A $10,000 sculpture of the penguin who captured the hearts of Wellingtonians is to be installed in Kapiti.
Marine life sculpture Sue Dorrington has been slaving over 30 kilos of clay crafting a life-size replica of Happy Feet, the Antarctic Emperor penguin which gained world-wide fame when he became stranded on Peka Peka beach on the Kapiti Coast in June.
Ms Dorrington has been working with Wellington Zoo veterinarian nurse Sara Holleman who tended Happy Feet during his recuperation to capture the texture of Happy Feet's feather, skin and pose.
A mould and casting will be prepared by artist Rob Uivel of Human Dynamo Workshop, from which the final piece will be produced in reinforced plastic resin. This is expected to take at least two days the painting will begin.
Commissioned by Coastlands, the final sculpture of the penguin which attracted so many people to the region will become a mascot for the new Coastlands Aquatic Centre.
The finished sculpture will be unveiled at Coastlands Shopping Mall on Saturday, November 5.
Happy Feet was dropped into the Southern Ocean in mid September after being taken south by the research vessel Tangaroa. Soon afterwards the transmitter he was wearing stopped transmitting.
The satellite tracking company said it was possible he have been eaten by a bigger animal, or the transmitter had fallen off.
Wellington Zoo vet Lisa Argilla cared for the emperor penguin for two months before he was released.
2011年10月30日星期日
2011年9月18日星期日
Sweet dreams
Some melted butter to brush into the moulds
2dsstsp plain flour to line the moulds
1 Whisk the eggs and sugar in a large bowl until combined. Sieve the flour and baking powder into the egg mixture and whisk until smooth.
2 Melt the butter gently then mix a quarter to a third of the base mixture into the butter. Stir well to mix then incorporate this back into the base mix. Add the orange and thyme then mix everything together so it is smooth and well mixed. Transfer to a tub and refrigerate before using.
3 Brush madeleine moulds with melted butter then fill each mould with plain flour. Shake the mould so the flour coats the inside, tipping out any excess flour. Now spoon the mixture into each mould, so it comes three-quarters of the way up (they will rise a little while baking). Place in an oven set to 190C/gas mark 5 and cook for about 10 minutes or until just done in the middle. Remove from the oven and leave in the moulds until cool. Carefully tip them out and, when totally cooled, store in an airtight tub for up to 24 hours. To serve, warm the madeleines briefly in the oven and dust with icing sugar before serving. Other flavours you could try include cinnamon powder, ground five-spice, honey or ground nuts, especially hazelnuts or pistachios.
I am the unashamed, dedicated and enthusiastic owner of a sweet tooth. Pudding takes priority. It’s not only desserts, come to think of it, but sweet treats of all kinds. A full-blown pudding at home is a rarity if I’m honest, although it’s not unheard of for us to reach for some good-quality shop-bought ice-cream topped with homemade chocolate sauce for a quick fix.
If we have friends over, it’s a different story. Preparing a carefully planned dessert might be the usual option, but occasionally we take an alternative route, making a selection of petits fours rather like those we serve guests in the restaurant with their coffee. These small bites at the end of dinner are an irresistible highlight for me. In the restaurant there might be small dark chocolates, fruit jellies, fudge, or freshly baked madeleines.
At home, laid out on platters for guests to share, petits fours make a dazzling impact and satisfy any longing for pudding with a striking and distinctive alternative to a traditional dessert. Guests can try a little of everything if they wish and you get the chance to experiment. Sometimes I keep chocolates traditional, flavoured with fruit, nuts, coffee or champagne; occasionally I want unusual pairings, such as lavender or five-spice. And madeleines are wonderful with honey and pistachios or an autumnal hint of lemon and thyme.
2dsstsp plain flour to line the moulds
1 Whisk the eggs and sugar in a large bowl until combined. Sieve the flour and baking powder into the egg mixture and whisk until smooth.
2 Melt the butter gently then mix a quarter to a third of the base mixture into the butter. Stir well to mix then incorporate this back into the base mix. Add the orange and thyme then mix everything together so it is smooth and well mixed. Transfer to a tub and refrigerate before using.
3 Brush madeleine moulds with melted butter then fill each mould with plain flour. Shake the mould so the flour coats the inside, tipping out any excess flour. Now spoon the mixture into each mould, so it comes three-quarters of the way up (they will rise a little while baking). Place in an oven set to 190C/gas mark 5 and cook for about 10 minutes or until just done in the middle. Remove from the oven and leave in the moulds until cool. Carefully tip them out and, when totally cooled, store in an airtight tub for up to 24 hours. To serve, warm the madeleines briefly in the oven and dust with icing sugar before serving. Other flavours you could try include cinnamon powder, ground five-spice, honey or ground nuts, especially hazelnuts or pistachios.
I am the unashamed, dedicated and enthusiastic owner of a sweet tooth. Pudding takes priority. It’s not only desserts, come to think of it, but sweet treats of all kinds. A full-blown pudding at home is a rarity if I’m honest, although it’s not unheard of for us to reach for some good-quality shop-bought ice-cream topped with homemade chocolate sauce for a quick fix.
If we have friends over, it’s a different story. Preparing a carefully planned dessert might be the usual option, but occasionally we take an alternative route, making a selection of petits fours rather like those we serve guests in the restaurant with their coffee. These small bites at the end of dinner are an irresistible highlight for me. In the restaurant there might be small dark chocolates, fruit jellies, fudge, or freshly baked madeleines.
