5 February: Jelly

On this date in 1981 the World’s largest Jelly was made (9,246 gallons of watermelon-flavour) in Brisbane. 10 facts about jelly.

1. Before it was possible to buy gelatin in the shops, people made jelly by extracting it from the foot of a calf. This gelatin was used for savoury dishes, or was mixed with fruit juice and Sugar for a dessert.

2. Making jelly this way was very time consuming and therefore, being able to serve it was a status symbol because it showed you had a large kitchen staff. Jelly molds were a common kitchen item in large stately homes.

3. Hannah Glasse was the first person to publish a recipe for a dessert using jelly, in her 18th-century book The Art of Cookery. Her recipe called for gelatin from calf's feet, isinglass and hartshorn. She used violet juice to colour it Blue, Saffron to make Yellow, cochineal for Red and Spinach for Green. These were allowed to set in layers in small, narrow glasses and flavoured with sugar, Lemon juice and spices.

4. The constituency of jelly comes from hydrolysed collagen, a protein made up of three strands of polypeptide chains with a helical structure. Mixing it with Water and heating it changes the structure.

5. The texture of jelly can vary from almost liquid to a rubbery solid (think jelly babies). This is down to the ratio of gelatin to liquid. There is actually a measurement for the strength of jelly, called the bloom strength. It is defined by the force in grams required to press a 12.5 mm (0.49 in) diameter plunger 4 mm (0.16 in) into 112 g (4.0 oz) of a standard 6.67% w/v gelatin gel at 10 °C (50 °F).

6. Some fruits, including Pineapple, Figs, Papaya and Kiwi Fruit, inhibit the setting of jelly because they contain enzymes that break up gelatine.

7. Jelly goes by different names in different parts of the world. In the USA and Canada, it is often called 'Jell-O', Jell-O being a brand of gelatin which has become a generic name for the stuff. In Commonwealth Nations like the United Kingdom and New Zealand, almost all gelatin is called jelly.

8. There are plant based alternatives to gelatin so vegans can enjoy jelly desserts, too. These include Agar, a product made from red algae, and carrageenan, which is made from Seaweed.

9. The liquid used to make jelly isn’t always entirely water. It can be made using Vodka, Rum, Tequila, or neutral grain spirit. This is known as a jello shot, also known as the poison rainbow.

10. Tom Lehrer claims to have invented the gelatin shot in the 1950s as a way to circumvent a restriction of alcoholic beverages at the National Security Agency base where he worked. However, there is a recipe for an alcoholic gelatin drink which dates from 1862, in How to Mix Drinks, or The Bon Vivant's Companion by Jerry Thomas. His recipe for "Punch Jelly" calls for isinglass or other gelatin to be added to a punch made from Cognac, rum, and lemon juice.

Beta

(Combat Team Series #2)

Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?

Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.

Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream. 

Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.

Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.

Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.

Paperback

E book

4 February: 35

On the 35^th day of the year, 10 fun facts about the number 35.

1. 35 is the sum of the first five triangular numbers, making it a tetrahedral number.

2. 34+35 is a song by American singer Ariana Grande, released on 3 November 2020 by Republic Records.

3. 35 Chinna Katha Kaadu is a 2024 Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film written and directed by Nanda Kishore Emani in his directorial debut.

4. 35 Leukothea is a large, dark Asteroid from the asteroid belt. It was discovered by German astronomer Karl Theodor Robert Luther on April 19, 1855, and named after Leukothea, a sea goddess in Greek mythology.

5. XXXV is a 2002 album by Fairport Convention. It is subtitled "The 35th Anniversary Album", and was released in celebration of the band's existence from 1967–2002.

6. The atomic number of bromine, a chemical element with the symbol Br. It is a volatile red-brown liquid at room temperature that evaporates readily to form a similarly coloured vapour.

7. 35 mm film is the basic film gauge most commonly used for both analog photography and motion pictures.

8. 35 is the minimum age of presidential candidates for election to the USA, Ireland, Poland, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay.

9. In London, the 35 Bus runs between Clapham Junction Station and Shoreditch.

10. In numerology, a person influenced by this number has a knack for business and material accumulation. They are also assured, assertive, optimistic, tolerant, adventurous, and curious — so long as it fits within their sense of realism.

Beta

(Combat Team Series #2)

Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?

Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.

Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream. 

Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.

Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.

Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.

Paperback

E book

3 February: Lord Robert Cecil

Born on this date in 1830 was Lord Robert Cecil, 3rd Marquis of Salisbury, statesman and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

1. He was the first British Prime Minister of the 20^th century, and the last to head a British government while in the House of Lords and not the elected Commons.

2. He was born at Hatfield House, the third son of the 2nd Marquess of Salisbury and Frances Mary, née Gascoyne. He was a descendant of Lord Burghley and the 1st Earl of Salisbury, chief ministers of Elizabeth I.

