[Tamara]

Oh! That! See over here in the west we don’t hear about anything much except the Cup and we ALL stop for that!

I have to stay put for Easter and I am not really very happy about it! My husband has chickens hatching two days before and is frightened his dad won’t look after them if he goes away. It is our only chance to go off farm as a family before seeding when he lives and breathes work much more than normal (and believe me he is regarded by many as a workaholic). Easter weekend will also be when my nephew (the one who lost his mum) turns 18 but I don’t think there will be a party as he will most likely be off in Perth doing his mixed martial arts he is so passionate about.

I plan to escape for the April school holidays though, well for part of it. I will do the usual and get winter shoes for the kids and give Miss 10 a shopping experience and then go see my sister and deliver my little nephew’s birthday present.

So do we know this famous author Fiona? I don’t like hearing how people get ill and then suddenly… well you know, Bryce Courtney I am thinking of when I say that. I great story teller. What a friend you are though to send a buttonhole on his special day. I hope it is a fabulous success for him.

[meleliza]

Yes, I meant the Formula 1 race. It’s not so popular in the US either, but my hubby is a massive fan. The

Austrailian race is the first of the season, so he gets very excited!

Thank you for the compliments, I’m glad you like the dress. I will share all the detail in a couple of weeks. I actually still have a tiny bit of hand sewing to finish before I deliver it next weekend. Lots to think about!

[Lightning McStitch]

The wind was blowing the right way for us to hear the mosquito like whine of the F1 race on the weekend. So, while I could hear it, you probably saw more of it and know more about it Meleliza.

Giving a corsage as a gift is such a lovely idea. If you can start a resurgence of the corsage then I’d be cheering for you needlewoman. Absolutely quaint and old fashioned but such a nice way to recognise that someone is about to do something special and might like to feel a bit fancy while they do it.

I could probably wear one most days in fact…. Perhaps I’ll get a deal going with my local florist…

[Tamara]

So we had “our town meets the stars” at school last night where some University of Western Australia staff came up along with a few scitech people to set up telescopes so we could look at our sky. We got there a bit late but they were doing a talk about a brief history of Astrology and then did a slide show of all the telescopes and how far they can reach. I learned a few things along the way which is always great but there was so much noise that I felt sorry for the presenter. They set up some water rockets on the back of a ute – essentially water bottles with half water in them and little fluro thingys on the the sides and connected to a bike pump. The kids took turns pumping these things into the air and watching the scare the pants off the parents as some went very close to peoples heads.

After my kids had their turn we went and had a look in one of the telescopes, saw huge craters on the moon! And how bright it actually is when the clouds clear. It was amazing but N was disappointed to not look at Mars. Maybe another time. We had to go home and sleep for another early get up time and school.

It was a good night and nice to have some social time.

Murray has just come back from doing the chooks and brought the little dog back with him. Apparently the dog was trying to round up sheep! And prove me wrong because I keep telling him his is too small to go and help!

[Lightning McStitch]

Astrology or Astronomy? Call me a sceptic too, but University scientists are more likely to talk about the latter.

The telescope sounds awesome. My son would love to have seen the moon like that (his dad has convinced him the Easter Rabbit lives on the moon. Sorry, that may seem blasphemous to some. 🙂 )

[Sarvi]

Haha, I have a friend who is an astronomer and cosmologist and I always refer to him as an astrologer and cosmetologist 🙂

How exciting to have a peek through a big telescope!

[Tamara]

I meant Astronomy…. Some scientists study astrology too but it isn’t associated as much as Astronomy is. Oh my! i never heard of the Easter Bunny living on the moon, I always thought it was why Easter Island was named Easter Island – have you seen the animated movie Hop?

Oh you could see these massive craters (probably said that already) and it was brighter than I thought it would be. Just such a fantastic opportunity seeing as the last time I looked at the skies through a telescope was when I was about 9 and Haley’s comet was visible.

I am wishing we had arrived earlier as apparently there was a woman who is an astronaut who spoke also. That would have been so interesting but like I said there were rude people who were talking so you had to listen hard to get the information.

This is the kind of science I loved as a kid and just think, after the submissions and building WA will host a part of the telescope that will reach to the very end of the universe – when I’m about 50! Apparently what they research in space has an adverse effect on our progression in technology so they must be taking leaps and bounds because the technology is just bounding along.

One thing I couldn’t see was the many flags of all the nations that have landed on the moon.

[meleliza]

On the moon, huh? I wonder if mine would buy that. Come to think of it, I’m not really sure where the Easter bunny lives at all.

[with love Heidi]

How cool to look at the moon! I love science.

No sewing at the moment as I am writing job applications. I HATE selection criteria. Yes I can do that, Yes I’ve done most of the job before, now stop wasting hours of my life making me write it up! I could be sewing!

[Tamara]

So what is your area of expertise Heidi?

I was hoping to look at more than the moon but seeing as it was already 8pm by the time we got to the telescope to line up, it was just getting a bit late in terms of the half hour journey home to put the kids to bed. That is half the problem with having events like this in the middle of the week. Sometimes it would be easier for this kind of thing if we lived in town but then we wouldn’t have our lovely quiet surroundings.

Yes, my kids love science too! Yesterday apparently N had to melt some chocolate in his hands and then put it in a sandwich bag and into the canteen freezer. He said it smelt bad when it was melted but nice when it wasn’t. I would have thought the smell would e stronger but if that is his observation….. Our science room is getting a facelift as according to the Education department we don’t meet the standards! The same goes for our art and home economics rooms – you walk in there and you are transported back to year 8 cooking!

I am just waiting for another request for the birthday list, so far it has a telescope on it – that apparently has to be delivered by the Easter bunny with eggs tied to it! I think EB will be leaving a note instead!

[Lightning McStitch]

Sarvi, what a wonderful friend to have. I’d be ringing him every morning to ask if I should bother getting out of bed today, and if I should, could he come round and fix my face for me! (I do like to stir…)

[Sarvi]

Haha! He is very good-natured about it. The terms sound so similar, it’s surprising more people don’t forget which two are sciences. I suppose the best bit is that he’s got what I will try to be charitable and describe as a utilitarian haircut — I don’t think he’d find clients beating a path to his door if he were a cosmetologist:) Maybe the trouble is that some sciences just *sound* fake — I got marked down by an English teacher who thought I was making up ‘meteorology’. Those were dark days.

On a happier note, we are either out of or nearly out of the Milky Way at last!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21866532

I had to laugh at ‘heliocliff’ after all the ‘fiscal cliff’ talk recently here in the US. I’m sure there are some good puns or other jokes to be had but I’m afraid I haven’t found them yet.

[with love Heidi]

Justsewit, I’m a scientist but i’ve been out for a couple of years in a different job, so I’m not sure how hard it is to get back in.

How frustrating Sarvi, to get makerd down for a real word!

[Sarvi]

Ah well, that’s just the way it goes, sometimes.

What field of science? Here’s hoping potential employers appreciate your experience!

[Lightning McStitch]

My 4 year old son was telling my husband and I all about shipworms at the dinner table one evening about 6 months ago, and while what he said sounded quite plausible; they have a cone shaped shell on their head with cutting blades and they make tunnels in wood and they’re really thin. When he got to the bit about them being “this big” (little four year old arms stretched wide) I thought, “nah, he’s got to be making this up”.

But after bedtime I hit the ‘net and sure enough, according to Wikipedia, they’re a bivalve mollusc that burrows into wood and can be over a metre long. He’d been watching an engineering program about tunnel building. Sometimes the most bizarre things from the mouths of kids are true.

But most of the time it’s complete b%^&it

The trick must be in knowing when to listen, right?.