современная зарубежная литература

биографии и мемуары

дом, дача

хобби / увлечения

спорт

Otters hold an almost unique place in the animal kingdom of the British Isles, being one of the very few creatures that give birth once every two years. They are the most secretive yet also the most popular mammals – they are found in every county but are so rarely seen that they have been raised to mythical status.When Simon Cooper bought an abandoned water mill that straddles a small chalkstream in southern England, little did he know that he would come to share the mill with a family of wild otters. Yet move in they did, allowing him to begin to observe them, soon immersing himself in their daily routines and movements. He developed an extraordinary close relationship with the family, which in turn gave him a unique insight into the life of these fascinating creatures.Cooper interweaves the personal story of the female otter, Kuschta, with the natural history of the otter in the British Isles, only recently brought back from the brink of extinction through tireless conservation efforts. Following in the footsteps of Henry Williamson’s classic 1920s tale Tarka the Otter, readers are taken on a journey through the calendar year, learning the most intimate detail of this most beautiful of British mammals. Cooper brings these beloved animals to life in all their wondrous complexity, revealing the previously hidden secrets of their lives in this beautifully told tale of the otter.

политология

историческая научная и учебная литература

исторические исследования

общая история

остросюжетная литература

политическая публицистика

The Otters’ Tale

Chalkstreams are one of the very few habitats that are nearly exclusive to England. They range far and wide from the famous River Test in Hampshire across eight other counties from Dorset in the west to Yorkshire in the north. Every river is very special in its own right.Brought up in Hampshire, Simon Cooper was lucky enough to have great fly fishing on his doorstep, but as he grew up, got a job and moved away he soon realised what a closed world chalkstreams were unless you were in the know. So with little more than a germ of an idea, a telephone and the book of his fishing contacts, he set out to change that. His passion for all things fly fishing, but in particular the chalkstreams of southern England, shines through in this lyrical and most extraordinary of journeys.We are treated to a year in the life of a chalkstream. From the remarkable spectacle of salmon, sea trout and brown trout spawning in winter, to the stunning sight of emerging water voles in spring and the budding explosion of mayflies in the early days of summer, the author describes the true wonders of life in a chalkstream in his inimitable and evocative voice. He introduces us to the fascinating diversity of life that inhabits its waters and environs – the fish, the angling community, the plant life and the wildlife. We learn how neglect threatens these inhabitants and why the fight to save and restore the chalkstreams is so vital, not only for fishermen, but for anybody who values the beauty of rural England.

Life of a Chalkstream

публицистическая литература

публицистика

комментарии специалиста

интервью

жизненный опыт

истории из жизни

подкасты

беседы

публицистика и периодические издания

In horse racing greatness is defined by speed. Being the second fastest counts for little. You have to win. And win. And keep winning until every challenger of your generation is put to the sword. Of the twelve horses lined up on Newmarket Heath that 2011 day, one would do just that. And more. To become the greatest racehorse that has ever lived.Frankel was born on 11 February 2008, with four white socks and a blaze, from impressive equine lines on both his parents’ sides. Simon Cooper revisits the whole of the horse’s life, giving readers an inside tour of the calm oasis that is life a stud farm, where a foal will live with his mother for the first year of his life. Next, the atmosphere of heady possibility that marks the early days of training. Roadwork. Gallops. Trials. Turning raw potential into something more. Frankel begins to set himself apart.A detailed and fast-paced narrative breathlessly recounts the racing career of the horse who, by his retirement to stud at the age of 4, would be rated the greatest of all time. Cooper weaves the horse’s tale with those of his trainer, battling cancer, the stablehands who coped with his explosive nature, the work rider who tamed him, the the jockey who rode in all fourteen of his races, and the owner who saw his potential from the very beginning. The result is a rich and multifaceted tale of modern horse racing, the lives of everyone involved, human and equine, and the unadulterated glory of winning. And winning everything.