only to moan

I haven't posted anything for quite a while, as I'm sure you're aware. There's been a lot to do, and with no internet at home, there never seems to be a time where I can sit down and collect my thoughts together for a post. A lot of things have come and gone, but by the time I get a chance to sit in front of the computer and type about it, the timeliness, or the urge to discuss it and find the right words to do so, has gone.

These last few months have been mostly busy, and mostly happy, when I've managed to think about whether I am happy or not. Right now though, I sense that I'm starting to burn out, and things seem to be crowding in on me. I'm still a little lonely, away from my older friends and no chance to see much of my family this year. The good side is that there are several people now at work I'm getting to know better, though it's hard to find a day/evening when we can just get together and talk and laugh and drink a little. Unfortunately, some of my other friends are having relationship and family problems, and I'm finding it a struggle to drench up enough energy and support them, over long phone conversations that are cutting into my sleeping time. I feel a bit bad for feeling it's a struggle, but it's becoming very emotionally draining, especially since I can't seem to help them, and I'm listening to them going round and round in circles.

And sometimes I do feel as if I am more someone to talk AT and my input is not really needed. But isn't that what everyone wants really, just someone to listen to them?

I find that as I get older, I'm drawn more and more towards female friends. I have always had more male friends than female friends, generally because I found male friends more straight-forward, I didn't need to decipher their moods or their meaning. If they were annoyed at me, they told me, if they were pleased to see me, they showed it. I disliked the possibility of being forced to take sides if my female friends had an argument, or the petty bitching that teenage, not-yet-confident, girls could show.

As I grow older and the world seems more complex to me, and I no longer find it possible to see things in shades of black and white, I find more affinity to women friends, those who also see shades of grey and show more tolerance of things they don't quite understand or are unfamiliar with. The black and whiteness, the quick anger and intolerance of some (I hasten to add, only some) of my male friends wear me down sometimes. They are often right in their opinions and in their anger, but right in the sense that they are not wrong. And they hold fast to this righteousness and are unhappy with it, believing they have been wronged. If they were happy in their righteousness, or even unhappy but accepting, then I would not say a word. But to be unhappy and to ask my opinion yet be annoyed when I give them my true opinion and it differs from theirs..... I guess they don't expect me to not agree with them because they are certain of themselves.

One day, I will sit down and record all the phrases I might be expected to say in a conversation and just leave it running on a tape next to the phone whilst I do something more soothing.

For now, I will stop my rants and think of something more amusing/entertaining/light-hearted for my next post!

Sorry folks, thanks for your patience if you've managed to read this far. I think I do understand why I get so many late night calls and am only talked AT - a monologue can be soothing sometimes too.

Snakes on a plane

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11203270

Annual floods

Throughout history, it has been said that the Emperor or ruler who can tame the Yellow River and Yangtze River, and delimit the devastation caused by the flooding of their banks will win the people, heart and mind.

Thousands of years on, you can still understand why. Engineers over the millenia have struggled with the problem (early engineering was quite advanced in China), but the logistics are tremendous, given the size of China's prone-to-flooding regions and the sheer numbers of people and communities that rely and live on the fertile plains in those regions criss-crossed by the rivers.

Every year it's hard to tell how bad the flooding will be. I wish all the very best for the rescue workers working hard in Zhouqu at the moment, and hope that there isn't worse coming.

Herbal highs (for 6-legged creatures)

The lavender bushes in front of my institute are like opium dens for insects. It’s quite fun watching the big fat bumble-bees lumber between flower heads (or inflorescences if you’re being pedantic). There are usually quite a little herd of them grazing and looking rather comical as they perch on flowers that aren’t much bigger than they are.

The great thing about working in an agricultural research institute is that someone always knows exactly what flower/fern/insect you’re looking at. When I was taking these photos on Sunday, someone appeared behind me and mentioned that this was a Common Blue butterfly. There were also some Cabbage Whites (these, I knew the name of) but they fluttered too much for me to get a camera shot.

