by Fern Shaw | Aug 4, 2014 | Water, water cooler, Water Coolers
What I know about maths could fit on one hand, both hands, at a stretch.
The first one that boggles my mind is the Fibonacci numbers that are Nature’s numbering system.
Another example is from The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson. In it, there’s mention made of Fermat’s Last Theorem, which Lisbeth Salander attacks with relish. It’s round about here that my grey matter literally freezes and I’m not joking – I can almost feel my brain kick into neutral. There’s actually little wonder that I spend so much time at the water cooler, my brain grinds to a halt so often that I need to drink lots of water to lubricate it to start functioning again!
Having said this, I do believe that the Fibonacci numbers do kind of, sort of, make sense. There’s symmetry in there that appeals to my rather particular warped logic. All of these equations point to connections that are just there or have been there all along if we just choose to open ourselves up to this magic.
Here’s why I think this:
I’m history mad. When it comes to my forefathers, colour me fascinated. Racial memory, call it what you will, whenever I hear about certain ancient tribes, something resonates within me. One particular example of this is the Vikings. I watch a series called Vikings. I see how fierce they were but also discover that they were also interested in farming and fertile earth and all good things. I see some of their rituals which are, to put it politely, rather brutal.
Not one week later, I start watching another series, Shetland and in the second episode, it shows a centuries old Scottish festival called, wait for it, Up Helly Aa. Part of the festival involves the dragging of a galley through the streets of various towns, culminating in lit torches being thrown into the galley, setting it alight and the galley being consumed in fire. (Early galleys were made from a light timber frame covered with canvas or alternatively old boats, whose useful life afloat was over, were converted and subsequently sent to Valhalla). The festival seems to have derived from the Norse culture, some of whom invaded the Shetlands in the 12th century. We all know by now my wish to have a Viking burial, see Tornados are water, who knew? Sometime in all of this, I watched another program and there was mention made of Freya, the Norse goddess of love and fertility, who I only learnt about while watching Vikings.
So now it seems that there is this symmetry and connectivity in choices that I’ve made – okay, watching Vikings was very much a conscious decision, but I had no clue that Shetland would have all the ancient Viking elements in it nor that they would be burning galleys at festivals or that Freya is mentioned on more than one occasion all of a sardine.
I’m going to leave this with you to ponder over. My brain hurts and I need to drink water.
by Fern Shaw | Jul 14, 2014 | Health and Hydration, Water
Refreshing Fruit, Veggie, Herb and Spice Infused Water
You may remember that at the beginning of the year, we had a Drink Water Daily Challenge. I was impressed by how many AquAid customers accepted the challenge and threw themselves into the fray with wild abandon. Even more impressive was the staying power and the results. At the very least, I’m hoping it increased some people’s daily water intake.
Now, in the height of summer, we’re loosening up a bit and having a bit more fun with our water. Here are a few recipes to get you started:
Lemon, lavender and mint infused water:
- Add 1/2 cup of dried lavender, a handful of fresh mint and one sliced lemon to a litre of water.
- Place the infusion in the fridge for approximately 25 minutes, drain the liquids and you should end up with a light pink cool drink that really tastes like lavender, mint and lemon!
I’ve some other marvellous ideas. The amount of water and the period for infusion is pretty much the same as for the above recipe, but as with most infusions, the longer the infusion time, the more chance the fruit / veggie / herbs / spices have to, well, um … infuse:
* Creamsicle: Orange slices and one vanilla bean, sliced down the centre.
* Blackberry: Handful of blackberries, lime slices and mint sprigs.
* Garden: Fresh sprigs of rosemary and/or basil.
* Herbs: Fresh sprigs of rosemary, mint, lemon and cucumber slices.
* Berry Basil: Fresh strawberries, sliced (green tops on for aesthetics) down the centre and handful of fresh basil.
* Ginger Cream: Slices of fresh ginger and one vanilla bean, sliced down the centre.
* Citrus: Slices of oranges, limes, and lemons.
* Melon: Slices of watermelon and limes.
* Tropical: Slices of fresh pineapple, watermelon and lime.
* Mojito: Sliced fresh pineapple, a slice or two of fresh ginger, handful of mint sprigs.
* Peaches and Cream: Slices of very ripe peaches and one vanilla bean, sliced down the centre.
The only things that I would avoid are fruits that tend to mush easily such as mango or raspberries. In my opinion, these are too soft to withstand all the ice bumping against them. After an hour, they will look less pretty and more like a blob of mushy ick. Not what you’re going for, I assume.
Mason jars with pretty colour chequered tops seem to be all the rage. If you’re not bovvered about looks, any old glass (or plastic if you’re on the go) container will do.
by Fern Shaw | Jul 14, 2014 | Health and Hydration, Water, water cooler, Water Coolers
Bananas are Best!