3. He had a miserable childhood. His health wasn’t good and he was prone to depression, but developed a love of books and botany. His mother died when he was 10 and his father was cold and distant. He did well at school but had to leave because he was bullied. These experiences led him to the belief that most people were cowardly and cruel, and that the mob would run roughshod over sensitive individuals.

4. He went to university in Oxford and was a member of the Oxford movement or "Tractarianism".

5. He started to practice law, but didn’t enjoy it. He was advised by his doctor to travel to improve his health, which he did, visiting Cape Colony, Australia, including Tasmania, and New Zealand. His travels did indeed seem to improve his health and he was stronger when he returned.

6. He married Georgina Alderson in defiance of his father who had hoped he would marry someone of a higher social standing. It was a happy marriage; the couple had eight children, and Cecil made sure they had happier childhoods than his own.

7. Cecil entered the House of Commons as a Conservative on 22 August 1853, as MP for Stamford in Lincolnshire at the age of 23. He wrote political articles for journals to supplement his income, since he’d been cut off from his family money, gaining him a reputation as a sharp and clever commentator.

8. He served three terms as Prime Minister. Instead of the traditional role of First Lord of the Treasury, Lord Salisbury chose to combine the role of Prime Minister with that of Foreign Secretary as his interest lay in foreign affairs, especially in Africa. Under his direction, the colony of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) was established, and its capital city, Salisbury, was named after him.

9. He had a disorder called prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, which made it difficult to recognise faces, although other aspects of visual processing and intellectual functioning remained unimpaired.

10. In July 1902, in failing health and grieving the death of his wife, Salisbury resigned. He was succeeded by his nephew, Arthur Balfour. King Edward VII conferred upon him the Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order. He died just over a year later from complications from an ulcerated leg after a fall from the chair he had taken to sleeping in due to breathing difficulties. He was 73.

Beta

(Combat Team Series #2)

Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?

Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.

Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream. 

Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.

Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.

Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.

Paperback

E book

2 February: Groundhog Day: The movie

It’s Groundhog Day! So here are 10 facts about Groundhog Day the movie, released in 1993.

1. Groundhog Day is an American fantasy comedy film directed by Harold Ramis from a screenplay by him and Danny Rubin. It stars Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell and Chris Elliott. The plot concerns a cynical television weatherman covering the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. He gets trapped in a time loop, forcing him to relive February 2 repeatedly.

2. The original idea for Groundhog Day came to writer Danny Rubin while he was reading Anne Rice's book The Vampire Lestat, and began musing about what a person might do with eternal life. Harold Ramis originally wanted Phil to live February 2nd for about ten thousand years, which came from Buddhist doctrine, which states that it takes approximately 10,000 years for a soul to evolve to the next level. However, he later said that in the film, Phil probably lived the same day for about ten years.

3. The holiday Groundhog Day was chosen because it was the next one shown on a calendar that Rubin opened, and although it was a recognised holiday, it wasn’t one that had got much attention up to that point.

4. Tom Hanks, Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Michael Keaton and John Travolta were all considered for the role of Phil, but were all rejected on the grounds that they were “too nice”.

5. The film was not filmed in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where the official groundhog ceremony takes place, but in Woodstock, Illinois.

6. Punxsutawney officials, upset that their town was not used for filming, refused to allow the real Punxsutawney Phil to appear in the film. So a local groundhog was trapped in the wild near Illinois a few weeks before filming, and nicknamed Scooter. Scooter, needless to say, was a somewhat reluctant star, and actually bit Bill Murray twice during shooting. Murray had to go to hospital for anti rabies injections.

7. The song Phil wakes up to every morning is I've Got You Babe by Sonny & Cher, which was a hit in 1965. The song is known for its seemingly endless repetitive chorus which mirrors Phil's predicament in the film.

8. Rubin originally wanted to explain the reason for the time loop and considered a number of supernatural reasons, including a curse put on Phil by an ex-girlfriend to teach him a lesson. In the end, he decided the cause didn’t actually matter, and the lack of explanation made Phil's situation more relatable, as "none of us knows exactly how we got stuck here either." There was also a twist at the end which didn’t make the cut – Phil breaks his loop and then confesses his love to Rita, but she she rejects him because she is not ready for love and gets trapped in a time loop of her own.

9. The German title of the movie is translated as "The Groundhog Greets Every Day," and the Swedish as "Monday the Entire Week." However, the movie doesn’t specify what day of the week it is, and Groundhog Day in 1993 was actually a Tuesday.

10. Bill Murray was going through a divorce when the movie was being filmed, which had an effect on his mood and behaviour which in turn led to tension between him and the director. Murray and Ramis didn’t speak for years afterwards. It was shortly before Ramis' death that they made peace with each other. That said, Murray did perform a nice gesture for people who gathered to watch the filming. He went into a nearby bakery and ordered Danish pastries all round.