I saw some winged ants on my way home, but they weren’t so pretty and my photos of them crawling over the grey concrete pavement didn’t come out so well. But it's a good job I heeded their warning and brought my umbrella out today.

Foldit: Biology for gamers

One for those of you who like to tackle 3D models and spatial puzzles – protein modelling conundrums introduced to the internet gaming community. I think it’s a great use of crowd-sourcing, there must be plenty of gamers who like a challenging puzzle and are a bit of a perfectionist – precisely what you need from a protein modeller. After slotting a part of the protein into place, the gamers get not only the satisfaction of having solved a piece of the puzzle, but also the satisfaction that their work will help further scientific research!

It definitely sounds like a better use of crowd-sourcing than some of those put forward by the government.

(Image from the original Nature paper)

Assassins

People lurking in doorways, stalking their target on the streets, their weapon hidden in the folds of their clothes. You don't know who might be out to get you, but meanwhile, someone else has your photo in a manila envelope, trying to get you first. It might be at work, when you walk out of your door, as you buy your lunch, but there are rules. You are safe on public transport and in train stations.

Am I getting a bit paranoid?

Actually, I'm referring to I guess what would be called 'water pistol assassins' which is apparently becoming very popular in cities in the UK and USA - I presume also in different parts of the Western world as well. There's an article on the BBC website that explains it (or at least, explains it to those who can understand the attraction, regardless of whether it attracts them or not).

It's not a new concept to me. It used to be played around my university, although unless you knew the Assassins society existed you probably wouldn't have noticed. I didn't play, but I probably got the record for the 'innocent' that was killed the most times in my first undergraduate year. Practically every time I went to visit my friend, who lived in another part of my college and DID play, I set off some sort of trap meant for her, whether it was jam on the door (masquerading as poison), or a box sitting in front of her door (bomb). I was like a canary in a mine, squeaking (I can't sing) as I set off all the traps before their intended target. It did explain why I had seen a strange guy lurking around her part of college (it was a women's only college, which must have made life more difficult for the male assassins) - later on I got to see him a few more times; usually the back of him as he scuttled off when I opened her door and walked right into yet another trap. Once it was a talcum powder bomb, which I was less amused about. He was certainly tenacious, I give him that, and almost certainly frustrated by my unintentional suicidal tendencies.

Don't ask me why they do it. As to myself, I liked going to and from lectures without being attacked (at least I knew I would only be killed when I was in the proximity of my friend). I'm glad that their rules didn't mean you had to be killed by a water pistol though - otherwise I would have had to visit her with a towel, just in case.

Rats waz 'ere

Haha I saw this and just thought I'd share it with you. I had rats in my attic a few months ago, right above my bedroom ceiling - or at least, I think they were rats. They made so much noise they could have been badgers, except I think a badger shinnying its way up my drainpipe would have been quite noticeable. I've now got one of those electronic ultrasonic rat repellent machines myself - I don't know if it truly works, but I didn't hear any more scrabbling noises above my head at night after I plugged it in. I've actually taken it out now because, yes, it is sooo NOT inaudible to the human ear. Hopefully the rats will stay outdoors now that it's warm outside. I'll plug it back in in the autumn.

The comic strip was from Shrubmonkeys, a comic strip drawn by an animator called Katie Shanahan. It's great fun and she draws amazing facial expressions. Add the site to your procrastination list!

I told you it would be random.....

I read somewhere that sometimes, our early loves are those whom we sense to be the other halves of us, who complete us and fill a void within us. Before meeting them, we may not have known that that void was there but once we know it, we feel as if something is missing from everything we do when or if that person is gone. But when we mature and grow more confident in ourselves, we find loves with whom we can be complete people in our own right, not just half of a whole.

I think that a healthy relationship is one that brings out the best qualities in both parties, one where both can grow and change without growing apart. If it gets stuck at one stage and becomes stagnant, one day you might wake up and realise that you’ve stopped looking at the other person as a person in their own right, with their own ambitions and dreams, with their own struggles and needs. Maybe the person you thought they were no longer exists, if they ever did. We all try to change other people, it is much harder to accept them and love them just as they are.

