Friday 12 September 2008

A little light reflection (or refraction)



Were we the only family who said our goodbyes a little more sentimentally on Wednesday morning I wonder? My daughters were convinced that the world was going to end and no amount of placating and hugging them would stop them from worrying. We are a family of worriers and the prospect of a big bang and impending doom adding to our worries was not a good mix. I thought I'd explained to Little Sister that there was a greater chance of say, being hit by a car than the earth disappearing from our feet but apparently that didn;'t work. I thought she'd grasped it, but when on Tuesday night Mr Ragged Roses came downstairs after putting her to bed, he told me that now she was worried about the world exploding or crossing the road on Wednesday (in her mind it was a question of "either/ or"). Oh dear I never was very good at explaining science.



So on Wednesday morning I sat at the sewing machine listening to all news from Radio 4 and in particular to my favourite, Women's Hour which had an item about women scientists and the apparent lack of them. I must say that science wasn't my favourite subject at school. I loved biology until it was time for dissection - I remember writing knowledgeably about the reproductive cycle of a rabbit and the nutritional value of a plate of egg and chips (I remember making my favourite meal sound incredibly balanced), but I just couldn't get to grips with Chemistry or Physics.



I loved the experiments, loved drawing up diagrams but for the most part couldn't (or more likely, refused) to understand what was going on. In Chemistry lessons what I did like was the colour of some of the chemicals, pouring the liquids into test tubes, heating them up and watching the results. One thing I always remembered was the delight of watching the sun shining in through the windows and catching the colour of the liquid in the tubes, it was beautiful seeing the reflection around the table. What is it called, refraction I think - I'm probably wrong, I bet Val would know.



Anyway whilst all these musings were going on I also noticed that the sun was shining in the garden but hadn't yet reached the kitchen. I found it though, hiding in Big Sister's bedroom keeping one of the cats company. I sat on the bed feeling the sun on me for the first time in weeks, enjoying it's heat and light. I took these photos to capture the moment and remind me that what has truly been lacking over this summer is the absence of colour save grey. It has truly coloured everything. A few minutes of sunshine reminded me of what might have been ...



Thank you all so much for your lovely comments on my school post, It was great to hear your memories too, doesn't the thought of school dredge up so much inside us? Well one thing I do remember learning at school is the importance of being polite and good manners and I'm afraid my teachers wouldn't be that proud of me - you see I have been given a whole bunch of awards over the summer months and haven't, until now, mentioned them. I am sorry to all you lovely ladies who gave them to me, they are very much appreciated and instead of detention I shall promise to dust them regularly and give them a good polish now and again (or when the sun shines!).

A huge 'thank you" to Carol for this award:



and Happy birthday to you for next week!

Merci to Sal, April and
Tracy for this lovely one:



Danke to Amanda



and finally Grazie to Summerfete for this lovely prize.



I really am overwhelmed with all this kindness, I never did this well at prize day at school.
I hope you don't mind if I don't choose some bloggers to pass it on to , that would be just too hard a choice to have to make. So please consider yourself all top of the class. Have a great weekend
x


31 comments:

MelMel said...

Yes that was a worry...glad we are all still here!Olly kept updating me from work as they were on high alert!!! i spent all day quite nervous!
He works for a well known bank and security increases during times like this! eekkkkkkk!!!

I'm sipping lemsip amd keeping warm...just make syou feel less able having a sniffle...suddenly the whole house looks a mess.....its not but feels that way cos i have no energy to do anything!!!!
xxxx

MelMel said...

Oh i'm doing a givaway...want to join in?x

Wayfaring Wanderer said...

I love the photos, so fun!

Debbies-English-Treasures said...

C.O.N.G.R.A.T.U.L.A.T.I.O.N.S!
To all your awards!
They sure were well deserved!
Kisses
Debbie Moss

French Knots said...

Your lovely photos have brightened my grey day!

Gone to Earth said...

You say it all so well, My daughter was worried that we were all going to disappear into a black hole my son was admitting nothing and let's not talk about my mother.....

I completely agree about the light and how it brings out colour so wonderfully. My photograhs lately have seemed so flat and lifeless and I don't think that it's all down to me! It does make the sunshine so precious when it does turn up.

Congratulations on the awards - you deserve them all! Jx

dottycookie said...

I'm highly impressed you managed to get bright and colourful pictures - mine are so dull and grey at the moment I might just switch to sepia and have done with it!

(I think refraction is right - but I am not a physicist!)

Cape Cod Washashore said...

Hoping you have a lovely weekend with your girls, Kim!

It is starting to get cooler here in the evenings, typically the time of year when hubby and I start pulling out all our BBC dvds, and contemplate which flavor of tea we'll sip while watching them once we get the woodstove going again. =) It's really pathetic what Anglophiles we are here at home! lol

Congratulations on all those well-deserved awards! =)

Amanda and Tim said...

