And it was good.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

I really thank God that today we drove 2 hours out of the city to our field site to find that the water level of the creek had risen so much that there was no way I could safely cross it. This was after discovering the lock had rusted so that the key wouldn't work in it so I had to climb through a hole in the fence. Basically a whole day was wasted- 4 hours driving total and I couldn't check my experiments, I couldn't help my colleague bring her tanks back to the lab, and I couldn't decant excess contaminated water from my experiments. I REALLY THANK GOD FOR THIS.

Why? Wasn't my day stuffed?

A couple of Wednesdays back I started feeling upset in my tummy. That Friday I went out in the field to help collect sediments from a fire-affected site. My tummy started feeling really upset. By the time we then drove to my experiment to rescue it from being flooded, I was secretly wanting to die, that's how much it hurt. The pain lessened on Saturday, and for the following week it was generally okay. My tummy felt tight, like I'd pulled a muscle, on the right side. Sometimes the pain spread, and often when I felt hungry I found I couldn't eat very much without feeling ill. It was mostly a background ache that occasionally made my hip sore.

I started feeling sicker again yesterday, so when I found out field work was postponed I bit the bullet and got it checked out. They're still running tests. Today I also woke up feeling sick. It's now causing my ribs to hurt.

I thank God because I really don't know how well I could have handled a full day of heavy lifting. Even dragging my wader-wearing body through fast waters would have been strenuous. God has protected me and kept me out of a situation my body may not have been able to handle. Yay! He is cool =)

Not everyone can keep their marbles.

Someone has lost their mind.

Again.

Someone put carrot peelings in the fridge.

Someone intended to put them in the rubbish bin.

Clearly, the rubbish bin and the fridge have a lot of similarities.

At least this time she didn't put chewing gum in the freezer. Or pepper in the fridge. Or commit other bizarre acts of absent-mindedness.

How can this be?! =(

I have been watching The Life of Mammals, a beautifully made series on, surprise surprise, mammals. And it is beautiful, visually and in the approach it takes to looking at the diverse range of mammals in existence. Not to mention it's narrated by David Attenborough. I love that man.

I was really excited when I reached episode 5, Meat Eaters. I love carnivores even more than I love David. Seriously, some of the most gorgeous, intelligent and charismatic animals ever are fluffy with sharp teeth. I find there is something dangerously attractive about wolves, tigers, foxes and so on. And this episode was awesome. It even included a section on African wild dogs, which have absolutely amazing social structures and hunting skills. They are the most successful of all mammalian hunters, with a kill rate over 80% (wolves only have about a 10% kill rate, I think).

Sorry, I'm getting sidetracked. Anyway, everything was awesome until David started talking about hyenas. AND HE MADE AN ERROR! He said that hyenas belonged to the dog tribe. Actually, hyenas belong to the cat suborder (shocking but true).

Hyenas are more closely related to cats than dogs. A bit of reading confirmed that David Attenborough was in fact wrong. Below is a diagram of the truth:


If you don't trust the awesome phylogeny I drew, google search "hyena phylogeny" and you will see that I am right.

Anyway, despite being wrong, I still like David, I still loved that episode, and I still look forward to watching the rest of the series.

It's a boy! And a girl! And stuff!

Congratulations to Sam, who is the delighted mother of 10+ babies, each weighing a healthy 2-5g! Their proud father, Kallie, was shocked by their arrival into the world.

"I didn't even realise Sam was bringing them home," she grinned. "They're very beautiful. Some are stripey. It's awesome."

I questioned how this growing abnormal family planned on functioning.

"It's harder than with stick insects. I mean, the boys were easy to provide for. I fed them. Sam educated them. Our new babies are a lot fussier, so it means we both have to work to meet their needs. I imagine Sam will still take them to school. I'll read them Thomas books!"

Photos of the new arrivals to follow soon.