Sometimes, love isn’t enough. Some may argue that if you love each other enough you can overcome anything. That could be true, but it is easier to say than do. Love alone isn’t enough. You need courage, faith and trust, not only in the other person but in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself and in your own worth, how can you trust the other person will love you enough to overcome obstacles for your sake?

I think that before you can love properly you need to love to love youself. Once you’ve accepted your own shortcomings, you might be more tolerant of flaws in other people.

BacklogS of posting

EEKS - there are so MANY things I should blog about but haven't got round to yet. I'll try and update this blog more frequently from now on. The posts might get more random (if that's possible).

Trading blows

Ah, yet another brawl in the Taiwanese parliament. Haven't had one of those for a little while....

Old plates

Hurray! I need some antibiotic plates for a bacterial transformation later on in the day, but found out that a) the plates I have are getting on for 6-weeks old, b) I didn't have any bottles of sterile media made up, and c) there was no bacto-agar left. So I had a quick online rummage of Bitesized Bio, a site where scientists exchange technical tips and flag up new techniques, to see what the BBD (best-before date) for antibiotic plates were. My old supervisor always said 1 month, but it appears that my 6-week old veterans don't have to draw their pension just yet.

I also had a quick rummage through the plate stocks in the cold room, and there are some from last autumn, whilst several stacks are 4 months+. And those are the ones on the front shelves. I'm sure if I look hard enough I'll find some from the last millenium, maybe with weird and wonderful strains of bacteria on them.

The game has ended!

John Isner won - 70 games to 68!
Mahut looks like he's able to cry... T_T
They've been given a 'special memento', along with the (literally) long-suffering umpire. Poor Mahut has to hang around for photos, speeches, etc.

Is Isner due to play a doubles game later this afternoon?!
The people around me are following the football, apart from one person, who was listening on the radio and mentioned out loud that Isner had won, just when I was watching the final serve (TV is slightly behind the radio).

Phew....

Neverending game

I'm watching the Wimbledon, court 18 to be precise, the John Isner vs Nicholas Mahut match. It's very compelling, unbelievable how the games just keep going on and on. Currently 64 games each, and apparently they have each played enough games to theoretically win the Championship. I think practically all the tennis records have been broken too. The BBC live coverage, with the Twitter and text posts is very good.

P.S. Yes, I am sort of working, bringing my lab book up-to-date. And I didn't go to watch the football yesterday when everyone was skivving....

Work during the World Cup

My company has been quite 'understanding' about allowing us to go and watch the World Cup games. They've even opened the pavilion-bar with the wide-screen tv so that people can go and watch the games they want - as it has quite an international community a lot of the games have been shown, but for the England-Slovenia game (being played right now) my department resembles the Marie Celeste....

The office areas

The lab

Amazing given that it's only the first round, nowhere near the finals. Though it may be the 'final' game for England in the World Cup this year - let's hope that they play better than they did last week.

B-boy robot(s)

For all you engineers out there...

(Image taken from the ITN website)

mashimaro mp3 player

I've just taken a peek at the mashimaro website (when I should be working, shame on me) and fallen in love with the Mashimaro MP3 player - 귀여워! (translation: kawaii ne!) I don't know how to get hold of it in the UK though so I may have to call upon overseas friends to get it if I do want one. Sonyway appears to have it, but it ships in China only, and unfortunately Yesasia don't stock it.

Apparently, mashimaro has been described as the rabbit version of Hello Kitty.... I'm pretty sure mashimaro is a lot more violent and ruder than Hello Kitty is supposed to be. If you don't know what I mean, watch the animations on the mashimaro website (don't worry, still PG, or at the very least, not more than 12A)

Tip: there's a pink box in the top right corner of the webpage that links to the english version, if you don't read hangul

More public science events

I still haven't got round to blogging about the Rothamsted Research open weekend, and I have another event tomorrow. This time it's Cereals UK, which is more a business-orientated event. Farmers, agrochemical companies and agricultural research institutes will be there, so it should be fairly different from the RRes open weekend, as the public at this event have more of a vested interest in the work. There's a strong presence from our institute at the event, as a lot of our work focuses on cereals.

