Eyeballs, Triffids and Celine Dion's claw - let's call this a stream of consciousness.

I've been away on business in the mountains of Iwate. It was an intensive and tiring training course. But I can't lie - the resort location did kind of make it feel like a bit of a holiday. The owner of the lodge we were staying at took us on a walk in a beech forest after work one of the days. As you all know, I'm a cement-loving city boy, but it was great being with someone who really knows the natural environment. I was most taken by this plant:



In Japanese it's called Ginryosou (ギンリョウソウ or 銀竜草　－ silver dragon grass）or yureitake (ユウレイタケ - ghostly fungus). I don't know what the proper English name - maybe Indian Pipe - but the Latin name is Monotropastrum humile. Imagine these comical eyeballs glowing silver in the fading daylight and you get where the Japanese names come from.

I did have some serious "Day of the Triffids" post-traumatic-stress disorder on seeing these plans. Anyone remember that BBC program? It used to scare the bejeysus out of me as a kid. It was all about these carnivorous killer plants out to feast on humankind and take over the earth. Here's a clip to refresh your memories. Even if you're not interested in the program, keep watching till 2:11 just to be reminded of the clunky cultural stereotypes we thought nothing of as kids.



Another interesting thing I learned on the nature trail is that my hand is the same size as a bear claw. In the first picture, you can see the tracks of where the bear has climbed his/her way up the tree, and in the second picture you can see my claw-to-paw comparison.






And with that I will segue from bear claws into "the claw".

"The claw" (at 0:40 in the clip) comes from a video of Celine Dion I found on bwe.tv ages and ages ago. I never tire of watching it and am always left asking myself why this woman doesn't have her own reality show yet.