Plant lover: Joe Bagley lives in his own personalized jungle. His home is a one-bedroom coach house in Loughborough, Leicestershire, England, and it is filled to the rafters with all kinds of potted plants, from cacti to ivy and from tropicals to succulents. All told, he estimates that 1,400 plants live in his abode. His love of plants started when, as a boy of 13, his grandmother gave him a spider plant cutting. Since then, collecting and caring for plants has become his passion. Even his work involves plants: he works in a garden centre.

Close proximity: Those who live near busy highways may not be thrilled with traffic noise, but that’s nothing compared to a situation in Cairo, Egypt. Designed to carry fast-moving vehicles, Teraet Al-Zomor Bridge is under construction just 50 centimetres (20 in.) from four high-rise apartment buildings. Apparently, the bridge is an important addition to the infrastructure, and the construction has a permit. The apartment dwellers will have to relocate, as the buildings will be torn down. For now, though, the view from some of the suites is definitely blocked, but hopefully the compensation to the renters will be worth it!

Underwater art: A young Bahamian girl sits beneath the sea off the coast of New Providence, an island in the Bahamas. Actually, the girl is a statue, made of sustainable materials designed to encourage the growth of coral. Named “Ocean Atlas,” this statue was made by Jason deCaires Taylor, an artist and photographer. “Ocean Atlas” was installed in 2014 under the water near the city of Nassau. It is 5.5 metres (18 ft.) tall and weighs over 60 tonnes. It is possible to go snorkelling in the area to see this interesting art installment up close.

Tiny tree: Fairy Lake near the town of Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island, Canada, draws people to its shores so they can view a little fir tree. This small conifer is special because it is growing out of a log that is submerged in the lake. The tree is thought to be between 30 and 40 years old, and no one is quite sure how it survives on the log, which is the source of its nutrients. The tree is the subject of many photographs, and no two are alike. In times of high water, it may be almost submerged, while on still summer mornings, it sits peacefully in the mist. Take a look here... www.myCoffeeNews.ca/extra

Collectors’ items: Lots of people collect favourite items, whether those are dolls, books, records, or guitars. Usually they legally obtain the items. That was not the case with a collector in Higashiosaka, Japan. Hiroaki Suda was in the habit of collecting bicycle seats, after he had stolen them. Recently, the man was filmed on surveillance cameras in the act of taking the seats from two parked bikes at a train station. Police were astounded to discover that he had been repeating this crime for over 25 years and had collected over 5,800 bicycle seats, which he kept in a storage facility.

Brotherly love: A caring brother from Zamboanga City, Philippines, wanted to do a good deed for his sister, so he learned how to sew. Rather than taking on a small project, Maverick Francisco Oyao made a prom dress for his sister, Lu Asey, because the family couldn’t afford to buy or rent one. And what a dress it turned out to be! Wearing the dress, Ly Asey looked like a princess from a fairy tale. Her brother had learned how to sew by viewing You- Tube videos. The finished project was royal blue and white, and featured large pleats and winged sleeves. See the dress here:

Plastic plant: A woman from California (U.S.) recently had a big surprise. Caelie Wilkes loves plants. She had a succulent that she carefully looked after for two years, watering it on a schedule. Its beautiful green leaves always seemed healthy. One day, Wilkes decided to transplant her pride and joy into a bigger pot. Imagine her shock when she discovered that the succulent was fake; it had no roots and was glued onto a piece of Styrofoam that was covered with dirt. Luckily, Wilkes has a sense of humour. She posted her story, which garnered lots of funny and sympathetic comments.

Snail power: When thinking about pets, most people conjure up images of cats, dogs, bunny rabbits, parrots, and maybe even pot-bellied pigs. But snails? That is the choice of Pepper Apollo, a woman from the United Kingdom who cares for approximately 150 of the creatures. She started collecting them a few years ago when she found some near her workplace. Today, she keeps her large collection of tiny pets in tiered terrariums where they live a luxurious, well-fed life. Apollo genuinely feels that each one of her little charges has its own personality.