The ideal weather for Cereals UK would be rain for a couple of weeks beforehand, so that field diseases have a chance to develop and show strong symptoms in our demonstration plants (we take infected plants with us and they are 'planted' there, as the whole event is spread over several fields). Then some sun and dry weather for the actual event would be nice, given that we will have to stand there! Typically, it's been the other way round this year, with dry weather for the last few weeks, and rain scheduled for the next two days. I've dug some wellies out ready for tramping across the fields.

I also have a slot talking to the public about plant science and soil organisms at the Royal Society 350th anniversity Summer Exhibition at the Southbank Centre in early July. It runs for about 10 days, but I'm only helping for one day (11am to 8.30pm, it'll be a long day, although others have even longer days, from 9.30am to 11.30pm for several days). I have several papers to review too. How am I supposed to get any actual work done?!

It'll have to be an early night tonight, as we're supposed to reach Royston for Cereals UK by 7.30am tomorrow. I doubt that will happen, but it'll be a 6am start at the latest.

Looking forward to be up to my shins in mud!!

a rag-bag of jumbled thoughts

I haven't blogged about anything of much significance lately, partly because there have been too many things going on, and partly because I seem to be going through a 'rollercoaster emotion' phase. Rather than not finding enough important things to discuss, there are so many things I wish to talk about, they criss-cross in my mind, and I can't find the right words for what I want to say.

Work is very busy at the moment, I've been stuck at one point for a couple of months, but having finally broken through I can move on to the next stage. Unfortunately the next stage is the cloning of over 80 gene constructs, so I need to prioritise. In a way, it takes my mind off the other things crowding for attention in there.

I wanted to blog about the election, and the outcome after. I didn't believe that any one party would get a majority, so I was expecting a coalition or hung parliament of some sort. I'm not too surprised by the outcome, though I wasn't sure that a Tory/Lib Dem coalition would be agreed upon. Let's see how it goes.

South Africa and the World Cup, and London and the Olympics 2012- there seem to be so many expectations that hosting these events will have solid benefits for the host countries. Why is there always so much discussion over 'what's in it' for the host? Surely we've seen many times over that hosting the Olympics is always a huge monetary commitment? Hosting these events is never, or should never, be about the money (because hosts almost always make a loss), but may be about the political statements they make, and about boosting the presence of the host in the eyes of the world.

I wanted to blog, briefly, about the Olympics 2012 mascots and the arguments people have over them. Personally, I think they're quite cute, and it's possibly fitting that with such an angular and 'modernist' logo (which I don't like but no point in getting upset over it) we should have some non-traditional mascots. In any case, which British animal would we use as a furry mascot? Hedgehog (hiberates, is slow and gets run over)? Puffin (cute, small, but a bird that can't really fly)? Lion (good idea but it's not British despite what people might say)?

And please don't get me started on religion, social-economical issues or racism. I've been reading too many history books, both 'historical novels' (ok, stories) and more factually based texts. I seem to get steamed up over the unfairness both past and present and disbelief that some people don't believe history can tell us anything. At the same time, the steadfastness and braveness of others almost bring me to angry tears.

Short comments like the ones above are easy to write down, but when I try to discuss them more deeply, more in context, I find too many thoughts rushing in, too many side-issues and social issues murkying the waters. I'm not a 'black-and-white' person. Everything is in shades of grey for me. Sometimes I envy people who see things more simply, or rather, in a less complicated way. At least, they seem sure of the route they should take and less confused than I am a lot of the time. But at other times, I'm glad that I see so many layers to things. I find that my view of the world is ultimately more optimistic because I believe in shades of good and 'bad', although I can sometimes see ulterior motives in seemingly 'good' people....

