I do not really know anything about hummingbirds

but my friend Roger sent some photographs yesterday of the tiny birds hovering and sitting on the hand of a woman. If I was a little more technically savvy I could reproduce them here but you will just have to take my word for it - they were lovely.

I do know that these birds do not weigh more than a few grams and that they can fly long distances. They are colourful - although I assume that the males claim ownership of the red chest feathers - and an extraordinary mix of both strong and fragile.

I saw the photographs after listening to a news item about the global importance of the discovery of a deep, strong, cold current in Antarctic waters and reading an article about Stephen Hawking's belief that there may be aliens. No, Hawking is not saying "aliens exist". He is saying that "the universe is so complex and so vast that we cannot say they do not exist." That is altogether something different.

Someone else I know has just seen "Avatar". If you want to know what she thought of it go and read the posting "Faith" on Catherine Hughes "Daily Improvements" blog in the right hand column. Another person I know does not share that view and you can read her comments below what Cat has to say.

I am more with Cat though. I am ceaselessly amazed by the complexity of our world and our universe and, above all, the inter-dependence of everything for existence. It seems to me that there is too much order in the chaos for it to be there simply by luck or by chance. I do not know how it comes to be that way. I do not want to know "all about everything". I do want to go on wondering at the never-ending 3D jigsaw puzzle.