P for Peace

I was inspired by Roger's mail about not being on the grid.

Taken at Golden Temple Monastery, Bylakuppe, Karnataka, India

Peace

chased by everyone
found by none
is peace a myth?

Yeah my favourite word Peace... . Everyone aspires for it but here is what I think. Do you really find peace anywhere.. Yes there are brilliant places close to nature all over the globe that is peaceful.. 

But is the mind really at peace once you get there. In this technology dominated world does anyone really rememember what peace feels like? You get this really brilliant place and what happens? Either a mobile or a camera comes out for an immediate selfie or for putting up the picture in  blogs. Yeah well I do that too :) How many in todays world would really dare to leave all of the devices behind and just travel the old fashioned way. Is that also enough to find this elusive
experience.  Why travel to find peace.. Cant it be found in daily  living as well?

Perhaps I am in one of my many Philosophican moods (or is it???) but I do think its a pertinent question... Don't you?

What are the things you would do to find peace?

Come on People, Please Post your comments and links and we will come Pay you a visit We Promise!!. Oh yes Peace to you too :)

Pheno

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O is for OCEANS

If I asked you how many oceans there are in the world, what would you answer? Five?  And you could name them right? Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, Antarctic (also known as Southern)

Well, if you were in my 4th grade class when I was teaching about oceans, you would learn that all the oceans of the world flow into each other, thereby creating one ocean with five different bodies of water that are named as above.

Did you know that oceans cover about 70% of the Earth's surface and they contain roughly 97% of the Earth's water supply?

I really loved my Oceanography unit! The kids learned that the oceans of Earth serve many functions, especially affecting the weather and temperature. They learned how they moderate the Earth's temperature by absorbing incoming solar radiation (stored as heat energy). They also learned that the always-moving ocean currents distribute this heat energy around the globe by heating the land and air during winter and cooling it during summer.

 

I recall one activity we did whereby we created our own icebergs. We used zip-lock plastic bags and half filled them with blue-coloured water. We also made a mark with black felt at the water line. After a few days in the deep freezer, we brought them out to see if the water line had changed - it had. It seemed as though the water had expanded. Then we each dipped our iceberg in a huge vat of water to see what would happen. Did it sink? Did it float? How much of the iceberg was above the water line of the vat and how much was below? Using rulers, the kids measured and then we figured out the ratio of the visible iceberg to the invisible iceberg. Of course, that continued on to the story about the Titanic.

Another activity we did was when I divided the class into 5 groups, each group representing one of the oceans. Each group had a large tin foil pie plate into which they poured blue-coloured water. Then we added some oil, feathers, string, tooth picks and other small pieces of wood, bread bag tags, bits of clear plastic wrap, and other odds and sods of "garbage."

Then, I said to the groups, "Okay, now clean up your oceans!"

You should have seen those kids work like mad using all sorts of methods to get the oil and garbage out of their oceans.

It certainly proved a point.

And it was lots of fun, too.

I presented several videos about the oceans to the class and we also learned about the history of ocean exploration. It was one of my favourite Science units for many reasons, but one particular reason was that I took the class on a field trip to the Stanley Park Aquarium where they were treated to private viewings of the Beluga Whales, which were adorable, by the way.

Now, here's my question: Do you believe that Belugas should be in aquariums or should they be free to live in the oceans?  Why?




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N for Nesbitt & Neighbours

here I am.....Mrs Nesbitt. This photo was taken a couple of days ago, at a fund raising event I had organised. It was a breakfast event where people popped in for a bacon or sausage butty.
People travelled from far and wide - in bad weather to support the event.
Years ago when ABC Wednesday was just an idea I never dreamed that we too would pop in every week and check out what was happening with our neighbours like yourselves scattered around the globe..........but we do, week in week out.....all part of the bigger picture.
Summed up I feel in the words of John Donne.....
"No man is an island entire of itself; every man 

is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; "

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M is for Mary.

The house of the Virgin Mary near Ephesus in Turkey.

Main entrance to the house.                        

The Sacred Chapel.

 

 This is considered to be the last dwelling place of the Virgin Mary. It is believed that Mary was taken there by St John and she lived there until her Assumption .          (37-45).

While the site has always been associated with the Virgin, the house was unknown until a German Augustinian nun called Catherine Emmerich, (1774-1824), she had never been to Ephesus yet she had a series of visions which enabled her to give exact directions to the house and a detailed description of it's appearance.

Catherine Emmerich endured a life of suffering. She was a seer who witnessed scenes of the life of Christ with the vividness of one who was there.

 

 In 1891 the Lazarist  order of Izmer,  found it exactly where, and as she had described it:  a brick house of the sixth century, it's foundations dating back to the first century.

 In 1967  Pope Paul IV gave the house it's certificate of authenticity and later the house was visited by Pope John Paul the second.

The Virgin's tomb, according to Catherine Emmerich is about a mile from the house but has never been found.

The house is a busy pilgrimage site for the Roman Catholic Church, Muslim and Orthodox Faiths. They gather here for The Assumption of the Virgin on 15th August.

 

 

Selcuk Castle overlooking the town

 

 

 



 

The House of the Virgin Mary is in a municipal park  8km east of Selcuk, a

delightful town considered to be the modern day Ephesus.

I return again to my favourite place in Asia Minor ....Turkey....It is such a beautiful country, oozing with verdant countryside white sand beaches, ancient history, fabulous architecture, delicious cuisine and the most hospitable people ever.             I hope you are enjoying my journey.

Delicious Chicken Kebabs.

           Baked Mushroom stuffed Aubergine. 



Beautiful Town and beautiful people.

Hoska kalin.( stay happy).

My thanks to the MARVELLOUS Denise for devising ABCW and the METICULOUS Roger for his  memorable  administration.

Hope all had a lovely Eastertime.

Best wishes Di .



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