by Fern Shaw | Jan 9, 2015 | Water, water cooler
Strange title I know. You’re forgetting my freedom of association powers – ooowee ooowee – again, more fool you.
I initially looked up bubbles, but came across information about water blisters on feet and hands, which are called dyshidrotic eczema, which coloured me surprised – I’m not into all the medical terminology stuff – so I catalogued it under ‘ew topics’.
Anyhow, I looked a little further and established that blisters are not really filled with water but with serum or plasma, as says Wiki:
A blister is a small pocket of fluid within the upper layers of the skin, typically caused by forceful rubbing (friction), burning, freezing, chemical exposure or infection. Most blisters are filled with a clear fluid called serum or plasma.
It gets more revolting after that, mentioning blood blisters and worse, but me, not having the strongest stomach, I zoned out immediately. As I said – ew.
But what about bubbles? What makes a bubble … um … bubble?
I had this idea that finding out about bubbles would make for some light reading and none of this scientific argy bargy – boy, was I ever wrong. Good heavens, its all equations and algebra and weird symbols – not at all what I thought.
I did learn a new word (WORD) though.
Entrain: to draw in and transport (as solid particles or gas) by the flow of a fluid.
To draw along with or after oneself. See below:
In simple speak, a bubble forms for a variety of reasons, essentially; the bubbles form as air is entrained in the water during the pouring process. The key factor here is how fast the bubbles collapse. This may seem a funny distinction, but bubbles are always thermodynamically unstable compared to the bulk liquid because it always costs energy to create them. The only reason we see long lived bubbles is that there is a kinetic barrier that stops the water films collapsing.
I hope that this has eddicated you all a bit. As for me, I think I’m just going to go back to blowing bubbles or making bubbles in the bottled water cooler when I gloomph it or, using bubble bath or …. drinking bubbly … yes, that sounds more like my world.
Blogista Fern out. Word.
by Fern Shaw | Jan 8, 2015 | Water
Often we mistakenly assume that keeping hydrated during winter is less important than in summer. This is so not the case.
In winter, in an effort to keep warm, we rely on using heaters, hairdryers and hats (yep, hats) which quite literally suck the moisture and oils right out of our bodies, skin and hair. When we’re outside, low humidity and gusty winds don’t help much either.
But, never fear, there are quite a few things you can incorporate into your daily routine that will snap you back into being bright eyed, clear skinned and bushy tailed – so to speak:
Use a humectant on your hair
Each week, condition with a treatment containing a *humectant like glycerine that attracts and locks in moisture, and in turn restores shine. If the humectant is water based, that’s the sort of thing to look for. *Humectants are ingredients in products that draw moisture in.
Body scrubs and oils
Frigid temperatures and dry indoor heat cause water to evaporate from your skin because there’s more moisture in it than in the air. Bundling up doesn’t help matters – all those layers keep skin from breathing. Fight back with a one-two punch of body scrub and moisturizing lotion or oil. Once a week, exfoliate with a body scrub to help slough off dead cells that make skin look dull. You’ll also find that giving your skin a brisk scrub (we’re not talking the priest in The Da Vinci Code movie standard of skin rubs here) will warm you right up too. When skin is freshly exfoliated, lotion and oil are better absorbed. To maintain hydration, smooth on the lotion daily after a shower.
Warm up your morning commute
Take a cosy tumbler full of tea with you when you leave the house for the day. Not only will it keep you warm and hydrated, but it’ll do a body good – black tea may even prevent your body from absorbing fat from food!
‘Eat’ your water
Fruits and veggies are packed with water, that high water content adds volume and keeps you satisfied without the calories. Soups are also a great way to sneak in some extra water. We offer a variety of in-cup drinks that can assist with this hydration.