But sometimes I find myself unable to see the wood for the trees. Everything in my life, whether it is personal, or events in the outside world, seem to crowd in. I need people to discuss with, argue over, analyse with, to be able to persuade my thoughts into a more orderly state. I miss my friends from Cambridge at the moment, the ones who I could spend time with talking about nothing much in particular but had lots of laughs with. I miss the people in my department with whom I could discuss anything, serious or trivial, knowing that the points we put across were not necessarily our points of view, per se, and so being able to properly discuss things from all angles. I miss my cousins, also my friends, who are soooo knowledgeable and great in every way. I miss my friends from Manchester, who understand where my own points of view come from, even if they don't agree with them. I see them sometimes, and catch up, or we phone each other and chat, but it's harder to get past the veneers we present to the outside world when we meet up for only a few hours, or when there are less familiar friends or partners around.

Anyway, I hope I snap out of this state soon, because I'm starting to get worn out just chasing too many thoughts around in my head.

How to prepare a pineapple

Pineapples are really cheap at the moment ^_^!!

First, take your pineapple and slice the top off.
If your knife gets stuck halfway through the cut, wipe it, sharpen it, and try again.

Slice off the 'tail' at the other end, making sure you remove any off-coloured parts. Sit the pineapple up on the cut tail end, and cut the skin off in strips from top to bottom. Like so -

Keep going until you've gone round the whole thing. Go back and make sure the green parts and most of the brown 'indents' in the skin have been removed. Don't be stingy! The green-white parts are a bit drier and generally not very sweet anyway.

If you find your tongue or lips are a bit sensitive to the enzymes in the pineapple, you can soak the pieces in mildly salty water for a couple of hours in the fridge. This inactivates some of the enzymes. Just rinse before you eat. I like to eat mine chilled, but allowing the pieces to warm up slightly makes the pineapple taste sweeter.

And this is how a pineapple grows from its parent plant (if you don't live in tropical climes, there's one growing in Cambridge Botanic Gardens (UK)

Rothamsted Research open days

It's the Rothamsted Research open weekend coming up, and there's been a distinct holiday mood permeating the centre this week. There's been days of cleaning labs and making sure dangerous chemicals and glassware are out of the public's reach (our lab is being used for exhibits so it's open). A lot of yesterday was spent setting up displays and posters, and some fantastic interactive displays have been put up, especially by Bioimaging.

I've been drafted in to help out both days on the weekend, just generally manning stands and explaining (or trying to) the science to the public. Luckily, I've been mostly let off today, which is when there are groups of school 'children' (14-15 year olds, oh dear) being shown around. I'll spend the afternoon going round and looking at the exhibits whilst I have the chance. So stay tuned for more photos and more details!

'still life of rotting fruit'

People still trying to work

女人要的.....

......其實就這麼簡單而已

Going about London III - churches

The best known church in London city is probably St Paul's Cathedral, but some of the other churches are notable, if only because they have such great names.
This is one of my favourites (above). Other churches in London that have particularly memorable names include;
St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate
St Dunstan-in-the-East
St Dunstan-in-the-West
St Sepulchre-without-Newgate

and of course
Our Lady of Perpetual Help

the joys of spring

Who says my hayfever is strangely early this year? It's obvious I'm not the only one suffering.

Unfortunately, the next comic in the series isn't quite so apt. If only my contained work area wasn't full of plants....

Going about London II - Chocolate festival

One of my reasons for going to London at the weekend was to go to the Chocolate Festival at the Southbank Centre.

I went around 11.30am on Sunday, so it wasn't as busy as it was a bit later.I like chocolate, but I have little preference between 'cheap' chocolate and the more expensive 'single variety' chocolate. For example, one of my favourite chocolate bars is Sainsbury's Fairtrade chocolate at £1.29 for a 100 g bar. Not the cheapEST, but definitely very affordable.

But how could I resist such a large selection of chocolate and chocolate products?

I didn't buy much, but I tasted quite a lot of chocolate.

Thankfully, there was no American or Hong Kong chocolate (for some reason, my family have started bringing me chocolate from Korea, Japan and Hong Kong, despite my relative proximity to BELGIAN, SWISS and FRENCH chocolate.....)

