Vanishing Act - Day 1

Boo!

You can surprise me any time, Bobby.

Saving London 2012 from air attack

If terrorists are planning to attack the London Olympics, then the joke is on us, because the remedy will probably be worse than the "cure". The idea is that, in the event on a possible air attack, ground-to-air missiles will be launched from strategic points around the capital. Including from the tops of residential tower blocks in London's east end - the part of the capital where the Games are to be held. Remember the London Marathon the other week, which begins near me on Blackheath? This is the heath looking roughly north-north-east:

This is the same view with missile launcher, taken on Wednesday or Thursday.

Missiles primed and ready to go?

And if they shoot down something that might have been threatening the Games? Where will the pieces fall, exactly?

Well, presumably somewhere else in the capital.

Just as long as it isn't the Games...

Please Note - Day 10

Bonus Picture - Bobby's tie points the way!

Deprived

JJ, the dog whose family I work with, is very hard-done-by. He doesn't even have his own bed!

See what he's reduced to? Sleeping on the sofa (or sometimes his "mum's" bed). Poor baby.

Please Note - Day 9

Hands up all those who'd like to volunteer for this scene.

Please Note - Day 8

Worried, alarmed, but still working out how to...work things out.

Flying Without Wings

Yesterday the nurse and I took our charge to Greenwich Park to enjoy the respite from the record rainfall that has plagued the country for the month of April. We also wanted to check on the vandalism being perpetrated on this World Heritage Site by the construction of a venue for Olympic equestrian events. What we found, on what was publicly-accessible grass in front of the National Maritime Museum and the Queen's House, was this array of temporary seating and acres of plastic sheeting. There was no peace, only construction noise. Shameful.

We took the dog with us, and when we had lunch in the tea-room gardens, I kept him on his lead. He's a great scrounger, and would have gone home several pounds heavier if he'd been allowed to visit the other patrons.

If there's one creature outdoor eateries attract, it's pigeons, and if there's one thing the dog can't resist (apart from cats), it's chasing pigeons. So there I was, staring into space, then there I was, sprawled on the ground, as the dog noticed a pigeon and launched himself towards it. I can only assume my bum slid right off the slippery seat in a split second, because I wasn't conscious of travelling through the air and landing flat out, arm extended and, fortunately, still holding on to the lead.

There was immediate silence in the garden as people tried to work out how to react. I must admit to aching a bit and there is a bruise on one knee, but all I can think, between giggles, is that I flew without wings or a plane, and I wasn't even aware of it at the time.

Why can't we relive some moments of our lives in slow motion, like they do in the action replays?

Please Note - Day 7

Can I smooth out that frowning brow, darling?

Please Note - Day 6

Not sure what that bemused expression means, but I love it.

Please Note - Day 5

Don't chew your lip, sweetheart, you'll make it too sore for our snog.

The Essex Horde

A week or so ago I mentioned my trip to a craft village in Essex to get the inscription on my memorial ring to my darling Shelley redone, as they'd spelt his name wrong. JoJo espressed an interest in seeing the ring, and the earrings I bought. I finally got round to photographing them today.

These earrings are of glass made by the jeweller herself. Are they orange? purple? gold? pink? They go with almost everything I own!


The ring contains some of Sweet Shelley's ashes.


This is the clock I bought at the craft village. The maker bought the skeleton movement and then turned this case for it from English oak. It was love at first sight.

Please Note - Day 4

You don't need a scarf to keep you warm, Bobby - I'll do it for you.

Please Note - Day 3

Bobby as Bigfoot.

Otter folly

I have often shown, I think, that I am a great fan of otters. These iconic creatures more or less disappeared completely from our waterways because of pollution and persecution, and it has only been since we cleaned our rivers up that they have spread back across the country. So I was bemused by a small news item in yesterday's i newspaper that a man contacted police after several koi carp valued at thousands of pounds had disappeared from his garden pond.

Police ascertained that it was not a human that had stolen them, but an animal, most likely an otter. That'll teach him not to secure his pond properly.

However, another person put his oar in, and though he was named, his role or position vis-a-vis the matter was not elaborated on. But his ridiculous words inspired me to write to the paper, and I was fortunate enough to get my letter published today:

I was horrified to read that some poor person's valuable koi carp had been taken from his unprotected pond, not by a human thief for profit, but by an otter. Someone called Hugh Miles was quoted as saying, "Some conservationists think they are cuddly, playful creatures, but they are killers". Unlike humans, apparently, who wait for animals to drop dead naturally before eating them. Clearly taking carp for profit is better than killing them for food. Isn't this the kind of thinking that helped exterminate otters from our polluted rivers and trout streams in the past?

I'm proud!

Please Note - Day 2

Breakfast with Bobby - another dream come true.

Please Note - Day 1

In the dark with the beautiful Bobby - every woman's dream.

Er....

Clipping from Saturday's "i" newspaper:
   
    Lack of cleaning endangers health
    People are putting their health at risk by not cleaning kitchen cupboards out properly,
      an Asda survey has suggested.  The report claims that the insides of the oven and the
      fridge are also likely to go unscrubbed. It's also been claimed that 600,000 homes are
      cleaned only at Christmas.

Oh dear. As often as that?

I will clean my kitchen cupboards out one day. It was only replaced 12 years ago. The oven is hardly ever used, and the fridge is just two years old.

Cut us some slack, Asda. You know you're just trying to get us to buy more cleaning products. Mine last for ages. Some even came from Safeway.

How many years ago did that shut down?

And for those of you who think I'm kidding...sorry :-(

Cats Conversing

JoJo's inspired me again! Most of you have probably seen the talking cats before. The original is getting quite hard to find, but here it is:

And here's the first ever translation. There are lots more now from people who had nothing better to do with their time (no I didn't do one, I don't have the technical expertise, er sorry, time).

Purgatory - Day 16

Joy short-lived.

Purgatory - Day 15

Proud moment.