It’s been discovered that herrings pass gas. While congregated in great shoals. The news isn’t new—in fact the background studies were done in the early 2000s—but my attention was drawn to it by a “Fact or Crap” page-a-day calendar (on September 21 to be precise). Where do I start? The pitch? The communal nature? The interpretation? So many facets—so little… Read more »
(For anyone old enough and British enough to remember, the 1960s radio show “I’m Sorry, I’ll Read That Again” (ISIRTA) had an interesting way of scene-setting for a sketch. I’ve tried to emulate that in some small way.)
Headline: “Roadkill deaths driving some species to the edge” The animals of Nickeldime Wood had convened at the Old Lightning Tree for what in less politically-sensitive times would have been referred to colloquially as a pow wow. Friend and foe, and predator and prey were all gathered there. Such meetings were rare, but if one thing was guaranteed to bring… Read more »
The art of digging is dying. No, I’m not looking for a gravedigging pun here. (Actually, I did look, but couldn’t find one.) Long considered men’s work, most men could handle a spade and a shovel quite well even if they didn’t labour for a living, because so many families grew their own vegetables. Many women would have become expert… Read more »
The UK radio station that was “born” on Mrs. H’s 14th birthday turned 50 this weekend (Sept 30 to be precise). (Please don’t do the arithmetic—Mrs. H. won’t thank you for it!) For many people who grew up with BBC Radio 1 in the 60s and 70s, this is a big(ish) deal, and in acknowledgement of that, the BBC had… Read more »
Are you a typewriter eater or a lathe eater? Here’s another question. Are you a hater or a lover of articles that attempt to pigeon-hole you? Whatever… read on. Here in southern Alberta, Taber corn is much sought-after, for some reason. Whenever we see a sign for Taber corn, we flock like bees to a honeypot or flies to… well,… Read more »
Interesting fact: Sunflowers turn to face the sun in order to maximize photosynthesis and to encourage the insects that are necessary for pollination to occur. Mature sunflowers that have been pollinated no longer follow the sun. Scene: a bar in a sun-kissed holiday resort. Mick and Rick, two forty-something guys, are people watching as they sip at their refreshing mid-morning… Read more »
There was a time when news media reported interesting and important happenings in a sober fashion. Well, for most of the year, anyway—August (give or take) was known as “Silly Season” in the UK and elsewhere. A quick thumb through the internet revealed that the reason for Silly Season is that the amount of government and business news declines in… Read more »
Mrs. H. and I recently returned from our longest vacation in thirty-plus years. It was a road trip to the Ottawa area and back, with a ten-day houseboat trip on the Rideau Waterway system in the middle. (Let’s face it, it’d be pointless driving there and back and then doing the houseboat trip, wouldn’t it!) Eight thousand kilometres of driving… Read more »
I hang my head in shame! One of the cardinal rules of blogging and generating an audience is that you blog regularly, and if there is to be a break, you let your audience know ahead of time. Bad Kelvin! Bad, bad Kelvin! But let me tell you why the break, and then you can decide if it’s excusable or… Read more »