Keeping in Touch
While we are in shutdown due to the COVID-19 we thought it would be a good idea to have a place on our website where we could, on a regular basis, keep you informed, provide fun things to do, excite your mind, provide links to interesting places, inject some humour, share some ideas and generally brighten up your day. So, on a regular basis while we are all sitting at home, our webmaster, Ian Handricks, will update this page for you and he would welcome your input, ideas and anything else you might like to share on the page and he will do his best to include your ideas in the next post. Ian can be contacted on ianhandricks@gmail.com - Click on buttons below to go to a specific day or scroll down for a journey through the days
n.b. When viewing the videos use these controls ... click on in bottom left of video to start video and
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Day 41
Taking the Bull by the Horns
Charging Ahead
Trampled under foot!
11 yr-old Angelina Jordan - You Make Me Feel So Young - see Day 44 for more
Incredible Memory
Idi Trump
Plane Crazy!
Brain Crazy!
Second Thoughts!
Water Music
Sparky
Violin Lessons
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Wuhan City
Here's some more Curiosity Clicking
A collection of interesting websites worth a visit (click on black button to visit site)
The Straight Dope
Fighting ignorance since 1973. (It's taking longer than they thought) - seriously funny and well-written articles on all manner of queries from the public.
Snopes
Do you believe that fingernails and hair continue to grow after death? Why don’t you check out if this is true, along with thousands of other urban folklore out there, at Snopes?
Instructables
Instructables provides instructions to help you build just about anything you can imagine. It provides a platform for people to explore, document, and share their creations.
Day 42
Escaping from Reality
It's reigning Cats and Dogs
Escape Artists
Adorable
"Cat"ch It!
Who needs traffic lights?
We are so fortunate that English is such an easy language to learn!
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Why does fridge have a "D" in it, but refrigerator doesn't?
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Is the "S" or the "C" in scent silent?
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Why aren't the words all ending in "ough" pronounced the same ... cough, bough, rough, dough, through, though ...
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Doesn't the fact that Kansas and Arkansas are pronounced differently bother you?
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You can drink a drink but you can't food a food
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Why are Zoey and Zoe pronounced the same but Joey and Joe are not?
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The word "Queue" is just the letter"Q" followed by 4 silent letters
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Why is "W" called "double-U" when it is clearly a "double-V"
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The bandage was wound around his leg to cover his wound.
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The wind was too strong to wind in the sail.
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The dump was full, and had to refuse further refuse.
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We must polish the Polish furniture.
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The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
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Startled, the dove dove into the bushes.
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The insurance on the invalid was invalid.
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There was a row among the oarsmen about who could row the best.
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We were too close to the door to close it.
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On her farm, a woman worked to produce produce.
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John had to write to the right people to keep his rights during his rites.
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“I see,” said the blind man as he picked up the hammer and saw.
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Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana
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Will Will Smith smith? Will Smith will smith.
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I chopped a tree down, and then I chopped it up
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Rose rose to put rose roes on her rows of roses
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If it is it, it is it; if it is it is it, it is.
Signs of gooder Engrish
These are all real images of signs using interesting English. Click on any photo to see larger.
The Great Escape
Puzzled?
A leisurely bike ride in Paris
... and recycled!
Day 43
Very Re-Greta-able
Flights of fancy
Grumpy Greta
The Swans at Froggy Bottom
Here's some more Curiosity Clicking
A collection of interesting websites worth a visit (click on black button to visit site)
Paper Toilet
Just because stores are sold out of toilet paper doesn't mean you have to live without. This site features some interactive TP that you can roll up or down.
Stellarium
If you live in a place with light pollution, it's probably been a sec since you've seen a constellation. Thankfully, Stellarium has come through with a digital view of the night sky at your location.
Zoom Quilt
If you're looking to be hypnotized, then check out this site, which is basically a picture that infinitely zooms in to reveal new pictures.
Internet Live Stats
"Everyone's on the internet" is a common expression, but this site will tell you — in real time — exactly how many people are actually on the internet. Spoiler alert: It's everyone.
