Praying mantis hatching...

Was chopping wood when my suweeto haato called out happily, pointing to a log that I had used as a stool for our guests in our outdoor gatherings...
Baby mantises, looking quite a bit like ants, were hatching off a nest that their mother had laid on the log...

Was the first time for me to observe such a scene...
There were about 30 of them, each measuring about one centimeter...

Was quite amazed to see that they already had their 'claws' at the time of birth...  

And it didn't take long for them to quickly disappear... 

They must have been very vulnerable then, as there are many geckos and frogs in our compound that might prey on these babies... 

Walking the hills in early May 2012...

Lovely weather these few days with early morning temperatures in the low teens and afternoon temperatures in the low twenties... 

And spring is such a lovely time to walk the hills to enjoy wonderful views such as those provided by this field of mustard flowers...

Our attention turned to the several Japanese black kites hovering over an open field...

And woah, they were zeroing on this tanuki （狸） or badger that they had probably killed...

Life is tough, even for these wild life...

The intestines looked fresh so I imagined the kites just made the kill some moments before we came by...

My suweeto haato said 'don't put this picture up... or all your readers will abandon you'...

Our walk always bring us pass this O-Jizoa (地蔵) which is like a guardian deity for children...

The folks in the neighborhood always decorate this deity with flowers...

And repetitive as it may seem, we never fail to pause and gaze at how our house looks like from the lookout point up at the hills...