At home, laid out on platters for guests to share, petits fours make a dazzling impact and satisfy any longing for pudding with a striking and distinctive alternative to a traditional dessert. Guests can try a little of everything if they wish and you get the chance to experiment. Sometimes I keep chocolates traditional, flavoured with fruit, nuts, coffee or champagne; occasionally I want unusual pairings, such as lavender or five-spice. And madeleines are wonderful with honey and pistachios or an autumnal hint of lemon and thyme.
2011年8月7日星期日
Dolphin with a bionic fin has helped the injured - and is now starring in her own Hollywood film
She does backflips and cheekily splashes visitors to her tank just like any other dolphin at the aquarium.
But Winter is a little bit special. She lost her tail in a crab trap when she was a baby... and now shoots through the water with the help of a prosthetic one, specially engineered for her by scientists.
And now the incredible story of her rescue and survival has been turned into a film - with Winter herself taking the starring role alongside Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Harry Connick Jr in Dolphin Tale.
Winter's story began five years ago when fisherman Jim Savage went out on a freezing cold December morning off the coast of New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
It was still dark when Jim, who is played by Connick Jr in the film, spotted a baby bottlenose entangled in a trap and fighting to breathe.
Jim, who runs a car repair business, grabbed a knife to cut the mammal free from several thick ropes. "I thought she'd swim off and I'd have a sweet fisherman's tale to tell later in the day," he said. "But she couldn't get away, she was squealing in pain and obviously horribly injured."
Jim called the wildlife authorities, who told him they would send out a marine biologist. He says: "I waited two, maybe three hours, so I kept talking to the dolphin. I'd say, 'You're going to be OK, no one's going to hurt you.' She let me get close and her heart was pumping, her breathing was laboured. She was terrified.
"Her mother had gone, and without her to feed her I didn't think she'd survive. One of the ropes was still caught in her mouth, she was terribly badly injured."
When marine biologist Theresa Mazza arrived, she then sat for five hours in shallow water with Winter while they waited for a marine ambulance.
"When we first got close she was squealing in pain and freaking out," she says. "But once I had her in the shallow water, she lay with her head in my lap. I kept splashing her and tried to shade her from the sun to stop her burning. She had cuts on her tail and mouth.
"Most animals we respond to are sick beyond help, so you try not to get too emotionally involved. But this was my first rescue mission out of college, I was 23, and I talked to her, telling her she'd be OK."
Winter was taken to Clearwater Marine Aquarium, where the injuries to her tail were so severe it had to be amputated. But she was remarkably resilient, and defied all expectations. After the operation she learned to swim again, changing her tail's movement from "up and down" to "side to side".
But aquarium staff wanted her to have as normal a life as possible, so they turned to Irish scientist Kevin Carroll, 53, and his partner Dan Strzempka, who run a company in Florida making prosthetics for human amputees.
Touched by Winter's plight they agreed to try to make a false tail for the dolphin.
Kevin, who emigrated from Tipperary 28 years ago, and Dan, who lost his leg in a lawn mower accident when he was four, rose to the challenge, working in their spare time, spending £150,000 of their company's money on prototypes.
In the end it took 18 months to perfect a two-andhalf-foot long silicon tail.
But Winter is a little bit special. She lost her tail in a crab trap when she was a baby... and now shoots through the water with the help of a prosthetic one, specially engineered for her by scientists.
And now the incredible story of her rescue and survival has been turned into a film - with Winter herself taking the starring role alongside Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Harry Connick Jr in Dolphin Tale.
Winter's story began five years ago when fisherman Jim Savage went out on a freezing cold December morning off the coast of New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
It was still dark when Jim, who is played by Connick Jr in the film, spotted a baby bottlenose entangled in a trap and fighting to breathe.
Jim, who runs a car repair business, grabbed a knife to cut the mammal free from several thick ropes. "I thought she'd swim off and I'd have a sweet fisherman's tale to tell later in the day," he said. "But she couldn't get away, she was squealing in pain and obviously horribly injured."
Jim called the wildlife authorities, who told him they would send out a marine biologist. He says: "I waited two, maybe three hours, so I kept talking to the dolphin. I'd say, 'You're going to be OK, no one's going to hurt you.' She let me get close and her heart was pumping, her breathing was laboured. She was terrified.
"Her mother had gone, and without her to feed her I didn't think she'd survive. One of the ropes was still caught in her mouth, she was terribly badly injured."
When marine biologist Theresa Mazza arrived, she then sat for five hours in shallow water with Winter while they waited for a marine ambulance.
"When we first got close she was squealing in pain and freaking out," she says. "But once I had her in the shallow water, she lay with her head in my lap. I kept splashing her and tried to shade her from the sun to stop her burning. She had cuts on her tail and mouth.
"Most animals we respond to are sick beyond help, so you try not to get too emotionally involved. But this was my first rescue mission out of college, I was 23, and I talked to her, telling her she'd be OK."
Winter was taken to Clearwater Marine Aquarium, where the injuries to her tail were so severe it had to be amputated. But she was remarkably resilient, and defied all expectations. After the operation she learned to swim again, changing her tail's movement from "up and down" to "side to side".
But aquarium staff wanted her to have as normal a life as possible, so they turned to Irish scientist Kevin Carroll, 53, and his partner Dan Strzempka, who run a company in Florida making prosthetics for human amputees.
Touched by Winter's plight they agreed to try to make a false tail for the dolphin.
Kevin, who emigrated from Tipperary 28 years ago, and Dan, who lost his leg in a lawn mower accident when he was four, rose to the challenge, working in their spare time, spending £150,000 of their company's money on prototypes.
In the end it took 18 months to perfect a two-andhalf-foot long silicon tail.
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