Radiooooo
Radio Garden walked so Radiooooo could run. This site adds a timeline function so you can listen to radio from not just anywhere, but anywhen. Get down to those 1910s Russian bops!
29a.ch
This interactive site lets you color what looks to be a map of the cosmos, but I'm honestly not sure. Whatever it is, it's mesmerizing.
My Fridge Food
At this point, your fridge probs has, like, three random items in it, and you're starting to panic about meal options. Enter My Fridge Food, which inputs everything you have in your kitchen and outputs a recipe.
Difference Between
Want to learn the difference between, for example, socialism or communism? Or a violin and fiddle? Try this site.
Whizz Past
The best place on the Web to learn about our amazing, action packed past
Stephanie Trick
Stephanie Trick is a young American stride, ragtime and jazz pianist. She began playing piano at the age of five. Her interest outside of classical music began at the age of ten, when her piano teacher introduced her to ragtime. She received her BA degree in music with honours from the University of Chicago in 2009. Trick demonstrates piano performance and composition styles of stride, ragtime and jazz piano from the 1900s to the 1940s. She emphasizes jazz standards, stride and boogie-woogie tunes with an accent on her specialty of Harlem stride. Trick and her husband, pianist Paolo Alderighi, reside in both St. Louis and Milan, Italy, his home town.
Stephanie Trick and Paolo Alderighi - St. Louis Blues
Stephanie Trick - "Anitra's Dance"
Stephanie Trick & Jörg Hegemann -- "Shout for Joy"
Stephanie Trick - The Minor Drag
Which side of the street?
Norman and his blonde wife live in Alaska. One winter morning while listening to the radio, they hear the announcer say, "We are going to have 3 to 4 inches of snow today. You must park your car on the even numbered side of the street, so the snowplow can get through."
Norman's wife goes out and moves her car.
A week later while they are eating breakfast, the radio announcer says, "We are expecting 4 to 5 inches of snow today. You must park your car on the odd numbered side of the street, so the snowplow can get through."
Norman's wife goes out and moves her car again.
The next week they are having breakfast again, when the radio announcer says "We are expecting 10 to 12 inches of snow today. You must park.....", then the electricity goes out. Norman's wife says, "Honey, I don't know what to do."
Norman says, "Why don't you just leave it in the garage this time?"
Day 44
This will stick in your memory
Crafting magic
Using Only Ice Block Sticks This Guy Builds Amazing Mechanisms!
Miniatur Wunderland: Largest model train set
Balancing Sticks
One Of The Best and Most Detailed Model Railroad Layouts in the World
Here's some more Curiosity Clicking
A collection of interesting websites worth a visit (click on black button to visit site)
Archive.is
Take a snapshot of any web page and it will exist forever even if the original page is gone
Autodraw
Create freehand doodles and watch them magically transform into beautiful drawings powered by machine learning
Screenshot Guru
Take high-resolution screenshots of web pages on mobile and desktops.
Copychar
Copy special characters and emojis that aren’t on your keyboard
Unsplash
The best place to download images absolutely free
Hundred Zeros
The site lets you download free Kindle books.
SimilarSites
discover new sites that are similar to what you like already
GT Metrix
The perfect tool for measuring the performance of a website online
Minutes.IO
Take notes quickly and efficiently: minutes.io is designed to easily let you take minutes during meetings, not after
Google Art Project
Discover museums, famous paintings and art treasure from all around the world
Photo Icons 8
Make your own stock photographs in high-resolution with custom backgrounds, models and facial expressions.
Sway
Create and share interactive reports, newsletters, presentations, and for storytelling.
Angelina Jordan
Angelina Jordan is an extrodinary Norwegian child jazz singer whose audition for the 2014 season of Norway's Got Talent at the age of seven, singing "Gloomy Sunday" in the style of Billie Holiday, became a viral video online, and led to worldwide press coverage. She went on to win the competition (at 7 yrs old) with her performance of George Gershwin's "Summertime". Since then she has worked to raise millions of dollars on behalf of environmental causes and children's charities around the world. She always performs barefoot, after befriending a young shoeless girl while traveling when she was six years old. Jordan wrote a book about the experience and became the youngest published author in Norway.
