A brief and enchanting history of Australian milk bars

Originally the concept of the milk bar in America was also a spin-off from the ever-popular apotheke-style pharmacists who dispensed medicines and often refreshing milk-infused tinctures to waiting customers. The customers often milled around or sat on bar stools at a long galley-style counter top. Originally, the pharmacists mixed the medicine with their backs turnedContinue reading “A brief and enchanting history of Australian milk bars”

Map Porn Part 1: Inter-Planetary Topography

Have you ever pondered about the topography of the moon’s surface? Well I have. My brain works in weird and wacky ways. So naturally before we expose what the moon’s surface actually looks like, you need to see what the moon would look if you were on acid. courtesy of The Mighty Boosh. Previously, weContinue reading “Map Porn Part 1: Inter-Planetary Topography”

Ancient Word of the Day: Rema

Rema (Shetland Scots) The mirror-calm surface of the sea on a calm day. A body of water with a surface as smooth as cream. Comes from the Scots word “reyme”, meaning “cream”). Rjómalogn (Icelandic) Cream-calm, used to denote  profoundly tranquil weather or sea. Arafin (Welsh) Calm or slow weather in Welsh. blikkstille./ blekkstille (Norwegian) AContinue reading “Ancient Word of the Day: Rema”

Mana Wahine: The Female Moko in Māori Culture

Tā moko represents a woman’s mana (status or power) and her whakapapa (ancestry and forebears) in society. This is best highlighted by the time when the chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi with their mokos in 1840. The Moko Kauae is a chin tattoo traditional reserved for Māori women with mana (high status and power) and olderContinue reading “Mana Wahine: The Female Moko in Māori Culture”

Ancient Word of the Day: Philoxenia

Philoxenia is a word that comes from Ancient Greek. This literally translates to be “friends with a stranger”. Philo – Friend, Xenia – Stranger. In Ancient Greece, hospitality in the same was held as a great virtue. Great honour was bestowed upon guests by the host. If a stranger was to appear on your doorstepContinue reading “Ancient Word of the Day: Philoxenia”

Wāhanga o Te Rā/ Times of the Day in Māori

Learn some new words in Māori during Mahuru Māori/Māori Language Month. Here are the various times of the day…enjoy! Waenganui pō – Midnight Te Pō – Night Atapō – Before Dawn Ata Hapāra – Breath of Dawn Atatū – Just after sunrise Awatea – River of Light Ata – Morning Poupoutanga o te rā –Continue reading “Wāhanga o Te Rā/ Times of the Day in Māori”

10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet #36

Yo-Ho-Ho and a mug of Horlicks, I hope you are all going well and are safe. Here is installment 35 of weird stuff from the internet, I hope you enjoy it. Tally Ho chaps and chapettes. Concentrates of place by Tanya Shandrick #ConcentratesOfPlace: even before the lockdowns, I rarely had the health to travel oftenContinue reading “10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet #36”

Otherworldly and Abandoned Soviet Monuments

These sculptures and old buildings before the end of the Cold War era look futuristic and strange. Some structures demonstrate the military might of Russia. While others are scintillating, harshly modern, and located in beautiful forested landscapes. These monuments are artistic and architectural wonders. Could these lost and forgotten objects ever be revived and resurrected, albeitContinue reading “Otherworldly and Abandoned Soviet Monuments”

Celestial ceilings and soaring skies in Poland

Poland in the summer is filled with enveloping sunlight, as bright and life affirming as a hug. Vibrant life, bees and flies take a circuitous route through fields of barley, poppies and wheat in the countryside. The air filled with drifting dandelion and pollen. A cacophany of bird song fills the countryside accompanied by aContinue reading “Celestial ceilings and soaring skies in Poland”

Book Review: The Memory Code by Lynne Kelly

Genre: Non-fiction, archaeology, history. Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Publisher: Pegasus Books Historian and writer Lynne Kelly has created a fascinating book with a realistic theory its heart – that ancient monuments – Stonehenge, the Ring of Brodgar and also smaller hand-held objects (Lukasa, Coolamon) are actually memory aids. She believes that these objects largeContinue reading “Book Review: The Memory Code by Lynne Kelly”