Owl Pellets

Yep.

2011-12-13T17:55:00.001Z

btw,I ent dead.

Toodily pip.

2011-12-13T17:52:00.000Z

A friend writes:

I subscribe to a newsletter called ‘World Wide Words’ which is English-Language miscellany and usually entertaining. From it, this Monday, I give you this to revive any flagging spirits:

Toodle-pip
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. I've just looked up the origin of "toodily pip". I found only
"toodle-oo", which is said to be derived from the French "tout a
l'heure", which is not convincing. The French term is incomplete
since I'd expect there to be an "à" before "tout". Otherwise it
simply means "soon", whereas "toodle-oo" means goodbye. Furthermore
the French phrase doesn't sound much like the English expression.
And where did the "pip" come from? [Roger White]

A. Dictionaries often do cautiously suggest "à tout a l'heure" as
the origin of "toodle-oo", a terribly dated item of British slang
that most people will have only come across in the works of P G
Wodehouse. He didn't know "toodily pip", which is a very recent
form, almost solely found in discussion forums online. It seems to
be a mistaken or corrupted version of "toodle-pip", contemporary
with "toodle-oo".

Do not disregard a French connection too quickly. British English
speakers are renowned for their ability to mangle foreign tongues,
French in particular. Any nation that can turn "ça ne fait rien"
into "san fairy ann", as British soldiers did in France in the First
World War, is quite capable of transmogrifying "à tout a l'heure"
into "toodle-oo". But it isn't the only possibility: another
potential source that the experts mention is "toot", the sound of a
coach's horn signalling its departure. This may not be so daft as
you might think, as we'll see in a minute.

There are other late nineteenth-century British slang terms of
similar kind, such as "pip-pip". This is an example from the master:

"Well, it's worth trying," said Reggie. "I'll give it a
whirl. Toodleoo!" "Good-bye." "Pip-pip!" Reggie
withdrew.
[A Damsel in Distress, by P G Wodehouse, 1920.]

We may reasonably assume that the "pip" in "toodle-pip" is the same
as in "pip-pip"; "toodle-pip" might even be a blend of "toodle-oo"
and "pip-pip", though it's impossible to tell from the recorded
evidence.

"Pip-pip" arose as an imitation of the sound of the air horn fitted
to early bicycles - the sort with a trumpet and a rubber bulb. They
were around during the cycling craze near the end of the nineteenth
century alongside the modern bell. This will give you the idea:

Pip-pip. Hue and cry after any one, but generally a
youth in striking bicycle costumery. Onomatope of the horn
warning which sometimes replaces the bell of the bike.
[Passing English of the Victorian Era, by J Redding
Ware, 1909. You may gather from "bicycle costumery" that
Mr Ware wasn't a fan of cyclists, or perhaps just of their
style of clothing.]

This entry was somewhat behind the times, as "pip-pip" had by then
already begun to be recorded as a slangy alternative to "goodbye",
presumably from shouting it after a retreating cyclist. Some of the
usages, such as the Wodehouse one, suggest that it might also be an
acknowledgement to a goodbye from somebody else or a general cry of
encouragement. A precursor, "pip-pop", was known from a century
earlier as an imitation (an onomatope in Mr Ware's vocabulary) of
small-arms gunfire. It hints that "toodle-oo" could indeed be from
"toot", as a similar imitative.

However, it's sadly the truth that nobody knows now exactly what was
in the minds of the inventors of these curious exclamations.

Thank you, anonymous friend.World Wide Words has been known to me for a long while, and is a good thing. Go there, now.

Surely he can't be dead..

2010-11-29T10:28:00.001Z

... he is, and don't call me Shirley.

Leslie Nielsen. He made the world a happier place.

deep

2010-10-10T17:29:00.001Z

"Philosophy is like a pencil wiggling in the ear of humanity forever".

Responses to my pigeonhole Tuesday latest pls.

See this.

2010-10-08T08:34:00.000Z

This is by no means a "cornucopia of crap", imho. The exasperation & anger is also felt in Boggins' loins. Wait till you see the Spending Review.

No cute

2010-10-07T08:30:00.018Z

No Thursday cute today. Complaints in the comments please.

I do however have this to share with you:

AVENGING NARWHAL PLAY SET

...which says "Christmas? Sorted!" to me.

Harvest mice for Thursday

2010-09-30T07:40:00.000Z

Oh yes.

Pie

2010-09-30T07:37:00.003Z

#659; O Theoretical Saviors

2010-09-27T14:01:00.002Z

#659; O Theoretical Saviors: " I have no idea. If you like it as much as I did, pig-out right here.

Continuing your musical education.

2010-09-26T18:03:00.000Z

You'd have to have a heart of stone not to groove to this. It's both utterly cheesy & utterly brilliant.

