Category Archives: blogging

Story-telling in words, videos, images and sharing

Art, blogging, Cool stuff, Writing Stories

Photographer captures frozen soapy water bubbles

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COOL STUFF – ICED SOAP BUBBLES

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Copyright: Angela Kelly

A mother takes her son outside to blow bubbles in the snow and gets inspired to produce one of the most amazing photographic series of frozen bubbles. Found on DNA Art is our cool stuff – a collection of bubble photographs by Washington-based photographer Angela Kelly. The bubbles were created using a simple solution of dish soap, karo syrup, and water blown into a minus 9 degree temperature.

“We blew the bubbles across the top of our frozen patio table and also upon the hood of my car and then we watched in awe as each individual bubble froze with their own unique patterns”. Kelly said.

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Copyright: Angela Kelly

DNA Art

blogging, Nature and Climate Change, Nature and Environment, writing, Writing Stories

The art and life of the leaves

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Let’s explore the anatomy of the slow, steady growing and long-lasting tortoise-like leaves. I just happened to photograph one of my favourite subjects, the Philodendron which has tortoise-like leaves.

A study by Dr. Peter Reich is looking at the different responses of tortoise-like leaves versus hare-like leaves to changing environments, such as higher levels of carbon dioxide in the air caused by climate change. As each generation of leaves reproduces, new genetic combinations are created.

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Dr Reich studies leaves.  Basically a study of leaf takes into account the longevity, productivity and nitrogen content. The University of Minnesota Professor compares the life-patterns of leaves to the fable of the Hare and the Turtle. In the race, the hare is winning the race, but he gets too confident and takes a nap. The turtle passes the hare while the hare is asleep and wins the race. In the case of the leaves, Dr Reich compares the tortoise-like leaves to be slow and steady growers that live longer. The leaves that are hare-like are speedy growers and do not last long.

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According to this study tortoise leaves such the Philodendron’s leaves will grow slowly and steadily.  But sciences also prove that the leaves in the tropics live fewer years than leaves on trees in cold climates such as the spruce in Canada.

Below is the trunk of the Philodendron.

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Even a Philodendron’s trunk has tortoise-like patterns. This part of the plant is where my art inspiration comes from.

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blogging, Writing Stories

3D Printer Can Create and Personalise Medication

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Spritam, approved by the FDA for people who suffer from certain types of seizures caused by epilepsy, is manufactured in a layered process via 3-D printing. Source: AP

I was catching-up on my Twitter account and I found this article in The Australian about a 3D printer that can ‘print’ pills or tablets. It is quite extraordinary that a 3D machine can make medicine, however, this is the latest medical technology.

Medical technologists believe that doctors will ultimately be able to print any tablet they want while their patient waits and be able to personalise the dose, shape, colour and other features of the pill. Now, does that not sound weird to you? I guess it may not be so for some of you, but for a Papua New Guinean, we make traditional medicine by hand and using various plants from nature, so it does sound weird to me. I guess you could just about programme any machine to do anything these days.

The US medicines watchdog has for the first time approved a pill that is created using a 3D printer called Spritam.

Spritam has been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration to be used to control seizures in epilepsy sufferers. The tablets are printed with air gaps to create a porous structure that helps them to dissolve faster than traditional pills.

Aprecia Pharmaceuticals, the maker of Spritam, said that the drug would be the first in a series of 3D-printed tablets to treat diseases of the central nervous system.

The printing of tablets will also be useful in the developing world, where distribution by health agencies is often difficult. Researchers at the University of Glasgow are developing a 3D printer that can synthesise any molecule.

 

blogging, Nature and Environment, Writing Stories

Blue-eyed Object – A Strange Find

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BIG BLUE EYE: It washed ashore on a South Florida Beach to become one of the year’s weird stories. Now we know: It came from a swordfish. CREDIT: FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION

Gino Covacci was walking peacefully by the sea on December 9, 2012 when he found this gigantic, monstrous eye still oozing blood. He contacted police and then the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation. Eventually the mystery was solved that it was a swordfish’s eye. Covacci’s find became known in the media as the Big Blue Eye.

blogging, JK. Leahy Short Stories, short stories, Writing Stories

The Nightshade Escape – Short Story

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Picture by Barbara W. Beacham.

Flash Fiction Challenge

Mondays Finish the Story is a flash fiction challenge by Barbara W. Beacham. The story requires 100-150 words. Here is my short story for this week’s prompt based on the first sentence below and the picture.

The Nightshade Escape JK.Leahy Short Story©

“The team employed the use of Nightshade to get the information they wanted from their captive.”

Viola smiled to herself as she finished the paper and her coffee. “Nightshade”, her ‘weapon’ was right next-door, she thought. All this time, her plan to make his death appear subtle, wasn’t working.

Wearing her garden hat Viola strolled to her neighbour’s yard,  pretending to tidy her garden beds. Her blood roses were peeking at her, but she won’t pick them today, the day was fading fast and in a few hours, Greg arrives.

Crouching, she reached through the fence and cut a few shoots and flowers off her neighbour’s nightshades.  A dog barked loudly and so close that Viola leaped, dropping her hat and all the cuttings. She ran back into her house. Shaken, she watched the large doberman sniffing where she sat, seconds ago.

