From zygote to tadpole in 6 minutes.
Watch this time-lapse film on full screen. It’s amazing.
Not business. Not music. Not blowing my own trumpet.
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Tea Pillow?
Posted on January 30, 2019 by Alun Rees
The renaming of what most of us would call a tea bag into a “Hand-Stitched Tea Pillow” smacks of a very long lunch in the marketing department. Nice tea though.
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The Binge Listen #1 – Don’t Tell Me The Score
Posted on January 6, 2019 by Alun Rees
I came across the “Don’t Tell Me The Score” podcast a week or so ago and have listened to the eleven episodes whilst wrestling with wood over the past couple of days – one great advantage of the ear protectors that I employ whilst using the chain-saw is that they both isolate me and keep my headphones in place.
The premise of this BBC Radio 4 podcast is that sport can teach us a great deal about life. Presenter Simon Mundie interviews at length his guest, who has direct association with sport as a player, coach, writer, or scientist. I particularly enjoyed Ben Ryan on Motivation, Mike Brearley on Leadership and James Kerr on Legacy. There are lessons to be learned from each and every episodes and I thoroughly recommend it. More books to read! If they are as good as “Legacy” then I’m going to enjoy myself.
Available from all good podcast sources and the BBC website.
PS – One small criticism – Simon I do wish you wouldn’t keep mentioning England winning the Rugby World Cup in 2003 as if it was the greatest achievement in history – or indeed a surprise. Whilst it sticks in my craw to say it they were the best team both in the tournament and during the year leading up to it, so victory was deserved.
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Jim Lovell’s Perspective
Posted on January 5, 2019 by Alun Rees
Sometimes we (well me definitely) get up ourselves and think that the world, or even the universe revolves around us. At those times I try to remember the words of astronaut Jim Lovell who 50 years and a 12 days ago was privileged to see our world as it “rose”. The photograph “Earthrise”, taken by his fellow crew member Bill Anders, has become justly famous.
In a few months in late July, I look forward to revisiting The West Cork Hotel, 5km from where I now live, where my brother & I watched the moon landings on the black and white telly in their TV room – (TVs in hotel bedrooms being some way in the future, in Skibbereen anyway) and raising a glass to the memory.
Lovell said in a recent interview, “We’re so close to the Earth that our worlds are only as far as the eye can see. Right here, this building, our worlds exist within these walls. But suddenly, when you get out there and see the Earth as it really is, and when you realise that the Earth is only one of nine planets and it’s a mere speck in the Milky Way galaxy, and it’s lost to oblivion in the universe — I mean, we’re a nothing as far as the universe goes, or even our galaxy. So, you have to say, “Gee, how did I get here? Why am I here?”
It helps me keep some perspective. We are so very small but are capable of great achievements when we work together.
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Jan 1st 2019 – the “bracing dip”
Posted on January 2, 2019 by Alun Rees
9.30am Castlehaven Parkrun at Rineen. After nearly nine months nursing an Achilles Tendinopathy (everybody told me it would be a slow recovery – and they were right) I started running again recently. It’s good to meet up with locals & visitors; runners & walkers to enjoy the woods and the hills that make this run unique.
10.30am Drop off the De-fib in Castletownshend (once again offering a silent prayer of thanks that it wasn’t needed for me – or anyone else). Home for a bit of breakfast.
11.30am Check the tyres and cycle the 10km to Glandore. Descend from ReesAcres at just over 300 feet to sea level at Rineen, back up to 300 feet and then down again through Union Hall.
1pm The annual immersion in a chilly Glandore Harbour – so good I did it twice. 90+ sw
immers and €900 raised for the RNLI. Mulled wine and the bike in the car for the return, home for a hot shower.
No better way to start to a New Year.
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Too much time wasted on one man.
Posted on December 26, 2018 by Alun Rees
Having some “free” time this morning before the Wren Boy run at the local GAA ground, I was browsing The Guardian online and completed “The Donald Trump Quiz of the Year”.
The object is to answer 10 questions on “The Donald”. Here’s the link.
Being a competitive sort of individual I was disappointed that I started badly but I really couldn’t imagine Trump admitting to “a bad hair day”. I was correct with the other nine answers.
The paper concluded, “I worry that you have not quite managed to break free of Trump’s vice-like grip on the world’s attention. You have been thinking about him too much. Remember, that’s what he wants.”
Our civilisation seems to be controlled by narcissists, encouraging the rest of us to either join them in their self-centred universe or be subjugated by it.
The Brexit politicians and the 45th President are not people who appear to put “service before self”, they take little or notice of what I think – perhaps I have been guilty of paying them too much attention.
From today I will be spending far less of my time on them.
I suggest you do the same.
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Open your mouth and let the wind blow your tongue about…..
Posted on December 23, 2018 by Alun Rees
