One of those silly questions!

Do you ever get one of those silly questions stuck in your head?  It all started in the week, with an impromptu trip to Aldi.  I know Luke (and I) like those round biscuits with chocolate in the middle that disolve as soon as they touch a cup of tea.  So later in the week, whilst dunking a biscuit, I began to wonder, what is it that makes some biscuits go all mushy so quickly, yet others just don't?

Initially I thought it might be the fat content, so those with high fat content, as the heat hits the biscuit, the fat loosens the structure of the biscuit. Then I thought it might be capillary action, so the finer the particles in the biscuit structure, the more liquid gets pulled in, and makes it mushy.

I can feel plenty of experimenting coming on, but I thought to save myself, and my waistline I would first ask here if anyone had any thoughts or hypotheses on this subject!  In fact if anyone fancies joining me in a fun experiment, or get the kids to join in, (all in the name of science you understand ;) ) then let me know!!

Hope this week is full of fun for you all, and not too many silly, niggling questions!!

Bramble - an update

It would seem it was not meant to be that Bramble the cat would come to live with us. Our house is too close to a main road for this particular cat sanctuary to be happy with. From the time I picked her up to take her to the vet to see if she was micro-chipped, worrying that I was being an interfering busy body, I fell in love with her.

Why didn't I trust my instincts then? Why did I listen to the vet who seemed to think she had a home. Why didn't I bring her home when she was obviously pregnant? Why didn't I visit the house she had started to frequent just a few hours earlier, in order to get to her before the animal sanctuary did? Why did it have to be the sanctuary with the strictest rehoming policy?

I can only assume the universe has other plans for me, but I will miss Bramble. Sophie still asks where she is when we walk past the spot where she used to come out to be fed. Sophie loves cats, we have to stop and fuss every cat we see, crossing roads to see them! Bramble would have had a lovely life with us, I know it. I just hope she goes to a loving family, as that is what she deserves.

Questioning minds

A normal walk to school this morning, chatting about the day ahead, when Alec pipes up "What is fire?"

Where the question came from, goodness knows, but it got us all thinking. My initial response was, when something gets hot it releases energy, and that's what fire is, the release of energy. "But why does one thing burn and one thing melt?",
"Is the sun fire?"
"Why do dome solids burn, like wood, but other things like gases burn?"

All from walking to school! Typical that these questions pop up when we have no way of finding out! I have suggested to them all that they ask their teachers, see if they have any better answers.

This one to go down with the classics I've had in the past such as "why is air invisible?" (Luke aged three!) and "if God is in everything, if I chop down a tree, am I killing God?" (Luke aged 4)

They constantly amaze me with their enquiring minds. I think I must have just taken things for granted as a child, and never questioned why. I certainly can't remember being so inquisitive!