Sun Ra and The Blues Project Do Batman and Robin.

Thursday.

2010-09-22T18:37:00.000Z

Baby porcupine with hiccups

Thursday again...

2010-09-16T14:26:00.000Z

http://imguer.com/main.php?g2_itemId=132709

Leaving

2010-09-10T14:39:00.000Z

Leaving: ""

Thursday Cute

2010-09-09T20:41:00.000Z

This is actually all I'm doing on here at the moment isn't it? Ah well, I'm on earlies next week...

This is a very impressive way to spend your time.

2010-09-03T15:21:00.000Z

I just wish I'd thought of it. Oh yes.

via WebUrbanist

Boris Bikes

2010-09-02T12:37:00.002Z

Boggins had his first go on a BorisBike today. It was just a short jaunt down Tower Bridge Road but it was a good feeling to be on 2 wheels again.
The bike was quite heavy and even the highest gear was not very high, so there was no racing the couriers, but it was a very stable beast. Central London is fairly flat so no lung-bursters, but this out-of-practice former cyclist was giving off steam by the end.

Edit: really liking "borisbikes.co.uk".

Image from http://northbriton45.blogspot.com/2010/08/first-trip-on-boris-bike.html

Thursday Cute

2010-09-02T12:14:00.000Z

Via Reddit and the Daily Mail. I won't link to the Mail because of stuff.

WTF

2010-08-31T15:56:00.002Z

Is this about? Somebody help me!

More map fun

2010-08-27T11:05:00.002Z

So I reserved a thing at the Argos store nearest to where I work, which is the Old Kent Road (£60) branch. In London.

This map appeared, purportedly to help me find it:

Perhaps I'm a new, crap X-Man or something.

Smeagol The Baby Aye_Aye

2010-08-26T10:25:00.001Z

It's Thursday, your new regular day for the cute tag.

Say Aah

"We succeeded in taking that picture [from deep space], and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.

The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. It's been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."

-- Dr. Carl Sagan

This is a new picture, rather than the one Dr Sagan was talking about, which you can see here.
Big version of this photo available here. Text taken from here, though this in turn is copied from somewhere else.

Harold Lloyd and friends

2010-08-24T09:29:00.002Z

Harold Lloyd and friends: "

From F*** Yeah Harold Lloyd!

8 foot 7-inch-tall George Auger, 29-inch-tall Princess Wee Wee and an unidentified three-legged performer, all of the Ringling Brothers Circus, pose with 5 foot 9-inch-tall Harold Lloyd on the set of Safety Last. C. 1923.

Via BoingBoing

"

David Copperfield

2010-08-20T17:51:00.000Z

Beacuse it's great. Shout me down all you like.

'I suppose you are quite a great lawyer?' I said, after looking at him
for some time.

'Me, Master Copperfield?' said Uriah. 'Oh, no! I'm a very umble person.'

It was no fancy of mine about his hands, I observed; for he frequently ground the palms against each other as if to squeeze them dry and warm, besides often wiping them, in a stealthy way, on his pocket-handkerchief.

'I am well aware that I am the umblest person going,' said Uriah Heep, modestly; 'let the other be where he may. My mother is likewise a very umble person. We live in a numble abode, Master Copperfield, but have much to be thankful for. My father's former calling was umble. He was a sexton.'

'What is he now?' I asked.

'He is a partaker of glory at present, Master Copperfield,' said Uriah
Heep. 'But we have much to be thankful for'.

Panda

2010-08-19T17:42:00.001Z

Via Reddit for your pleasure.

How to walk from Luton To Hull

2010-08-19T16:19:00.001Z

Having identified a small itch to travel from lovely Luton to the undoubtedly equally lovely environs of Kingston Upon Hull, I put the question to the maps department pertaining to Mr & Mrs Google. Having receive a rational response to my request for driving instructions, just for fun I asked for a walking route.

It wasn't altogether what I expected:

Walking directions are in beta.

Use caution – This route may be missing sidewalks or pedestrian paths.

Walking directions to University of Hull

455 mi – about 1 day 22 hours

Suggested routes

Kingston upon Hull - Rotterdam

455 mi 1 day 22 hours

This route includes a ferry.- more info »

This route includes a border crossing.- more info »

