February 16th

I'm worried by the meteor hit in Russia's Ural Mountains. It landed in a lake near Chebarkul rather than on top of the town. I can imagine how frightening it must have been for the residents nearby. The shock waves knocked out windows and, besides injuring nearly 1,000 people with flying glass, must have damaged eardrums. Mothers would have hugged their children to combat the fear of the unknown. In times of stress, it is natural to think of our families and pull together to help each other.

www.thetimes.co.uk

Thank goodness the 2012 DA 14 passed by at its closest at 19.25 GMT on Friday without a hitch as charted. The experts say they can't predict every rock of flying debris heading our way. A worrying report in the BBC news notes how little warning we had about several other comets over the past few years. Click here to read the full story. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21459861 Space rocks can take us by surprise at any time. 

Astronomers don't know anything about many near-Earth asteroids that are 20 times larger and radically heavier than this week's visitor. Any of these up to 1 km rocks could be civilization-ending.

A spokesperson at the University of Kent reported that they were far from having the problem covered. Some help is potentially at hand - the dedicated Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System or Atlas, designed to give at least a few days' notice of impending asteroids by scanning the whole sky every night. Also, amateur asteroid enthusiasts share vital information. But the problem remains. We could be taken unaware by a completely unknown asteroid at any time.

iStockphoto

 The best thing to do is live each day as if it will be your last. How often do we suffer from the, 'if only'  thoughts when a beloved pet or relative dies? Love your family and those around you now. I've often read these, or similar, words from wise men, 'Now is the only reality'.

January 15th

A blast from the past in the form of a jingle reminder to help you tan all over: Time to turn, so you don't burn. Once something like this gets into your head, the tune stays in your mind and plays over and over. It takes me back to the age of seventeen. I'm lying on the beach at Glenelg, South Australia. We've just moved from Victoria to stay with my Uncle Peter and look after his two young children after their mother left. Back then, families cared for each other. The new area excites me with its promenade along the beach, tramline between Adelaide and the coast, long jetty and excited people enjoying the seaside. Our family home is built several blocks back from the beach—a short walk to paradise because now boys watch me from the lifesaving building at the edge of the sand.

Out with the coconut oil. My skin prickles under their scrutiny while I rub the fragrant white lotion into my legs.  The song on the radio cuts off. The announcer's voice purrs and here comes the song again: Time to turn, so you don't burn. Screwing the plastic top onto the glass jar, I follow instructions. My breasts press into the towel, which accommodates the shape like memory foam without the automatic ease-back. The sun on my back makes me dream of a time when I'll make new friends of those boys above. In fact, I'm too hot. With the swift motion of a young cat, I rise and run into the water in my itsy, bitsy ...

 Listen to The Unforgettables sing: Itsy Bitsy Tinie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini:  

http://youtu.be/wxrD5NbZ9ns

January 11th

What makes a person the way they are? Pretty broad question. Is it life experiences or were we born with our personalities intact? My husband and I were both the first children in our families. Two sisters were born after me, and he had one younger brother.

Me: I'm an eternal optimist, a Pollyanna. I spent most of my youth encouraging those around me and creating plays and dances to keep them amused--a trait I use now in novel-writing. At the tender age of seven, I learned that my father had left my mother. Although unhappy, I coped in my own way when he took me to stay with his new wife for weekends. My sisters didn't fare so well; one became rebellious towards him, and he picked on the youngest until she no longer joined us. I remember a time when my middle sister refused to eat her meal in their beautifully decorated dining room. He said, You must and you will eat it. She picked up a handful of meat and gravy and flung it at him. The food landed on the red flock wallpaper and slid down the surface.

My husband: A natural leader, he grew up in London during the war. At the tender age of four, he would take his brother on train trips to what he thought was the country. Don't ask me why the conductor allowed two young boys to travel on their own. He learned to cook during the air raids. His mother worked as a bus conductress and his father was away at the war. As a five-year-old, he would prepare the meal and have it ready for his mother to heat up when she returned at night. To this day, he makes lists, shops, and cooks wonderful meals during our retirement.

The way people turn out could be their position in the family. Only Children have a hard time and are used to certain reactions when they meet new people. A new study has just been released about the traits of children born after 1979 after China's One Child policy began. They found the children were less trusting, less trustworthy and less competitive, but more pessimistic. Needless to say, China is thinking of reversing the ruling.