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| Welsh griddle cakes, photo Jane Thomas |
Woke up late this morning with a beautiful rash on my torso. Fortunately it was not an itchy hives, but rather the only hint that a mild virus is temporarily coursing through my system. More spectacular, the bruise on my foot had shifted.
On Saturday, I'd banged my right ankle with the wheeled case as I rushed from the tube station to the NHM. It was absolute agony but I could walk without limping. Sunday morning, the ankle was still swollen and there was a noticeable bruise above the bump that is the lower tibia end on the ankle. By the end of the day, the blood from the bruise was migrating downwards. This morning, the bruise was now along the left side of the right foot and colouring impressively into purple. Lovely! According to a quick internet research, i can look forward to the bruise turning green over the next five days, followed by yellow brown and then gradually disappearing. At least the pain and swelling is decreasing.
On Saturday, I'd banged my right ankle with the wheeled case as I rushed from the tube station to the NHM. It was absolute agony but I could walk without limping. Sunday morning, the ankle was still swollen and there was a noticeable bruise above the bump that is the lower tibia end on the ankle. By the end of the day, the blood from the bruise was migrating downwards. This morning, the bruise was now along the left side of the right foot and colouring impressively into purple. Lovely! According to a quick internet research, i can look forward to the bruise turning green over the next five days, followed by yellow brown and then gradually disappearing. At least the pain and swelling is decreasing.
Ulli phoned today still battling with trying to recover his website that had been hacked - including the security backups. There was the revelation that, instead of your content being easily accessible as it had been in ye olde html, it is now stored elsewhere, on other hidden servers. He is not a happy man.
Jane and I were beguiled by the winter sunshine and wandered over to North Lodge to see the snowdrops, taking our cameras with us. A bitterly cold wind was whistling across from the fields and rattling the flowers intermittently so that you had to guess the time to press the camera shutter. I had a single snowdrop picture that survived the culling of the numerous shots afterwards.
It used to be thought that snowdrops were a UK native, as they are in large parts of Europe. It is now believed to be an introduced and naturalised species, possibly from as late as the early sixteenth century. Rare new varieties are sought after and one of our Authors, Bill Clark, former warden at Wandlebury, discovered a new gold variety there which was later named Wendy's gold in honour of his wife. It has now been multiplied and is available from a range of of horticultural suppliers.
It used to be thought that snowdrops were a UK native, as they are in large parts of Europe. It is now believed to be an introduced and naturalised species, possibly from as late as the early sixteenth century. Rare new varieties are sought after and one of our Authors, Bill Clark, former warden at Wandlebury, discovered a new gold variety there which was later named Wendy's gold in honour of his wife. It has now been multiplied and is available from a range of of horticultural suppliers.
We needed something more warming than just a cup of tea when we came back. Homemade crumpets would have taken too long as they use yeast, so we made Welsh griddle cakes for the first time instead. Still warm from the frying pan (used as a substitute for a gridle), buttered and spread with plum jam or quince jelly, they tasted great. Welsh griddle cakes became popular in the 19th century, possibly because they were a simple and pocket sized treat for agricultural workers or miners in Wales. Originally made without baking powder, till it was introduced in 1843 and the current recipe was developed.
Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister visits President Trump in the US and uses polite assertion of the Canadian view on immigration, distinct from the US, though they would not dream of telling Trump how he should rule America.
Interesting story of an US Born NASA scientist being stopped at re-entry to US and asked to unlock his confidential JPL phone so the data could be copied, before being allowed back in. See http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/13/us/citizen-nasa-engineer-detained-at-border-trnd/index.html. The Council on American Islamic Relations reports increased scrutiny of American-Muslims' social media accounts and contents of their mobile phones since Trump's ban, which has since been blocked in court.
Interesting story of an US Born NASA scientist being stopped at re-entry to US and asked to unlock his confidential JPL phone so the data could be copied, before being allowed back in. See http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/13/us/citizen-nasa-engineer-detained-at-border-trnd/index.html. The Council on American Islamic Relations reports increased scrutiny of American-Muslims' social media accounts and contents of their mobile phones since Trump's ban, which has since been blocked in court.
In the UK, the NHS crisis has now been itself trumped in the news by an undercover Panorama program that revealed drugs rife and prisoners more in control than the Prison Service. Brexit rumblings continue in the EU with statements on EU solidarity during the negotiations with the UK.
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