Luton Lxx xxx UK

1. Head north on xxxxxx xxxxxx toward Stockingstone Rd/A5228

2. Turn right at Stockingstone Rd/A5228 0.7 mi

3. At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto Ramridge Rd 299 ft

4. Turn right to stay on Ramridge Rd 443 ft

5. Turn left at Turners Rd S 0.1 mi

6. Continue onto Saywell Rd 0.4 mi

7. Turn left at Crawley Green Rd

Go through 1 roundabout 0.7 mi

8. At Wigmore Ln, take the 1st exit onto Wigmore Ln

Go through 2 roundabouts 0.3 mi

9. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Eaton Green Rd

Go through 1 roundabout 1.1 mi

10. Continue onto Darley Rd 0.8 mi

11. Continue onto Windmill Rd 194 ft

12. Sharp left at Brownings Ln 0.5 mi

13. Turn right at Lilley Bottom Rd 1.1 mi

14. Continue onto Lilly Bottom Rd 0.5 mi

15. Continue onto Lilley Bottom Rd 0.8 mi

16. Continue straight onto High St/B651 0.4 mi

17. Continue onto Codicote Rd 0.2 mi

18. Turn left at Norton St Ln 1.0 mi

19. Turn right toward Three Houses Ln 1.1 mi

20. Turn left at Three Houses Ln 0.4 mi

21. Turn right at B656 0.1 mi

22. Turn left 240 ft

23. Turn left 0.6 mi

24. Sharp right toward Park Ln 0.4 mi

25. Turn left at Park Ln 1.2 mi

26. Continue onto Station Approach 289 ft

27. Turn left at Station Rd 0.1 mi

28. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Watton Rd 1.0 mi

29. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Hertford Rd 0.3 mi

30. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A602 305 ft

31. Slight left to stay on A602 1.6 mi

32. Slight left to stay on A602

Go through 1 roundabout 0.9 mi

33. Turn left at Mill Ln 0.7 mi

34. Turn right at Whempstead Ln 1.5 mi

35. Turn left at Munden Rd 0.6 mi

36. Turn right toward Beggarman's Ln 1.7 mi

37. Continue straight onto Beggarman's Ln 1.1 mi

38. Turn left toward Standon Hill/A120 0.3 mi

39. At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto Standon Hill/A120

Continue to follow A120 5.8 mi

40. Slight right at Hadham Rd/A120

Continue to follow Hadham Rd

Go through 1 roundabout 1.2 mi

41. Turn right at North St/B1004 0.1 mi

42. Turn left at Bridge St 0.1 mi

43. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto The Causeway/A1250 492 ft

