Earthquakes DO happen in Australia

Recently many people have asked me if earthquakes happen in Australia, and my answer has been "Very rarely, and usually imperceptible* to humans." Sorry, maybe that is not true ....

Today a M5.2 hit north Queensland. But it was a rare event - here is what one expert said:

Geoscience Australia seismologist David Jepsen says today's earthquake was a rare event and the state's biggest in more than 70 years.

"There have been quite a few in the early 1900s and the last big one was a 5.5 in 1935 west of Fraser Island. And then there was one near Charters Towers in 1913, about 5.7. Queensland doesn't get too many of this magnitude type event," he said.

You can read the whole story on the ABC website:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/04/16/3193477.htm?section=justin

Unfortunately, just a few minutes after the Queensland quake, a M5.3 hit Christchurch in NZ again, but there have been no reports of damage.

The Earth really does seem angry lately, doesn't it?


* imperceptible = cannot perceive = do not feel/do not notice

Potato mochi

I tried making my own version of potato mochi. Hmm, they were delicious but they took too long (about 45 minutes in total).

First, I peeled, cut, and boiled potatoes.
Next, mash them with a little butter and milk.
Add potato starch.
Make 'pancakes' with the mixture.
Cook until golden on both sides.
Keep them warm in the toaster oven while you cook more.
Serve with sliced pork.

* For the second half of the cakes, I added fresh, chopped herbs.

Pepper Jack (I call it "Fire Cheese")

A few months ago I was reading a novel in which the character ate a sandwich that contained Pepper Jack cheese. I remembered I saw it at the import shop in Dayztown, so the next time I was near there I dropped by and bought some. Since then I've become addicted to it!

It is a simple kind of cheese but it contains small pieces of hot peppers - maybe jalapeño peppers and it is SPICY! It is great melted on toast or melted over cooked sasami chicken.

I forget how much it costs, but it is expensive so not something I will buy often. Hmm, I wonder if I could buy chilli peppers and put them on top of Japanese cheese? If possible I try not to buy imported food, so in future I'll experiment and tell you how it goes. But I'll have to wait until summer when red and green chilli peppers are in season :)

Mini hanami

I couldn't enjoy a real hanami this year but this is my very mini blossom viewing. I took the picture on the 4th of April, in my garden.

Please guess what kind of blossoms they are and tell me next time we meet :)

Sample email - friends

Here is a sample email you could send to your friends:

Dear Jane,


Thanks so much for your email and for worrying about me. My family and I are all fine.


Yes, we did have a big aftershock yesterday evening and some this morning, too, but everything is okay. 
Last week the children started kindy and school. They were really looking forward to seeing their friends again. They were at home yesterday when the aftershock hit. They were a bit scared but I think I worry more than they do!


Please don't worry about the radiation. Tsukuba is about 170km from the nuclear reactor. The BBC reported that the level of seriousness of the accident increased, but the situation hasn't changed in the past few days. Our daily life is basically normal. Yesterday the phone lines were busy for a while, but our electricity and water were not cut. 


I'm sending some pictures of the cherry blossoms in the park near our house. Having a picnic under the cherry trees is called "hanami". This year it was very quiet but we could enjoy the nice weather.


love,
Hanako

Sample email - business

Here is a sample email you could use to send to a research friend abroad who is worried about you.

Dear Dr. Brown,

Thank you for your email regarding the situation in Tsukuba.

The first earthquake in March did damage some of our equipment but our building is structurally okay. No one was injured at all. Mostly we just had a lot of cleaning up to do.

The aftershocks yesterday didn’t cause any further damage, and we expect work will continue as normal.

Thank you for your concern and I’m looking forward to seeing you at the ABC Symposium in May.

Best regards,

Taro Tanaka

And here are some sample phrases you can use:

Thank you for your email.

Thank you for your kind email.

Thank you for your recent email and I apologize for my late reply.

Everyone is fine. I’ve heard that there no-one was injured in Tsukuba, which is great news.

My laboratory suffered some slight damage, but the building is fine.

Some equipment was broken but we think it can be repaired.

Unfortunately, some equipment was broken and it will take some time to repair or replace it.

It was such a large quake that the utilities were cut for many hours. Unfortunately, our backup generators failed because they had no water to cool the motors and our refrigerators were down. We lost all our samples. I guess it will take several months to recover them.

Our project is still on track and we’ll be able to meet the deadline.

Our project will be delayed by several months.

I’m sorry, but the symposium has been postponed until further notice.

I’m very sorry to have to tell you that our project has been put on hold until further notice.

We’ve decided to move the project to our lab in the west of Japan for the next several months.

Could I ask for an extension on the deadline? I’ll be able to complete the work by May 25th, 2011.

Wednesday and Lala classes okay :)

See everyone tomorrow as usual.

Lala is okay from 1:05pm.

Until then,
A.K.

Tuesday 4/12 lessons cancelled

Lessons cancelled today 4/12

I'm sorry, many members feel upset today and some people must go to work.

Today's lessons are cancelled all day and all evening.

The classroom is fine and I am fine.

If you have any work you need checked, or any questions you need me to answer, please email me and I can work from home.

Take care.
Andrea

Today's earthquakes - lessons cancelled Monday night

Hello,
We are okay.
I was in the classroom. It was okay, but very scary. The nets work really well :)

Many members cannot come tonight, and the aftershocks keep happening, so lessons are cancelled.

a.

Birdwatching

The cats' apartment is in the window so they can watch the birds, people walking dogs, and this season - the farmers going to work in the fields near our house.

They are purely indoor cats, so they never, ever go outside. Birdwatching is one opportunity for them to feel like wild cats :)  Kuro is more 'wild' than Dusty and he will spend hours watching. Dusty watches for a short time and then goes to play somewhere else.

Sometimes I put bird seed on a tray in the garden and recently wood pigeons (kiji-bato) come every day. They are actually quite greedy and will eat most of the seed, starting with their favorite type.

One thing that is important is to get a balance when feeding wild birds. It's important that they don't become dependent on the food - they should still find most food for themselves.

If you are wondering why the birds come despite the fact that two cats are watching, please look at the next photo. I took it from outside, looking in, and as you can see, the glass reflects the trees. The pole you can see is the reflection of the rail where I hang towels or other heavy items. 

But I'm sure the birds feel "eyes" watching them :)

Something sad this season is the the pheasant hasn't returned to my area. He has come every spring for the past 5 years but not yet this year. I hope he is okay.