According to this article a study has been carried out which has concluded that angels and fairies would be unable to fly. Angels and cherubs that are depicted with small feather wings would apparently be unable to take off because they would be too heavy. They would also lack the powerful muscles that they would need to be able to beat their wings. fairies on the other hand would be unable to cope with the distortion of the thorax needed for flight in fairies with butterfly wings. So it seems if angels should exist then they would stay firmly on the ground.

This is an interesting idea its a dress that you can decorate yourself. It has been created by fashion designer Berber Soepboer and graphic designer Michiel Schuurman. The dress features a black and white design and comes with several coloured fabric markers so that you can decorate it as you choose. It is available in four sizes and costs £250.

According to this article feeding the birds can affect the way that they evolve. Scientists have carried out a study on blackcaps which has found that they follow a different evolutionary path if they spend the winter eating food people have put out for them. The birds normal wintering ground is in southern Spain where they would feed on the fruit that grows there but some birds are now wintering in the UK because they can survive on the food we leave out on our bird tables. Studies have found that those birds which do this are now in the early stage of forming a new species. As the UK is closer to the birds breeding ground these birds also return early and claim the better territory than those that winter in Spain. The researcher found that the two groups of birds have different chemical signatures and have formed two distinct populations even down to the fact that they only mate within their own group. There are also differences emerging in the birds beak, wings and plumage with the birds that winter in the UK having rounder wings and longer narrower beaks more adapted to eating seeds and fat from bird feeders. It will be interesting to revisit this story in the future to see whether they have evolved further.

According to this article marriage could actually be good for your health. Psychologists have found that people that are married are less likely to suffer from depression and anxiety. However, those who end their marriage are more likely to suffer from mental disorders when the relationship ends.

According to this article some British sausages are made up of as much as a third fat and only 32 per cent meat. The rest of the sausage is usually made up of ground wheat rusk which is used as a bulking agent to cut costs and improve the texture of the sausage. A study has been carried out on 36 brands of sausages including the country’s biggest sellers to find out exactly what goes into them. Researchers for the journal Meat Science looked at the packaging for information on meat fat and salt content. On average the sausages contained 62 per cent meat but four of the sausages that were looked at had less than 50 per cent and the worst one had less than a third pork. The study did not identify the different brands but did reveal that the two sausages with the lowest meat content were Asda Smart Price with 34% pork and Sainsbury’s Chipolatas with 32% pork.

Artist Eugenie Scrase has won BBC Two’s School of Saatchi show with this tree trunk artwork. The piece beat five finalists to win a place in Charles Saatchi’s current show. The artist found the fallen tree whilst out walking in East London and asked the owner if she could remove the section of fence it was impaled on. The work entitles Trunkated Trunk has been on show at the Hermitage in St Petersburg, Russia since October. It’s certainly interesting but its not really my idea of art.

This is an interesting new product from Tesco. Its a bra that can be assembled in various different combinations. Called the limitless bra it comes in several parts including two cups and a selection of straps to create different effects. Each of the cups has 24 different hook positions and a back strap with a further 28 hooks so whether you want a strapless look a backless bra or a halter neck bra you should be able to easily achieve it. The bra retails for £16.00 and is available in sizes 32-38 A-D.

It started snowing here in Sevenoaks last night and we now have a good covering of snow. Whilst the foxes have been jumping around in it and playing the cats are not impressed. Our white cat Ollie (pictured) ventured out for a look but the other are all curled up inside. Below is a view of the trees in our garden.