seven things i learnt in november

this month has felt like a month of list making. listing who to buy christmas presents for, listing who has birthdays from now until january, listing the jobs that need to get done by the end of november and those that need to get done by the end of december. am i alone in this habit? i have let go of a lot of my list making during 2013 but i find at this time of year there are only so many things I can keep solely in my head. 

and talking of lists here is my list of seven things i have learnt in november:

1. sweden has a treehouse hotel and not just any old treehouse hotel, all the tree houses are beautifully and individually designed. 

fancy sleeping in a ufo for the night?

or maybe even a birds nest?

or perhaps my favourite, the mirror treehouse

but before you go worrying about birds flying into it, it has been clad with an infrared film invisible to humans but visible to birds - clever hey? 

2. birds can see things humans can't? i wonder what else they can see?

3. am i the last person to realise that lightning mcqueens tyres pay homage to buzz lightyear rather than goodyear?

4. also am i the last person to realise that the fedex logo has an arrow in it?

5. when i was eighteen years old i was diagnosed with bell's palsy. bell's palsy is a paralysis of one side of the face which can make the person look as if they have suffered a stroke. when i had it i avoided cameras so there is no pictorial evidence of my image. this month i learnt about john sudworth a bbc reporter in shanghai whom, after contracting bell's palsy, decided to keep working as a tv correspondent. i was fortunate enough to be given the correct medicine within the right time scale (i worked for a doctor at the time) which resulted in me regaining 99.9% usage of my facial muscles within six months. john wasn't so lucky; he didn't get the medication and it took him a year to regain almost full use of his facial muscles.

given how image conscious a world we live in i think it was a very brave decision on his part to continue to work on tv given his lopsided appearance. you can read about his story here or watch this one minute video showing his progress.

i was shocked to read that worldwide the number of people contracting bell's palsy is 7,000 a day and also surprised to read that i am in a club not only with john but with george clooney and pierce brosnan.

6. having a hoarse voice is not a result of singing too long rather it is due to lack of technique when controlling your breath and having too much tension at the back of the tongue.

7. learning from gareth malone and his sing while you work tv show, the halle orchestra have diversified. in an attempt to regain some future funding they have organised the corporate choir contest which takes place in manchester today. working alongside six corporate clients they have trained members of their staff into choirs. the winning choir will have the opportunity to perform with the full orchestra during one of their christmas concerts in the city. 

now that would be one thing i would love to cross off my bucket list.

Emma

linking with emily at chatting at the sky