Beta

(Combat Team Series #2)

Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?

Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.

Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream. 

Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.

Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.

Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.

Paperback

E book

1 February: 32

Today is the 32^nd day of the year, so here are 10 facts about the number 32.

1. 32 is the freezing point of Water at standard atmospheric pressure in degrees Fahrenheit.

2. An adult human has 32 teeth, including wisdom teeth.

3. Ireland has 32 counties.

4. Ludwig van Beethoven wrote 32 completed, numbered piano sonatas.

5. In the Kabbalah, there are 32 Kabbalistic Paths of Wisdom.

6. The Chamber of 32 Doors, is a song by Genesis, from their 1974 concept album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.

7. In Chess, there are 32 black squares on the board, 32 white squares, and 32 pieces (Black and White) at the beginning of the game.

8. +32 is the code for international direct dial phone calls to Belgium.

9. Germanium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ge and atomic number 32. It is lustrous, hard-brittle, greyish-white and similar in appearance to Silicon.

10. The ball used in association Football is most often made with 32 panels of leather or synthetic material.

Beta

(Combat Team Series #2)

Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?

Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.

Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream. 

Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.

Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.

Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.

Paperback

E book

31 January: The Feast of Great Typos

Today is the Feast of Great Typos. Here are 10 great typos:

1. Strikebound holidaymakers were kept waiting six hours for the jerry. Then it was filled to capacity. Southern Echo

2. The strike leaders had called a meeting that was to have been held in a bra near the factory, but it was found to be too small to hold them all. South London Press

3. A public enquiry will be held in Colchester on October 23 in a bed to resolve the issue. Essex County Standard

4. Her dark hair is attractively set, and she has fair skin which, she admits ruefully, comes out in "a mass of freckles" at the first hint of sin. Essex County Standard

5. Hold the bottle firmly and remove the cook as gently as possible. Women's Own

6. Queen Victoria herself graciously pissed over the magnificent edifice. The Times on the opening of the Forth Bridge

7. The storm was described as one of the worst spring onslaughts in memory to plague Massachusetts, triggering traffic accidents including a 50 cat pile up south of Boston.

8. You can dramatically reduce your chances if a heart attack, stroke or kidney disease by eating live cavemen, says a noted professor. Burton Advertiser

9. Michael Green of Crimond, Main Road, Danbury was fined £3 for causing an obstruction with his ear in Maldon High Street.

10. The annual Christmas party at the Ashley Street school was hell yesterday afternoon.

Beta

(Combat Team Series #2)

Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?

Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.

Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream. 

Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.

Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.

Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.

Paperback

E book

30 January: Martina Name Day

In Hungary, today is the name day for people called Martina.

Martina is a female given name, the female form of Martin and Martino. 10 famous Martinas:

1. Martina: empress of the Byzantine Empire (pictured), second wife of her uncle the emperor Heraclius, and regent in 641 with her son.

2. Martina Hingis: Swiss tennis player, the first Swiss player, male or female, to win a major title and to attain a world No. 1 ranking.

3. Martina Gedeck: German actress. She achieved wider international acclaim due to her roles in films such as Mostly Martha (2001), The Lives of Others (2006), and The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008).

4. Martina Navratilova: Czech-American tennis player. Widely considered among the greatest tennis players of all time

5. Martina McBride: American country music singer-songwriter known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material.

6. Martina of Rome: a patron saint of Rome, was martyred in 226. Her feast day is 30 January.

7. Martina Gillian Topley-Bird: English singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, the featured female vocalist on trip hop pioneer Tricky's debut album, Maxinquaye (1995).

8. Martina Crespi: from the anime/manga Strike Witches.

9. Martina Crowe: from Trenton Lee Stewart's children's book series The Mysterious Benedict Society.

10. Martina Arroyo: American operatic soprano who had a major international opera career from the 1960s through the 1980s.

Beta

(Combat Team Series #2)

Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?

Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.

Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream. 

Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.

Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.

Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.

Paperback

E book

29 January: National Puzzle Day

Today being National Puzzle Day, here are ten famous riddles.

1. The world’s oldest riddle originated in Sumeria. “There is a house. One enters it blind and comes out seeing. What is it?” The answer is a school, since the Sumerians put a great value on education.

2. As I was going to St Ives,

I met a man with seven wives,

Each wife had seven sacks,

Each sack had seven cats,

Each cat had seven kits:

Kits, cats, sacks, and wives,

How many were there going to St Ives?

The traditional understanding of this rhyme is that the narrator met all these others as they were going the other way, that is, leaving St Ives, so the answer is just one. However, it’s not entirely clear and it is possible to meet people going the same way. If everyone mentioned in the riddle were bound for St Ives, then the answer is 2,802: the narrator, the man and his seven wives, 49 sacks, 343 cats, and 2,401 kits.