After Jordan's performances on Norway's Got Talent went viral online, she was featured in People, Time, The Mirror, and other news outlets around the world. She also realized a personal ambition by performing for Malala Yousafzai in the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Concert.
In 2020, she competed in the second season of America's Got Talent: The Champions. Her first appearance on the show, singing an original arrangement of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", received a "golden buzzer" from judge Heidi Klum (meaning that Jordan would pass directly into the finals). As with her Norway's Got Talent audition six years earlier, the video of Jordan's performance began to go viral, and garnered praise from Queen's official Twitter account.
In addition to singing, Jordan is a recognised composer, plays the piano, violin and flute. She has released more than 300 YouTube videos of covers and original music. - A selection of her music follows ...
Summertime
Bang Bang
I Put a Spell on You
What a Difference a Day Make
Born to Die
Its now or never
Day 44 Chuckles
Have a giggle!
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Day 45
Bucket & Spade Brigade
The sands of time
Blanket Coverage
Close Calls
Last Day on the Job
Never a Bum Note
Here's some more Curiosity Clicking
A collection of interesting websites worth a visit (click on black button to visit site)
Mathway
Solve any maths problem
Print Friendly
Print any web page in a print friendly format
Draw IO
Draw Useful Diagrams online and save to your PC
Viktoriya Yermolyeva
Viktoriya Yermolyeva was born in Kiev in 1978. At kindergarten age she was told that she had perfect pitch and a talent for music, Vika started making full piano arrangements and her web presence began to go viral. Vika graduated with honours from Kiev Lysenko Specialized Music High School (1996), piano class of Prof. Iryna Lipatova and National P. Tchaikovsky Music Academy of the Ukraine (2000), piano class of Prof. Igor Ryabov. She studied in the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Weimar , postgraduate course with Prof. Peter Waas and simultaneously in the years 2001-2003, studied in the International Piano Academy “Incontri col Maestro” in Imola with Prof. Lazar Berman. Vika is an award-winning pianist with long-term experience of public appearances as Concert Performer solo and with Symphonic Orchestras, Accompanist and Artist of Chamber Ensemble and certificated piano teacher.
- A selection of her music follows ...
Riders on the Storm
Hotel California
Bohemian Rhapsody
Candle in the Wind
Let it Be
Clocks
Men and Machines
Cold Hot dogs
Jive Bunnies
A Bit of your own Medicine
Day 46
What's in a Name
Nom-de-plumes
What were your parents thinking when they named you that?
These are all images of people with interesting real names. Click on any photo to see larger.
Bill Howell taught them how to do this!
Illusionists!
Here's some more Curiosity Clicking
A collection of interesting websites worth a visit (click on black button to visit site)
Pet Names
Bow Wow provides best Pet Names for your dog and cats. Try out our dog and cat name search facility to find pet name meanings.
Surname Origins
Discover the meaning and history behind your last name. Your last name gives you a sense of identity and helps you discover who you are and where you come from.
Surname Maps
Search for Meanings & Distribution of 27 Million Surnames
Crazy English pronunciations of some common surnames
The name and how it should be pronounced ...
Abercorn
Ayscough
Bagehot
Beauchamp
Beauclerk
Boulware
Colclough
Cholmondeley
Cockburn
Cuyjet
DeLaughter
Enroughty
Featherstonhaugh
Marjoribanks
Ouzts
Schlumberger
Strachan
Tjoelker
Vanderhorst
Wriothesley
Avvercorn
Askew
Badjet
Beachum
Boclair
Bowler
Cockley
Chumley
Coburn
Soojer
Delawter
Darby
Fanshaw
Marchbanks
Oots
shlumberjay
Strawn
Choker
Vandross
Rawtslee