Friday Cat Blogging


Heidi keeping snug beside the radiator

George doing likewise

Thursday Ballet Blogging

Wednesday Opera Blogging

Birthday Blogging



My birthday cake, inspired by @ProfBrianCox and his show BBC Stargazing Live earlier this month. The constellation is Aquarius.

Planetary systems

* Gliese 876 is the first planetary system found around a red dwarf star. The planetary system has four planets, including one terrestrial planet 6.6 times the mass of Earth.
* 91 Aquarii b is a planet found around the orange giant star. Its mass is 2.9 times Jupiter and the semimajor axis of its orbit is 0.3 AU.
* Gliese 849 b is the first long-period Jupiter-like planet found around the red dwarf star. Its mass is 0.82 times Jupiter and the semimajor axis of its orbit is 2.35 AU.

Deep sky objects

There are three deep sky objects that are on the Messier catalog: the globular clusters Messier 2, Messier 72, and the open cluster Messier 73. Two well-known planetary nebulae are located in Aquarius: the Saturn Nebula (NGC 7009), to the southwest of η Aquarii; and the famous Helix Nebula (NGC 7293), southwest of δ Aquarii.

Address To A Haggis - Robert Burns

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the pudding-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm :
Weel are ye wordy o'a grace
As lang's my arm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin wad help to mend a mill
In time o'need,
While thro' your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour dight,
An' cut you up wi' ready sleight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like ony ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin', rich!

Then, horn for horn, they stretch an' strive:
Deil tak the hindmost! on they drive,
Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve
Are bent like drums;
Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive,
Bethankit! hums.

Is there that owre his French ragout
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad make her spew
Wi' perfect sconner,
Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view
On sic a dinner?

Poor devil! see him owre his trash,
As feckless as wither'd rash,
His spindle shank, a guid whip-lash;
His nieve a nit;
Thro' bloody flood or field to dash,
O how unfit!

But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread.
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,
He'll mak it whissle;
An' legs an' arms, an' heads will sned,
Like taps o' thrissle.

Ye Pow'rs, wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o' fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies;
But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer
Gie her a haggis!

Birthday Blogging

I share my birthday with the Scottish poet Robert Burns

Consider haggis

It might be inexorably linked with Burns Night and considered the epitome of all things Scottish, but is it right that haggis should be held up as Scotland's national dish?

(Reuters Life!) - Scots around the world celebrate the birthday of their national bard on Tuesday with the discovery of an unpublished letter from the poet Robert Burns, a new museum dedicated to him and a new poet laureate.

Ahead of the festivities marking Burns' birth on January 25, 1795, Scotland honored one of its 21st century literary stars by appointing Liz Lochhead as its new Makar, or poet laureate.

Lochhead, 63, a distinguished poet and playwright, succeeds the nation's first Makar, Edwin Morgan, who died last year.

"I accept it on behalf of poetry itself, which is, and always has been, the core of our culture, and in grateful recognition of the truth that poetry...matters deeply to ordinary Scottish people everywhere," Lochhead said.

Placido Domingo Turns 70

He leads two opera houses, has recorded countless albums, conducts and continues to sing with an astounding voice: Placido Domingo, the musical multi-talent, looks back at an outstanding career.

Placido Domingo, who was born in Madrid on January 21, 1941, learned to love of music before he could talk; his parents were singers of traditional Spanish zarzuelas. Following the Domingo family's move to Mexico when Placido was eight, the young man went on to study piano and conducting, and eventually voice, at Mexico City's Conservatory of Music.

He made his operatic debut as leading tenor in Monterrey at the age of 20 - as Alfredo in Verdi's "La Traviata."

Friday Cat Blogging


George

Heidi enjoying the winter sun

Thursday Ballet Blogging

Friday Music Blogging

Friday Cat Blogging


Heidi


George sitting on at least a 60 year old table, brought by my grandparents during WW2 when they were stationed out in Cairo, Egypt, my parents retrieved it from the loft and will be put to good use.

Thursday Ballet Blogging

Friday Music Blogging

Friday Cat Blogging


Heidi

George

Thursday Ballet Blogging

Monday Opera Blogging

My iTunes 2010 Top 25 Most Played List

1. Vitalic - Terminateur Benelux
2. Hot Chip - One Life Stand
3. Dizzee Rascal - Dirtee Cash
4. Verdi, Aida - Gloria all'Egitto, ad Iside
5. Lady GaGa - Alejandro
6. Verdi: Nabucco - Act 3/Sc. 2: Va, Pensiero
7. Mozart: Don Giovanni - : Scena 6 / Madamina, il catalogo è questo
8. Airbourne - Blonde, Bad and Beautiful
9. Hot Chip - I Feel Better
10. John Boutte - Treme Song
11. Marina and the Diamonds - Oh No!
12. Lou Johnston - Magic Potion
13. Kele - Tenderoni
14. The Adverts - Gary Gilmore's Eyes
15. Puccini: La Bohème - Act 1: Che Gelida Manina
16. Puccini: La Bohème - Act 1: Si, Mi Chiamano Mimi
17. Puccini: La Bohème - Act 2: Quando Me'n Vo Soletta
18. Echo and the Bunnymen - People Are Strange
19. LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls
20. Scissor Sisters - Any Which Way
21. Super Furry Animals - Northern Lites
22. The Hoosiers - Choices
23. Hot Chip - Thieves In The Night
24. The Ting Tings - Great DJ
25. Verdi: La Traviata - Act 1: Brindisi