Anyone wanting samples of the Far East Asian chocolates from my growing and never-diminishing stock need only ask and I will be very happy to off-load it!

Going about london I

Here are some random shots taken whilst I was in London this weekend that I would like to share with you.

'Road block'

Permanent 'additions' to the London skyline

''Mustard, mayonnaise or 'something else' on your sandwich, Sir?''

To love or to be loved?

A female Chinese professor has recently come to visit our lab for six months. The other day, we had an interesting conversation (in my halting Mandarin) on the subject of marriage. She told me that when she was young she was considered a beauty and was quite sought after by boys in her university. So people were surprised when she turned down all the best-looking suitors and married a very plain-looking man instead.

Her reason for doing this was because her husband considered himself lucky to have won her, and loved her very much, although she didn't love him. They have a twenty-year old son, and I asked whether after all these years, she had grown to love her husband. She replied very decisively 'No, I have never loved him. But he loves me very much and treats me very well, so I'm happy.'

Who knows what is the right or wrong way to find happiness? In a way, I understand. To love someone is to be vulnerable to being betrayed and hurt. Being with someone who loves you more than you love them gives you security. I think in generations past, when it was more of a stigma to divorce, and people defined women mostly as wives, mothers, grandmothers, women would get married and be expected to stay married, regardless of how they were treated. In such circumstances, happiness may have been a more co-incidental thing. Marrying someone who loved you more gave you more power and security in a society where women had very little power.

In the present day, I think we (men and women) have learnt to demand more. Or maybe, we are more confident about admitting discontentment and not worrying about seeming ungrateful for what we have than our older generations were. Certainly, women have more rights and much more choice than we used to in many parts of the world.

Is that why being with someone I don't love seems so unpalatable to me? I have friends (actually, mostly male) who seem to be looking for partners without appearing to consider love. Or is it that they are too shy to admit that they are looking for love? I think that my mother, although she wishes me to find love, secretly thinks that if I end up with someone who loves me, then that will be enough for my happiness. But I think that in her mind, if I marry someone who loves me more, then in the end I will grow to love them too.

Perhaps this is true in a way. I believe that if both people in an arranged marriage trust that this is the best way to find a partner, then they will grow to love each other and be happy together. I also know that love is gradual, you learn to love someone a little and it grows over time.

And yet.... to know someone loves me more than I love them, means that I would always feel guilty or uncomfortable to accept the things they do for me. A relationship should be about balance and compromise. If the balance of giving and receiving is skewed to one side then it is difficult to maintain it. But who can gauge who is the greater giver or recipient? Being able to give your loved ones happiness is in itself a gift to the giver.

Love is more simple than we think. But it is also more complicated than we think.

mimosa

I've been growing some mimosa seedlings (you might know it as 'shy grass') on my desk for a while now, and the new pinnate leaves have unfurled. I spend a few minutes of each day tormenting the poor leaflets, making them fold up by poking them. It's said that this is a defence mechanism, to hide the leaves from herbivores and generally making them less accessible for munching. I'm not sure if this is the real evolutionary reason, but if I were a sheep, I would definitely be a little taken aback if my lunch started to curl up before I took a bite. At least the birds won't mistake the moving leaves for lunch - worms and caterpillars of such a lucid green tend to be poisonous.

Allergies

To put it mildly, it can be a little awkward when you develop an allergy to your test material.

Having just spent a couple of hours leaning over barley plants, trying to take photos of the leaves and the various symptoms that different cultivars produce in response to virus infection, I've found that an itch has emerged as my very own symptom to the plants, around the neck and wrists. Do you know the kind - the 'hot' irritated area of skin?

I should have known I would be allergic to barley plants. A few years ago I spent a summer working with flowering barley and barley ears - it gets a lot worse around anthesis time. When I came back with my samples my eyes would be streaming. It didn't help that I then had to patiently dissect out each barley grain by hand, with my eyes straining to see. Of course, I did realise it was the barley that set me off, but I didn't expect to have a reaction to the plants prior to anthesis.

