Hi folks, We have a number of major sub-systems holding our bodies together, which in order of depth from the surface include the integument (essentially skin and nails), fascia, muscles and tendons, and bones and ligaments. These structural components are nourished in a number of ways by the gastrointestinal, respiratory, vascular, lymphatic, nervous (central, sympathetic, and parasympathetic), and endocrine ... Read more
My Kids Were Talking About Their Kids: Über-Consciousness?
Hi folks, I went out into the garden the other day and it just so happened that both my eldest son, Nick (42), and my middle son, Duncan (40), were there together and they were talking about their kids (my grandchildren). What happened then was an odd and strangely rare experience, much like the one I had when I first saw my own cells under a microscope. Several years previously, I had a biopsy of a ... Read more
What Do Plants Think And Feel?
Hi folks, I was awoken in the middle of the night by a teenager turning on lights, and I just could not get back to sleep. Thinking of teenagers, here is my favorite but unfortunately deceased dog, Trixie. What a lovely dog she was, and I had no doubt about her thinking or feeling lots of things because her expressions of pleasure and pain were not so different from my own and those of the other humans ... Read more
Comparisons: Nickel versus Johnny’s, Marathon versus Ironman
Hi folks, Exercise Tip: Allow sufficient recovery time after really long races or workouts. My lovely little dog, Nickel, passed away a few days ago. She lived for 16 good years and had a happy life, dying quietly of old age, wagging her tail for treats up until near the end - may I do as well. Then a few days later I had to deal with another unpleasant transition. I had nipped across the road to enjoy ... Read more
Tragedy versus Irony, Peeling Kohlrabi, And Be Careful With Your Retirement Funds
Hi folks, A recent comment on this blog by my brother, Trevor, reminded me of an event that occurred about 20 years ago. I was spending a pleasant afternoon with an artist friend of mine, Andy Fleishman. We were enjoying a glass of beer whilst sitting on one of Andy's concrete creations next to the pond at the home studio of Andy and Kate, along with a number of goats, horses, geese, dogs, and cats scattered ... Read more
Circadian Rhythm, Exercise, Depression, And Feedback Loops
Hi folks, welcome! Quote for fun: "Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times." Apparently from Aeschylus. This is really really really true! If there are degrees of truth, that is! Whilst tweeting the other day I was reminded of an event that occurred during my training at the Bristol University Veterinary School, in England a ... Read more
Food, Glorious Food And Harry Secombe Who Provided Sustenance For The Heart!
Hi folks, I love food! I think that the level of our appetite for the good things in life gives away exactly how alive we are! Don't you? Forgetting food for thought and all that stuff, when it comes to eating there is a big difference between food and nutrition. Food: "any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink, or that plants absorb, in order to maintain life and ... Read more
Take Time To Stop And Stroke The Kittens!
Hi folks, I was out riding the bike the other day with my friend Rory, who loves to always ride 'balls to the wall,' as they say. He just can't help it! Honest! He can't! As we approached a set of farm buildings where a delightful cat lives, Rory said, "are you going to stop and see the cat?" Notice, he didn't say "are we going to stop?" I said "of course," but I could tell that Rory wanted to keep on ... Read more
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