States of Matter

We live in a physical world, not a virtual one, and walking is my favourite way to maintain contact with my natural surroundings. It's a totally different experience from driving, although there is certainly something to be said for travelling along in a dry, warm bubble in the middle of February. Our very slow, late spring has offered up yet another reminder of the constant flux going on around us. In the space of 48 hours, the water in our immediate vicinity has gone through three different states of matter. Fog (vapour),

water (liquid),

and ice (solid).

No, those are not waves of water, but waves of ice, created by the freeze/thaw cycle we seem to be stuck in this year. The young man on the right is a mathematical physicist here at Queen's, originally from the southeast of Britain. He and his friend were tossing rocks onto the ice, then watching as the weight of the rocks caused portions of the ice to sink below the water. Physicists at play, I guess!
I've been playing too, but with wool. After admiring Kate Davies' covered buttons, I gave them a try yesterday.

Hmm---Kate's seems to have quite a bit more swirl to it. Next time, I'll aim for that. I like this button a great deal, but think it makes sense to use it only for decorative purposes, as Kate did on a tam. Probably, the wear and tear from constant use as a functional button would be too much for it.

I think I'll look for something a bit more durable for the front closure on Fernhill. Happy Easter!