Valentines

The 14th day of February in the Western calendar marks the feast of St. Valentine - a celebration of the martyrdom of the 3rd century Roman, Valentinus. Hagiographic embellishments tell of St. Valentine making paper hearts for his Roman jailors. Today, St Valentine’s Day is a worldwide commercial event, epitomised by heart-shaped paraphernalia and expressions of romantic love. This photograph, taken with my valentine, Rusty, features a squabbling pair of flamingos locked in a heart-shaped embrace on the Galapagoan island of Santa Cruz.