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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 MARCH 2023 7 ALMANAC Nature Notebook 858. Cat Snake AS the days warm up, the reptiles start creeping out. Among these will be our four lovely species of snakes. Snakes don't really hiber- nate, and a warm sunny day in mid-winter may draw them out to snatch a bask in the sun. But as spring steadily advances, they wake up true and proper. One of these is the cat snake (M. qattus), and no it doesn't catch feline furballs for lunch! It's so called because of its vertical cat-like pupils. It's grey with dark brown patches, and can grow to about a metre, though never thicker than your thumb. Un- like the other three species, cat snakes are active even at night, hunt- ing mice and other reptiles like geckoes; and, like all our reptiles, it's harmless to humans. It's also protected by law – maybe our way of saying thanks for the pest control service it provides by conveniently snacking on rodents! Building & Maintaining Bread Ovens There's an old bakery in Comino which has not been used for decades and has now fallen into a state of disrepair. But such a treasure should not remain unused! That is why we started a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for the renovation of the run-down building. Our goal is to turn it into an interpretive centre that creates space for education about sustainability and a non-profit space for people to use it as a campsite, for example. In this way, we are raising awareness of the fact that Comi- no is a Natura 2000 site. Are you curious about the ins and outs of ovens from the past and would you like to get more involved in our fundraising campaign? Next Mon- day, 20.3. at 6.00 p.m., Food Historian Dr. Noel Buttigieg will be talking us through the building and maintenance of bread ovens with a particu- lar focus on the oven at the old Comino bakery at our Fundraising Talk. The interdisciplinary field of food history deals with the history of food and its impact on culture, economy, environment, and society. We are of course thinking of our beloved Maltese bread, which is usually baked in an oven like the one on Comino. So the evening will be an interesting opportunity to follow the footsteps of the ovens, at the same time learn why it is important to preserve them and learn more about our crowd- funding campaign. Victor Falzon www.birdlifemalta.org Green idea of the week 746: Register for our Comino Bakery Fundraising Talk https:// foemalta.org/event/comino-oven/ Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation – www.foemalta.org/donate Don't miss this Chamber Soirée On 27 March 2023 Place: Maritime Museum Within the magnificent walls of the historic Maritime Musuem, a magical evening awaits! KorMalta presents a unique Chamber Soirée featuring voice leader Bianca Simone. Taking the form of a formal reception,this intimate concert will explore the world of vocal chamber as explored through the works of Schumann, Brahms, Chopin and more! Vocal chamber music means a walk in beauty and elegance, as well as passion and depths of feelings The words are the protagonists, the voice becomes an instrument of poetry. Bianca Simone will be accompanied on pianoforte by Claudia Rondelli with the participation of Soprano Voice Leader Marouska Attard, Bass Voice Leader Albert Buttigieg and Viola Sarah Spiteri. Give nature a voice. Become a BirdLife member Space Exploration Spree On 2 April 2023 Place: Esplora It's time to blast off into space with Esplora's fun-packed activity that will kick-start the week leading to the Easter school holidays. Save the date for Space Exploration Spree, an exciting event aimed for children between the ages of 5 to 10 years. Together we will watch a space-themed live show at the EsploraPlanetarium and also participate in an amusing hands-on workshop. Space Exploration Spree will be held in the EsploraPlanetarium building on Sunday 2nd April 2023 starting at 09:00 and ending at 13:00. Children will be welcomed with some refreshments and the price ticket also includes a light lunch at the end of the event. A GOOD WEEK Good Week/Bad Week A BAD WEEK The 95th Academy Awards were watched by an average of 18.7 million people in the US, a 12% increase over 2022, overnight figures show. Market measuring firm Nielsen said preliminary ratings for this year's Oscars were the highest for any show since 2020. Celebrated British sculptor Phyllida Barlow has died aged 78. The Newcastle-born artist, known for her large installations, had a long career teaching art before she got her major breakthrough. But the ceremony was the third-least watched since Nielsen began tracking. Barlow often developed her colossal sculptural projects using everyday DIY materials such as plywood, cardboard, plaster, cement, fabric and paint.