44. Slight left to stay on The Causeway/A1250

Continue to follow A1250

Go through 2 roundabouts 1.6 mi

45. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A120 0.4 mi

46. Turn left at Dunmow Rd/B1256

Continue to follow B1256 5.2 mi

47. Slight left at Stortford Rd/B1256

Continue to follow B1256

Go through 1 roundabout 0.2 mi

48. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Stortford Rd/B1256

Continue to follow B1256

Go through 2 roundabouts 1.4 mi

49. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Stortford Rd 0.5 mi

50. Continue onto High St/B184 0.3 mi

51. Turn left at Braintree Rd 0.5 mi

52. Turn left at Braintree Rd/B1256

Continue to follow B1256 4.9 mi

53. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Dunmow Rd 0.5 mi

54. Continue onto The St 0.7 mi

55. Continue onto Rayne Rd 0.9 mi

56. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Rayne Rd/B1256

Continue to follow B1256 1.0 mi

57. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Coggeshall Rd/B1256

Continue to follow Coggeshall Rd

Go through 3 roundabouts 2.3 mi

58. Slight right at Coggeshall Rd/A120 1.0 mi

59. Slight right to stay on Coggeshall Rd/A120

Continue to follow A120 1.4 mi

60. Turn right at West St 0.9 mi

61. Continue straight onto Market End/B1024

Continue to follow B1024 443 ft

62. Continue onto East St 0.5 mi

63. Continue onto Colchester Rd 0.3 mi

64. Turn right to stay on Colchester Rd 0.1 mi

65. Turn right at Colchester Rd/A120

Continue to follow A120

Go through 1 roundabout 3.5 mi

66. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto London Rd/B1408

Go through 1 roundabout 2.1 mi

67. Slight right to stay on London Rd/B1408 259 ft

68. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto London Rd/A1124

Continue to follow A1124 2.5 mi

69. Slight left at Southway/A1124

Continue to follow Southway

Go through 1 roundabout 0.6 mi

70. At St Botolph's Circus, take the 4th exit onto Magdalen St/A134

Continue to follow A134 0.9 mi

71. Continue onto Hythe Hill 495 ft

72. Turn left at Hythe Quay 210 ft

73. Turn right at Hythe Station Rd 0.2 mi

74. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Greenstead Rd 0.2 mi

75. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto St Andrew's Ave/A133

Continue to follow A133

Go through 2 roundabouts 2.9 mi

76. Turn left at Bromley Rd 0.7 mi

77. Continue onto Harwich Rd 2.1 mi

78. Turn right to stay on Harwich Rd 0.8 mi

79. Turn left at Little Bromley Rd 0.1 mi

80. Turn right at A120 0.8 mi

81. Slight right to stay on A120

Go through 1 roundabout 6.0 mi

82. Slight left at Tinker St/A120

Continue to follow A120

Go through 2 roundabouts 2.6 mi

83. Turn right at Foster Rd/A120 66 ft

84. Turn right at W Dock Rd/A120

Continue to follow A120 0.2 mi

85. Turn left to stay on A120 0.1 mi

86. Take the Harwich - Hook of Holland ferry to Rotterdam

Entering Netherlands 124 mi

87. Continue straight onto Harwichweg 0.1 mi

88. Turn left at Stationsweg/N211

Continue to follow N211 0.1 mi

89. Turn right at Harwichweg 62 ft

90. Turn right at Prins Hendrikstraat 0.6 mi

91. Continue onto Prins Hendrikweg 0.5 mi

92. Turn right at Slachthuisweg 197 ft

93. Slight left to stay on Slachthuisweg 0.1 mi

94. Turn left to stay on Slachthuisweg 0.1 mi

95. Turn right at Deflandsedijk 1.4 mi

96. Turn right at Poortershaven 2.2 mi

97. Continue onto Schenkeldijk 0.4 mi

98. Turn right to stay on Schenkeldijk 0.6 mi

99. Turn right at Maasdijk 335 ft

100. Turn right at Coldenhovelaan 0.1 mi

101. Slight left at Maasdijk 0.4 mi

102. Slight left to stay on Maasdijk 269 ft

103. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Westlandseweg

Go through 3 roundabouts 1.2 mi

104. Turn right at Noorddijk 0.4 mi

105. Turn right at Stadhuiskade 318 ft

106. Turn right at Haven 0.2 mi

107. Turn left at Havenplein 92 ft

108. Turn right at Deltaweg 0.2 mi

109. Slight right to stay on Deltaweg 0.1 mi

110. Turn right to stay on Deltaweg 33 ft

111. Turn left to stay on Deltaweg 108 ft

112. Take the Maassluis - Rozenburg ferry to Rozenburg 0.4 mi

113. Continue straight onto Nieuwe Weg 371 ft

114. Slight left to stay on Nieuwe Weg 0.3 mi

115. Turn left at Boulevard Rozenburg 0.4 mi

116. Slight right to stay on Boulevard Rozenburg 1.0 mi

117. Slight left to stay on Boulevard Rozenburg 0.2 mi

118. Continue onto Botlekweg 489 ft

119. Slight right to stay on Botlekweg 187 ft

120. Turn right to stay on Botlekweg 1.2 mi

121. Turn right at Theemsweg 1.3 mi

122. Turn left to stay on Theemsweg 36 ft

123. Turn right to stay on Theemsweg 0.2 mi

124. Continue onto Rozenburgsesluis 161 ft

125. Continue onto Neckarweg 0.8 mi

126. Turn left to stay on Neckarweg 79 ft

127. Slight right to stay on Neckarweg 0.3 mi

128. Continue onto Moezelweg 1.3 mi

129. Slight left to stay on Moezelweg 0.1 mi

130. Continue straight to stay on Moezelweg 3.0 mi

131. Slight right to stay on Moezelweg 0.2 mi

132. Continue onto Elbeweg 0.2 mi

133. Slight left to stay on Elbeweg 302 ft

134. Turn right at Sureweg 0.1 mi

135. Turn right 0.6 mi

136. Take the Rotterdam - Hull ferry to Hull

Entering United Kingdom (England) 224 mi

137. Continue straight 0.4 mi

138. Turn left toward Northern Gateway 0.3 mi

139. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Northern Gateway 0.1 mi

140. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Hedon Rd/A1033 heading to M62/Leeds/Humber Bridge/A63 0.4 mi

141. Turn right to stay on Hedon Rd/A1033 39 ft

142. Turn left to stay on Hedon Rd/A1033

Go through 1 roundabout 0.8 mi

143. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Mount Pleasant/A1033 0.7 mi

144. Turn left at Mount Pleasant 469 ft

145. Turn right at Chapman St

Go through 1 roundabout 0.3 mi

146. Turn right at Wincolmlee 0.6 mi

147. Turn left at Air St 0.1 mi

148. Air St turns slightly right and becomes Sculcoates Ln 0.4 mi

149. Turn right to stay on Sculcoates Ln 0.1 mi

150. Turn right at Beverley Rd/A1079 0.5 mi

151. Turn left at Cottingham Rd/B1233 0.6 mi

152. Turn right 236 ft

University of Hull

We'll need a cup of tea after that I should think.

Nothing here

2010-08-16T16:59:00.000Z

...lately.

Some music links for you to ignore & "What I Did On My Holidays" soon.

