Stardust

Image from www.universe-beauty.com

So cold here at the moment! It was 3 degrees when I got up this morning and, in our un-central-heated house, I am currently wearing 4 layers, 2 pairs of socks and 1 pair of leg-warmers. Oh my.

------------------------------------------





In the time honoured tradition of the household, however, we are keeping warm by eating. I made a suprisingly good ricey thing last night with boiled rice (then pan fried in olive oil) with pan fried capsicum, mushroom, purple onion and tomato with a generous helping of dried oregano. What do you cook with rice?





------------------------------------------





Getting into the Wonders of the Universe tv series with Brian Cox. Last night he examined the idea that we are all stardust - that is, that everything is composed of particles from exploded stars. I have always been uninspired and quite depressed by such a notion but he explained it so well and, in fact, so beautifully, that I have completely changed my mind. What do you think?

To Infinity and Beyond!

Image from Google

My DH and I have spent the last couple of nights stargazing. The weather has been cool overnight and so the sky is clear and the stars bright. Above is the Southern Cross which we saw last night; we also saw Lupus Lupi (the wolf) and Corvus Corvi (the crow). Special stars especially for me to see. But the big thrill of the night was seeing Saturn through the telescope - and even its rings. Truly mind-blowing. So very far away and yet we are lucky enough to stand in our backyard and see it. Truly there is such majesty in the night's sky - the inky, infinite blackness and that great expanse of glimmering white.

When I was little, we had a set of old encyclopedias at home from the 1930s. In them was a drawing showing how far it was and how long it would take to get to the Moon on an express train (with peculiarly specific parameters like 'if it left from Victoria Station'). To consider ploughing vertically through the blackness for six months on a train was too much for my small brain. I would always have to shut the book and come back to it later. The whole subject just overhwhelmed me!