I found this Scottish children’s song:
Chorus
Banana, banana, bananas are the best
A nice squishy middle in a big yella vest
Today or manyana, ah’ll be sayin ‘Can ah,
Can ah have a ba-na-na?
What am ah goin to have for ma tea? Banana!
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday? Banana!
What’s ma Sunday dinner goin to be? Banana!
Can ah have a ba-na-na?
(Chorus)
Fifty million monkeys can’t be wrong – banana!
From totie wans tae Old King Kong – banana!
They all love to sing this song – banana!
‘Can ah have a ba-na-na?’
Lovely! I can see me singing this for the next few weeks and getting myself some serious skew looks!
Now for the amazing properties of the banana peel:
Banana peels are full of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins, so they can naturally cure many ailments and can aid cell regeneration.
* Water Filtration – Research shows they have a capacity to absorb lead and copper from water.
I wouldn’t suggest trying this using the office water cooler + AquAid’s water doesn’t need to be filtered. So there. J
Bug Bites – Just rub a banana peel on a bug bite to soothe the skin and reduce the itch.
Bruises – With regenerative properties, banana peel can speed up the healing of bruises.
Teeth Whitening – Rub the inside of a banana peel on your teeth for a couple of minutes every other day, and your teeth could be noticeably whiter in a few weeks.
Warts – Banana peels help eliminate warts and prevent their return. Tape or somehow strap a piece of banana peel to the wart overnight for about a week or rub the banana peel on the affected area daily. This can also work for plantar warts. A potato skin has been known to be able to do the same thing.
Scrapes and Scratches – Rub a banana peel on small cuts or scratches and it can help promote healing
Splinters – The enzymes help dislodge the splinter and can help kick-start the healing process if you tape a piece of the peel over a splinter for a couple hours.
Acne – A banana peel can soothe the inflammation and irritation of acne. It also helps to prevent future outbreaks. Rub a peel over the acne every night. You should see a positive change within a few days.
Psoriasis – Once or twice a day, try rubbing a banana peel on a psoriasis-affected area. Bananas have properties to reduce itchiness, moisturize, and heal psoriasis. You should see noticeable differences in a few days.
Rashes and Itches – Poison ivy, mild rashes, dry skin, irritated skin and even sunburn. Banana peel is good for relieving itch and promotes healing of the skin. Rub the peel over the rash or affected are twice daily until it is gone. If you notice it getting worse you should see a professional.
Oh, the photo. I’m in no way suggesting that you try this at home (or anywhere for that matter). Nor should you immerse bananas in your water cooler for summery tasting water. It’ll just be messy and most likely you’ll be getting the bill for cleaning out said water cooler.
*excerpts from an article at Natural Cures Not Medicine
by Fern Shaw | Jul 8, 2014 | Water, water cooler, Water Coolers
Image ~ Darrin Gatewood
I thought my parrot had finally fallen off its perch when I read the headline.
Water cooling your PC? Mais oui, according to various articles.
Whether you’re using a desktop or laptop computer, there’s a good chance that if you stop what you’re doing and listen carefully, you’ll hear the whirring of a small fan. If your computer has a high-end video card and lots of processing power, you might even hear more than one.
In most computers, fans do a pretty good job of keeping electronic components cool. But for people who want to use high-end hardware or coax their PCs into running faster, a fan might not have enough power for the job. If a computer generates too much heat, liquid cooling, also known as water cooling, can be a better solution. It might seem a little counter-intuitive to put liquids near delicate electronic equipment, but cooling with water is far more efficient than cooling with air.
A liquid-cooling system for a PC works a lot like the cooling system of a car. Both take advantage of a basic principle of thermodynamics – that heat moves from warmer objects to cooler objects. As the cooler object gets warmer, the warmer object gets cooler. You can experience this principle first hand by putting your hand flat on a cool spot on your desk for several seconds. When you lift your hand, your palm will be a little cooler, and the spot where your hand was will be a little warmer.
Well, colour me watercated.
What’s even more impressive is apparently you can fit your own pc water cooler system in your own home. I’d suggest trying it at the office too, but fearless guinea pig that I am, I tried and well, let’s just say that my fans were working overtime once I received the response that I did.
Before any of you get into hot (harf harf harf) water in your work place, I’ll save you the trouble and tell you that asking if you can experiment and replenish your water cooling system using water from the office water cooler is most likely to get you a big, fat ‘No!’ in reply.
by Fern Shaw | Jun 2, 2014 | Charity, Water
As you know, I tend to blather on a little about water. Especially drinking water. Clean, fresh drinking water in Africa, where millions of people don’t have access to the life giving stuff as we do. It all seems a bit negative, but that isn’t really the case.
