Today I would like to share with you a collection donated eight years ago, by the naturalist Raphael Rowley.
At the time he had sadly lost his wife and concerned friends urged him to take a vacation to the well spoken of Healing Harbour which fortunately was not far from where he resided. Their advice proved sound as there he could bathe in the soothing waters of the ocean and simultaneously pursue his scientific interests by examining the sea water that is well known to have puzzling qualities. If you have not heard of the Harbour and it’s waters let me enlighten you: the sea water behaves in a baffling way. It inexplicably turns into pigmented fluid when mixed with other types of salt water, for example tears. The pigment if not collected immediately dissolves into the ocean so one needs to be quick about it if they want to obtain a sample. But I can hear you say: why does one not take a sample of water and do the mixing in the comfort of their own laboratory? Well, for reasons unknown this does not have the same effect. Rowley took many samples (see item 6) and wrote in a journal of his findings (see item 5). While there he hit upon a discovery: the pigment that was thought to dissolve meaninglessly into the sea in fact did something no one had ever considered: it became the primary diet of one of the native sea birds, which are affectionately called “Ocean Phoenixes”. The birds would dive into the waters red as a rooster’s comb and emerge hours later bright blue! Locals would have you believe that the birds were burning red hot while flying too close to the sun and would dive into the water to cool off, thus regaining the blue of their feathers and consequently earning the name “Phoenix”. But Rowley set things right. And probably while doing so, cooled down, even if it was just a little, the burning hot grief he carried within.
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The museum owns a small boat that is used to collect items contributors cannot deliver themselves. However when The Wandering Dove - the name given to our boat - is not out on errands, I take the liberty of sailing her to nearby isles for my own pleasure. Today’s destination was St Matilda, a small island not far from here, where one can watch from it’s rocky shores the schools of gigantic whisper whales travelling east this time of year. All my troubles and worries somehow dissolve when I take time out of my busy life to consciously observe nature’s wonders.
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About the CuratorMy name is Juniper And I am the principle Curator of the Memento Vivere Museum. My duties include taking care of the primary displays, seeing that every collection is archived correctly and in general ensuring that everything within the museum’s grounds works like clockwork. However, because of the museum’s dwindling spacial capacity, I have taken it upon my self to compile several volumes presenting some of the more interesting and poignant collections that the visitor will very possibly never get to view. Dear reader, within these pages, I shall be sharing some of these collections with you. I do hope you enjoy what I have to show you. Archives
April 2018
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