See the Snail Lady here: www.myCoffeeNews.ca/extra

Fast flight: If you were on a certain British Airways flight from New York to London in early February 2020, you would have enjoyed a very quick trip indeed. Flight 112 had the help of a powerful jet stream that created a strong tailwind for the journey. The jet plane reached London in an amazing four hours and 56 minutes. On average, the flight takes six hours and 13 minutes, so passengers arrived at their destination much earlier than expected. The plane reached a speed of over 1,280 kilometres per hour (800 miles per hour) during the flight.

Priceless painting: If you are anything like Vladimir Mkrtchyan of Moscow, you’d better hold on to your childhood artwork. Now a journalist, Mkrtchyan decided to put a painting on the market that he had created when he was just six years old. The surprise selling price is 140 million Ruble (approx $2.4 million CAD). The picture portrays a man riding a horse, and the artist claims it reveals Soviet-era realities. Entitled “Red Army Man on Horse,” Mkrtchyan found the picture during house cleaning. While not many buyers have come forth, the artist doesn’t intend to lower the price.

Birds of a feather: An artist from Bogotá, Colombia, wanted to learn about nature, so she started by observing and studying various species of birds. This led Diana Beltran Herrera to the art of making beautiful and precise life-size sculptures of birds from basic materials, such as paper and wire. She creates a form for the bird and then cuts and glues paper feathers to the form. She paints each creation so that it looks real. Her work includes pelicans, roosters, parrots, sparrows, and many more. Over time, Herrera has managed to create sculptures representing over 100 bird species.

Key conundrum: It’s not unusual for people to lose their car keys. They might leave them in a restaurant or accidentally drop them on the ground. But not many people lose their keys the way Jovino Huerta lost his. Huerta is a political candidate in Huánuco, Peru. While campaigning, he decided to hand out key chains with the phrase, “Vamos Peru!” Unfortunately, in the excitement of meeting people and shaking their hands, Huerta gave his own keys to someone by mistake. He explained his plight on social media, hoping that they would be returned. No word on that yet.

Pen art: Most people use a ballpoint pen for taking notes. Not Samia Al Homsi Dagher of Tripoli, Lebanon. This talented artist, who is also a software engineer, uses the ubiquitous writing instrument to create beautiful and realistic portraits. The illustrator has had lots of time to hone her skills; she was only five years old when she started drawing. Now, she is well-known for her work and receives commissions from many individuals, including celebrities, as well as average folk. That’s because her work is so precise that the portraits could be mistaken for photographs.

Icky desserts? How would you feel if you were presented with a dessert that looks like a kitchen sponge topped with a sudsy soap bubble? Or beans on toast? However, if the dessert is made by British chef Ben Churchill, you’d be wise to overlook the illusion and take a bite. That’s because Churchill’s creations are sweet treats. For example, the beans are made of marzipan and sit atop a cake drizzled with a sweet orange-red syrup that appears to be ketchup. The kitchen scrubber is really an olive oil sponge cake topped with green mint crumbs, with sweet milk foam as soapsuds. It’s a weird but interesting hobby! See the “icky desserts” here: www.myCoffeeNews.ca/extra

Best for baby: If you want the best of the best for your baby, you can get it from a company in Spain called Suommo. But you’d have to be quite wealthy to afford some of their wares. Suommo sells things like cribs and baby bottles, and the items are designed with flair and made of expensive components such as gold. Even the company’s baby pacifiers are things of beauty. Parents can purchase one of three styles: diamond and gold, diamond and white gold, or diamond and rose gold. For those on a budget, some less expensive items are available, but the prices still will likely make a buyer think twice.

Motorcycle madness: Men wanting to impress their girlfriends should avoid breaking the law to do so. A man named Lalit from New Delhi, India, learned this the hard way. Lalit’s girlfriend had made fun of him because he did not own a motorcycle. So Lalit enlisted the help of a friend to steal as many of the two-wheeled vehicles as possible. Before getting caught by the cops, the pair managed to steal eight high-end motorcycles for the simple purpose of showing off to Lalit’s girlfriend. The water plant worker did not have a criminal record before, but he and his friend do now!