book watch

Night out

With the weather gods playing truant, there is little you can do outdoors. So why not take to reading poetry? If you do, you could treat yourself to Ruskin Bond’s A Little Night Music. The book of poems takes you on a journey through the sights and sounds of the night, through old roads which no one uses any more and of course, spooky land. The thematic range shows Bond’s grasp over the nitty gritties of daily living, including the gentleman’s game, cricket. In the last poem, The duck is seventy, Bond also tells us what it is like to be 70 years old, and to share one’s age with Donald Duck. The writer, better known for his short stories, has come out with a winner with this collection. Published by Rupa & Co., the book is priced at Rs 150, and is worth a read.

busy bee

Sip ’n’ bite

Who wouldn’t care for a piping hot chocolate drink? The bees love it too, not the chocolate, but a sip of hot nectar. A recent scientific study at the Queen Mary, University of London, shows that bumble bees learn to use the colour of flowers to select blooms with the warmest nectar. And on a cold day, they opt for a hot drink just like us. Their reasons are the same. If bees need to warm up, they have to produce their own heat at the expense of their energy reserve. But if they opt for a hot drink, they can save on that energy. Let’s say cheers to that.