It's A Lärwi Life ©

2012-01-01T17:33:00.001Z

2012-01-01T17:29:00.001Z

HAPPY NEW
YEAR 2012!

2011-12-30T23:39:00.005Z

GOODBYE PAT,
ME OLD CHUM

It's not very often the departure of a telly
character brings a tear to my eye but tonight
my favourite Eastenders stalwart
Pat "The Earrings" Butcher
managed just that.

Like millions of others I've watched the
ups and downs of this tough old
bird for the last 25 years.

Tonight Pat put on her bright pink lippy and her
trademark dangly earrings (a different pair was
always guaranteed in every episode as she
used to get hundreds sent in by fans!)
on for the last time as actress
Pam St. Clement left Albert Square
E20 to enjoy her retirement.

Ridden with cancer and with only days to live
she refused all treatment, climbed
onto a Queen Vic bar stool and
enjoyed her last G&T.

And Pat's all, folks.

EDIT 1.1.2012: Apparently I jumped the gun a bit ...
Pat's last scenes as she lays in her death
bed are in fact broadcast tonight.

2011-12-27T15:39:00.005Z

WHATS YOUR
NUMBER?

This BBC app is great fun: you can
calculate your "number" - where
do you fit into the 7 billion plus
people on the planet?

I was the 3,426,357,677th person to be
born and the 77,397,100,597th person to
have lived since history began.

2011-12-27T13:20:00.003Z

XMAS 2011

This has got to be the best Xmas 2011 image:
'Enders "Shirl" peeling sprouts with a fag
in her mouth and singing "Jingle Bells"

2011-08-29T14:13:00.005+01:00

MASH-UPS

I'm hooked on mash-ups on
Youtube at the moment!

These are particularly good

2011-08-09T16:20:00.006+01:00

TOO CLOSE

I was determined not to give these dickheads
any publicity but last night it hit a
bit too close to home.

Two shopping centers (The Tandem Centre and
The Priory Retail Park) about 500 m away from
us were looted and one of the stores set on fire.
Luckily the fire brigade managed to tackle
the situation quickly before it spread.

I saw kids walking past our house with bags
and bags of stuff from JD Sports and Mothercare,
as much as they could carry. Casually strolling
along, laughing and joking like they had
just done a spot of Xmas shopping.

This morning the streets around here are
littered with discarded plastic bags ripped
off the looted items like trainers. Apparently
there were fights between the thieves over
who gets the best tracksuit bottoms.

Sad. No, beyond sad.

I doubt any of them actually live here in
Colliers Wood, they're probably from
the neighboring white/black
trash areas of Mitcham
and Croydon.

Their own communities need to sort these kids
out. They have no role models, no
fathers, no rules or boundaries,
no respect for anything.

The behaviour of these feral morons is so
mindless there are no words - I'm not
even going to start. The veins in my
neck are starting to bulge ...

The police should've nipped it in the pud
on Saturday in Tottenham with as
much force as necessary.

Sod the "human rights". These animals, as far
as I'm concerned, give up their rights as
soon as they act in this manner.

Should've, would've, could've. Too late
now with lives and businesses ruined.

And what do we get from our leaders? A lot of hot
air and soundbites like "broken society" and
"sick Britain." Stop talking shite,
it's time for action.

PS: Here's a first hand account
from a local journalist

Looters celebrated as Colliers
Wood Tandem Centre burned

2011-08-07T13:59:00.001+01:00

I DON'T LIKE TEA

This has got to be the
funniest advert ever!

2011-06-17T12:50:00.000+01:00

SO TRUE!

2011-05-28T13:08:00.003+01:00

THEY GROW
UP SO FAST!

From 8 weeks to 1 year in 40 seconds.

2011-05-25T22:12:00.009+01:00

FAME HOOKER

It's not very often I get super excited about new
music, being the 80's fan that I am! Yet I've
managed to surprise myself by becoming
a fan of the biggest "fame hooker" ever -
(her own words) Lady Gaga!

When she first appeared about three years ago
the music was OK'ish pop fluff but nothing
different to write home about. It also
seemed to be more about the wacky
outfits than the music.

With the new album "Born This Way" she
takes it up several notches - heavy electronic
beats and instantly memorable hooks
which start to swirl around in your
brain immediately.

Also having seen a few live performances
the thing that sets her apart for me from Her
Madgesty, Britney and other contenders for
The Queen Of Pop crown is the fact that
she can actually sing, no lip-synching.
And play the piano.

I'm especially loving the second single "Judas"
not only because it's a great song but also
because the video features the gorgeous
Rick Gonzales (I so would!)
(below with Gaga) as Jesus.

There are two ways to know you've definitely
made it: A) Madame Tussaud's makes
a wax work dummy of you and B) somebody
can be bothered to do a full blown parody of
your songs. Here's a couple of good ones

2011-05-14T15:30:00.011+01:00

BOOM BOOM

Songs called Boom Boom, Da Da Dam,
Ding Dong, Haba Haba, two sets of
twins and an Israeli transsexual.
You couldn't make it up!

Oh yes, it's Eurovision time!

Our boys Blue (below top right) are amongst
others up against Ireland's lunatic twins
Jedward, who, I must admit, actually
surprised me with their confidence
and stage presence in the semi's.

Israel's fabulous Dana International, (below bottom
right) who took the title home in 1998 didn't
sadly make the final. And less said about
the Finnish entry the better.

He's got the honor of singing first in
tonight's final but I bet he's going to
end up at the very bottom!

Weirdly there was another set of twins as well,
Slovakia's TWiiNS, but they didn't
get enough points in the
second semi final.

My favourites are the extremely catchy
"Boom Boom" from Armenia (which
didn't make it) and Denmark's "New
Tomorrow" (above below left)
which is still in the running.

Lat years winner Germany's Lena is holding
onto her title with both hands hoping to
become the first artist to
triumph back-to-back.

Blue's song "I Can" is easily the best of a
surprisingly bad bunch so let's hope the
lads don't score nul points but bring
the competition back to our
shores once again.

EDIT 15.5.2011: Azerbaijan (who's singer is
married to a Brit and lives in London!)
won the title, UK's Blue came 11th and
Ireland's Jedward 8th.

Funniest comment of the evening was
by the ever brilliant UK commentator
Graham Norton as usual. When the winner
was announced he worryingly asked:
"Are there any nice hotels in Azerbaijan?"
as of course he has to go there next year!

Blue were super in the final although I
did worry the bulging vein in Lee's neck
would finally pop when he went
into the full Bee Gee's mode!

2011-03-18T12:24:00.000Z

FRIENDS

2011-01-18T17:28:00.005Z

RIDING THE
RAILS

I love a good documentary on almost any
subject but my current favourite, Series 2 of
Great British Railway Journeys may be the
best yet. I loved the first series
and this one is just as good.

Travelling around Great Britain by train,
ex-politician Michael Portillo uses a copy
of Victorian cartographer George Bradshaw's
Railway Companion to compare modern
Britain to the time of around 1840.

Along the way he discovers some of the more
obscure sights as well as the most
popular tourist spots.

Portillo is an excellent host. With the help of
local experts everywhere he goes, interviews
with the residents, a sense of humour and
enthusiasm for the days gone by
he discovers interesting titbits
about life now and then.

Arm chair travel
at it's best!

2011-01-15T12:35:00.006Z

RETURN TO
THE WOODS

"It is also foolish to climb a tree as black
bears are adroit climbers and you will
simply end up fighting the bear in a tree."

It is not very often I read a book twice but
due to lack of anything super interesting in
the "books to read" pile I decided to return
to an old favourite, Bill Bryson's
hilarious Walk In The Woods.

I'm a huge fan of Bill and have all of his
books but the Walk is in the top three.

Once again the wanderlust strikes and
at the age of 44 he decides to tackle
the American wilderness.

Accompanied only by his old college friend
Stephen Katz, Bryson starts out one March
morning in north Georgia, intending to
walk the entire 2,200 miles of
The Appalachian Trail to the
end at the top of Maine's
Mount Katahdin.

The laugh out loud journey includes matters
relating to the trail's history, the surrounding
sociology, ecology, trees, plants, animals
and people as well so not only is it very
funny, it's also educational.

Top job, as usual.

2011-01-12T19:11:00.006Z

POSTAL
BOTHERATION

I sent an e-mail to the Evening Standard letters
page last night (in response to a letter in
yesterday's paper) and they published
it in today's paper:

I rambled on a bit so they've edited it.
Here's the full version:

I live in Colliers Wood SW19, we get our post from
the Wimbledon sorting office. Ever since they got rid
of our regular postman about 2 years ago the service
has gone from bad to worse to ridiculous.

All of our post is at least a week late, some of it even
older. Got a Xmas card posted in Brighton 20.12 today
(11.1) The casuals they employ (we have a different
person every day!) just can't be bothered to carry
anything. When they do it's usually junkmail
but nothing important like bills! Occasionally
you get someone who takes pride in their work
and brings week's worth of post in one go.

