Marty

And here's an album of Christmas songs that could be played at that feast: (Although some of the jokes may not be fully understood across the pond.)

It certainly is!

And, talking of numbers, here's an article from BBC Future that might interest some of you. @Drew Espinosa, in particular? How Modern Mathematics Emerged From A Lost Islamic library https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201204-lost-islamic-library-maths By Adrienne Bernhard, 7th December 2020 Some quotes: The House of Wisdom was destroyed in the Mongol Siege of Baghdad in 1258 (according to legend, so many manuscripts were tossed into the River Tigris that its waters turned black from ink), but the discoveries made there introduced a powerful, abstract mathematical language that would later be adopted by the Islamic empire, Europe, and ultimately, the entire world. But this prestigious academy was in fact a major intellectual powerhouse in Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age, and the birthplace of mathematical concepts as transformative as the common zero and our modern-day “Arabic” numerals. For hundreds of years until the ebb of the Italian Renaissance, one name was synonymous with mathematics in Europe: Leonardo da Pisa, known posthumously as Fibonacci. Born in Pisa in 1170, the Italian mathematician received his primary instruction in Bugia, a trading enclave located on the Barbary coast of Africa (coastal North Africa). In his early 20s, Fibonacci travelled to the Middle East, captivated by ideas that had come west from India through Persia. When he returned to Italy, Fibonacci published Liber Abbaci*, one of the first Western works to describe the Hindu-Arabic numeric system. When Liber Abbaci first appeared in 1202, Hindu-Arabic numerals were known to only a few intellectuals; European tradesmen and scholars were still clinging to Roman numerals, which made multiplication and division extremely cumbersome (try multiplying MXCI by LVII!). Fibonacci’s book demonstrated numerals’ use in arithmetic operations – techniques which could be applied to practical problems like profit margin, money changing, weight conversion, barter and interest. “Those who wish to know the art of calculating, its subtleties and ingenuities, must know computing with hand figures,” Fibonacci wrote in the first chapter of his encyclopaedic work, referring to the digits that children now learn in school. “With these nine figures and the sign 0, called zephyr, any number whatsoever is written.” Suddenly, mathematics was available to all in a useable form. * "Liber Abbaci" (sometimes spelled Liber Abaci) translates to "The Book of Calculation".

Well, I see we're now on page 1966... 1966 was the year I finished my secondary education and went away to university; with the latter being a big step for me. As promised, here's a photo taken in my final term at grammar school of the sixteen members of my class ("Upper Sixth Science Two") Mr Hough, our form teacher is in the middle of the front row. He was also our Chemistry Teacher for the two years of sixth form. And I'm also in there somewhere!

It just about has now, thanks. Unfortunately, there's little more than half an hour's daylight left. And chances are it'll just be raining again by the time tomorrow dawns... I might take a walk before it finally gets dark, and then spend the evening baking bread, writing greetings cards, and maybe putting the marzipan on one, or both, of the christmas cakes I baked six weeks or so back. (Mental note to self: And don't forget you still have to cook dinner.)

Sweet dreams, brother B.

Hi, Gary! be sure to wrap up well. And, talking of wrapping, I've just finished wrapping a christmas present, to post to the sister in England that I would normally spend the upcoming holiday season with. You might have liked it as well, bro, as it's a solid piece of wood with an engraving of a border collie on it, for her to hang on her wall.

Greetings, young Albert!

Good afternoon, young Drew! It's just raining here. Been like that since I got up, and no sign of it stopping any time soon... Dreary sort of day. ☔

And I'm pleased for you, as well, bro! ❤️

I feel a bit guilty to have to admit that I put the last chapter aside, and then forgot to get back to it. It's actually that long ago now, that I shall have to at least read the previous couple of chapters to remind myself fully of the storyline before reading the last one. I'll do my best to do it over the xmas period, but please don't hold me to that. I'm finding it difficult to concentrate on reading these days. Largely due to the mental effects of the pandemic, and partly just due to the short days (S.A.D.).

Definitely one for @dughlas!

Afternoon, bro!

G'day, young Albert!

Morning, young Drew! Hope all's well with you. (Abut to start a 2 hour Zoom session here...)

I'm suspecting you're the one on the right (with the red top)... (Cocoa finished! Really off to bed now. )

Well it's just after midnight here. So I'm going to have my cocoa and head to bed. Good night, all! But before I go, perhaps I should comment on this post of mine from yesterday (Thursday): The two of you who hazarded a guess (both Gary and Clo) correctly spotted that I was in the middle of the front row. Well done! I was actually surprised you could recognise the me of 61 years ago. I might share a photo one day that was taken six years earlier than this one that I am also in, and see if you can find me in that one. Be good if you are able, because neither me nor any of my six siblings are able to do so with certainty. I've also got a photo taken in my last year at grammar school (1966) of me and all the other boys (young men) in my class that I plan to share when we reach page 1966 (if I remember in time).

I totally agree!

As my mammy used to say: There's no rest for the wicked. But I do like the idea of solid wood instead of veneer. My current kitchen table is made of solid pine. I'm not totally happy with it, though, as it's more in the style of a large picnic table than a kitchen table. It was the table I used as my office desk in the community centre where I used to work. A couple of years back, when I called in to visit, there was a skip outside with some old office furniture thrown in. When I asked what was going on, the manager said they were "modernising", and said the table was going to be put in the skip as well. I said "Oh not, it isn't!" got my toolkit out of my car boot, disassembled the table, and threw it in the back of my car. It was only when I bought this new, old, place that it finally got reassembled.

Here's my week 37 offering in my attempt to take, and upload, a new monochrome photograph each week for 52 weeks: It's a photo of the compost heap in my garden.

Shouldn't he be looking up at his minions, rather than down, though...?

We already knew that!

Evening, all! Hope you're all keeping well and safe. Just back from my socially distanced lunch date with the members of my social bubble. Currently 7:30pm local time, so I have about 4 and 1/2 hours to choose and edit my weekly monochrome photo. This week's may not be all that great, as I have been somewhat busy, and so only have a handful of photos to choose from....

Watch out sherye, he's probably gave him herpes before handling him to you or there's an hidden defect I'd say Sherye might be happier if Drew were to at least give him a shave before handing him over...