Oh well, if that dog is going to guard the damn nightshade – the rat poison will have to do, she decided.

blogging, Photography, Writing Stories

Shooting An Aloe – Photography

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Week three of bloom. ©JK.Leahy photography.

Photography can be easily addictive as most of you that take pictures know. And, when you have an interesting subject of beautiful colours, it is hard to stop shooting. I have been shooting aloes in my garden with the Nikon D5200 and thinking of ways to make the pictures more interesting because the flowers are narrow and tall.

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Week four bloom ©JK.Leahy photography.

I find the aloe itself fascinating for many reasons. The most important reason is that it is a medicinal plant and we all have come across the Aloe Vera commonly eaten, drunk and used in skin products. I used the juice when I was pregnant with my boys for skin-care and digestion. These days, we use the aloe vera for cuts and itchy skin. Aloes are part of the Liliaceae family. There are about 500 species of aloes in the world. They are a perennial succulent and their medicinal uses are traced back to 1500BC where it was known as “plant of immortality”.  Read more here.

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Week five bloom close-up ©JK.Leahy photography.

Aloes are very hardy plants and like the cactus – they can grow in very tough conditions. The amazing thing about Aloes are their beautiful flowers, many are intricate and often not what you expect to see.I have a few varieties and each one of them have their own unique bloom. See other colours here.

 

blogging, Living, writing, Writing Stories

A Small Win on Tribalmystic Blog

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Blue Lily
I share a picture of my blue iris to say thank you to all my readers. JKLeahy pic. 2015

Thank you to all my readers

I like small wins. Here, my blue iris bloomed for the first time in almost a year. Perhaps it was because I moved her from the edge of a small pond to the shade of a gum tree – I’m not sure what happened to her, but she came back. That makes me happy.

The other win was that this blog hit the highest number of visits per month ever. I had over 3000 visitors in July and the top performers were;

  1. United States of America.

  2. Australia

  3. Papua New Guinea

  4. United Kingdom

I appreciate ALL readers and visitors and look forward to your continued support.  Thank you!

TM

 

Art, blogging, Writing Stories

Birds Talking – Poetry – Drawing

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JK.Leahy © – Sketch in pencil and ink on paper. 2015.

 

Birds Talking – Poem JK.Leahy©

Birds Talking

Silent words, only seen

Scratching, screeching and bursting to surface

Extending wings, feathers, beaks and necks

Swooping, flying, walking and talking

Birth by imagination

Birds taking forms

Living on paper

 

 

 

blogging, Poetry, writing, Writing Stories

AUTUMN LEAVES Recited by Peter O’Shaughnessy

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I recently found this website poetryreincarnations and the links to videos of the poetry. The videos are beautiful and the animation are quite strange and amusing at the same time. I hope you can visit and enjoy.

Jim Clark, the creator of poetry reincarnations writes, here is a virtual movie of the great Charles Dickens reading his beautiful melancholic poem “Autumn Leaves” This poem likens the aging process with the season of Autumn was published under the title “George Edmund’s Song” around 1858. The poem is read superbly by the celebrated veteran Australian actor director Peter O’Shaughnessy. Peter has a brilliant website full of biographical and theatrical content and numerous recitals of poetry and plays spoken by him.

All rights are reserved on this video recording copyright Jim Clark 2011

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George Edmunds’ Song…………
Autumn leaves, autumn leaves, lie strewn around he here;
Autumn leaves, autumn leaves, how sad, how cold, how drear!
How like the hopes of childhood’s day,
Thick clust’ring on the bough!
How like those hopes in their decay-
How faded are they now!
Autumn leaves, autumn leaves, lie strewn around me here;
Autumn leaves, autumn leaves, how sad, how cold, how drear!
Wither’d leaves, wither’d leaves, that fly before the gale:
Withered leaves, withered leaves, ye tell a mournful tale,
Of love once true, and friends once kind,
And happy moments fled:
Dispersed by every breath of wind,
Forgotten, changed, or dead!
Autumn leaves, autumn leaves, lie strewn around me here!
Autumn leaves, autumn leaves, how sad, how cold, how drear!

Here is another video. If you like it, visit here to see more.

blogging, JK. Leahy Short Stories, short stories, Writing Stories

A Friendly Visit – Short Story

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Mondays Finish the Story

This is a unique flash fiction challenge where Barbara W. Beacham provides a new photo and the first sentence of a story each week. The challenge is to finish the story using 100-150 words. This challenge runs from Monday to Sunday.

A Friendly Visit – JK.Leahy Short Story©

He thought he found the perfect hiding spot.

Near dad’s cabinet, the curtains moved.

Black feet peeked from under and two green eyes pierced through the curtain. It was a dog. We didn’t have a dog, and neither did Jessy.

My mind went back to yesterday.

“I don’t want you to play with Jessy”

Why not mother?”

“You are eight and he’s 16, and there is something weird about that boy”.

“Like what mother?”

“Those large green eyes – when he grins, I cringe”.

“That’s not fair mother!” I yelled and ran to my room.

Today, my parents went to dad’s work party. Aunty Anne was coming over, but she was late. Jessy stopped by. We played video games and then I went to the toilet. When I returned, Jessy was nowhere to be found…

“Jessy! Where are you?”

“I’m right here”.

The lounge was not big at all. I shivered.

“I’m here stupid! Find me!” Jessy growled.