Birthday balloon

Helium is the second element in the periodic table, atomic number two. It was first discovered when they measured the spectrum of the Sun. It was found as a line in the spectrum that did not appear to be on Earth.

Balloons like this are filled with this dwindling resource, if I remember correctly it’s from a place in America. I think there is a world shortage.

Helium is the second lightest element, but unlike Hydrogen which is the lightest, it doesn’t react with anything. So Helium stays on its own, it escapes out of our atmosphere. Hydrogen on the other hand reacts with many elements and this results in H2O, water, as two hydrogen atoms link with one oxygen.

Coventry University had a whole series of videos on YouTube that was about the elements if I remember. It was very interesting and they discussed all the elements in the periodic table. It was presented by a professor with mad grey curly hair….

Wishing it was warm

Finally the temperature is plummeting. Warm days this November are fading as the Jet Stream of wind changes position and cold air tumbles down from the Arctic. Some parts of Britain might see wintery showers soon. Then my garden plants will be hit by the chill. In the meantime I can only think of the glorious plants that bloomed in the spring and summer and the seasons ahead of us. Looking forward to the future again.

Why do things go wrong

Splat!

Just when you think things are OK sometimes they go wrong.

Case in point, we have to get copies of documents sent in for something. I collected everything together but a couple of things are missing. We went to the shop and got a copy of the sales invoice. Then I checked a document and its not up to date, it was done on line but we were never sent the original documents. Much head scratching, swear words, contacting people. I hope I have sorted it out, but you never know.

I suppose the thing to realise is that lots of people are struggling too. It’s just life and beauracracy, we have to have bits of paper to prove things. But now they do things online… It’s not simple. You have to log in and remember passwords. Only I have a different one for everything! Splat, my mind is whirling.

Fed up

I’m sorry to say I’m not well. I seem to be getting one thing after another wrong with me. My back and neck are aching. I’m worried I might have shingles but trying to get in the doctors is proving impossible. Everything is so busy, the NHS is getting overwhelmed and so many people are struggling to get treatment. So I’m drinking plenty of fluids and taking pain killers. I’m truly fed up. I have things I need to do and this means I have to keep putting them off.

Nebula

I’m looking at some photos of my old paintings, I realise I’ve got a lot of inspirations, including astronomy. This was a painting I did of a Nebula. I tried to be as accurate as I could. Clearly it’s impossible to be exact, and positioning of the stars is approximately done. I don’t remember which Nebula photo I looked at. It was probably in the Sky at Night magazine which I sometimes use for inspiration. I’m no expert, I think I’m more interested in the visual representation rather than the celestial mechanics and chemistry of the different gases.

Two cats together

One on my knee, one on the arm of the chair. My two boy cats sitting almost nose to nose. They are quite tolerant of each other, and this is the closest they have ever sat together. It asted half an hour, both snug and warm. This is not photoshopped they were about three inches apart. So pleased we got the outside cat to join the household especially at this cold time of year.

Documents

Please provide…. ‘ xxxxxx’ said the email. Various documents for our insurance claim. So, you then realise you have too many documents. Piles and piles, because you don’t want to have identity theft and the shredder got too hot last time you used it….

So, going through pile four of eight lots you find one thing. You ask hubby if he knows where things are and he hands you something. So that’s two out of ten things you need…

I looked through it all. Found nothing else.. Rang up the shop we bought the thing from… Yes they can let us have a copy of something..

Then I looked at the table I’d got things on. There underneath everything was a crucial document. I hadn’t seen it before because I had put it upside down to write notes on the back! Phew!

Then I asked hubby because I can’t find another document. ‘that’s online ‘ he said. I found the email… What’s the password? ‘I don’t know’ came the reply.

Having a rest. Will ring Monday. Peeved.

My writings awful

I am struggling to write since I hurt my wrist. If I hold a pen I get sharp pains shooting down from my thumb. The pressure I have to press down with is also making it hurt.

I’ve tried getting in the doctors but can’t get an appointment. I will try again. I looked the symptoms up on the Internet (not a good idea), I have an idea what might be causing it, but self diagnosis is not a good thing. I might be minimising or catastrophising…. Life is strange and interesting and can be confusing.

Fig tree leaves

Our fig tree that grows alongside the house is well sheltered and has got rather tall this year. The leaves are really big and are just starting to fall off. The one on the ground still looks healthy and green. The laurel bush is towering over everything and really needs cutting back but we don’t have the skills or the strength to do it.

So all in all the garden is thriving. We need to maintain it bit it’s our wild haven. I will maybe post more photos as the year turns.