Being fussy can help
A lot of us just don’t like drinking water, period. Try adopting a different approach. I, for example, don’t like ice cold water or ice for that matter. So, instead of thinking that cold water will ‘better’ replenish you (which isn’t true); try drinking your water at room temperature. If you’re into branded gear (this isn’t just a children’s domain), then use your favourite cartoon character branded water bottle to drink from if it makes your happy. Figure out what appeals to you. And since your ability to recognise your thirst worsens as you age, today, early in the New Year is a good a time to start as any getting into the keeping hydrated habit.
by Fern Shaw | Nov 21, 2014 | Water
“Be praised, My Lord, through Sister Water; she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure.”
~ Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) Canticle of the Sun circa 1225.
I think I’ve detailed about how all-encompassing water is, whether it’s in our daily lives, daily usage and the fact that water surrounds us.
As we’re coming up for Halloween, a favourite celebration of mine and also, my colleague, Belinda – as she details in her Halloween blog, it occurred to me that throughout the world, and irrespective of one’s religious or spiritual belief, water plays such a huge part in so many rituals or traditions.
In Buddhism, water features in Buddhist funerals where water is poured into a bowl placed before the monks and the dead body. As it fills and pours over the edge, the monks recite, “As the rains fill the rivers and overflow into the ocean, so likewise may what is given here reach the departed.”
Water has an enormous significance in Christianity. Almost all Christian churches or sects have an initiation ritual involving the use of water. Baptism has its origins in the symbolism of the Israelites being led by Moses out of slavery in Egypt through the Red Sea and from the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the Jordan. After Jesus’ resurrection he commanded his disciples to baptise in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The use of water other than for baptism goes back to the 4th century in the East and the 5th century in the West. The custom of sprinkling people with water at mass began in the 9th century.
Water in Hinduism has a special place because it is believed to have spiritually cleansing powers. To Hindus all water is sacred, especially rivers, and there are seven sacred rivers. For Hindus, morning cleansing with water is a basic obligation.
In Islam water is important for cleansing and purifying. Muslims must be ritually pure before approaching God in prayer. Some mosques have a courtyard with a pool of clear water in the centre, but in most mosques the ablutions are found outside the walls.
In Judaism ritual washing is intended to restore or maintain a state of ritual purity and its origins can be found in the Torah. These ablutions can be washing the hands, the hands and the feet, or total immersion which must done in ‘living water’, i.e. the sea, a river, a spring or in a mikveh.
Shinto is Japan’s indigenous religion and is based on the veneration of the kami – the innumerable deities believed to inhabit mountains, trees, rocks, springs and other natural phenomenon. Worship of kamis, whether public or private, always begins with the all-important act of purification with water.
So, water truly is all encompassing in every aspect of our lives, from the physical through to the spiritual.
by Fern Shaw | Nov 21, 2014 | Water
I’ve had a look at a number of NASA astronauts in space clips and my favourites are always those when you see water globules floating around. The only astronaut sequence that doesn’t involve some inanimate object floating around that I enjoy has to be when Howie (Big Bang Theory) goes into space. Of course it’s all totally over the top, but I have a feeling that space travel / habitation for an extended period of time is actually more like that than all the edited stuff we get to see – astronauts having a barney with their families back home; weird idiosyncrasies coming out. I mean, think about all the weird you get to see and experience when you’re on a long haul flight – whacko passengers performing like toddlers because they’re cooped up for ᵡ amount of time.
Again, I digress. Stick to the topic at hand, Shaw! *kof* …
Why is it that water globs in space?
While researching the topic I learnt something new, again – marvellous, marvellous, marvellous and this is what it is:
Water floats inside a space not because there isn’t gravity (because apparently there is always gravity) but because when they are in orbit, they are actually falling (as is the ship), so everything else is falling too hence the floating food and liquids.
As you probably know, the Earth is curved and thanks to this, that’s where the magic really begins! You, your spaceship and everything inside it might all be falling towards the Earth, but because it is curved and you’re moving in a quick sideways movement in orbit, such that our planet is continually curving away, you never really reach the surface so start floating around instead.
