Tortoises

Marmite, my baby tortoise, has now awoken from his twelve week long sleep.

That's how you know it's spring. The tortoises come up.
In southern France thousands of tortoises emerge much like the Periodical Cicada (right) that emerge every seventeen years, every Spring. You can walk around early in the morning and listen in the quiet bushland, listening to the tell-tale crackling of tortoise feet as they stir for the day's hunt.


So since just before Christmas my tortoise has been asleep. Just sitting, in the cold. I thought you might like to see a picture of him hunting and killing his lunch, because we all love a bit of violent vegetarianism don't we?
Tortoises know best.

For the record Marmite is as Spur-thighed Tortoise, or testudo graeca. Most likely he originated from Turkish strain, not, as the Latin name suggests, from Greek. graeca refers to the shape of the Ancient Grecian shield. Possibly.