1) We went for another bike ride, taking advantage of more cycle paths in and around Chigley. And one path that wasn't really a cycle path at all but it linked where we were to where we wanted to be and went through a small wood and down a steep hill and was fun.

2) It must have been Cat Sunday as there were numerous cats out and about. Maybe there was a borough-wide game of cat chess* going on.

3) On our way back we passed one of the community halls where there were a couple of people outside with some apparatus. "Do you want to have a go at a science experiment?" we were asked. The hall was being used by Cambridge University's Chaos Science Roadshow. We didn't have time to stop then (cos it was almost lunchtime), but went back later. It was really good with a dozen or so tables, each with a short and simple demonstration of a scientific concept.

4) There were examples of ultra-violet light (did you know that a Euro note is printed with both ultraviolet and non-ultraviolet ink. If you look at one through a UV camera, part of it is invisible). Resonance was demonstrated with a cuddly toy in a swing, hot air expansion was demonstrated with a plastic bag placed over a toaster (they had a few more control measures - don't try that at home).

5) If you put a beach ball in an upward jet of air, what happens? Yes, it hovers at the point where the upthrust from the air matches the downward force of gravity. But what happens if you put a smaller ball in the air above it?**

6) If you spin on a spinning chair and stretch your arms and legs out, you slow down. OK, that sounds plausible - there is more air resistance. When you bring them back in you speed up again - and the effect is exacerbated if you hold a weight in your hands. That breaks the air resistance theory; surely you can't speed up unless more force is applied? What's going on?***

7) We also, in our packed weekend, found time to visit the Eastleigh Mela, watched a couple of acts and had a curry for lunch. I bought a whisk and a frying pan, which was nothing to do with the Mela, other than that was where the stall was. But I was seduced by the salesman's patter and demonstration.

8) I watched a football match this week. Well, the second half of a football match - the first world cup semi-final. Mainly because I couldn't believe that a team could be 5-0 up at half time. Actually, probably more mainly because I was at CGF's and she has a TV (and wanted to watch it). I could even go as far as saying that I quite enjoyed it.

9) I haven't paid much attention to the historical statistics, but I would imagine that a 6-goal difference in a world cup semi-final is pretty unusual. The teams are, in theory, among the four best in the world, so should be more evenly matched.

10) I haven't yet read Mr Joistmonkey's analysis of the game, but here is my non-football-understanding take on it. Germany had it totally under their control. It seemed that when a German player made a pass, the whole team knew not just where that pass was going, but also where the next pass would go, and the next one and the one after that, and so on. It was like a game of Chinese checkers, where you get all the pegs in position, and then make a brilliant move that takes you right across the board. A colleague suggested that Germany were able to play exactly as they had practised. Normally, the moves you practice have to be compromised in a game because the opposing team get in the way. This time, Brazil didn't get in the way.

11) I found a sticky thing in my Weetabix. By sticky thing I mean a thing like a small stick, not something that was gluey and I'm using Weetabix generically as it was actually a supermarket's own-brand version. Anyway, I'm debating whether to send it back to the supplier. I'm a little bit cautious about sending faulty food back after my rubber band incident.****

*Cat Chess: you need (or rather the cats need, as they are playing it) three or more cats. Each cat takes it in turn to move, and the object is to move to a position where you can see all the other cats, but not all the other cats can see you. Watch cats when they are outside - that is what they do.

**the balls jostle positions until the smaller ball is below the larger one.

***it's all to do with momentum, and the trick here is to think of speed in terms of miles per hour rather than revolutions per minute. Let's assume that you are spinning at 5 mph (which is probably a terrifying speed to be spinning on a chair, but never mind). With your arms in, your hands are spinning in a small circle. When your arms are outstretched, your hands are spinning in a larger circle but at the same speed. Larger distance at same speed equals slower time. Even with the explanation it took me a day to get my head round it.