What beautiful photos! I was the complete opposite of you at school - I loved theorising and learning the whys of things but I hated the experiements. I don't know why I hated them so much, I just did - strange for someone who loves to make things in all others ways.

Anyway - congratulations on all your awards - you deserve them all!

LinenandRoses said...

I totally forgot about the big bang experiment until I turned on the radio on the way to work at eight thirty, and then felt terrible incase something happened and I'd only told S I loved him 10 times before he'd left for work that morning, and what if the World ended that morning and I couldn't tell him again! So no, you're not the only family to worry about these things. Good job all the media hype was over the top as usual. Lovely photos and well done on all the awards.

Cape Cod Washashore said...

I'll have to keep my eyes out for "Tess" over here! Last summer hubby and I watched every single episode of "Upstairs Downstairs" and its spinoff, "Thomas & Sarah". I was too young to appreciate it when it aired over here originally on our PBS. Do you have any other recommendations? We are overwhelmed with all the BBC dvds there are available. I've heard "The Duchess of Duke Street" is supposed to be interesting.

Emma Herian said...

Its a good job we had that coffee on Tuesday, imagine.... it might have been our last chance to mull over our dreams!
Refraction.... certainly distraction!
Have a great weekend, we are off to the wood fair on Sunday, shall I look out for our woodland that will go with the lavender farm!?
XX Em

Anonymous said...

My husband was joking that wouldn't it be funny if a lot of little green men appeared!!!

Lovely post Kim and I love the colours. Congratulations on your blog awards ~ as Bruce Forsyth would say "Didn't she do well!"

Marie x

Thimbleanna said...

Congratulations on all your awards Ms. Roses. They're all VERY well deserved...as you've proven yet again with such a delightful post and very cool pictures!

Emma Herian said...

Sorry Kim!
The woodfair is at Bently - all things to do with wood, chopping, growing,making and dreaming! We go every year, come home and dream of that rural life we hanker for!
X

Pam said...

I love the bright colours of your napkin rings. It was sunny here today! - not that I was out in it. But it's nice to see through the window.

Ally Jay said...

Have to say that it all passed very quietly in NZ. It barely got a sentence on the news. Clearly NZ feels its too far away from anywhere to be blown to smithereens. Still it is good to still be able to blog. Loved the photos, so beautiful.

Attic24 said...

Oh beautiful photos, I've come across all giddy looking at those colours!!!
Are they tealight holders Kim?? Availbale to buy somewhere, because I love them very much and they would be right at home over at my place.
Congrats on the awards,very well deserved
xxxxxx

Pondside said...

I had a lovely catch-up here this morning! As always, your writing captures something - at once familiar but different enough to intrigue. I loved your school memories post!
I have had to take a wee break from blogging, for family reasons, but will still enjoy popping by to read your posts!

Garden Girl said...

Happy weekend to you too!! I can remember having to stand up whenever a teacher used to walk into our classroom at school..it was just considered normal! But when I told a friends son that last week he looked at me blankly and said 'Why?' Hey ho.
Glad the world didn't end on Wednesday and hope that little sis is ok now xxx

Louise said...

I think my Biology teacher thought he was one for the ladies. He used to smell very heavily of Aramis or Paco Rabanne aftershave! Lovely bright colours. Hope you all enjoyed the glimpse of summer we had today. x

Teena Vallerine said...

Do you mean the protons bouncing around a tunnel somewhere in Switzerland? I'm with your daughters - I thought that was really scary too! t.x

meggie said...

The lovely photos of those pretty colours took away the grey.

Carol said...

I am a worrier too Kim. I have a flight booked and I am so worried about it. People tell me driving in a car is far more dangerous - but it does not feel like that to me, I spend hours in the car !
Well done, lots of awards there. Enjoy this wonderdul Sunny Sunday.
Carol x

Betty said...

I had to think and think about why your daughters were worried that the world would end. Then I realized you were talking about the "big bang". You have some smart little girls. My kids never gave it a second thought.

Cowboys and Custard Mercantile said...

Dear M..How remiss of me to roll in late for this post..
I feel I should be given a detention for my lack of punctuality!
This sudden gift of sun that we have been blessed with does colour our worlds and bring everything to life.. including the dust in our house!
I wish we could bottle the light and vibrant colours.. rather like that delicious concoction that Marvellous Milly made !
D xx

Elizabethd said...

What lovely colourful photos.
Huge congratulations on all your awards, well done.

Paper Roses said...

Hello hope you had a lovely weekend,
what great weather...
Love your pictures
Debbie

Linda said...

Yes it was a big discussion in our house too, the boys counted down the hours (since it was 4 in the afternoon for us) and I think even though they were mucking around about it all I think that they were all releaved that nothing happened. Congrats on all of your awards.
Cheers Linda

BeadBag said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
BeadBag said...

Love your photos - and blog - very pretty (and pink)!
Kindest regards, Shirley I.