Do you ever wonder how you survived your childhood? This is a question I ask myself frequently. Sometimes I think we survive in spite of our parents, rather than because of them. [Note to mum. Just joking.] Let me tell you the story about the day my family was nearly eaten by lions. Read more
I forgot to include this photo of a beautiful fly in my November Changing Seasons post. You know the weather is warming up when the blow flies come a-visiting. Maybe these exquisitely beautiful creatures are not such a pain after all. Unlikely praise for the king of the flies. Read more
Have you ever stood in front of a jewelry shop and admired all the beautiful gems on display but not given a second thought to the effort, skill, design and creativity that has gone into making such beautiful pieces? I know I have. Read more
This post is dedicated to my little dog, Ama, who is not well. So far we know that she has copper storage disease but not how bad it is or whether we can mitigate it. I’ve not had much time for blogging lately as we’ve had a lot of medical appointments and I’ve been researching treatments, including low copper diets. It helps to be informed when talking to veterinary specialists. It also gives me something to do while I worry. Read more
Ladies and Gentlemen, every now and then I wonder what is involved in surgical training and to what extent cadavers are used for this purpose. You can see where this is going, right? Where do these bodies come from and are there sufficient available to ensure that doctors/surgeons are well skilled before they get to try out surgical procedures on a real live person? Or perhaps technological advancements mean that cadavers are no longer used for training? Read more
It is warming up in Australia. Today we had a big fry up on the outskirts of Canberra. The Pierces Creek Bushfire is believed to have been started from a burnt-out car. With temperatures in the mid-30s (celcius) and gale force winds, the fire quickly spread and has now burnt out 147 hectares of bush and farmland. The fire is not yet under control. Read more
I’m not the only one in the family with a tendency to storm off in a huff. When Makea has her cranky pants on, she lets you know. Read more
I’ve gone from light programming to the sublimely ridiculous. As one does. We’ve got a big race coming up in a couple of weeks in Australia. It’s the race that stops a nation – the Melbourne Cup. I’m ambivalent about it. I thought I would get in early with a canter counter-point. Read more
I’ve been inspecting photos for my forthcoming October Changing Seasons post. What this has revealed is that October has been busy, busy, busy. Aggghhh. No wonder I am exhausted. So I am giving you an off-the-shelf post today, My Mondrian Madness. I love the gleam and sparkle of ceramic tiles. They cannot be beaten for lustre. Here it is. Read more
Now for a return to light programming — a little musical interlude. The Ragtag Daily Prompt today is blizzard. Very soon it will be winter in the Northern Hemisphere and some of my readers may even live in areas where they get blizzards.
If you are Canadian, you might have heard the story of Bishop Isaac Stringer and Charles Johnson who, in 1909, spent 51 days in the Yukon in miserable weather and survived by eating their seal skin boots. Read more
Reflections of An Untidy Mind 