The Transformative Powers of Herbal Tea

Herbal tea has always been celebrated as possessing medicinal qualities that help with many illnesses, from fighting off a virus to stopping nausea and vomiting. What to look for and what to avoid Some fruit teas contain synthetic ingredients. These additives don’t taste as good as the real thing, and they have no real therapeuticContinue reading “The Transformative Powers of Herbal Tea”

10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet 189

Printer Solistice: Poet, Mathematician and Meteorologist Wang Zhenyi (1768-1797) Story and screenprint art by artist, printmaker and marine geophysicist, Ele Willoughby, PhD (she/her) on Mastodon. Astronomer, mathematician, meteorologist & poet Wang Zhenyi (1768-1797), who left her impact on Qing era China during her short life. Raised by her father and grandparents, her ancestral home wasContinue reading “10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet 189”

The excluded, the ignored, the silenced and the invisible ones

Hey you, I know you. The girl or boy who tried to speak, but whom nobody heard. From age zero to age 18 and beyond. Yeah you! I can see you and I know you. Although there’s nobody oppressing you now Or denying your right to exist The importance of your voice Or the sacrednessContinue reading “The excluded, the ignored, the silenced and the invisible ones”

Ancient word of the day: Hedgehog

The ancient word for today is hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus. In the Middle Ages, writers didn’t make reference to hedgehogs, but to urchins. This term for the spiky diminuitive animal is still favoured in some English dialects. We still have the lingering remnants of this etymology in the form of sea urchin, which is literally aContinue reading “Ancient word of the day: Hedgehog”

Book Review: All That Holds Between by S.J. Lee

A cosy and quirky mystery set in the near future in a Taiwanese town about lost memories, the bonding experience of delicious food, omnipotent technology and the human connections we all crave to be happy.

Welcome to a strange and forgotten alien world: Socotra

Looking like a cross between a surreal computer game and an alien planet, Socotra is a relatively unexplored and remote island off the coast of Arabian Peninsula. It’s a sparkling diamond of natural diversity and rugged wildness, with over 700 endemic species of flora and fauna. Only a small number of countries have more endemicContinue reading “Welcome to a strange and forgotten alien world: Socotra”

10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet 188

How the ancient Egyptians made dazzling faience amulets Archaeologist and sculptor Zahed Taj-Eddin shows how to make this ancient and mysterious form of art, it’s incredible! Orbital – Halcyon On and on (Faster Horses Edit) [1993] I shared this one ages and ages ago but I just heard it again and it chilled me toContinue reading “10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet 188”

What’s some movies everyone else loves but you hate?

I’ll go first and give you my reasons…which nobody asked for haha… The Green Mile: Ultra sad and overly dramatic, it seemed to fetishise the poor guy who was on death row, which I didn’t like. The English Patient: Loved the book but hated the movie. Glacially slow and the acting was a bit pompous.Continue reading “What’s some movies everyone else loves but you hate?”

Words of a Kaumātua: When you want a smile, give yours away

When you want a smile, give yours away When you want affection, you give affection When you help people, they help you When you want love, give your love Kua rongo ake au… Tuku whakamoemiti, āta haere ki te ākau Mā te wā koe e tiaki e manaaki e kākahu Ki ngā hua o ōuContinue reading “Words of a Kaumātua: When you want a smile, give yours away”

Book Review: Hungerstone by Kat Dunn

A sexy dark and glittering jewel of a novel featuring Sapphic vampires and crumbling old Victorian estates with a cast of believable and enjoyable characters. You will want to get drawn into this one, but you may not be able to stop!