Putting the Mockers On

Our wonderful government is determined to raise the motorway speed limit from 70mph to 80mph, just to save the odd motorist a couple of minutes on a few journeys. They are deaf to arguments that it will increase carbon emissions, and because road deaths have fallen drastically over the past few years, they don't seem to realise that accidents that might have caused injury at 70mph will in all likelihood cause deaths at 80mph.

It seems that they have "put the mockers" on the road safety situation, and that fate has decided to take a hand in the matter.

Last night a number of vehicles - many of them large articulated lorries - crashed on the M5 motorway in Somerset, in the West Country. There was then a fireball that engulfed many of the vehicles. The news overnight was that 27 vehicles had been involved, but now the fire is out, this has been revised up to 34. Imagine that, seven vehicles hidden among the flames, presumably with their occupants burning alive inside them.

So far, 7 people have been found dead, but the emergency services fully expect there to be more among the wreckage. It is not yet known what caused the accident, but there appear to have been three possible contributory factors - fog, wet road surface, and the distraction of a nearby firework display. Add to that people going too fast for the conditions, and to want to increase the speed limit seems criminal.

The fire engulfing vehicles on the motorway.

The accident scene from the air in daylight.

Some vehicles have melted on to the carriageway.

Ashes into Glass

It's been more than a year since my beautiful cat Shelley died, and his ashes are still in their "dispersal tube" in my bedroom. I just haven't been able to bring myself to sprinkle his last remains on his brother's grave.

But I've found a company that will turn a small amount of his ashes into glass and set it in jewellery. It's expensive, but once it's done, I will have a memorial to my lovely boy that I can carry with me and that will last forever:

And So To Sleep

I don't think Bobby ever looked more gorgeous than in this episode.





















"I really am trying not to look at this woman's bust."


"I really, really am."


"I give up!"

Did I remember to tell you...

...that Peter James won the ITV Crime Writers' Award that I posted about, and that many of you voted on?

His latest book, Perfect People, is just out, and it's not a crime novel this time, it's about a couple who have a genetically engineered baby after losing baby number 1 to a rare genetic condition.

I have a feeling they're going to get a baby that, among other "improvements", maximises its lifespan by sleeping only a couple of hours a night, not because it's hungry/wet/teething but because it's genetically programmed that way. Sound like anyone's nightmare?

Crash and Burn

This is one perp who deserved all he got. He wanted to kill Bobby!! Then poor Bobby was so shaken up by his suicide.

The Leaning Tower of Goren.


Getting ready to finger the perp.


"Am I in trouble?"


Oops! Yes, you are now.


"What kind of rubbish phone are you offering me?"


Want to dance this dance with Bobby?


I want my arm to be where this guy's arm is!


The rather unpleasantly explicit head shot we never got to see on Hallmark/Universal.Can't remember about 5 - Eliza, Diane?


He's the sun in my eyes when he has the sun in his eyes.


Poor, unhappy, pouty Bobby with those lashes and those lips...


And that neck.

Cruising for a Bruising

Smashing for a lashing.

Those eyelashes and that cowlick are just divine.

Furbabies

The film I took of the lion cubs last week is not great - the glass was scratched, the reflections interfered with what could be seen, and the noise from screaming children was unbelievable.

I've stitched together the best bits, cut the soundtrack, and present for you delectation Big Mama Ali with her latest cubs, whether they want her to or not!

On The Rocks

The look, the lips, the neck...


Surprised? You will be.


Close your eyes and see what Santa Val sends you.


Put your lips together and hum.


Or kiss.


Anyone for stubble burn?


Enough room on that chin for at least two!

Human Number 7 Billion

I give fair warning that some of you may be offended by this post. I am pretty sanctimonious about over-population.

When I was 12 - in 1965 - I realised that the last thing the planet needed was extra mouths to feed, especially from me. Even at that age, I knew I wasn't maternal, so I decided not to breed. At the age of 23 I made a permanent commitment by undergoing a sterilisation operation.

Not only am I the youngest of my generation of the family by far, being the late child of two late children, but from the 1930s, my very poor relatives (dockers, bakers) had obviously known how to control the size of their families. No one had more than 2 children. Several had one or none. I wasn't used to being surrounded by babies and young children, and they played no part in my life.

So when I see people in the developed world having large families, I am in despair. In the Third World, with such high rates of infant mortality, I can understand that people need to breed to make sure that any child survives them. When mortality rates decrease and access to contraception increases, birth rates decline. There is no such excuse in the west.

And let's not forget the influence of the Roman Catholic ban on contraception, which affects poorer countries in places like South America out of all proportion to Europe, whence the senseless edict comes, and where it is largely ignored.

Meanwhile, having destroyed our own wild land (in the UK, over 2,000 years ago) we expect poor countries to protect their rainforest and fragile habitats on our say-so.

Captive breeding of endangered species is pointless if there is no habitat to return them to. But humans will use up that habitat to feed themselves, just because they think that an ever-increasing population is OK, or "nothing to do with me".

The worst response, in my opinion, is from the wealthy, when they say, "Oh, but we can afford X number of children." THE PLANET CAN'T! The wondrous leaders of our "greenest ever" government (as they call themselves, oblivious of the irony) Cameron and Clegg, have 3 children each. That represents a 50% population increase. And each child of theirs will have a far greater impact on climate change than any child of a Third World country, bar those of the corrupt dictators who pocket aid meant for their citizens.

Slow Approach

When the Sirens are singing, you have to take care.
Alex won't let Bobby worry about her.


He knows better than to argue, so he hands over the keys.


He's not happy, but he gives in.


He struts his stuff.


He's not happy with the Water Haven PD.I am happy with his curls.


There's that gesture again.


That false smile that looks so real, so seductive.


Then there's the look of concern. He knows there's more going on than meets the eye.