PRELUDE

© gbsport

At this time of year, blog is usually to be found looking forward to the start of the VI Nations so on that note, today's 'taster' match - England 'A' against Ireland 'A' - was a very good start as the Saxons (as England prefer to call their A team) won 17-13! Next week is the opening week-end and it so happens that England's home matches are being shown live in 3D at certain cinemas. Guess where I'll be next Saturday?!

MOON

The full perigée moon this week-end is apparently one of the biggest and brightest of this new year and if you look closely, you can even see Mars close by too. They're certainly making for beautiful sunsets and sunrises at the moment.

SIZE MATTERS

While being the typical nerdy tourist in Berlin, I was astonished to hear that the Fernsehturm is actually taller than the Eiffel Tower. Having been to the top of the Eiffel Tower (but alas not the Fernsehturm), I can assure you that it is quite scarily high, but since I unfortunately can't check the statistics for myself, I have to take the www's word for it. It seems it's true and by some 44.03 m too: Eiffel Tower 324.00 m/Fernsehturm 368.03 m.

FINAL H-CUP WEEK-END

© telegraph

I hardly dare say it, but the rugby so far has been - how can I put it without being rude? - somewhat below par. I've almost forgotten what a Mirco try looks like, so long it seems since he even played, let alone scored. And Harlequins who, it will be remembered, made it all the way to the quarter finals of the H-Cup last year, are skulking at the bottom of their Pool this year with (ahem, don't laugh) two points. This week-end was the last of the H-Cup pool matches, with only one really excitingly watchable match, and finally this is the quarter final line-up. Fairly alléchant!

Munster v Northampton
Biarritz v Ospreys
Toulouse v Stade Français
Leinster v Clermont Auvergne

NOTEBOOKS ANONYMOUS

You know you've got a problem when you return from holiday with a stack of notebooks bought from KaDeWe as souvenirs ..

HONEY TERRORIST

Naturally, I understand that security at airports has to be extra vigilant and of course I really don't want to be travelling with 'pant' bombers, but still, I can't help but remain a bit miffed that my new 150ml tin of German honey was confiscated on the way back. Luckily, my new Berlin water bottle was empty and they let me keep that ;p

UPDATE: BEES

You can imagine my surprise when, on landing at Gatwick, there was no snow whatsoever to be seen. And even more my surprise - and delight - when I got home and saw the bees out and about, busy enjoying the sunshine and collecting what precious little nectar is around. I had honestly half-expected to find a frozen hive after all the snow and ice so I am very relieved to see that they have made it through the winter so far and not suffered the dreaded 'colony collapse'.

BERLIN

To celebrate the end of exams, I went to Berlin for the week-end! The last time I went there, I was a fresh-faced innocent doing my 'A' levels and a big Wall still surrounded the West of the city. Despite the ice-cold wind and deep snow, this didn't deter the intrepid explorations of all the memorials and monuments and museums (be warned: Museum Island is intense). Certainly a city to be re-visited.

EXAMS

© dpd.cdc

Phew, that's it, exams over! (well, until the next ones, that is ..) Let's just hope I don't have to deal with any viral infections as one of the questions posed was about just that subject in particular. And I know NOW that it's the alkylamides in Echinacea spp. which are responsible for its immune-stimulating properties. Still, no time to dwell, on to Clinical Pathology and Herbal Pharmacology next ..

SNOW!

I have never seen so much snow! For the past week, that's all it seems to have done but I'm not complaining about being surrounded by this snowy blanket as at the moment I don’t have to suffer the nightmare delayed journeys to work or slippy walks on perilous paths - I'm firmly in revision mode :/

SCENES FROM A HOLIDAY

NEW DAY

© yj

Brand new year; brand new decade; bright full blue moon; rugby lacklustre; ever optimistic; exams looming; no resolutions this year.