Dangerous Minds | The making of 10cc’s I’m Not In Love

2010-07-31T08:18:00.000Z

Dangerous Minds | The making of 10cc’s I’m Not In Love

If you ever liked this song you might find this interesting.

Amusing Ourselves to Death

2010-07-28T14:44:00.001Z

Amusing Ourselves to Death: "

Fart-operated TV remote

2010-07-28T07:21:00.001Z

Fart-operated TV remote: "On Instructables, Schmidtn posted how-to instructions for his Fart Operated Random Channel TV Remote."

Fart Operated Random Channel TV Remote

via BoingBoing. A summer project for someone?

Fact & Truth

2010-07-27T09:03:00.000Z

"Fact is that which enough people believe. Truth is measured by how fervently they believe it."

Charles P Pierce

?

If Britain decides to ban the burqa I might just start wearing one | David Mitchell

2010-07-26T14:38:00.006Z

There's too much harping on about respect and banning. What about the huge gulf of toleration in the middle?
Tattoos and burqas are all the rage. One in five of us now has a tattoo and there are enough burqas around to invoke talk of banning them. Some people, presumably, sport both – but they're difficult to identify without causing an embarrassing scuffle. Especially if the person under the burqa turns out to be a woman.

Lloyd Miller

2010-07-26T13:42:00.001Z

Here's some stuff I probably should have played at yesterday's party. Thrilling, wonderful music.

Read full review of A Lifetime In Oriental Jazz - LLOYD MILLER on Boomkat.com ©

Pug sings Batman theme

2010-07-22T17:32:00.000Z

Via Reddit.

The Daily Mash - COUNCILLOR SUSPENDED FOR BRANDING EARTH 'ROUND'

2010-07-22T11:43:00.001Z

The Daily Mash - COUNCILLOR SUSPENDED FOR BRANDING EARTH 'ROUND'

We Love You, Daily Mash.

War

2010-07-21T07:29:00.000Z

War: ""

10/10. xkcd on top form.

Lake/island fun: largest island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island.

2010-07-20T17:48:00.000Z

Apologies if you've seen it before but this came back to me last night. Why? I dunno. Anyway, I wanted to pin it down here.

There's also this.

Bloody stupid IE6. When is my company going to upgrade?

YouTube - cows & cows & cows

2010-07-18T12:52:00.001Z

YouTube - cows & cows & cows

I am saved the trouble of providing words to this by its very uncategorisableness.

Free Music Archive: Karen Cooper Complex - Shinjuku Birdwalk (1981)

2010-07-15T21:13:00.001Z

Free Music Archive: Karen Cooper Complex - Shinjuku Birdwalk (1981)

Entirely wonderful.

I write like....who?

2010-07-15T13:36:00.003Z

J-Walk sends me to the I Write Like site which, once you've pasted into it a bit of your own writing, returns a result telling you whose style it most resembles. So I took a sample from one of my past entries here and this was the result:

I write like
H. P. Lovecraft

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

'What fun' thought I, so I tried with another, and got this.

I write like
David Foster Wallace

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

When I've found out who he is, I'll decide whether to be flattered or not.

Update: over at BoingBoing a lot of people are apparently being told they write like HP Lovecraft & David Foster Wallace. And Dan Brown.

Order - rodentia, suborder - castorimorpha, family - castoridae

2010-07-14T13:18:00.001Z

Via Reddit

Going to ground easily.

2010-07-12T13:55:00.003Z

Now that the World Cup has ended and the best footballing team has rightly won, a thought from someone who loves the game. (Me). And it's this:

FIFA or some body now HAS to grasp the nettle and act to sort out the diving and injury simulation that is endemic in the game. In all the comments I've read on the web over the last few weeks this has been the number one complaint about the game from football newbies, and rightly so.

Is it too much to ask that tapes be reviewed after the match and cases of blatant diving and other cynical attempts to get opponents booked and sent off and/ or to gain an advantage be highlighted and exposed? It wouldn't change the result of that match but the cumulative effect would surely be salutary and force associations, managements and players to begin put a stop to it. It's dirty and is ruining the game.

In the world of real football fouls, Luis Suarez of Uruguay got the most flak in the tournament for his goalline handball, but his offence was FULLY PUNISHED: he was sent off, incurring a suspension, and the oppponents awarded a penalty. It isn't Suarez' fault that Gyan missed it. It's the great unpunished that concern me.

Players throughout the tournament, in match after match, from virtually every team bar North Korea (I most certainly CANNOT exclude England), disgraced the game with their ridiculous antics in throwing themselves to the ground and rolling around in simulated agony in the hope of gaining an advantage or of getting an opponent booked or sent off. Let's reserve especial vemon for players of real ability (I'm looking at YOU now Arjen Robben) who'll dive to the ground squealing like a child and then pursue the referee shrieking abuse if, just this once, he's not stupid enough to be fooled.