The mess seems to be nationwide: I posted 5 parcels
First Class to my ebay customers all over the
country from Scotland to Kent on Tuesday
the 4th of January and none of them had
been delivered by today, 6 working days.

I used to subscribe to 4 different magazines but
cancelled all of them last year because so many
issues went missing or arrived weeks late.
Now I buy them at the newsagents. More
expensive but that's the only choice.

(Like Mr O'Sullivan said) there is no point in trying
to phone the Post Office to complain - nobody
ever answers. I'm just about to write a letter to
them but won't post it. I'll hand deliver it to the
Wimbledon sorting office and will insist on
giving it to a manager as I'm sure the front
of house staff will probably just bin it.

PS: Before the staff at the sorting office loose
their minds, yes, some of you do actually do
the work and carry post but mostly we see the
casuals wandering up and down our street
with a lost look on their faces. The result:
we get maybe couple of bills a week
and some junk mail.

WHY can't we have regular postman anymore?
Who knows his route, who knows the
people and who does the job? WHY?

2011-01-06T15:37:00.000Z

THE MOST ACTION
PACKED VIDEO.
EVER.

2011-01-06T14:11:00.005Z

R.I.P
MICK KARN

Sad news. The bass player Mick Karn
of one of my favourite bands
ever, Japan, has passed
away aged 52.

Japan was one my first music loves and
I've since followed all of their solo
careers with interest as well.

"In time, I hate to say it, gentlemen
There'll be nothing wonderful here
There'll be nothing left to fear"

"Sensitive"
(1982)

2011-01-01T11:36:00.002Z

HAPPY NEW
YEAR 2011!

2010-12-05T12:44:00.003Z

LIGHT ART

I was mucking about with candles, fairy
lights and long exposures last night
... with some interesting results.

Check them out
in here.

2010-12-02T16:46:00.020Z

LET IT
SNOW!

The white stuff finally arrived here
in SW19 yesterday morning.

And in fact it's been coming
down ever since!

Frankie and The King
tell it how it is.

2010-11-29T13:26:00.001Z

GREETINGS FROM
PARIS

Check out the photos
in here

2010-11-12T16:44:00.001Z

BASEMENT CAT WANTS
YOUR SOUL

2010-11-12T15:18:00.008Z

CLUED TO
THE BOX

As the nights are getting darker luckily
the telly is getting better.

My new favourites include Human Target
and The Event, both fast paced
edge-of-your-seat stuff.

In the Human Target Christopher Chance (played
by Mark Valley) (below top), a bodyguard and
security expert protects his clients by completely
integrating himself into their lives to become
the "human target" to flush out the baddies.

Full of super stunts and astute banter it's
entertainment at its best. The slightly "darker"
The Event's (above bottom) plot centers on the
presence of extraterrestrial people who have
been detained by the United States Government
for over 60 years but have now become
exposed to the general public.

Old choices returning with new series keeping
me clued to the box are RuPaul's Drag Race 2
(below), the ever brilliant The Mentalist,
hilarious as ever Giles Coren and Sue Perkins
living The Good Life and the affable and
informative Edwardian Farm.

In Season 3 of The Mentalist Patrick (Simon Baker)
(below top) continues his hunt for Red John. Made
with subtle humour and excellent storylines this
is one programme yet to disappoint.

I wanted the gorgeous Raven (above bottom) to
win the second Drag Race from the very
beginning but alas she came second.

My other favourites were the sassy Morgan
McMichaels and the hilarious Pandora Boxx.
The hair, make-up and outfits are as outlandish
as the personalities: bitching on wheels galore!
And of course Ru herself is on form with her
stunning gowns. Can't wait for race n:o 3!

Food critic Giles and comedian Sue (above middle)
have embarked on hairbrained schemes
before and this time is no exception.

In celebration of the classic sitcom The Good Life's
35th birthday, they step back in time to 1975 to find
out what it takes to make the self-sufficient dream a
reality. If the first episode is anything to go
by the series is going to be a hoot, I was
sniggering all the way through.

In the Edwardian Farm archaeologists Alex
and Peter and historian Ruth (above bottom)
attempt to bring Morwellham Quay in
Devon back to life as it was in its
Edwardian heyday.

This is the third series from the intrepid team
as they live a full calendar year emulating the
"ye olde days". The previous experiments
were set in Tudor and Victorian times.
Funny and thoroughly enjoyable,
relaxing yet educational
entertainment.

I was really looking forward to Season 4 of
The Big Band Theory but after two episodes
I have to say: same old same old.

Of course Sheldon is still funny but maybe
three series was enough? I'll watch the rest
of it but so far it's not looking good...

2010-11-03T15:09:00.004Z

NOVEMBER
COLOUR

November has brought with it
some fantastic colours.

Check them out in here.

2010-10-13T17:08:00.003+01:00

KNEES AND
SUBSTANCE

Yesterday I had a physio therapy appointment
at St George's Hospital in Tooting.

My knees have been playing up since late
July and my GP thought best go and see a
physio to find out what's going on.

It turns out the middle bit (patella)
of my right knee has "worn out" so it's
moving sideways as well as up and
down like it normally does,
hence the pain.

A lovely therapist called Helen gave me
exercises to do and I'm going back to see
her in two weeks. I'm also going to get more
anti-inflammatory tablets from my doc;
she prescribed them in July
and they helped a lot.

On the way to the hospital I took a
few photos, have a look on my
Substance Of London page.

2010-10-11T15:10:00.020+01:00

OCTOBER
2010
COLOUR

It's that wonderful time of the year again
when nature's own Paintshop comes
alive with vivid colours!

Some of the shades are almost ghost like,
transparent, others so bright you need
sunglasses to look at them! Against
the blue sky the hues are
bursting with brilliance.

A few shots from our
neighbourhood here
in SW19.

Please click on the images
to view larger versions.

2010-09-20T18:11:00.006+01:00

HIATUS

As much as I love keeping this blog
I've come to the conclusion that
it's time for me to take a
semi-permanent break.

Due to my ill health I find it very difficult to
sit here at the PC and will from now on
pop back to write only about things
worth mentioning, trips etc.

So it's ta-daa for now and I'll
see ya when I see ya!

2010-09-15T17:03:00.001+01:00

PREMIER
LEAGUE

Apparently I am in the
Premier league.

Today when I'd finished packing my stuff
at the self service till at my local Sainsbury's
an old chap who works there as a helper tapped
me on the shoulder and said: "I don't want to
bother you but I am Croatian and you are
like the twin of the Croatian
Premier! It's amazing!"

I had a look on the net and yeah, I suppose
there is some similarity taking into
consideration she's 13 years older than
me! She looks good for her age
as I hope I do too!

Jadranka Kosor was born 1st of July 1953
in Pakrac. Having previously worked as a
journalist and a politician she became
Croatia's first female Prime
Minister in 2009.

2010-09-15T16:43:00.004+01:00

THANK YOU
DAVIE!

A big thank you to Davie once again for
mentioning my Toyah Interview Archive
and the new videos I've made in his
ever brilliant Dreamscape page.

2010-09-15T16:16:00.007+01:00

BOUNJOUR!

Otherwise an ordinary Wednesday turned
into a nice surprise: I was most delighted
to hear that for my birthday KB has kindly
booked us on a Eurostar trip to Paris!

My birthday is in the beginning of November
but due to work and other commitments we're
going on the 26th. We arrive early Friday
morning, one night over there and
back Saturday evening.

I've been there before as a teenager so this time
I'm looking forward to an adult trip where I
can sample the local le vin blanc. And
another new thing will be the train,
never been in the channel
tunnel before.

The great thing about the train is that you
don't waste half a day hanging around
because of security checks: you
have to be at St Pancras 30
minutes before departure.

The station Gare Du Nord in Paris is in
a great location so within half an hour
of getting there you're in the thick of
things, not like arriving at an airport
where again you'd waste hours
getting into town.

2010-09-13T17:28:00.007+01:00

CAT
FUNNIES

2010-09-08T11:41:00.002+01:00

THE SAME

This gorgeous leather gilet with a fur collar
has been my winter wardrobe number one
favourite since I bought it in
Berska in Lisbon last year.

I thought "at least nobody
over here will have it".

Well, Jane Norman had to ruin things!
I was looking through their new
range and they're selling the
exact same one!

The "aviator" look is the latest trend over
here so I suppose I've been ever so
fashionable for a year already! :-)

2010-09-07T18:25:00.002+01:00

A NEW LEAF

I've had the same old pair of specs for years
and I decided it was time for a change.

Not only that but I've noticed in the last few
months my short distance sight has been
getting worse and worse. I don't
use glasses to read but it is
annoying nonetheless.

So today I had an eye test and yep, the prescription
has changed. I picked varifocal lenses with
"reactions" (they go dark in sunlight) so I
don't have to swap between the normal
glasses and sunglasses all the time.

The frames I picked are called
Leaf, I chose the red ones.

The photo doesn't do them justice actually,
they are stunning and something a bit
different from the plain frames
I've always had.

2010-08-30T18:36:00.002+01:00

LATE
BLOOMS

It's nearly September but some of the late
bloomers in the garden have only just
started to flower. It's nice to have
a bit of autumn colour.

2010-08-29T12:37:00.002+01:00

WHATEVER

2010-08-29T12:27:00.004+01:00

CATS AND DOGS
OF THE WEEK VI

Again it's 20 weeks since I last made a
montage of all the Cats and Dogs
Of The Week so here they are.

(Please click on the images
to view larger version.)

2010-08-27T11:48:00.005+01:00

PENGUINS
AND PIE

It's the last day of Tommi's and Kunto's
holiday and as parting gift they bought a
beautiful penguin mug from the
London Transport Museum Shop.

It's designed by Charles Paine. After
graduating from the Royal College of
Art in London he moved to the
Applied Art Department of
Edinburgh College of Art.

He then went on to design stained glass for
Guthrie and Wells in Glasgow. During the
1920s he designed textiles and posters for
a wide range of clients including the
Underground Group (1920-1929). In
the 1930's he lived and worked in
Welwyn Garden City, before moving
to Jersey. He died in 1967.

Apart from cooking his fantastic dinners for
us for two weeks, Tommi also baked his
famous Korvapuusti cinnamon rolls
and we made a blueberry pie for
KB to welcome her home
from Corfu.

2010-08-21T13:58:00.005+01:00

FINNS
DISAGREE

Trust the Finns to disagree with the fact
that their country is the best in the world!

"What about suicides, depression, alcoholism and
our cold, dark winters?" many Finns protested
yesterday, after Newsweek named their
country "the best country in the world".

Scored for education, health, quality of life,
economic dynamism and political stability,
Finland narrowly beat Switzerland (2)
and their neighbours and arch rivals,
Sweden (3). The Finnish foreign
minister, Alexander Stubb, was more
positive, urging the Finns "to
express their pride and sincere
joy for the honour".

But gloating does not come naturally to them,
even though Finland has topped the OECD
global education assessment
three times in a row.

There is an underside to the educational excellence.
Two bloody school massacres, in 2007 and 2008
claimed 20 lives. A tragic coincidence, certainly,
but Finland is a Jekyll-and-Hyde country.
There are both the positive and the negative
in extremes, just like sunshine: the
never-setting summer sun is offset by
several months of dark winter. These
adverse circumstances have created
an ordered, egalitarian society.

Please click on the image
to view a larger version.

Having been a very poor country up until the 1950s,
Finland has always relied more on co-operation
than competition and if you agree with the
Newsweek panel that low levels of inequality
and a small gender gap are desirable,
Finland is bound to outdo the UK (14).

In a matter of hours Finland's leading
tabloid newspaper, Ilta–Sanomat, pointed
out an error in Newsweek's survey: it seems
the magazine may have mixed up the top two
scores, and Switzerland should win by a
whisker. Sabotaging their own success
befits them perfectly: both the optimists
and the pessimists in Finland can agree
that the number two slot is their
natural lot in this world.

2010-08-21T13:07:00.003+01:00

BUSY BEES

The boys have been busy bees this morning.
First they build us a shelving unit to go in
the shed and Kunto is going to fit some
metal mesh to the bottom of the shed to
stop foxes and rats and all manner of
other wildlife nesting under there.

Also, a branch of next door's plum tree had
fallen down on top of our bird table in the
night so Mr S and Tommi removed it.

2010-08-17T14:22:00.005+01:00

THE RIGHT
SHADE

Tommi ja Kunto bought me the most
beautiful plant as a present yesterday,
a stunning Celosia Caracas.

The shade matches everything in my bedroom
from the curtains to the bedlinen perfectly,
they could've not chosen a better colour.

And being men they of course had no idea
about the colour scheme in the room
so it was down to pot luck!

It does grow up to be 3 feet tall if planted in
the ground so I might stick it outside
but for now it can brighten
up the boudoir.

2010-08-17T11:47:00.005+01:00

RAISE IT UP

My friend Tommi from Finland is on his annual
visit to our fair isle and this time he brought
his dad Kunto with him. It's Kunto's second
visit to the UK, he's been once
before with his wife.

We've wanted a shed for a while as the conservatory
is jam packed with all sorts of stuff that should
really have a home in garden so we thought
we'll put the boys holiday to a good use.

Mr S ordered the shed from a local supplier
in Mitcham. It came in ready made panels
including all the bits and pieces (slabs to
go underneath, screws etc.) so all we
had to do was to prepare the
ground and stick it up.

It took less than 5 hours and the lads
managed to pop to the pub to
watch the footie in the middle
of it all as well!

Please click on the image
to view a larger version.

PS: The photo bottom right: of course it didn't go
like it does in the movies and the second window
went ping! and split in half. The new one is
only £3 so no great shakes but it would've
been nice to finish it in one go!

2010-08-06T17:41:00.000+01:00

IT'S NOT GOING
TO END WELL

2010-08-06T17:37:00.002+01:00

CLARKSON ON
FINLAND

Jezza was musing about Finland in his column
in last Sunday's Times and according to him
nobody lives up there. Not even the Finns.

Click on the image to view
a larger version.

2010-08-06T17:20:00.006+01:00

X-RAY
VISIONS

Check out these amazing images by
photographer Hugh Turvey.

They say beauty is only skin deep - but 39-year-old
Hugh's x-rays of flowers show they are captivating
through and through. He first used X-rays in
1996 to photograph a human skull as a favour
to a musician friend who needed an image for
an album cover and has since used the
technique to produce a series of coloured
x-rays of everyday objects.

He's been fascinated with getting underneath
the surface of things since childhood. "It's about
discovering the world around us. As a kid
I would take things apart to see what
was inside and how they worked."

"I have an insane curiosity for how things work.
X-ray gives me a way to get that insight and
turn it into art. The fun is in the discovery of
this character hidden in sometimes
the most unlikely places."

2010-08-06T17:13:00.004+01:00

NAILS

My own nails are in such a state a decided
to slap on some fake ones. Went to Tooting
Superdrug, two lots for £2.49. Sorted.

The following day I was in Wimbledon and thought
I might as well buy another packet because
when you need them there won't be any
anywhere ... so popped into Superdrug
and the same packet was £3.99!

And today I saw them at Charing Cross for £5.99!
Surely a countrywide shop like Superdrug doesn't
price their items according to the postcode,
the posher it is the more expensive
the nails get?

Shouldn't the price should be the
same whether you're shopping in
Brighton or Birmingham?
Strange.

2010-08-06T17:02:00.004+01:00

CHARMED, I'M SURE

I'm not a great fan of bracelets or necklaces,
just have never been that into them.

But then I came across this beautiful
charm bracelet in Jane Norman I
had to have it! In fact I
bought two!

It's a really nice weight with loads of
details - that photo doesn't do it
justice, it is absolutely
stunning!

2010-07-26T16:30:00.004+01:00

A ROOM WITH
A MEOW

A luxurious hotel suite - complete with
four-poster bed, state-of-the-art
sound system and fine dining -
for just £15 a night?

Sounds like quite a bargain.
But this is a hotel for cats.

At the Longcroft Luxury Cat Hotel in Welwyn
Garden City, Hertfordshire, feline guests can
have a pampering break of their own while
their owners are away on holiday.

The hotel's organic 'A La Cat' menu, which was
developed by a feline nutritionist, includes
treats such as white fish, ethically fished
yellowfin tuna and chicken liver balls.

The hotel has six individually-themed heated
chalets and bird boxes outside the windows
keep them entertained while porcelain
water fountains deliver perfectly
fresh oxygenated water.

The owners of the hotel, Abi and Matt Purser,
offer around-the-clock care and send absent
owners postcards from the kitties giving
updates on their own little holidays.

2010-07-26T16:22:00.003+01:00

TYPE

Do typefaces really matter?

To most people, typefaces are pretty insignificant.
Yet to their devotees they are the most
important feature of text, giving
subliminal messages that can
either entice or revolt readers.

The power of the font goes back to the Greeks
who created handwriting. A typeface may
never quite be able to replicate the intimacy
of pen and ink but with an estimated 200,000
fonts to choose from today, there are no
shortage of different styles
to choose from.

The typeface matters because of its power
to create a sense of recognition and trust.
Banks are particularly aware of this, with
companies like Barclays creating their own
branded font to reinforce a sense of
security at a time when fear of fraud
and scamming is high.

A good typeface creates an emotional response
in relation to the message it is conveying.
You're trying to get that tone of voice right -
you can shout or whisper plus they're used
to sum up the spirit of the age, because
they date quite quickly.

2010-07-26T16:06:00.005+01:00

DIARIES

Interesting article on the BBC website about
Samuel Pepys who's diaries captured my
favourite time in the history of London,
the 17th century including the fascinating
period round the Great Fire of 1666.

It is 350 years since one of the UK's most famous
diarists put pen to paper. But what was
Samuel Pepys really like? And why did this
modest clerk become so celebrated?

Readers love him for how he brings to life
everything from his latest evening's boozing
with his fellow clerks, his first "cupp"of the
new drink, tea; his constant arguments
with his wife and his Carry-on capers,
seemingly with almost
every woman in sight.

"He has the sort of curiosity that illuminates
everything it shines on," says the National
Maritime Museum's Quintin Colville. "He's
a lover of music, he's a lover of sex, he's a
lover of administration, he's a lover of
literature, he's a lover of science."

Having read the diaries myself I can recommend
them to anyone curious about the history of
not only London but that whole period.
They make an interesting and occasionally
laugh out loud funny read.

2010-07-26T16:00:00.002+01:00

LIGHTNING

Check out these 30 amazing
lightning shots.

2010-07-26T15:34:00.005+01:00

CHILLED
OUT

This must be the most
chilled out cat
in the world!

More in here.

This 7 year old feline called Shiro (White) (also
known as Kagoneko (Basket Cat)) is quite a
celebrity in his native Japan: he is already
the subject of two photo books and a DVD
with more to come I'm sure.

2010-07-26T15:24:00.005+01:00

SOAP
SHOCKER

It's not very often an episode of a soap
leaves me speechless but last Friday's
Eastenders managed just that.

Denise is alive! In a nutshell: man of the cloth
gone doolally Lucas murdered Denise's
ex-husband Owen on his and Denise's
wedding day and buried him in the
middle of Albert Square.

Many months later the body is found and
Lucas confesses to Denise and then "kills"
her by drowning her in a canal.

A body is found and Lucas "identifies" it as Denise
as no other family members are present.
After Denise's funeral we see Lucas entering
an unknown basement and Denise emerges
from the shadows looking bedraggled!
Can't wait for Lucas to get
his comeuppance!

Oh, now that is good TV!

EDIT 28.7.2010: Denise manages to get away
from Lucas and it turns out she was in the
basement next door to her own house!

2010-07-20T17:08:00.000+01:00

DOOM

2010-07-20T16:46:00.004+01:00

VINTAGE

A group of divers exploring a shipwreck in the
Baltic Sea have found bottles containing what
is thought to be the oldest drinkable champagne
in the world, made in the late 18th century.

"I picked up one bottle just so we could find
the age of the wreck, because we didn't find
any name or any details that would have
told us the name of the ship," diver
Christian Ekstrom (below)
from Aland said.

Ekstrom and his Swedish diving colleagues
opened the bottle and tasted the contents.
"It was fantastic ... it had a very sweet taste,
you could taste oak and it had a very strong
tobacco smell. And there were very
small bubbles," he said.

Experts said the shape of the bottle showed
it was from the late 18th century, and the bottle
and its contents have been sent to champagne
specialists in France to be analysed.

"We are 98 percent sure that it is Veuve Clicquot
champagne and that it was (made) between
1772 (the year the business was established)
and 1785," Ekstrom said, adding that the cargo
vessel was probably sailing to St Petersburg,
the then capital of Russia. The current title of
the world's oldest champagne is held by
Perrier-Jouet, which has
two bottles from 1825.

Richard Juhlin, a Swedish champagne specialist,
told the newspaper Alandstidningen he believed
the champagne was Veuve Cliquot and said
that if it was from the late 18th century,
it could cost around 500,000 Swedish
crowns (£44 000) a bottle.

Because the wreck lies off Aland, an
autonomous part of Finland, the local
authorities will decide what will be
done with the wreck - and
the champagne.

2010-07-20T16:29:00.004+01:00

GAMMON AND
CHICKEN
SORBET

An ice cream van exclusively for our canine
friends will make its first appearance at
the Boomerang Pets Party in
Regents Park next Saturday.

The K99 ice cream was created by a team of scientists
who investigated the perfect combination of
temperature, texture and taste, ensuring the
treats would be delicious to dogs
and completely safe.

It comes in two flavours: Dog Eat Hog World -
a gammon and chicken sorbet topped with a
biscuit bone and and Canine Cookie Crunch -
dog biscuits and ice cream also
topped with a biscuit bone.

Head chef Ceric Nale said: "After a lot of research
we hope they'll be flavours dogs simply can't
refuse". Sally Bezant, spokesperson for
Boomerang Pets Party, added: "We wanted
to give our furry friends the chance to enjoy
their own refreshing snack and an ice
cream van for dogs seemed like
the perfect answer".

The ice creams are available for a 99p
donation to Berkshire Search
and Rescue Dogs.

2010-07-20T15:42:00.003+01:00

HAIRS

I was taking some photos on the spare room
bed at the weekend to put in Ebay. I had a
clear up so I'm selling a few bits.

I used a white sheet as a background. After
I'd finished I put the sheet to one side
thinking I'll fold it up in a minute and
spread the cat fleece back onto the bed.
They like sleeping up there,
especially Mira.

I went out of the room for literally a few seconds
and on my return found Mira lying not on her
fleece 30 cm way but on the clean sheet
I'd used as the background.

She was like "well, you just left it there so
of course I had to put some black hairs
on it!". I just laughed! Cat logic.

2010-07-20T15:35:00.006+01:00

A RIGHT OLD
KNEES UP

Not. Just as the ears have settled down a bit my
knees started to play up. I haven't bashed or
damaged them in any way so this
pain is a bit of a mystery.

Getting up and walking up/down stairs is like
having ice picks shoved in them and even
when I'm lying down it's like they're
on fire. Not a lot of fun.

Went to the doc yesterday and I'm now on
the waiting list to see a physio at
St George's Hospital in Tooting.

2010-07-20T14:59:00.004+01:00

TO VEIL OR
NOT TO VEIL

While the debate of to veil or not to veil
makes headlines and divides opinion,
this lady from Hove says it well.

Please click on the image
to view a larger version.

Personally I think the whole practise belongs
in the Middle Ages and has no place in a
modern Western society.

If I walked into a bank wearing a balaclava
or a crash helmet I would be
asked to remove it.

And why don't men wear it? What if we
women can't keep our lustful hands to
ourselves after seeing such fine
specimens of the male form?

Ridiculous?
Exactly!

2010-07-16T17:03:00.000+01:00

SPECIAL

2010-07-16T16:33:00.004+01:00

MR POOH
THE GULL

He's a seagull. Or maybe he's a cat. Or
maybe, given his nickname, he's
actually a bear.

Whatever he 'thinks' he is, Pooh the seagull
is a family pet. He has been part of the
Grimwood family from Shoreham-by-Sea
ever since he arrived unexpectedly as a baby.

Pooh didn't even arrive conventionally by exiting
an egg. In fact the Grimwoods found him in
their fireplace one day. "We heard a rustle
in the lounge when we were watching telly
and we suddenly thought 'Ooh - what's that?"
said June Grimwood. "We reached into the
chimney and pulled out
this young chick."

He was just a baby gull at the time, albeit an
ash-covered baby after falling
down the chimney.

"We put him back on the roof, but it was a bit
of a windy day and he fell back off."
Instead of getting into a flap, June and
Steve Grimwood calmly nursed him
and fed him cat food.

He ate it alongside some unlikely companions -
the family cats. "He slept in the cats' basket,
mingled in amongst the cats and
was happy as Larry,"

Then, one day, Pooh flew the nest. But he still
returns for six months every year. In fact, in
a sense, he's still at home with Mum and Dad,
because he and his partner nest on their roof.
Pooh comes in for meals three times a day,
with the cats Mitzi, Gus and Henry.

"He feeds out of the cat bowls, he comes indoors
and takes the cats' biscuits out of their feeder.
I think he does believe that he is actually a cat,"
said Mrs Grimwood. "I wouldn't say he's mixed up.
He's just very clever. He knows where a good
B&B is by the seaside every year."

2010-07-16T16:25:00.003+01:00

WAITING FOR
A STAR

This week's 80's throwback that I can't get
out of my head is Boy Meets Girl
"Waiting For A Star To Fall".

One hit wonder'ism at its best!
Just ignore the dodgy hair!

2010-07-16T16:11:00.005+01:00

URBAN
STENCILS

Graffiti-ridden derelict sites have been given
a much needed face-lift with extraordinary
light art by Tigtab from Melbourne.

Each image is created with the help of stencils.
They are placed on light boxes lined with silver foil.
These intricate designs are revealed after a
burst from a camera flash lights up the
inside of the box very briefly.

Tigtab moves around the room, tunnel or drain
repositioning the stencils and firing the flash
repeatedly while the shutter of the camera is
left open to create complex designs

She said: "My photos are predominantly shot
using urban backdrops. I find beauty in decay -
those abandoned and forgotten places all
around us. By bringing light into the
darkness of each space, it fills that space
for a moment in time, and highlights
both their beauty and
impermanence."

2010-07-16T15:43:00.005+01:00

HISTORY AT OUR
DOORSTEP

The list of applications for the UK’s new
Tentative List of sites for World Heritage status
has been published and Colliers Wood's very
own Merton Priory is one of them.

It's about a ten minute walk from our house
and I've gone past it millions of times on
the way Abbey Mills market by the river.

Kieran Long writes in the
The Evening Standard:

One of the most significant religious buildings in
Britain from the 12th century until its destruction
during the dissolution of the monasteries
in 1538, the abbey remains an important
medieval archaeological site.

Thomas Becket was educated here in the late 1120s,
and he wore the black cowl of the Augustinian
canons of Merton when he was elected Archbishop
of Canterbury in 1162. The monastery expanded
during the 13th century, and was a favourite
place of King Henry III.

In 1217, Henry held a peace conference with
Louis, Dauphin of France, in the chapter
house, and later in the century stayed
several times a year in private
apartments at the priory.

These episodes attest to the importance of
the place and while today it is in suburban
south London, the remains also tell
archaeologists much of rural life
in the medieval period.

More than 700 bodies were found on the site and
their analysis has shown people here lived
longer, and were healthier, than the
comparable urban populations.

Merton Priory's remains are up there in significance
with a few medieval remains at Westminster Abbey
and remains at St Mary Spital, which are now
preserved underground and out of sight.
At Merton the remains are visible and
above ground, despite being concealed
in the sarcophagus of the A24.

2010-07-16T14:50:00.008+01:00

BY THE SEAMS OF
THEIR PANTS

That yodel by Simon LeBon. The mike flying
out of Tony Hadley's hand. Paul McCartney
singing to himself for two minutes before
someone flicked the switch.

The film of the Bulgarian cherry pickers that was
suppose to be Russia's most popular band.
The policewoman who thought some
band was in "dire straits".

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the day that
rocked the planet, Live Aid, BBC is making the
story into a TV movie called When Harvey
Met Bob. Producer Kate Triggs said: "It's a
moving film about two men prepared to
think the unthinkable and achieve
the seemingly impossible."

I've just watched two wonderful documentaries
of the "global jukebox" on BBC4 which brought
back so many memories. It was one of those
perfect days. Everyone of my generation will
remember forever where they were when the
biggest names of the music world took to the
stage in London and Philadelphia.

The production team on both sides of the Atlantic
were flying by the seams of their pants right
up to the very last minute and it was a
miracle the whole day happened at all.

It's weird to imagine now that a simultaneous live
broadcast would be so difficult but back in 1985
it was like walking on the moon. Live TV was
still in its infancy and Live Aid was the only
programme to go out live since Princess Di's
wedding! Of course there were hiccups
throughout the day but all in
all it was spot on.

I was working on the day of the first one but had
the chance to attend the second one in London
in 2005, known as Live 8, when my friend
Satu won tickets in a competition. You
couldn't buy them so it was
down to pure luck!

So I can say yes, I have seen Madonna live
albeit she was the size of a pinhead
about two miles away!

2010-07-12T17:00:00.003+01:00

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Ever since I was at the dentist last week and
Aretha Franklin's "Respect" played on the
radio I've been walking around singing it.

What a classic!

2010-07-12T16:14:00.005+01:00

EARLY
BRITONS

Researchers have discovered stone tools
in Norfolk which suggest early humans
arrived in Britain nearly a million
years ago - or even earlier.

The find, published in the journal Nature,
pushes back the timeline of the first
humans in what is now the UK by
several hundred thousand years.

Environmental data suggests that temperatures
were relatively cool so the early Britons may
have been among the first humans to use
controlled fire to keep warm. They may
also have been some of the earliest
humans to wear fur clothing.

At the time there was a land bridge connecting
what is now southern Britain with
continental Europe (below).

There are no early human remains, but the researchers
speculate that the most likely species was Homo
antecessor, more commonly - and possibly
appropriately - known as "Pioneer Man".

Remains of the species have been found in the
Atapuerca region of northern Spain, and dated
to 0.8-1.2 million years ago. So they could
well have been in Britain at around that
time, according to Professor Chris Stringer
of the Natural History Museum in London.

"If the climate was good and the land bridge
was there, there's no real reason they
couldn't have come here as far back
as 1.2 million years ago,"
he told BBC News.

Pioneer Man was much like our own species:
he walked upright, used tools and was a
hunter gatherer. But physically the species
looked rather different. They had a smaller
brain, strong brow ridges and big teeth,
with some primitive features such as
a flat face and no prominent
chin on the lower jaw.

Pioneer man was eventually wiped out by an
Ice Age. These occurred about every 100,000
years, and each time that happened Britain
was depopulated. As conditions became
more benign, a new group of humans arrived.
There were at least eight different waves
of people who died out before the
last wave which is the one
that survives today.

2010-07-12T15:52:00.004+01:00

TRADITIONS

Meerkats are my absolute favourites!
Wish you could have a few
of them as pets!

After studying meerkats in the Kalahari for the
past 10 years, Dr Alex Thornton and colleagues
from the University of Cambridge's Department
of Zoology found that some groups of
meerkats always got up later out of
their sleeping burrows than
their neighbours.

These differences appear to have been
maintained as local traditions, with
patterns of behaviour in different
groups being spread by
learning from others.

Studying social traditions among animals in
the wild is difficult because it is hard to
prove that differences in behaviour are
due to the social spread of information
rather than genetics or environmental
factors. This is the first time such
traditional patterns of daily activity
have been observed in animals
outside the laboratory.

According to Dr Thornton: "Studies of animal
traditions are essential for understanding the
biological origins of human culture. Because
most previous studies examined groups of
animals separated by large distances it has
been extremely difficult to work out whether
behavioural differences between groups
really are traditions, or whether they
might be better explained by genetic
differences or differences
in the local ecology."

Dr Thornton's study site in the Kalahari Desert
is shared by fifteen meerkat groups with
overlapping territories, and group
differences in getting-up time could
not be explained by differences
in ecological conditions.

And as male meerkats always breed outside
the group that they were born into, genes
get shuffled between groups, so genetic
factors are unlikely to account for
group differences.

"We found that new immigrants adopted the
behaviour of their new groups and that
differences between groups were maintained
despite groups changing in size and structure
as old members died and new ones
were born," says Dr Thornton.

"So it seems that, like afternoon tea or an
apéritif before dinner, meerkat getting-up
times are local traditions passed
down through the generations."

2010-07-12T15:50:00.000+01:00

NOT ENOUGH
OXYGEN

2010-07-12T15:40:00.004+01:00

A CLOSE ENCOUNTER
OF THE FEATHERED
KIND

A baby owl had an amazing escape after it
fell from its nest in a Devon zoo - almost
landing on top of an adult lioness.

The tiny tawny owl chick landed beside Indu,
a seven year old 180 kg Asiatic lion, in
the enclosure at Paignton Zoo
Environmental Park.

Keeper Lucy Manning said: "The tawny owls
nest in a lime tree in the lion enclosure. One
day the chick just turned up on the ground.
Indu peered at it for a while but then lost
interest. I think it was too small to eat."

"We believe it got away - if she had eaten
it there would have been fluff and feathers.
It probably flew off - the bird keepers said it
was nearly ready to fledge. An adult
tawny owl was seen nearby."

Zoo staff and visitors were keen to rescue the
chick, but no one could go in while the lions
were in the paddock. Visitor Sheila Hassanien
captured the moment (above) after spotting
the two animals together through
the perimeter fence.

Ms Manning added: "The wonderful thing about
the photo is the look on the owlet's face - it
seems to be demanding food!"

2010-07-12T15:25:00.003+01:00

KEVIN AND
THE CRANE

This week's "aaah"
times two!

A baby kestrel which suffered a broken leg when
it fell out of a tree is recovering in hospital after
nurses fixed its injury with metal pins.

The bird, named Kevin, had his leg strapped
in a colourful purple cast following his
treatment at St Tiggywinkles wildlife
hospital in Buckinghamshire.

The bird will be released back into the wild in
the autumn after recovering from his injury,
which nurses fixed using a hypodermic
needle as a pin, some thin
pieces of wire and
dental cement.

The tiny old patient was found lying on
the ground in woodland near
St Alban's last week.

Les Stocker, founder of St Tiggywinkles, said:
"Doing the best job possible was very important.
Kestrels will hover over their prey and then drop,
using their legs to grab a mouse or something, so
having the use of their legs is absolutely vital."

"Fortunately this one is a marvellous little
bird and started hobbling around
almost immediately."

Meanwhile a baby African Crowned Crane is
walking tall after carers fitted it with bright
green slippers - to straighten its curled toes.
The tiny hand-reared chick was born with a
slight defect which meant toes on both feet
were not developing as they should.

Keepers at Paradise Park in Hayle, Cornwall,
fitted the slippers in a bid to 'straighten things
out' - and now the one inch high
rare bird is walking tall.

Curator David Woolcock said: "For the first few
days we put small bandages on the chicks toes
as they were slightly curled, and this just
helped straightened things out.
The chick is doing very well."

The tiny crane is being hand-reared at the
centre amid fears it would not be looked after
by its mother. It is currently being regularly
exercised to strengthen its underdeveloped legs
and will be weaned in late August, when
it will be introduced to other cranes.

The chick is expected to grow to over four
feet in height in just a few months and
will have a high protein diet,
including mealworms.

Mr Woolcock added: "In the past, the female
parent of this chick has not done very well
when she has laid a clutch of eggs inside
rather than outside her hut."

"So when this happened again, and with
this species having been recently upgraded to
'vulnerable' status, we made a decision to
remove the eggs and incubate them ourselves.
We were delighted when one hatched. So the
keepers are now full time mums with two
hourly feeds and giving some much needed
tender loving care to this little one."

2010-07-12T15:02:00.006+01:00

ART
DISTILLED

Check out these absolutely stunning photos
of the molecules in alcoholic drinks.

Just like images of snowflakes, each drink is
different - as seen here when magnified up to
1,000 times under a high tech laboratory
microscope. Produced by American firm
Bevshots, they are on offer as art works
for buyers who appreciate the
hidden beauty of booze.

Capturing the tiny parts that make up
favourite drinks like vodka, pina colada
and Chablis, the pictures were taken in
Florida State University's chemistry
department using an old-fashioned
35mm camera.

"What you can see in the magnified pictures
are the crystalised carbohydrates that have
become sugars and glucose,"
Lester Hutt, 35, the founder
of Bevshots explains.

"Each image was created by using a pipette of
each particular drink and squeezing a drop
onto a slide. Then the droplets are allowed
to dry out and the slide is placed under the
microscope and a picture taken."

It can take up to four weeks for the alcohol to
dry out completely in an airtight container and
the whole process can take up to three months.
Some drinks such as vodka do not have as many
impurities in them as cocktails such as a pina
colada so when they break down into their
constituent parts they can fall apart and not
dry out properly. Photographing vodka
can take up to 200 attempts
to get it right.

Cocktails can have fruit and soft drinks in
them which contain citric acids and complex
sugars which dry out well and look great
photographed. The incredible shapes and
colours of the boozy artwork are highlighted
by shining natural light on top and
through the bottom of the slide.

"With my background in chemistry, I saw the
potential in these kind of pictures and am so
glad to be able to offer them up as art works.
It is a pleasure to show people what makes
up their favourite drinks and how
beautiful it can look," said Lester.

2010-07-11T16:44:00.003+01:00

AWESOME

30-year-old Neil Pasricha never imagined that
writing about the smell of gasoline, thinking it’s
Thursday when it’s really Friday, or wearing
underwear just out of the dryer would
amount to anything.

A self-described “average guy” with a typical
9-to-5 job in the suburbs, Neil started his blog
100 Awesome Things, as a small reminder -
in a world of rising sea levels, global
conflict, and a troubled economy - of the
free, easy little joys that make life sweet.

He certainly didn’t anticipate that his site
would gain a readership of millions of people,
win two Webby Awards (“the Internet’s
highest honor” according to The New York
Times), be named one of PC Magazine’s
Top 100 Sites, or become a place where
people from around the world would
come to celebrate the simple
pleasures of daily life.

Now the website has been turned into a book.
From neighbors with pools to ordering off the
menu at fast-food restaurants to fixing electronics
by smacking them, The Book of Awesome takes
on life’s sweet feats with all the honest humor
and winning enthusiasm that has earned
his blog its millions of followers.

But while powered along by Pasricha’s distinctive,
fresh, and hilarious voice, its not about one
man’s favorite things, but rather a catalog of
the universal little pleasures we all share.
Arising out of riffs on popping bubble wrap
and getting a trucker to blow his horn is
an unexpected, genuine sort of inspiration,
as The Book of Awesome offers up a hearty
cheer for all the little things
we take for granted.

My personal awesome things: the way washing
smells when it has dried outdoors, the smell of
freshly cut crass, that time of night when you
step out of your back door and all the noisy
neighbours with their blaring stereos have
gone indoors, lying in bed watching your
favourite TV show with a big tub of ice
cream and when you get an unexpected
parcel in the post from a good
friend. And many more.

2010-07-11T16:14:00.007+01:00

THE TENTACLED
TELLER

I'm not a great fan of football but during
The World Cup the tentacled fortune teller
Paul The Octopus has kept me amused.

Germany's oracle "they ink it's all over - it is now"
star has become a worldwide celebrity for his
apparent ability to accurately predict the
outcome of football matches.

He has correctly forecast the result of six of
Germany's World Cup games, and has now
plumped for Spain to take the title.

So just how extraordinary is this cephalopod?
Paul is a common octopus, which is considered
the most intelligent of all invertebrates.

In experiments it has seemingly distinguished
the brightness, size and shape
of different objects.

But mathematicians point out that his run
of predictions is not that extraordinary.
As Paul was predicting two possible outcomes
(win or lose, and not a draw), he had a 1/64
chance of predicting six correct outcomes -
a 1/2 chance of predicting the first game correctly,
then a 1/4 chance of predicting the first two games,
a 1/8 chance of predicting all the first three games,
and so on. The chances of him correctly
predicting seven games, up to
the final, is 1/128.

Chris Budd, professor of applied mathematics at
the University of Bath, says that even highly
experienced people find it difficult to predict
the outcome of a football game, and
compares Paul's feat of "prophecy"
to the tossing of a coin.

"If you toss a coin and it comes down heads six
times, that is unlikely," he says. "However it is
not as unlikely as predicting which numbers
will win the (UK) lottery, which is 1/14 million.
Mathematics can be spooky in the way it can
appear to predict things," he says.

David Spiegelharter, the Winton Professor of the
Public Understanding of Risk at Cambridge
University is not convinced either that Paul's
predictions are that remarkable. The
octopus's run of correct predictions
is all down to luck, he says.

Using the coin analogy, he that says if someone
flips a coin and gets the same result nine or 10
times, it is not remarkable in itself, but it will
seem remarkable to the person flipping the coin.
"Our perception about how chance happens
is not very good, it is not part of our
human characteristics," Prof
Spiegelharter says.

As the world digested Paul's prediction
Spain were indeed the bookmakers'
favourites - exactly as they have been
throughout the tournament.

EDIT 12.7.2010: Paul was right!
Spain took the trophy 1-0

2010-07-11T16:05:00.003+01:00

ARSE!

This is funny! And they've been
doing it for 30 years yet it's the
first I've heard of it!

The southern Californian city of Laguna Niguel
has been enjoying an annual ritual, in
which locals and visitors bare their
bottoms at passing trains.

For 30 years, the city has hosted "Mooning Amtrak"
as crowds line up along the railway tracks,
dropping their trousers when a train passes by.
Up to 10,000 people take part, and visitors
are encouraged to leave their cars at
home and arrive by train.

Local legend has it the tradition began in
1979, after a bar room bet. A drinker at the
Mugs Away Saloon, which stands directly across
the road from the railway, offered to buy a
drink for anyone who would run outside
and moon at the next train.

One customer took him at his word, and a ritual
was born. The event even has its own website,
this year proudly headed "31st Annual Mooning
of Amtrak". It also promoted a newer
offshoot: "5th Annual Mooning
of Metrolink".

It features directions to Camino Capistrano,
the road where trousers and dignity are
dropped each year, and helpfully lists train
times through the day, so that people
can schedule their disrobing.

And after 8pm, there is night mooning. "Bring
a flash light with plenty of batteries, or
better yet, bring a camping lantern,"
the website advises.

There is even a "Frequently Asked Questions"
section for mooning debutantes. "Can I
decorate my butt?" is one FAQ.
Yes, that's OK, apparently.

2010-07-11T16:04:00.001+01:00

WHERE THE
CAT SLEEPS

2010-07-11T15:41:00.004+01:00

A NON
HOLIDAY

It's been a bit quiet on the Western front for
three weeks now ... I was due to fly to Finland
on the 23rd of June for a holiday and my
mother's 70th birthday.

However couple of days before my ears started
playing up, a bad flair up so I decided to stay
home. There was no point in going over there
and lying in bed for a week and a half.

I did that at home instead. For three weeks. Not
exactly a holiday but more of a forced rest
break. The weather's been absolutely boiling
as well, near 30 C every day so
I've been indoors in bed.

Not a lot I could do about it. The flight
was only £70 so no great loss but it
would've been nice to see everybody.

I'm feeling a bit better now, still not 100% though
so I have booked an appointment with the
doc to see if there any more tests they can
do on the ears but I doubt it. The testing
last year was pretty conclusive, I might
have to just put up this for
the rest of my life.

C'est la vie.

2010-06-17T13:06:00.000+01:00

DEATH FROM
ABOVE

2010-06-17T12:48:00.005+01:00

JUMPING
LIGHTS

Check out these interesting shots by
photographer Greg Maino from
Houghton in Michigan.

He wanted to take a shot that captured
the dramatic twists, flips and spins
of a ski jumper in action.

After noticing some particularly spectacular
jumpers doing their thing on the slopes one
evening, he started racking his brains as to
how he could create the effects he wanted
by fixing lights to the skiers and
snapping the trails.

So he set about finding the perfect type of light -
one that could be fixed to a ski and keep burning
bright enough to be picked up by his camera
as the jumpers did their spins and flips.

After some frustrating trial and error involving
sparklers and other unsuccessful lights,
the team started experimenting with
flares and headtorches.

After some fine tuning of the makeshift equipment,
Greg got it right, and to his delight the results
were these dramatic shots of the daredevils
in mid flight. He is drawing up plans for the
technique he has pioneered, and says
once the snow returns he will be
back on the slopes.

"We never did get that 'perfect' shot," he
said. "But we did come away with
some cool stuff."

More of Greg's photos
in here.

2010-06-17T12:30:00.003+01:00

VIRTUAL LIFE
AND DEATH

Interesting article on the BBc website about
what happens to our virtual bits and
pieces after we die.

Everything you post on the net stays there as long
as the internet exists but does anyone own your
blog, Facebook page, photos etc
after you're gone?

"There's no standard practice across the industry
yet. There are no norms for how digital assets are
passed on to heirs," says Kaliya Hamlin, one
of Digital Death Day's organisers.

Obviously as long as the person/s who inherit
you have all the passwords they can delete
or update the pages as they see fit.
Sites likeLegacy Locker can take
care of it for you.

2010-06-17T11:59:00.006+01:00

ROYAL
BARBIE

While Sweden is in the final hours of wedding
mania before Saturday's big do, (Crown Princess
Victoria is going to marry her Knight In Shining
Jogging Pants (personal trainer) Daniel Westling)
the Royal Family themselves are not apparently
too thrilled that Mattel has made
Princess Vic into a Barbie!

Why?! I'd take it as a huge compliment!
Typical Swedes, don't a know a good
thing if it hits them round the
face with a wet herring!

The doll has been given a warm reception by
some younger members of the family but senior
members of the Swedish court feel it cheapens
what should be an important royal event.

"Royal Families have a hard enough time being
taken seriously as it is without being turned
into dolls. It is undignified," said one.

True, but still!

And on a personal note I'm almost related to
the Bernadotte's as my grandmother insisted
I was given the second name of Astrid,
after Princess Astrid of Sweden (b.1905)
(above) who later became the Queen
consort of the Belgians!

PS: Should one want to watch the wedding,
one can do that HERE at 2 PM on Saturday 19.6
by clicking on the grey button "Livesändningar"
(live broadcast) on the right hand
side of the screen.

2010-06-16T17:44:00.005+01:00

GO ON GIRL,
GALLOP!

Some adverts are just genius! My current
favourite is the Müller Corner (yogurt) ad,
a story of Mary the cow who always
wanted to be a horse!

The REO Sweedwagon song is perfect for it,
every time I see it makes me smile!
A feel good moment at it's best!

Thank you cows,
thank you!

"And I can't fight this feeling anymore.
I've forgotten what I started fighting for.
It's time to bring this ship into the shore,
And throw away the oars, forever"

2010-06-16T17:36:00.004+01:00

BLONDE MOMENT
OF THE DAY

It was in the supermarket and spotted punnets
of strawberries on sale for £1. I thought oh,
that's a bargain, I'll have a couple.

I almost put them in my basket when I
remembered hang on, you blonde,
you've got tons of them at the
bottom of the garden!

I've been picking more than a punnet
daily ever since the end of May! Duh!

2010-06-11T12:14:00.007+01:00

EVIL IS
NAPPING

2010-06-03T19:00:00.004+01:00

YOU KNOW
THE RULES

This GIF is just genius!

If it doesn't make sense, it's a reference to
singer Rick Astley and the phenomenon
known as Rickrolling.

2010-06-03T18:41:00.004+01:00

R.I.P RUE

Sad news from the States today: actress Rue
McClanahan, star of one of my all time favourite
TV shows The Golden Girls (the Original
Sex And The City!), has died following
a stroke at the age of 76.

She played feisty Southern belle Blanche
in the popular series and won an
Emmy for the role in 1987.

She underwent heart bypass surgery last year
and is the third of the main cast members
to pass away. Only Betty White (below right)
remains, following the deaths of Estelle Getty
(below front) and Bea Arthur (below back
middle), who died in 2008 and 2009.

McClanahan had a varied stage career before
landing the role of Blanche Devereaux in 1985
when The Golden Girls hit the small screen.

She married six times and wrote a memoir
in 2007 entitled "My First Five Husbands...
And The Ones Who Got Away."

"Thank you for being a friend
Traveled down the road and back again
Your heart is true your a
pal and a confidant"

2010-05-28T11:25:00.015+01:00

OPA!

It's Eurovision time!

The 55th competition is being held in
Oslo tomorrow after last years
landslide win by Alexander Rybak.

Finland didn't make it to the final this year,
thank God, the song is is the Top Ten
of all time worst! And why sing in
Finnish, they know it's not going
to get them anywhere!

Another song not to make the final is by
Malta, a beautiful performance and a
decent song but they never get
past the semi's. Shame.

My favourites out of the finalists are Romania
(above top left) with a great little pop tune
including an glass shattering middle 8 (the
video doesn't do her justice, when she belts
it live watch out for falling chandeliers!)
and weirdly enough Greece
(above top right).

I'm not normally a fan of "ethnic" sounding
tunes but this one has an almost primal
tribal quality to it. And the dancers
aren't bad looking either!

Germany (above bottom left) is tipped to win
but I don't really like the song. It's catchy
and all but the singer has an annoying
voice ala Diana Vickers.

Another annoyingly catchy number comes from
The Netherlands (above bottom right).
I wouldn't be surprised if "Sha-La-Lie"
does well. And the UK entry?
Less said the better.

Weirdly enough Justin Lee Collin's song
"All I Ever Want Is You" recorded for a
programme about him trying to enter
the competition is actually
really really good!

And he can sing, in fact he should record an
album! Penned by Ronan Keating this great
little ditty would've made a great entry for
Ireland (the country country he managed
to try in) but alas, it wasn't to be.

EDIT 30.5.2010: Vorhersagbar!
Germany won, my favourites
Romania came third
and UK last!

PS: This years funniest comment came
of course from the ever witty Graham
Norton (the show's BBC host).

When seeing the Lithuanian presenter
reading the points in a black and white
spotty jacket ala 101 Dalmatians
he quipped:"Even I wouldn't
wear that."

2010-05-22T17:34:00.005+01:00

A LOVELY
DAY

It's been absolutely gorgeous today, +25 C.
I sat in the garden reading a book and enjoying
the surprising silence: the idiot neighbours
who usually ruin every single sunny
day were actually quiet!

The garden is blooming, the rhubarb (middle
below) is getting bigger by the day so I'll
make a crumble soon. I just loooo-ve
rhubarb crumble and pie!

The cats came out as well and soon found
couple of shady spots to crash in.

2010-05-21T17:33:00.006+01:00

JOLIE AND THE
KITTEN

Today's aaaaah!

A mama Chihuahua in Hawthorne,
Los Angeles, is proving that there's
always room for one more.

The dog named "Jolie" - after actress Angelina
Jolie who is known for adopting children - has
taken in a newborn kitten and is nursing
the tiny feline right along with her
own newborn pups.

Shelly Gomez adopted the Chihuahua mix from
a shelter called Noah's Bark. About a week
after taking her home, the shelter called
and asked her to pick up some
newborn pups who needed care.

But when she went to pick up the new day-old
puppies, a tiny black and white kitten
started screaming as though she
wanted to come along, too.

The volunteer at the shelter asked if she wanted
to take the kitten and said she knew that if
Shelly didn't take it, the tiny thing probably
be put to sleep. So Shelly scooped up
the kitten and headed home.

"When I walked through the door, Jolie jumped
up and tried to grab the kitten from my
arms!", Shelly says. "She was so excited."

She was concerned at first that the dog would hurt
the kitten, so she let Jolie sniff it for awhile. "She
just kept cleaning it and cleaning it," she said.

"So I put the kitten in the box and the she
started nursing. The rest is history."
The tiny, blue-eyed kitten now fits right
in, suckling and sleeping alongside his
canine brothers and sisters.

2010-05-21T17:17:00.003+01:00

YAP NAV

A Polish taxi driver has turned off his sat-nav
after discovering his pet Yorkshire Terrier is
better at getting him from A to B.

Andrzej Szymcakowi, 65, from Lodz, says
two-year-old Bobo has accompanied him in
his cab since he was a pup - and knows every
shortcut and rat-run in the book.

Now he barks instructions to his owner
whenever a customer gives
them an address.

"He yaps and raises his right paw to show we
should turn right, his left paw for left, and
barks and wags his tail for straight on,"
said proud Andrzej. "He recognises
all the routes and tells me
which way to go before
the GPS does."

2010-05-21T16:38:00.006+01:00

SYNTHETIC

It seems we're step closer to the science
fiction of Blade Runner, The Island,
I, Robot and Surrogates.

Scientists in the US have succeeded in developing
the first living cell to be controlled entirely by
synthetic DNA. The researchers constructed
a bacterium's "genetic software" and
transplanted it into a host cell.

The resulting microbe then looked and
behaved like the species "dictated"
by the synthetic DNA.

The advance, published in Science, has been
hailed as a scientific landmark, but critics
say there are dangers posed by
synthetic organisms.

Some also suggest that the potential benefits
of the technology have been over-stated. But
the researchers hope eventually to design
bacterial cells that will produce medicines
and fuels and even absorb greenhouse gases.

So we might be a long way away from replicas
of ourselves but who know what they'll
come up with in the future?

More on the subject
in HERE

2010-05-21T16:29:00.007+01:00

LE WHIF

This is a good idea but it's not going to be
like the real thing! It's not about the
smell, it's about the taste!

An inhaler that allows chocoholics to submit
to their cravings without putting on weight
is to be released in British stores.

Le Whif, dubbed the world's first breathable food,
lets consumers suck in the taste of chocolate
or coffee while taking on less
than one calorie.

The lipstick-style tube contains hundreds of
milligrams of tiny food particles which are small
enough to become airborne, but too large to
enter the lungs. Each Le Whif contains
enough flavour for about ten puffs and
costs £1.99 on its own, or £4.99 for
a pack of three.

The inhaler is available in chocolate, raspberry
chocolate and mint chocolate models as well
as coffee flavour, which gives a dose of
caffeine equivalent to a small
shot of espresso.

It was invented by David Edwards, professor of
biomedical engineering at Harvard University,
with the help of Michelin-rated chef Thierry Marx.
Prof Edwards said Le Whif was not designed
to replace food but could be used to
enhance dining experiences, by allowing
people to sample a variety of dishes
before ordering their meal.

And talking of the brown stuff the world's largest

chocolate maker says it may have come up with
a chocolate bar that could fight wrinkles
and slow the aging process.

Eating 20 g (0.755 oz) of specially developed
chocolate packed with antioxidants, or flavanols,
each day may make skin more radiant by
boosting elasticity and improving
hydration, studies carried
out showed.

2010-05-21T16:16:00.003+01:00

NINJA'S TO THE
RESCUE

I love this story!

Three muggers in Penrith, Australia, got the
fright of their lives when their attack was
interrupted by five black-clad ninja warriors.

The thieves were assaulting a 27-year-old German
medical exchange student but the alleyway
where they struck was next to
Senshi Ryu Ninja school.

One of the pupils raised the alarm after noticing
the commotion. Police say they have arrested
two men and charged them with
robbery, and are still looking
for a third suspect.

"We just ran outside and started running at them,

yelling and everything," said ninja master
Kaylan Soto (above middle) who instructed
his students to take action. These guys turned
around and saw five ninjas in black
ninja uniforms running towards
them. They just bolted."

The victim suffered minor injuries, and the men
stole his mobile phone and iPod, according
to police. Mr Soto said the man could have
escaped the assault with some training in
ninjutsu - a Japanese martial art. As for
the attackers, "They just picked the
wrong spot," he added.

2010-05-21T15:50:00.007+01:00

HALFALOGUE

American researchers say they've found
the answer why it's no annoying
listening to other people's
mobile phone chats.

Whether it is the office, on a train or in a car,
only half of the conversation is overheard
which drains more attention and concentration
than when overhearing two people talking,
according to scientists at Cornell University.

"We have less control to move away our attention
from half a conversation (or halfalogue) than
when listening to a dialogue," said Lauren
Eberson, a co-author of the study that
will be published in the journal Psychological
Science. "Since halfalogues really are more
distracting and you can't tune them
out, this could explain why people
are irritated."

The findings by Eberson and her co-author Michael
Goldstein are based on research involving
41 college students who did concentration
exercises, like tracking moving dots, while
hearing one or both parties during a cellphone
conversation. The students made more errors
when they heard one speaker's side of the
conversation than when overheard
the entire dialogue.

On a personal note I had to endure a
fat moron on his mobile on a bus to
Wimbledon the other day.

It was bad enough that every other word was f***ing
this or that but the running commentary of everyone
on the bus, getting on or off and where the bus was
and how long the driver was taking (he was
in a hurry to meet his wife in the pub!)
just made my day.

I glanced over at one point to see the dickhead
and oh boy, that just gave him ammo to go on
about me for the next ten minutes! "Giving me
the evils for swearing - well if you don't like it
love, you can get off the bus!" Oh, OK. So 30
people have to get off the bus so you can
sit there like the cretin you are
and carry on swearing.

Then he went to tell his wife in a mock posh
accent "Yes, I know that, dear, and you know
that but we have to put these jokers
into their place." So funny! NOT.

His wife had obviously told him to give me
what for for looking at him. When I finally got
off at my stop he carried on "Oh here we go,
getting off now." Sadly I didn't hear what
wisdom he parted with after that.

What a pleasant individual. Got to love those
free minutes as well so these simpletons can
blather to their heart's content! I'm
just glad it was a bus ride, not a
12 hour flight sat next to
him and his missus!

2010-05-20T13:11:00.003+01:00

WENLOCK AND
MANDEWILLE

I truly don't know what to make of the new
London 2012 mascots Wenlock
and Mandeville.

The official logo for the games is the worst of all time
(there were so many other brilliant designs) and
these two ... not as bad but I think their
school report would say "could do better".
Ah well, I suppose the kids
will love them.

2010-05-20T13:08:00.003+01:00

FINALLY

At last! The summer is here! It's been ridiculously
cold for the time of year, we had the bloody
heating on til last week!

The sun is finally coming out to warm our
winter weary bones. Just hope our dickhead
neighbours don't ruin the weekend with
another barbecue party. Oh yeah ... Look!
there's Miss Piggy just whizzing past!

2010-05-20T12:55:00.004+01:00

ROUTEMASTERS
RETURN

I was happy to learn that the Routemaster style
buses are returning to the streets of London.

They are just much more convenient, you can
get off where you want, for instance when the
bus is stuck in traffic and the next stop is
in sight but it's going to take ten
minutes to get there.

But I can guarantee as soon as there is an accident
on the hop on/off platform the health and
safety brigade are going to make the third
door at the back, which is suppose be open
at peak times, permanently shut.

2010-05-20T12:49:00.005+01:00

EXPENSIVE

If you've ever wondered how cinemas make
their money, here's the answer: popcorn that
costs £1 less than the to see the film.

Went to see Iron Man 2 yesterday and

medium popcorn was £5.10.

The film itself was good, excellent special effects
and very funny in places. Look out for the Ex Wife,
she steals the show! Nice to see Mickey Rourke
making a comeback as well, he's always
been one of my favourites.

2010-05-20T12:23:00.005+01:00

WONDERFUL

Every now and then you stumble across
something so wonderful on the net it
makes your whole week.

This week I discovered likepunkneverhappened.
blogspot.com, an online Smash Hits magazine
(not be confused with the Smash Hits radio
station) archive (thanks to Davie!).

Those not familiar with this publication
let's just say that it kept generations of
teenagers from going mental with
boredom, including myself, all the
way through from 1978 to 2006.

Back in Finland I used to have to drive about
10 km to get it from the neighbouring town's
only kiosk and it was always about three
weeks behind (it was a weekly mag).

But that didn't matter. As soon as I had
it in my hands it was like heaven.

I'd drive home and disappear into my own little
pop world for hours. My room was plastered
with pictures and adverts from the mag, I
totally destroyed them ... in hindsight
I wish I'd kept them intact. One day
when I'm rich enough I'll buy the
whole collection off
someone on ebay!

When I moved to England permanently in 1987
I used to get it weekly and finally stopped
buying it round about the middle 90's.
By that time pop had gotten bland
and boring and the magazine held
no interest to me anymore.

2010-05-17T15:28:00.003+01:00

GIRLY MOAN

It's such a girlie thing to moan about ones
lipstick not staying on/wearing off
quickly but today I found a
miracle cure: Lipcote.

As always happens when I find a product I like, L'Oreal
stopped making the only lipstick that I've ever been
happy with, so I had to find a replacement.

I like Rimmel's shades but they don't tend to
stay put. Don't even get me started on
Maybelline ... (I'd like to change
their theme song to "Maybe
it's her, maybe it's crap!"

At the weekend I saw Lipcote being praised by
someone or other in one the Sunday paper
magazines so I thought I'll give it a
bash. And lo and behold, it works!

It's a top coat you put on top
of your normal lipstick.
Recommended.