Wednesday; silk & science;

 GENETICALLY MODIFIED SILK IS STRONGER THAN STEEL

At the University of Wyoming, scientists modified a group of silkworms to produce silk that is, weight for weight, stronger than steel. Different groups hope to benefit from the super-strength silk, including stronger sutures for the medical community, a biodegradable alternative to plastics,

 bbc.co.uk


Photo Courtesy of Indigo Moon Yarns.

Tuesday; musica; GIANGOL - La Lüna

Arrivederci Ticino!

Giangol (Switzerland)

Giangol,  from an antique game that children played in our valleys in times gone by ( dialectal name from Val Cavargna) to a new group whose intent is to have fun and to entertain. Made up of musicians who for some time have shaken the Ticino and international folk scene presenting popular songs from Tessin, Lombardy, Piedmont, and the Venetian region in a modern and pleasurable way, without compromising the musical quality and the personalisation of their tracks.

With Davide Zoppellari ( vocals, guitar), Leo Canepa (vocals, accordion), Katia Albertoni (vocals, percussions), Stefano Fedele (violin, mandolin, hurdy-gurdy), Patrick Botticchio (djembe, cajon).??

Sunday; au·toch·tho·nous;

< Greek autóchthon  of the land itself,   the earth, land,

Ecology, one of the indigenous animals or plants of a region.

Banksia integrifolia; or simply coast Banksia;

Notice the white underside of the leaves.

© Ts Photos my garden.

Banksia integrifolia, commonly known as Coast Banksia, is a species of tree that grows along the east coast of Australia. One of the most widely distributed Banksia species, it occurs between Victoria and Central Queensland in a broad range of habitats, from coastal dunes to mountains. It is highly variable in form, but is most often encountered as a tree up to 25 metres. Leaves have dark green upper surfaces and white undersides.

It is one of the four original Banksia species collected by Sir Joseph Banks in 1770, and one of four species published in 1782 as part of Carolus Linnaeus the Younger's original description of the genus. 

A hardy and versatile garden plant, B. integrifolia is widely planted in Australian gardens. It is a popular choice for parks and streetscapes, and has been used for bush revegetation and stabilisation of dunes. Its hardiness has prompted research into its suitability for use as a rootstock in the cut flower trade.

It was known to Indigenous Australians,  the Gunai people of Gippsland called it Birrna.

Because of its wide range it would have a name in a number of other indigenous languages, but these are now lost. In 2001, a search of historical archives for recorded indigenous names of Victorian flora and fauna failed to find a single name for the species.

Tuesday; rescue;

Kookaburra, still a youngster;

Saturday morning I went to the back garden, Billy as always at my side. I was looking around and just noticed a flurry of feathers, in haste I said:" Billy stop", but it was not Billy, because he never touches any wildlife in the garden.The Kookaburra above was wedged between a fork of three small branches and he could not move forwards or back. His beak was wide open, quite exhausted from trying to get free. I think when Billy past it, it flapped its wing, one was caught as well. Luckily I could prise the branches apart and with some luck it came free. He was fairly numb from his ordeal. I checked  that nothing was broken and let him recover. After a couple of hours he was sitting on a nearby tree. Perhaps he was chased or chased something, and was caught in this unfortunate situation.

This time all is well for this youngster.

My grand children liked to sing this song;

Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree,

Merry merry king of the bush is he.

Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra,

Gay your life must be!

Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree,

Eating all the gum drops he can see.

Stop Kookaburra, stop Kookaburra

Save some there for me!

Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree,

Counting all the monkeys he can see.

Laugh Kookaburra, laugh Kookaburra

That's not a monkey, that's me!

©Ts Photo/Text

Sepia Saturday 187; old books;

Before the PC arrived,

there were books nothing but books;

Before PC's there were just books to learn from, like these old, leather bound books for electrical Engineers.

I have learned to read at an early age  and since then I have been fascinated by books. Both these old books have shaped my life. They were already old when they found their way into my bookshelf.
The one on the left is bound into fine, soft suede, which shows now  bad signs of old age. It is an encyclopaedia which was full of knowledge for a hungry child. The other a very old book about biology, botany which opened up my love and interest in plants at an early age.

Encyclopaedia;

Botany;

...for more old books or such...

www.sepiasaturday.blogspot.com

Wednesday; famous...

Chester E. Macduffee,  his newly patented, 250 kilo diving suit, 1911.

It must have been scary to dive in this monster suit.

Attorney at law, Mohandas Gandhi, 1893.

In September 1888, at age 18, Gandhi left India, without his wife and newborn son, in order to study to become a barrister (lawyer) in London. Attempting to fit into English society, Gandhi spent his first three months in London attempting to make himself into an English gentleman by buying new suits, fine-tuning his English accent, learning French, and taking violin and dance lessons. After three months of these expensive endeavours, Gandhi decided they were a waste of time and money. He then cancelled all of these classes and spent the remainder of his three-year stay in London being a serious student and living a very simple lifestyle.

This  earnest  looking young man would one day be the  famous Charlie Chaplin

 The last Tasmanian Tiger, 1933.

The TasmanianTiger, unfortunately hunted to extinction. One more "glorious deed" of the human race.

This girl working in a factory in 1944,  was later the famous  Marilyn  Monroe.

Hope you enjoyed this "famous" trip back.

Courtesy ; excerpts from  Gandhi's Biography and 

Ink Tank

Monday; memories;

My stylish mother; spring 1930

But who shall so forecast the years

And find in loss a gain to match?

Or reach a hand thro' time to catch

The far-off interest of tears?

Alfred Lord Tennyson