flatwhite.net » Joanne

On beauty and building materials

Joanne — Sun, 25 May 2008 02:15:39 +0000

This is a difficult thing for a coral biologist to say, but the top spot in my Favourite Sedentary Marine Creatures list has just been taken by a sponge. The Venus' Flower Basket sponge dwells in the deep sea sediments of the Western Pacific and is probably the only marine creature to have appeal to structural engineers, architects, biologists and die-hard romantics.

The accidental novelist

Joanne — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:54:01 +0000

Given a free hour to wander around a bookshop, it will be with an air of expectation that I pick up intriguing-looking books by authors I haven't heard of (beautiful cover designs attract my attention and 'The Inheritance of Loss' by Kiran Desai is a particular favourite of the moment so is currently decorating my dressing table).

The sense of simmering excitement as I enter a bookshop has less to do with the prospect of finding a novel on a theme that sparks my interest than finding evidence for the existence of 'accidental novelists'.

The Little Things in Life

Joanne — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 07:26:29 +0000

Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh!" he whispered. "Yes, Piglet?" "Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw. "I just wanted to be sure of you." ~A.A. Milne

Nothing Vulgar About Beetroot

Joanne — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 06:38:48 +0000

I think I'm going to start a campaign for a revival of the 19^th Century name for the beetroot - blood turnip. It’s an infinitely more evocative name for a humble root vegetable that has hidden depths. Today, many varieties of Beta vulgaris are grown around the world, (when was the last time YOU ate a Burpee’s Golden or a Bull’s Blood beet?)

Of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Joanne — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 03:30:57 +0000

Twenty-three years ago, for one hour a week in the six wintry weeks leading up to Christmas, I sat glued to a televisual feast of magic and mystery. 'The Box of Delights' was written by John Masefield in the 1930s and adapted for television by the BBC in 1984, when I was ten and living in the UK.