3. The Riddle of the Sphinx: What goes on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening? The answer is a human being, who crawls on all fours as a baby, walks on two feet as an adult, and uses a walking stick in old age.

4. Samson’s riddle: In the Old Testament Book of Judges, Samson poses a riddle to his dinner guests. He tells them that if they answer correctly, he will give them 30 expensive pieces of clothing, but if they guess wrong, they must give him expensive clothing. The guests wouldn’t have had any hope of solving it, however as it was about something only Samson knew. “Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet.” The answer is bees making a honeycomb inside the carcass of a lion. Sometime before the feast, Samson had killed a lion with his bare hands, and returned to find bees building a hive inside the lion’s body.

5. Emma’s riddle by Jane Austen:

My first displays the wealth and pomp of kings,

Lords of the earth! their luxury and ease.

Another view of man, my second brings,

Behold him there, the monarch of the seas!

The answer is Courtship. The first part, represents the “court” and the second part, “the monarch of the seas,” is the “ship.”

6. Lewis Carroll: Alice’s Riddle in Wonderland:

Why is a raven like a writing desk?

This riddle is famous because it doesn’t have an answer. When Alice gives up and asks for the answer, the Hatter says, “I haven’t the slightest idea!”

However, Carroll later published an answer: “because it can produce a few notes, though they are very flat; and it is never put with the wrong end in front!” The nineteenth-century puzzle expert Sam Loyd came up with another: “because Poe wrote on both.”

7. The Hobbit: Gollum’s final riddle

This thing all things devours;

Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;

Gnaws iron, bites steel;

Grinds hard stones to meal;

Slays king, ruins town,

And beats mountain down

Answer: Time.

8. What is so delicate that saying its name breaks it?

Answer: Silence

9. What is that which belongs to you but others use it more than you do?

Answer: Your name

10. What can you hold in your right hand, but never in your left hand?

Answer: Your left hand.

Beta

(Combat Team Series #2)

Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?

Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.

Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream. 

Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.

Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.

Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.

Paperback

E book

28 January: Colette

‘Colette’, the French novelist and dancer was born on this date in 1873. 10 facts about her:

1. Colette was actually her surname. Her full name was Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette.

2. She was born in the village of Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye in the department of Yonne, Burgundy, the daughter of a war hero named Captain Jules-Joseph Colette, who lost a leg at Melegnano in the Second Italian War of Independence. When Colette was born he held the position of the village’s tax collector.

3. Her first husband was Henry Gauthier-Villars, a journalist and editor known by the pen name Willy. Colette wrote her first novels while married to him, but didn’t get any credit for them. Willy took the credit and the royalties while he would sometimes lock her in a room and not let her out until she had written enough pages to satisfy him.

4. She escaped this life in 1906 and continued to write on her own terms, but she had no access to her earnings from her earlier books. During this time, she became a music hall performer in order to make a living. Her experience in music hall inspired her 1910 novel The Vagabond.

5. During this time also, she had lesbian affairs, most notably with fellow actress Mathilde de Morny. Their onstage kiss caused a scandal and after that, the couple had to conduct their affair in secret.

6. She married again, a man named Henry de Jouvenel who was editor of leading newspaper Le Matin, and was able to arrange for Colette to publish her stories until one serial, called Ripening Seed caused more scandal among readers for being too risqué. This caused a rift between them. Colette had her only child with de Jouvenel at the age of 40. The girl was named Colette but was known as Bel-Gazou (“beautiful babbling/chirping”). Colette, by all accounts, was not a good mother.

   At 47 she seduced her stepson, Bertrand de Juvenel, aged 16, which was the final straw leading to divorce.

7. When she was 52, she started an affair with Maurice Goudeket, who was 16 years younger than she was. This relationship blossomed against all odds, and he became her third husband. He was Jewish and was arrested in 1941 by the Gestapo. Although he was soon released, thanks in part to Colette’s intervention, she lived in fear for the rest of the war that he might be arrested again.

8. Her most famous novel is probably Gigi, published in 1944 about a French girl training to be a courtesan who falls in love with a wealthy gentleman. Gigi was made into a stage musical and film; the stage production made a star of Audrey Hepburn, who was personally chosen by Colette for the role. Leslie Caron played the title role in the 1958 film.

9. When she died, she was refused a religious funeral by the Catholic Church because she’d been divorced. However, she was so popular in France that she was given a state funeral. She was the first French woman of letters to be granted the honour, and was interred in Père-Lachaise cemetery.

10. In the 2018 film Colette, the title character is played by Keira Knightley.

Beta

(Combat Team Series #2)

Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?

Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.

Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream. 

Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.

Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.

Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.

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