I came across these two articles recently.
The first, from The Daily Mail, said:
‘Huge reserves of underground water in some of the driest parts of Africa could provide a buffer against the effects of climate change for years to come, scientists said.
Researchers from the British Geological Survey and University College London have for the first time mapped the aquifers, or groundwater, across the continent and the amount they hold.
‘The largest groundwater volumes are found in the large sedimentary aquifers in the North African countries Libya, Algeria, Egypt and Sudan,’ the scientists said in their paper.’
The other, from The Telegraph, said:
‘Scientists using technology developed to search for oil have discovered a vast underground water reservoir in one of Kenya’s driest regions that if properly managed could supply the country’s needs for close to 70 years.
Researchers from a French-American firm, Radar Technologies International, worked with the Kenyan government and UNESCO to layer satellite, radar and geological maps on top of each other, and then used seismic techniques developed to find oil to identify the reservoir.
It lies in Kenya’s extreme northwest, close to its borders with South Sudan, Ethiopia and Uganda. The area is sparsely populated and prone to conflict over existing scarce resources.’
See, now, this is actually marvellous news, but with this, a word of caution:
“But knowing there’s water there, and then getting it to the surface, are two different things …” Brian McSorley, a water expert at Oxfam in Nairobi, said.
And therein lies the rub. Deep down underground there is potable water – even in the Sahara Desert – but reaching it can be problematic.
That’s why sustainable, practical and cost effective solutions are important. One such solution that has been in operation for a number of years now, addressing this exact problem, can be found through The Africa Trust. A charity started by AquAid and Ian Thorpe. One of the many solutions that The Africa Trust provides is the building of Elephant Pumps throughout disadvantaged communities throughout Africa.
No, they don’t use real elephants. The Elephant Pump is a well based on an ancient Chinese design. The pump has been adapted to make it stronger, more durable and made and maintained using materials that are locally available in remote rural sub-Saharan African communities.
by Fern Shaw | May 19, 2014 | Water, water cooler, Water Coolers
Continuing my love affair with all things tree and in keeping with ‘best of British’, have a gander at 5 trees native to Britain. By native, we mean trees that are at home in Britain and have grown in the country for thousands of years. I’ve included two images of the beautiful birch trees that I mentioned in Trees and Water Part I.
All of these can be planted in your garden (should you have the space) and are fantastic to have as they encourage native insect and bird life.
Alder, Alnus glutinosa
- A quick-growing, nitrogen-fixing, insect-harbouring, bird-loving son of a gun
Planting an alder is a great way to invite birds and insects to live in your garden. These trees grow fast and love damp soil. In the winter, male catkins and female cones dangle from the branches. Its timber was used as a lure for woodworm, which would
prefer to eat away at a block of alder wood placed in a wooden cupboard than the cupboard itself.
Ash, Fraxinus excelsior
- A grand tree shrouded in mystery and folklore
For the Vikings, their ‘world tree’ was an ash: Yggdrasil united heaven, hell and earth. Many pagans saw the ash as a healing tree, and used it in ceremonies and treatments. The wood is very springy and can withstand sudden shocks, so is great for snooker cues and hockey sticks.
English oak, Quercus robur
- Famous for having strong timber, being a home for insects, and for living to a ripe old age
Oaks grow all over Britain. They’re the best at attracting insects (who’ll help to pollinate other plants in your garden)
and can live for over 500 years. Talk about heritage!
Hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna
- Its white flowers are a welcome sign of spring after a long winter
The hawthorn is also known as the May tree, and you’ve probably seen loads of its beautiful white flowers blooming in the month of May. Used in spring ceremonies, this tree also has more practical uses and its berries are thought to benefit the heart
and to lower blood pressure.
Hazel, Corylus avellana
- Nut bearing, food for humans and animals alike
If you grow a hazel, you can look forward to harvesting the tasty nuts and perhaps sharing them with garden friends such as squirrels and dormice. The catkins that grow on hazels also look pretty cool – they’re known as lamb’s tails.
So, there you have it. Five gorgeous trees for your garden, most bearing Nature’s bounty for the two legged, four legged (and even six and eight legged) alike.
You’ll need to forgive me if I don’t wax lyrical much more. Mrs Fitzsimmons took exception to my ‘plant a tree / bring a bonsai’ station at the water cooler and in protest, I’ve lashed myself to said water cooler as a last ditch stand. I see things going pear-shaped right smartly!
‘Plant a Tree! Plant a Tree!’
*Excerpts from 10 British trees to grow in your garden.
