Alexander relates their experiences on Skomer, including her observations of the island s wildlife and landscape. It is an important breeding ground for many birds, and shearwaters, puffins and kittiwakes and the seals become a source of pleasure and companionship. With her lyrical evocation of the natural world and its enthusiastic and resourceful approach to the problems of island life, Alexander s book will inspire and entertains anyone who has felt the need for escape.

When Rosanne Alexander’s boyfriend Mike was offered the job of warden of Skomer, a small uninhabited island off the south west tip of Wales, they had just ten days to leave college, marry (a condition of employment) and gather their belongings and provisions for the trip to the island. This was the first of many challenges Rosanne and Mike faced during their ten years on the nature reserve, from coping with periods of isolation when they were the island’s only inhabitants, to dwindling food supplies during the winter when rough weather made provisioning from the mainland impossible. Thrown on their own resources they had also to deal with catastrophes like the devastation of the island’s seal colony following an oil spill. An isolated island, a sanctuary for thousands of birds, surrounded by a wild sea — not the ideal honeymoon for a twenty-year-old bride, one would imagine. But Rosanne Alexander revelled in her new surroundings and remained on Skomer Island for ten further years with her husband Mike as warden.

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She’s honest. Even the extensive use of adjectives is part of the honeymooned lexicon which makes this story real. She does not shy away from describing the frustrations which add to the colourful tapestry of marriage. There is much joy too and an Adam and Eve feel to the narrative; a man and a woman, isolation, a beautiful but dangerous habitat, and animals galore. My favourite has to be Wellington the goat who causes them to fall now and again! The animals are never over-anthropomorphised, but we do feel that we know and care for them. The book involves us and we are as hungry as they are when they run out of food. I was heart wrenchingly gutted when the precious pear pudding was ruined or when a bird flew in through the window, leaving shards of glass in the freshly cooked pies.