Bimbling Along

For those of you who haven’t been paying attention it has been a rather cold winter this year. I’m afraid to say that it’s going to be around for a little long. Of course, when I say “I’m afraid” what I mean is that Phil says so. That’ll be Phil the Groundhog, for today is ‘Groundhog Day’ and it seems that Phil saw his shadow.

BBCi – Groundhog Day

I’ve been whistling a certain Monty Python tune for most of today, which is fine as Monty Python is great, however I’m afraid that I can’t tell you which song it is as this is a family site and it’s a rather rude song. Even the title is rather suggestive… however, what I shall do is share a song that I was humming earlier in this week… partly because it’s a great song and partly because they’d played it a couple of times on the radio

They all laughed at Christopher Columbus
When he said the world was round
They all laughed when Edison recorded sound
They all laughed at Wilbur and his brother
When they said that man could fly

They all said we’d never get together
Darling, let’s take a bow
For ho, ho, ho!
Who’s got the last laugh?
Hee, hee, hee!
Let’s at the past laugh
Ha, ha, ha!
Who’s got the last laugh now?

Now I challange you to re-read that and do it to the tune of the song!!

And yes Yip, it was from Avenue Q… hmmm, you know me too well (which is from a slightly less well known musical from the 80’s)

I spent this weekend driving a van up to Newcastle and back to help a friend move flats. There is something about having driven for six hours, after work, only to be told that the packing hasn’t even been started yet that just warms my soul.

Warms it and makes it cry, all at the same time.

Needless to say we eventually got everything packed and got down to the sunny side of London-town. For some reason I seem unable to get through London from the North without hitting the A1. Every damned time… and likewise on hitting the A5 coming off Euston Road to cut down to Marble Arch… missed again. Only lightly lost in Notting Hill but once I got to Holland Park Roundabout it was easy as pie.

Cherry pie with cream…

Something else that I have noticed is that for the third year running I’ve managed to miss my own Wibirthday, this one being my fifth. Oh I remember those early days, all fresh-faced and not knowing anything (bonus points for those who know which musical that line came from). When I was looking forward to my twenty-fifth birthday.

Wow, five years has flown past…

And your random wiki page for today is the small town of Berwyn, Nebraska, population of one hundred and thirty-four. And because I feel like it, here’s an aerial view from Multimap.

Being my first post of 2010 I shall wish you all a Happy New Year. Right, that’s the pleasentries over and done with…

I’ve recently been catching up on some books that I’ve not read in a while. The one I’ve just finished is The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis. It is a most enjoyable book following the escape and subsequent journey of Talking Horse, Breehy-hinny-brinny-hoohy-hah (Bree for short) and found-in-basket boy Shasta as they try to warn Narnia of an upcoming invasion from Calorman. Along the way they meet up with another Talking Horse, Hwin, and escaping princess, Aravis.

I did find the last page very funny, especially these lines…
Aravis also had many quarrels (and, I’m afraid, even fights) with Cor, (Shasta gets a name change by the end of the story) but they always made it up again: so that years later, when they were grown up, they were so used to quarrelling and making it up again that they got married so as to go on doing it more conveniently.

Afterall, that is what marriage is about, isn’t it??

Your random wiki page for today is Rónán mac Colmáin who was a king of Lenister

A very important question, to the point where there is an entire website dedicated to the answer. For three hundred and sixty-four (five on a leap year) the answer in ‘NO‘, but on one day a year the answer is ‘YES‘

Have a Very Merry Christmas!!

www.isitchristmas.com/

I suspect that no-one here will need this guide but the BBC have offered a novice’s guide to going to church at Christmas. BBCi The short version goes like this:
1. The numbers on the wall are hymn numbers. Cross-reference to the book in your hand
2. Sit, stand and kneel as others do. It’s OK to sit when they kneel
3. Find a seat to one side and a little way back, so you can copy others when unsure
4. Feel free to take communion, though some churches may offer you a blessing
5. At the sharing of the peace, go with the flow. Most churches will at least shake hands
6. Dress smart casual
7. Don’t stress if you’re late. Sneak in at the back
8. Midnight Mass doesn’t necessarily start at midnight. It might begin as early as 8pm. Check church website

I think my favourite is number one, though I am concerned at the news that there are Midnight Masses that can start as early as 8pm. That’s more or less afternoon!!

Isn’t this modern world a wonderful thing?? The way that technology has made things so much easier?? So this story of 1948 technology coming to the rescue of snow-stranded commuters at Victoria Station raised a smile for me.

It also gives me an excuse to play this video that I took back in June of the train in question!!

While grumbling at how people seem to be unable to drive in snow as it took four times longer to get to The Office this afternoon I happened to switch over to Radio4. A very dangerous thing to do because it can give you ideas… dangerous ideas!!

On the food programme they were talking about eau de vie production in the Alsace region of France. Sounds interesting. Basically it’s just fruit… in a bottle.

There is just one, tiny problem. It seems that while it is not illegal to own a still it is illegal to use one. I know that doesn’t really make sense to me either, but I suppose it adds to suspence!!

For the last two weeks I have been enjoying a full English breakfast, cereal and toast… what a way to start a day!! Admittedly it was then tempered by having to carry heavy survey equipment up and down (and then back up) the hills of North Wales… in December.

There is something about starting each day with +40lbs on your back and a wet, muddy, cold, windy, steep hill staring you in the face. I think the word is ‘demoralising’. On the otherhand, after nine straight days of strong winds, rain/hail showers and really quite cold temps* we finished with three days where it was lovely and sunny.

What this does now mean is that I’m sitting here starving as I’m now used to having a really big breakfast, which is usually I meal I tend to skip over. But it’s nearly lunchtime and then I can eat again!!!

Yay!!

* – for those that know me for most of the time I was wearing two pairs of trousers, t-shirt, body-warmer, fleece, jacket, wooly hat, two pairs of gloves, thermal socks… it was a little bit on the cold side.

I visited my local brewery this afternoon (the Hogs Back Brewery) to pick up some beer for me and to get a variety pack to take with me for an ale fan up in Bangor. They do some very fine ales in Wales, indeed I’ve drunk a few of them, but I do have some loyalty towards my local brewery. Especially as they do some exceptionally fine beers.

However, the quote about being visited by a friendly yet anxious ghost is about a slightly different beer. This one is slightly stronger than your usualy beer and the brewers suggest that you should drink it “in small servings and with an air of aristocratic nonchalance. In exactly the same manner that you would enjoy a fine whisky, a Frank Zappa album or a visit from a friendly yet anxious ghost.”

I very nearly used the name of the beer as my post title… after all it has the wonderfully off the wall name of Tactical Nuclear Penguin and at 32% it’s… pretty strong.