From my readings in forums such as REDDIT, for every "soccer" fan from the USA that the game has gained or confirmed in the last month, it has lost, or failed to persuade, just as many through an honest disgust at this behaviour. And frankly I can't find it in my heart to blame them, because it is cancerous to the game.

Afrirampo - Afrirampo

2010-07-11T12:15:00.001Z

So you discover this great new band, only to find they've been around for years, and actually broke up in June. Fuggit.

Never mind, there's some cool free MP3 stuff here and here. After that we have to pay.

Carl Sagan: A Universe Not Made For Us - Carl Sagan - YouTube - callumCGLP

2010-07-11T11:56:00.006Z

Carl Sagan: A Universe Not Made For Us - Carl Sagan - YouTube - callumCGLP: "
Thanks to Atheist Media Blog for the link

Original link

"Excerpts from Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space. More specifically, from the chapter titled A Universe Not Made For Us. I edited together the audio from the audio-book, and added the video from Stephen Hawking's Into the Universe and Brian Cox's Wonders of the Solar System. The music is Jack's Theme from the Lost soundtrack."

(Of course "I" didn't do anything except repost it here. It's almost a manifesto, which is why it is here. The end is a bit mush tho'.)

Kitten vs. Pug

2010-07-10T08:36:00.003Z

Kitten vs. Pug: "

(via DoobyBrain)

Thanks to http://www.cynical-c.com/.

"

The Straight Dope: In Steve Miller's

2010-01-21T18:34:00.001Z

The Straight Dope: In Steve Miller's "The Joker," what is "the pompatus of love"?

tags: lyrics, curious

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Poetry

2009-11-03T12:06:00.003Z

Here are 2 poems I just found on my H drive. I wrote these at a John Hegley gig at his instigation. He was unimpressed: the first received the one-word review "Bitter". The other he ignored entirely. From this modest start an industry is born.

JS BACH never visited Luton
Neither, coincidentally, did FRANZ SCHUBERT
I think that's reflected
In their music.

From Round Green to High Town
Is a Bit of a Walk.
One of the many people who never attempted it
was George Frederick Handel.

A mixtape

2008-03-26T18:08:00.004Z

I came across this new product from mixwit and couldn't help myself. You just logon and search for music to make up a "tape" to share.

I dedicate this one to John Robinson, Pat Burns, Steve Bagnall and all the others in my captive audience many years ago when I used to inflict my mixtapes on them during night shifts in a computer room now long defunct. In the spirit of those times there are at least three songs on here you'll never want to hear again.

There may be a fault in that half of track 2 seems to be missing. In fact, since I posted this I'm finding it is working very poorly here. How about you?

I'm not really "back", but I'll be looking up some old blogging friends in the next few days.

Seems unlikely.

2007-07-25T11:17:00.001Z

RandomHouse.ca | Author Spotlight: Tobias SmollettRandom House will alert you to new works by Tobias Smollett! ... Widely regarded as the world's first modern novel, Don Quixote chronicles the famous ...

Two Non-Bimbos

2007-04-14T12:43:00.000Z

They went to see "Treats" at the Garrick.

Blows Down

2007-03-08T11:38:00.000Z

Today's picture comes from Blows Down (map), a remote windy outcrop near Luton. It was at this historic spot, in 1783, that Sir Hector Blow (1765-1811) became the first man to discover chalk, "a crumbly, white, apparently porous, rock-like material, never before known". At first this rare mineral was considered a scientifically interesting but essentially useless substance - attempts to use it as a building material were messy and dangerous failures - but when its potential was recognised, Sir Hector found he was sitting, not at all literally, on a gold mine. Sir Hector was however a philanthropic, unworldly and modest man who, when the Royal Society voted to name this revolutionary new material "Blowite", declined the honour and instead had it named "chalk" after the hon. Titus Chalk, his fag at Challney Boys School, of whom nothing else is known. All the proceeds from the first chalk excavations were idiotically given to the families of the undeserving poor, and Sir Hector "came upon the parish" in 1806, dying ignominiously and forgotten 5 years later.

In 1965 a local historical society had a memorial erected to Sir Hector Blow by the footpath where Skimpot Road meets what is now Hatters Way. There is no sign of it now - the silly sods made it of "Blowite".

From the top of Blows Down you have a panoramic view of Dunstable, an ugly parasitic counterweight to Luton, and of Houghton Regis, a former royal forest where Edward The Confessor rode to hounds with Mrs Fitzherbert, and whose herring tannery, once the largest in South Bedfordshire, is still commemorated each Michaelmas when the townsfolk perform the folkloric scaly-leathery dance in front of the Dog & Duck.

