I was chucking together some lunch today, when I noticed something dodgy about a mushroom I was about to chop up. Frankly, it felt a bit fluffy.
Continue reading
Tag Archives: drawing
The dragon breath dilemma
I bought a packet of mints the other day. It was an impulsive at-the-counter acquisition, because they came in a really nice tin. 
I was in a handicraft store run by a not-for-profit community organisation, so naturally, the mints were quite expensive – 
But, as the sales girl explained, they were Fair Trade mints. Continue reading
Brought to you by the number 7
When I was in kindergarten, I used to knit in the school playground. This lasted about a week, until the teacher on duty told me knitting needles were dangerous and I was not to bring them to school anymore. I was baffled; despite what the name implies, my needles were flimsy plastic ones and utterly blunt. I complied, nonetheless, and I never did finish that scarf.
My two favourite Doctors
Since Doctor Who is celebrating his 50th anniversary this weekend, I’m paying tribute to my two favourite doctors.
However, I don’t mean my most loved incarnations of The Doctor. I’m talking about Doctor Who (in his various guises) and someone you would recognise another doctor entirely…
Namely, Dr Seuss.
Things that scuttle and creep
I really am quite fond of spiders. This morning when I stepped into the shower and noticed a daddy long legs lurching spastically up a silken guy wire, I wanted nothing more than to rescue him.
He was scrambling to escape the sudden steaming monsoon with his life and legs intact, but huge drops kept ricocheting from my skin, jarring him from his thread.
Holding out for the zombie apocalypse
A couple of years ago, I had to wear a branded t-shirt for a work event and my choice was limited to an extra-small or an extra-large.
Since I’m neither of these sizes, I tried them both on. I planned to choose the shirt that looked least terrible and, more importantly, the one that was easiest to move in – since it would be a busy, running-around kind of day.
That turned out to be the extra-small one.
3D cinema for the optically challenged
Wearing two pairs of glasses at the same time can be tricky. So, if you need glasses for everyday seeing-activities and want to catch a 3D movie, you have to adapt to the challenge.
Here are three methods I’ve road-tested, with varying degrees of success:
The knuckle sandwich epiphany
Back in the days Before Technology, when I was growing up, we entertained ourselves by interacting with other kids.
This usually involved riding bikes or climbing trees, making up games or going to imaginary places. But sometimes we’d talk about Really Important Stuff like –
I would nearly always answer –
Or sometimes –
Keep in mind, it was the 80s.
The pursuit of sportiness
As a child, I had the misfortune of being labelled the brainy one. My younger brother scored the accolade of being sporty.
Don’t get me wrong, I saw my smartitude as a wonderful thing. When I grew up, I wanted to become a doctor and get a PhD and end world poverty. But I was less thrilled that braininess seemed to rule out the possibility of having any sporting prowess whatsoever.
Why humans love fire
A few years ago, my son spotted a remote control helicopter out the back of a charity shop as we dropped off some clothes. He immediately wanted to buy it.
Unfortunately, the bloke at the store said he couldn’t sell it to us. Because it was a potentially dangerous, untested electronic item, he was supposed to throw it away.
However, he mused, perhaps he could trust us to take it and throw it away for him? Wink wink nudge nudge.
My son joyfully brought the helicopter home, powered it up and launched it high in the air on its maiden flight. It span briefly at its apex, burst into flames and plummeted to the ground, smashing on impact.
Far from being disappointed, he was thrilled by the unexpected outcome.
Continue reading
How the light gets in 