Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Christmas Cheer in the Local Community

.St Mark's, Leeming (Uniting Church)

The goodwill from smiling faces as people paused for a minute or two during Christmas shopping made singing Christmas Carols very rewarding. It was even more fun when children joined in singing and playing percussion instruments.

Yep, I'm in there playing guitar and the chimes (yippee!). Good fun, but one time as I leaned forward to turn the music page, the guitar tuning pegs somehow tangled themselves in the strings on which the chimes hung. Just like a tangle in a fishing line, it was astounding how much twisting and threading was required to separate a simple meeting of the two instruments! I don't think anyone noticed, but as musicians we know these things happen and carry on regardless!

~ Blessings at Christmas to All ~



Monday, December 22, 2008

All I want for Christmas is... a Space Shuttle!

..
The ultimate gift for a space enthusiast! For US$42, it could be mine.

I have always been
fascinated by space travel, and a highlight in my life was a visit the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in September 2000. We climbed the LC39 Observation Gantry and viewed the shuttle Discovery on the launch pad. I had to pinch myself to believe I was actually there seeing this in reality.

I still relish every experience of our day at the Center with its magnificent exhibits and experiences. The day climaxed with a
walk through a full-size Space Shuttle mock-up, complete with individually coded and fitted heat-resistant tiles.

So two Space Shuttles will be decommissioned and up for sale in 2010!

But Barry said no, I can't have one.

And why not?

"Well, where would you put it?" he asked!

Monday, December 01, 2008

A Smiley Face in the Sky

...


After a hard day, the smiley face in the sky brought a smile to my face and a sense of perspective. It was fun to share the experience over the phone with my son, Christopher, in wonder and amazement.

We were experiencing, together with so many others, what astronomers call a conjunction to describe two or more celestial bodies appearing to come close together in the sky.

From information described by NASA and the Sydney Observatory, in the dark sky I could see the 'dark' part of the Moon glowing slightly with what is called "earthshine", the result from sunlight reflected off the Earth and onto the Moon. The Observatory says this fantastic celestial sight won't happen again until the year 2036!