Here's to the future!

In these difficult times I thought it wise to bring out a big gun. 

Forty odd years ago I took a small group of students on a zoological "expedition" to the North of Ghana. One of the things that I brought back, in addition to a bout of ague, was this Ashanti Akua'ba Doll.

These little figures with flat, disk shaped heads are carried by girls and young women, often tucked in the back of their skirts like a baby, to promote their fertility and to ensure the beauty and health of their offspring. 

We can vouch for the power of this fertility doll - Talpa secundus was born 10 months after I got back from Ghana. Let us hope that she performs her magic for Blipfoto. Here's to a productive and healthy future.