(For a period in the 1960s the smell of the tannery combined with very tangible dust-storms from the famed Cement Works made life intolerable for some, and there were many takers for the £10 assisted passages scheme, and many former Houghton Regis residents now live as far afield as Totternhoe or even Hockliffe).

England is a land rich in history and legend. If you've learned something today that you didn't know yesterday, your and my day have been worthwhile. God bless you all.

You call that snow?

2007-02-08T08:46:00.000Z

Listen: you might hear my Canadian correspondent chuckling.

In Bhalil, Nr Fes, Morocco

2007-02-03T18:50:00.000Z

Mr Mohammed Chraibi prepares mint tea.

Gone Away

2007-01-26T16:48:00.000Z

We're massupping off to Fez tomorrow for a week. There's no bloody chance I'm going to photoblog from there at those rates, so here's a picture of Battersea Dogs' Home to be going on with.

While I'm away, why not be a "virtual Boggins"? I like these things at the moment, and in the spirit of proper blogs, I will share them with you: just add the love of a beautiful woman and you can be just like me.

Here is an internet radio station that rocks wonderfully.
Here is the book I just finished reading.
Here's the kind of music that's on my MP3 at the moment. It doesn't sound a bit like the radio station above, which may or may not tell you something.

Laters.

Wunty Winderlamp

2007-01-24T11:34:00.000Z

Some winter fell last night. This particular fall fell on Popes Meadow, Luton.

Apologies to early adopters who had to view the picture the other way up.

Please make me stop

2007-01-19T20:52:00.000Z

2030 train

What

2007-01-18T18:29:00.000Z

What?

This is the first time I've posted from my mobile and I'm filled with almost girlish glee. Just talk among yourselves.

Welsh - Ukranian discussions

2006-12-19T09:31:00.000Z

Now what am I going to do?

I had a cast. Russ simply was Lembit, while Bella had worked very hard at the annoying Welsh accent thing.
Now I have to tell them that a light-hearted comedy has become neo-tragedy, and I'm getting Dench in.

Now back to your normal programming.

Incidentally, today is the 143rd anniversary of lino. You can probably download it nowadays, but you'd need broadband for a large kitchen.

The office Christmas drinkies

2006-12-14T14:16:00.000Z

"Ooh thanks , oh gosh, I don't know... you're very kind. I think I'll have a sherry please if that's all right David. Oh, sweet: no, medium. Thank you".
"Ooh are you sure? Thank you. Have they got Tia Maria? Oh good, a Tia Maria then please. Oh no, better not, after one of those I'm anybody's!! Errrrm, can I have a dry white wine instead please? Sorry! Oh I don't know. Do they have South African? I had South African at my friend's house. Really nice it was, I was surprised. No, changed my mind, I'll have a Bailey's. After all it is Christmas!!"
"Pint of Fosters please Dave. Oh. Kronenbourg then. Cheers."
"Pint of Fosters please. Oh. Dunno then; Carslberg?
"Am I too late? Are you sure? You're very kind. I'll have a G & T please then, though I shouldn't. A large one? Well, I shouldn't. I'll be asleep this afternoon!! All right then, if you're sure. Thanks! Yes please, just a slice."
"She's gone to the ladies. I think she normally has cider. Better wait. "

"Perhaps you should serve this gentleman while we're waiting."

Ta Dave.

Proof Of Global Warming

2006-12-08T11:20:00.001Z

Apologies to the lovely people the dog and I disturbed on Wednesday afternoon. It takes a brave couple to "make-out" on Stopsley Common* on a muddy, damp December afternoon, and I'm afraid we did nothing to heighten the mood.

By her dancy barky actions Lily was merely unagressively awarding points for artistry and entertainment value in the best Louis Walsh style.
(We're at Grid Ref. TL0924, if you care).

It says here that the Japanese spider crab (Macrocheira kaempferi), is the world's largest arthropod. And why not?

Defective bogey at Earlsfield*

2006-11-30T14:47:00.000Z

One does so try to avoid tedious Commuters' Tales. I would not normally mention the 2.5 hours it took to get from Kings Cross Thameslink to Lovely Luton last night but for this: it seems routine that some group of people somewhere around the capital is having their journey fucked up for them nearly every day.
I had plenty of time yesterday while stationary "in the Harpenden area" to wonder if London travellers are uniquely unfortunate or if other large conurbations worldwide suffer these endemic "points failures" and "signal faults", such that the evening paper has the word "chaos" poised in large type ready to go next to "tube" or "travel" for every edition.
Indeed, what would our own dear Evening Standard DO if "chaos" was removed from the language?
*"Morning Joan: 11 minutes late - badger hit a junction box at New Malden."