As a lot of my work will be with barley, I can hardly avoid it. I will just have to wear gloves and take anti-histamines if needs be. No wonder they told me to go to the Occupation Health unit at the hospital and take regular lung function tests.

I can't wait until hayfever season.

Valentine's day (certificate 12A)

If you're under 11 you won't be able to cope with the rejection so you're not allowed to give anyone a Valentine's day card. If you're over 11 you're ok.
(see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/8510091.stm)

Maybe the headmaster was rejected when he was little and emotionally scarred for life? I remember in primary school that the girls in my class would have been horrified (or pretended to be horrified) by the idea of having a 'boyfriend' (boys? eurgh!).

Does that mean the children won't be told to make Valentine's Day cards for their mothers and fathers any more? Is that now too Freudian?

anti-sense. The antithesis of sense.

I have just spent several days designing primers to amplify bits of DNA from wheat genomic DNA. Lots of days looking at AGTCGTCGTAA and other such sequences.
Now I've just realised that I want the antisense sequence so I have to start all over again.
AAARRGGGGGHHHHHHH
(or should it be AAATTGGGGGCCCCCCC?)

PS this post is unlikely to make sense to any non-molecular biologists. But I'm happy to share the bewilderment.

Government match-making

'South Koreans told to go home and make babies'

Self-thought in the face of sadness

Yesterday, a woman in Manchester tried to stop someone from stealing her car from in front of her own house, and was run over and killed. Her partner and five year-old son witnessed this.

Looking at the photo of the woman, she might have been one of our regular customers at the takeaway my parents own. When people have died, they are remembered perhaps extra fondly, but if it was the woman I’m thinking of, she really was always very smiley and chatty. I hope it wasn’t.

It’s awful that even when I’m reading the news like this, although my reaction is sorrow for the victim and family, and disbelief at the callousness of the act it’s also horror that I can’t work out whether the woman is someone I recognise and have talked to many times or if it’s someone I don’t know. I always feel that my natural reactions are more selfish than they should be.

This happened about a mile away from my parents’ house, so it’s a really high chance that it was one of our customers. It was in quite a nice, relatively well-off area too, which you might expect to be fairly safe. But then again, the car thieves were probably an organised group who target relatively well-off areas. Opportunistic thieves wouldn’t usually be so brutal, would they?

I don’t know whether it was her. If I was at home in Manchester I would find out very quickly. People know each other there, so the community might be a bit subdued.

Have you ever wondered, how all the people you’ve known are doing now? Whether they are married, migrated away, divorced, still alive even? Whether they are happy? People that used to play important parts of our lives but we have now lost touch with…

I wonder if anyone ever wonders how I am, if they still remember me after many years of non-contact.

Cold snap continued

Britain taken from above....

Photo from BBC news website

Cold snap

Since when has it dropped to -20 degrees (Celsius) in the UK? Temperatures that low are what I used to associate with Siberian winters, not what I would ever have predicted to occur in Scotland. Even in the south of England, at least around the Luton area, it hasn't risen above freezing for several days, and it's meant to get worse.

And whilst it's all very picturesque, it's also deeply annoying, and I'm sure, rather deadly for some people in the more remote parts of the country. It snowed again last night, and the number of people at work has dropped to maybe about 30 %, mainly because so many live in semi-countryside areas, or where there are just no trains to get to work. None of us who live in Luton town have been stupid enough to try and drive in, as last time the roads were so congested that apparently it took people over 5 hours to drive the 8-ish miles in from Luton.

When people worry about climate change, they always forget that it's not just global warming. In fact, it's not global warming per se at all. It's definitely much colder than I've ever remembered it in England right now. Perhaps 'The Day after Tomorrow' wasn't so outlandish after all.

What they don't tell you about gingerbread houses

1. You need four hands (or more) to hold everything up whilst you wait for the icing to set

2. Your decor will never look as good as the pictures you see in cookery books.

3. The stained glass windows will melt at room temperature, so soon your house looks like a derelict building, but that's ok because

4. After a few days, the walls will start to go soggy too, so it becomes a rather good impression of a derelict building.