Look Inside Yourself

I've been doing some pre-reading for pathophysiology this coming semester, and came across this incredible movie of the inner workings of a cell:

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed. Albert Einstein.

Your First Car

I began driving in the year I graduated from high school - in other words, the year I turned 17. As soon as I was allowed on the road, I headed out there. My parents had a Toyota Blizzard that I drove out to Carnarvon Gorge, but the first car I bought myself was this little Toyota Corolla. Of course, that's the year I also looked like this:

Hmmmm...

So my question today is: what year did you start driving and/or what was your first car? Also, what country did you live in at the time?

A Leunig for You

I like Leunig's cartoons - they always make me smile. This one makes me want to grab a book, find a shady tree beside a river, and just sit.

I'd probably take along a book of meditations on nature, or perhaps The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry. I'd also take a nature journal to scribble in.

What do you consider to be essential riverside reading material?

House Guests

If you noticed that all our blogs have been quiet this last week it's because we've had house guests. This was a long-awaited, much-anticipated visit by Christopher's best friend and his family. Not only has Jarred been a wonderful friend to Christopher, but he comes with a sister, Aliesha (who is Catherine's age) and lovely parents (Tiffany and Darren). Bonus!

Our guesthouse was filled to the max, with bad weather keeping all eight of us housebound for the entire visit. This did not dampen the fun in the least. The sjoelbak was popular with all, as was the chess set. Numerous other board games were dragged out of dusty corners to find new life. The playstation got a good workout as well.

Good food, great conversation and lots of playing kept us all entertained. It was especially nice to see how well the kids hit it off together. Here are a few photos of the visit:

Sjoelen (aka Dutch Shuffleboard)

We've been making use of my parents' Dutch "sjoelbak" since New Year's Eve, and it has been great! Here are some pictures of the experts in action: