Trials and Tribulations over - I need a fix

Life, but not Vincent...

I have a Teka dishwasher. "What?" you may ask. "Who are they?" Good question! They are a Spanish appliance manufacturer. Luckily I have it insured because I've had to call them out 3 or 4 times (and it's less than 5 years old). This time, the fault is the same as last year, and the spare part is out of stock, so the UK arm has to order it for my insurers from Spain. Except Spain is shut for August! So I have a choice - wait and hope that it will be fixed so my friend who will be house and pet sitting will have one less chore and one less thing to worry about; or junk it and buy a new one.

I decided to go for the second option, so this morning I went to a retail park to look at possible replacements. Very nice - but "We don't fit them or take the old one away"!!! Do they not want my money? I then tried a large DIY outlet - same story - then a kitchen fitting chain - you've guessed. The catalogue shop only fits two models, both made by a joke company worse than the one I've got.

Finally, inspired, I called a small local electrical goods retailer. Yes, they do sell integrated dishwashers. Yes, they do fit them. Yes, they do take the old one away. For an inclusive price. Eureka! I went along and selected a sale price model of a top manufacturer (Siemens) and it should be here and installed in a week or so.

I'm sure that's a slice of life as we all know it, but no sign of the lovely Vincent anywhere.

Good reason to be...

...a leather case...

...a pair of handcuffs ...

...a cute little doggie...

... photograph...

...a cigarette...

...a pen...

...or a medical examiner.

Physical contact with a very physical man.

Expressive Eyes

Vincent's eyes are really expressive, as we all know, but we can't see Bobby's contribution as Blogger wouldn't let me post any more pictures. Helpfully, it posted Mr Blue twice.

The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency

You really have never read anything like this wonderful series of books. The books are set in Botswana, and the heroine is Mma Ramotswe, a "traditionally built" woman with an instinct and understanding that makes her able to help all sorts of people in unexpected ways.

The books are written with gentle humour and insight, and are a great remedy for the Blues on a tough day.

Terry Pratchett and the Discworld novels

Terry Pratchett invented a whole new world in the Multiverse. It's disc-shaped, and it's in the backs of four giant elephants who in turn are on the back of a huge turtle, A'Tuin. Magic is very strong there. Wizards graduate from Unseen University in the capital, Ankh-Morpork. Witches such as Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax harness the magic in more everyday ways. The early books feature a wizard called Rincewind, and The Luggage, made of sapient pearwood. Don't cross it - it might swallow you up and you'll never be seen again.

The Librarian at Unseen University is an orangutan (he got changed by a stray spell, and found it useful for getting around and reaching the high shelves. DON'T call him a monkey!

Basically, the Discworld is Earth with a twist. Leonard of Quirm is the local equivalent of Leonardo Da Vinci, Trolls, Dwarves, Vampoires, Werewolves and all manner of non-people...er...people its lands. It's incredibly inventive and very funny. People all over the world read it in their tens of millions in all sorts of translations. YOU CAN READ IT IN THE ORIGINAL ENGLISH! Start at the beginning with The Colour of Magic, and don't miss Equal Rites. The eighth son of an eighth son is born a wizard, and the staff entitling the bearer to an education at Unseen University is handed over before there's been a check - and of course it's a girl.

Death is a character in himself, with his horse, Binky. He speaks in capitals, but only the dead can hear him.

If I never do anything else, I'll have done a great service if I convert just one of you to the works of this talented and very funny writer.

Next stop The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith.

Yesterday...

...and Tomorrow

All we need now is an episode called Today.

Family Historians are Ghouls

We deal with the dead, there's no way around it. Today I've been up at the Family Records Centre looking up death registration details and ordering death certificates, along with the marraige certificate of a cousing dead 15 years. There's no evidence his wife has died, so my next task is to try and trace her. She'll be in her 80s.

This is a photo of my parents' wedding in 1939. Everyone in it is now dead, except the children who are my cousin June and her brother George, who is the unlucky soul with the lung tumour.

Pilgrim

Bobby The Beautiful spends a lot of time in his shirtsleeves in this episode. Now wonder I like it so much.

For those of you in the UK, I got the Hallmark Newsletter today, with a chance to win a LOCI DVD boxed set if I went to - wait for it - www.hallmarkchanel.co.uk. Surprisingly, this did not link to either Hallmark's website, nor one for expensive designer perfume...

So I went to www.hallmarkchannel.co.uk and guess what? Nowhere to win a LOCI DVD set in sight. The link to drama programmes had a LOCI photo, but didn't have any blurb about it, and the "Contact us" link had no way to say it was LOCI and not L&O nor SVU, which were listed separately.

Are we being sidelined, ladies? Surely not"!

Lots of shoulders and hands. Many thanks Eliza.

Not a comb-over, then

Well, not much, anyway.

I first watched Full Metal Jacket after I'd discovered Vincent as Bobby. I was surprised to see that he was already receding in 1987, but appeared to have a full head of hair in 2001. I suspected a toupe or a comb-over.

I mean, look at the hairline here and compare it to the shaven head above. Some hair is certainly combed forward. But we and Vincent have had a break. He doesn't appear to have receded more than a centimetre or two in the intervening years.

And he's not got much less hair at the roots here than he had in FMJ. I'm not a fan of bald-dom, so I'm well relieved.