So, although it’s unlikely you can you take your water cooler with you, if you were able to, and it wasn’t bolted down, you could probably pick the whole cooler up with one hand because of the weightlessness you would experience. If you could get it past Mrs. Furtheringstoke that is. Netticasinot Online :: kasinopelitfi
by Fern Shaw | Nov 21, 2014 | Water
We should all know by now that keeping hydrated is one of the givens whilst travelling – it really is one of the simplest ways to combat fatigue, puffiness (everywhere where it shouldn’t be), jet lag and generally feeling like you’ve partied with a roving band of Muscovites who’ve just been given furlough from their time in the Gulag.
But, as it happens, especially on those long haul trips, drinking sufficient water can often be the last thing on a traveller’s mind, as fatigue that stems from jet lag can take your common sense and twist it to the point that you can find yourself incapable of stringing together a legible sentence never mind remembering the R, K and E’s of healthy travel.
I myself have whigged out on occasion whilst in the air. An incident that I remember in particular was after almost 3 days of air travel with a crushing 6 hour layover in Dubai. I had very little money in the airport of bling and a pot of tea cost about £10. That was pretty much my only sustenance over the already 2 days of travel, so stretching the tea for 6 hours was asking a bit much.
By the time I landed at home I still had a final leg to do. The wonderful ground crew wouldn’t let me check-in early. Exhausted, grubby and with zero sense of humour, when I finally boarded the plane that was half empty, I was squished in next to 2 people and my claustrophobia rose to the surface kick-starting a panic attack of note. I barely managed to keep it together during take-off, then launched myself across my neighbours into the aisle and flung myself into an open row of seats further back, gasping like a guppy out of water, flight attendants peering at me all the while. All of this was done with much drama, drama, drama, but I was past caring.
I suppose that there are certain elements of modern travel that we just have to accept. This is something that I normally do with general aplomb. I Richard Scarry with the best of them; I’ve come up with ways to pretzel twist my rather long body so that I can get a bit of shut-eye (feet HAVE to be off the ground for me to sleep – I’m make a really poor soldier) but sooner or later (usually later) there’s a sense of humour failure that no amount of chugging water can prevent.
So, take it from me – rather drink your water as you should during the course of your travels and possibly avoid turning into that throw the toys out toddler that so many grown ‘uns seem to turn into – again, me being the case in point.
by Fern Shaw | Oct 23, 2014 | Water, Water Coolers
Recently a real and FB friend posted something on my page about listing your top 10 books to read ever or that had a huge influence on your life.
Now as a complete and utter bookworm, believe it or not, I was stumped. A wee bit ironic, that – a wordsmith / blogista without words. Why though? Well, I suppose it’s a little like this – bookworm envy I’d call it. When I read through said friend’s list of what her top 10 were, I saw how inspirational and life affecting they all were. My top 10, not so much.
The reasons are that I have an attention span of a goldfish or what the purported memory span of a goldfish is – 5 seconds … sorry, what? See, like that.
Somehow, my goldfish brain made the connection between water and books and The Wind in the Willows (author – Kenneth Grahame). I was very fortunate to grow up in a household of bookworms, and British classics abounded. The book I had was illustrated by the incredibly gifted E. H. Shepard and his illustrations just brought the magic of the book to life even more.
Anyhow, once my brain had made this wind, willows and water connection I started wondering about the volume of books (fiction) had water in the title. Even specifying fiction, it soon became apparent that I’d bitten off far more than I could digest. Digest, geddit? As in Reader’s Digest. Before your time? Sorry for you as they say in my neck of the woods.
From Like Water for Chocolate to Ring of Bright Water, there are thousands of watery books, more than you can shake a stick at. I’m not even going to go there.
I think I’ll rowboat race my office chair down to around the water cooler and compile my 10 best ever list there. Not a Herculean task as watery books, but close.
