Hot Air Balloons

This morning I went to the Hamilton Lake to watch the hot air balloons going up. Couldn't get a park nearby, so ended up going for a nice relaxing walk around the lake just as the balloons were beginning to be inflated. My favourites were the kiwi and the kangaroo. They went up at about the same time. It was a lovely start to the weekend.

Observing children

It was my nephews 4th birthday a few days ago. It makes me feel old. He doesn't look that much older, but he is definately getting smarter. Its so funny seeing a kid that could only give you a yes or no answer not long ago, now coming out with full sentences and saying astonishing things.

Hes very eagerly awaiting the soon to be arrival of his little brother (he did initially say it was a girl but they had the scan recently, and its a boy). I don't think he realizes his brother won't be able to play with him for at least a couple of years - he'll be at school making new friends, and his brother will be at home demolishing his stuff. Hilarious. I don't think anyone wants to upset his anticipation by mentioning any of this to him, I certainly don't.

I just really like seeing the stages of his progression and observing him learning new things. And now I wonder, maybe thats how God feels about us? Delighting when we learn new things or good things happen to us, and feeling for us when we fall down.

Art Journalling

Have found a new hobby and am really loving it. Art or visual journalling. Its been a long time since I got my hands dirty with paint and I am surprised how much I am enjoying it. Found a couple of library books about it, plus a random comment from a girl at church and thats what got me started. Have pulled apart a spiral bound blank scrapbook and am going over it. I just like mixing the colours and smearing them on the page and seeing how it looks. Collaging, stamping, using up all my old scrapbooking and craft stuff that has been sitting in storage for the last several years. Mostly i just like the part about writing down my thoughts on paper along with photos and pictures. Its very therapeutic.

A Short History of Nearly Everything

I just finished this book, written by Bill Bryson on the recommendation of a friend. At first I didn't like it, with end of the world scenarios of being hit by meteors, or blown up by volcanoes. However, by the end of the book, the sensation I have been left with is one of gratitude. Grateful to be alive, thinking and doing well. Even though I disagree with some things he writes about, I still enjoyed this book very much.

He explains very well in summary form many of the principles of science and different scientific fields and theories. The stories behind the "facts" are revealed in some cases to be quite hilarious. There are anecdotes, dramas and disagreements, people who discovered things but never got credit for it, scientists ripping each others ideas to shreds. In some cases the truth of science is little more than one persons interpretation, or a best guess at a point in time, or "what we think we know," ideas which may potentially be over written by future analysis or discovery of another person.

He reveals the personalities, background, foibles and quirks of the scientists whose learnings developed our understanding of the world around us, which is so much better than just cold hard information.

I found the book intriguing and highly enjoyable (which is why it was overdue at the library - I couldn't give it up until I had finished it). I like its attempt to make science accessible to the layperson (in that respect it reminds me of the DVD "What the Bleep do we know" about Quantum Physics).