Police Are Bear-ing Down On Animal Thieves

Animals cannot always be trusted.

Like Sam the Seagull and his tangy cheese Doritos based crime streak

Bear...where are you going with that dumpster?

You need to be constantly vigilant.

Just look at these getaways...

Ruthless. 



So you might not want to leave your car unlocked.

And hold on to your hubcaps.

These guys will get you when you least expect it 

11 Minutes of Truly Brilliant Comedic Life Advice

Unsure about your career? The meaning of life? 
How to define yourself? Torn between art and science? This one's for you...

Some genuinely great life advice peppered with gems of Minchin humour... "A famous bon mot asserts opinions are like arseholes, in that everyone has one. There is great wisdom in this but I would add that opinions differ significantly from arseholes in that yours should be constantly and thoroughly examined."

The World's Most Delicious Pudding In 3 Minutes

So last night I wanted a really indulgent treat. We didn't have a lot in the house, so I raided the cupboards and decided to experiment with a vegan mug brownie. Start to finish it took 3 minutes. The results....wow. I have to share this with the world! (Duncan was pretty enthusiastic for a remake today so that it could be photographed.) Quantities are a little vague - I'm not the measuring type - but I don't think you can go too wrong. 

Ingredients

1 part cacao powder

1 part sugar (I used brown & white)

1 part coconut oil (or other butter/oil)

2 parts flour

a dash of vanilla essence

a splash of water

a pinch of salt

1: Combine the coconut oil/butter and water

2: Microwave for 5-15 seconds, until melted

3: Add the vanilla, salt and sugar and stir

4:Stir in the cacao powder (use a fork if there are lumps)

5:Stir in the flour

6: Lick the spoon

7: Microwave for 50-90 seconds on high

8: Leave to cool

9: Enjoy the delicious brownie goodness

Serve with ice cream if it's that kind of a day.

What In The World Is A Pluviophile?

I used to actively dislike the rain - being stooped over trying to avoid getting it in your face. I also used to straighten my unruly hair quite a lot which made the rain even more bothersome. But after living in Chile and not seeing a drop of rain in over half a year, I found I really began to miss it. More recently I realised that rain is only miserable when you are trying not to get wet. (I have also embraced the wild hair, which changed things a lot.) 

A friend from Pakistan asked me a little while ago how we cope with all the rain here. Here are some of my best reasons for not just coping with it but enjoying it...

It makes the countryside all green and luscious and wonderful.

Rainbows! 

Food. 

Jumping in puddles. 

Monkeys get married. (My grandma used to say that when it is rainy and sunny at the same time it's a monkeys wedding.) 

Rain is made in different ways - some blows inward and upward from sea air, some is made by warm and cold air colliding and some is caused by land moisture being heated by the sun. Learn more.

Being grumpy is much more dramatic in the rain. 

Dogs do funny things - mine bites the rain drops or pounces on them as they fall on puddles. 

Running in the rain.

If you're British it's pretty much part of your cultural heritage.

You can feel closer to nature when you're outdoors in the rain.

It smells nice after the rain. Read why.

You can sing and dance and swing on lampposts...

Or sing that song "raindrops keep falling on my head, lalalala."

Ducks are really happy. 

Wasps are really pissed off. 

It's sexy time for frogs.

You can do stuff you've saved for a rainy day. 

Kissing is ten times more romantic

You can watch raindrops racing down windows.

Cultures all around the world have/had rain dances and rain gods...Chaac (Mayan), Tlaloc (Aztec), Cocijo (Zapotec), Yu Shi (Chinese), Indra (Hindu) to name but a few.

You can get under a duvet and enjoy warm drinks and old movies. 

Or you can just throw your arms out and enjoy it...

...like 15 month old Kayden here, who is experiencing rain for the first time. 

Optical Illusurrealism

I love surrealism. A genre of intricacy, creativity and that wonderful floaty feeling when it seems like the laws of physics are breaking. Although it is sometimes a little creepy, I think it is important to approach surrealist art with the knowledge that it comes from a movement designed to challenge the way we look at the world. An appreciation of surrealism is, arguably, a natural conclusion of being a nineties kid raised on Magic Eye. (Ok maybe that's just me but...) 
This post is a very small eclectic tribute to optical illusions and surrealism, 
hence optical illusurrealism. 

M.C. Escher - the king of mathemaphysical weirdness. Art critics may say he is not a true surrealist, but he definitely deserves a mention here. If you like his work you need to download the game Monument Valley immediately. 

 

This next illusion plays on the subjectiveness of proximal colours. These 'green' and 'blue' spirals below are actually the same colour...

I know right!?

Wonderful Dali...what does your eye see first?

Stare at the cross and watch the absent dot change.
If you want to know why check out the phi phenomenon, after-image effects, Troxler's fading and complementary colours...or just enjoy it. 

Cats or birds?

Vladmimir Kush beautifully incorporates animals into his thought provoking work...

Inanimate circles spiral out of control...

This one infuriates cats...

And this post would obviously not be complete without Magic Eye!

(If you've not Magic Eyed before what you want to do is get really close to the image so that it is all blurry and you are looking through it, not focussing on it. Then ever so gradually move away from the screen. A secret image will appear in 3D. The trick is to not try to focus your eyes, but let it happen for you.)

I'm hoping there are some people with their noses pressed against their laptops in public places

Laughing Quadruplets

Just stop and imagine for a second being covered in laughing babies...