Officially, summer began on December 1 here in New Zealand (where the first days of March, June, September, and December respectively are considered the start of autumn, winter, spring, and summer). But this icy view of Naseby, on New Zealand’s South Island, shows that harsh winters here offer great conditions for outdoor curling, or what competitors call ‘chess on ice.’ And when there’s a multi-game tournament going on, that’s a ‘bonspiel’ in curling lingo. This year marks the first ever Curling World Cup. The second leg of the four-leg event brings the curlers to Omaha, Nebraska, today through December 9. Canada’s teams won the first leg, in Suzhou, China. Will they face stiffer competition in the Cornhusker State?
’Chess on ice’
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Fight for your lefts
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A day for the oceans
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Jasper Dark Sky Festival
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Brown bears in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska
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A Festivus for the rest of us
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Stuben am Arlberg, Austria
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Ronda, Spain
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Cheese! We ll go somewhere where there s cheese!
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Black grouses lekking
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‘The mountains are calling’
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Halfway Day
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Castellfollit de la Roca, Catalonia, Spain
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Spiegelgracht canal in Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Badlands National Parks 45th anniversary
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Sands of time
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National Park Week: Yosemite National Park, California
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Polar bear season in Manitoba
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Satla marshland in Bangladesh
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Castle Square, Old Town, Warsaw, Poland
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Glacial rivers in Iceland
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Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
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Bryce Canyon National Park turns 100
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Glen Brittle, Isle of Skye, Scotland
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Protect your neck
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Moselle River loop near Kröv, Germany
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It s World Poetry Day
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Shadows on the solstice
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Happy World Meteorological Day
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World Reef Day
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Birds of a feather
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