Smokers' Corner

2006-11-29T14:02:00.000Z

Catching in my delicate nostrils the raucous pungency of Someone Else's Smoke today made me appreciate how far we've come. Boggins snuffed his last fag* over 6 years ago. At that time smoking was a minority pursuit, frowned upon by the worthy and healthy, but we smokers were still a big minority. The smoke-filled room was still available, and plenty of us congregated outside or on the stairs to feed our dirty habit. Now, from what I can see, it's nearly extinct. You see someone smoking, it's an oddity. The forthcoming ban is hardly going to be an issue for most, and yet a decade ago it was a loony California "pipedream" (hurhur).
Once upon a time I had an ashtray by my bed. Unbelievable.

* note to Americans: I have never knowingly murdered a homosexual.

More TV trivia

2006-11-27T15:57:00.001Z

You saw Mrs Massup* and the mutt on Dog Borstal. The camera crew "forgot" to put in batteries at the crucial time, and Boggins' dull interjections were never saved. Your loss. Write to the DG.

*no chaffinch she.

Old Lily post

Family Entertainment

2006-11-27T14:16:00.000Z

After a pause or hiatus of about 18 months we've got digital/ satellite TV again. It makes me so happy that we can finally return to some proper TV programming, such as Sky's "Cirque de Celebrité" .
Celebrities? Fat bloke who used to be in Grange Hill. A couple of women who look like former porn actresses. The others? Giggling leftovers barely recognised beyond their own bathroom mirrors.
We're looking through the keyhole of the door to hell. Hear the shrieking and screaming of the damned. See the posturing and gurning of the self-deluded and desperate.
Turn back to Fairly Odd Parents.
Ms Wax, who used to have a career, appears by courtesy of Hieronymus Bosch and/or Max Clifford.

2006-06-01T18:39:00.000Z

tumblyweed in the howly howly void

Song lyric Corner

2006-03-10T13:39:00.000Z

I DEFY even Betty to I.D. this wonderful lyric on my mp3 this week:

You ask me what I'm doing
I just picked out my nose
My lady's in the kitchen
Not wearing any clothes

go on, prove me wrong!

While I was away

2006-03-10T13:28:00.000Z

You know, working on a new reality game thing for C4 with Jerrers and Joan Bakewell called "Knob Idol". Looking to go into pre-prod in May. You wanna be in it, mail me, man.

Also working on a musical based on the lives of Lembit Opik MP and the lovely Sian. Note to self: email Sir Cameron and Sir Andrew first thing Monday, or else!

It's NOT OK, OK?

2006-03-10T13:21:00.000Z

The Guardian tells me today "It's OK to like Hall & Oates again. Really."

Up in the morning look in the mirror
I'm worn as her tooth brush hanging in the stand
my face ain't looking any younger
now I can see love's taken her toll on me

AND she's GONE OOH AAH OO-OO-OO-AH
(why am I shouting?)

No it isn't OK. Never has been. Never will be. Really.

Obfuscation

2006-03-02T11:07:00.000Z

In my profile I describe myself as an IT Obfuscator. No-one has ever taken issue with that wacky self-description. Probably rightly.

I wrote this in an email the other day, without irony, humour or any other saving grace:

"This will have been related to print distribution s/w resource issues this end."

Had I chosen to write in English I'd have said "the PC that takes care of your printing stopped working for some reason until I did something about it". More words certainly, but with some hope of being understood. Obviously the last thing I wanted was to be understood...

I'm not proud of wot I done.

D-I-D

Big-Eyed Beans From Venus - Capt. Beefheart. (Tho' veering to "Abba Zabba")
Leader Of The Pack - Shangri-Las
Valley Of Rain - Giant Sand
Mack The Knife - Ella Fitzgerald

Tree

2006-02-27T12:05:00.000Z

Taken on a pleasant walk up by Warden Hill with the mutt yesterday.

Desert Island

2006-02-20T17:10:00.000Z

(see previous post) This week I'm thinking:

Big-Eyed Beans From Venus - Captain Beefheart
Leader Of The Pack - Shangri-Las
New Rose - The Damned
Blue Monday - New Order

Prize* Quiz - the connection between no. 2 & no 3?

*yes of course, I'm just going to go out and buy you something just for Googling for the answer. Nah.

Say No to Dreary Slavs & Tedious Old Records

2006-02-03T11:49:00.000Z

Seems we're going to Italy after all, so all those turgid Czech writers can keep their reputations intact.

We're having a Desert Island Discs Party. We're only allowing 4 songs each or it'll go on all night. If it was tonight, this is what I'd have:

Something by early Santana - Oye Como Va?
10:15 Saturday Night - Cure
Big-Eyed Beans From Venus - Captain Beefheart
Leader Of The Pack - Shangri-Las

If I keep doing this it'll just prove to myself what a twisted personality I have, 'cos I bet none of these will be in my final picks. None of them was on my list last time we did this.

Czech this out.

2005-11-16T14:56:00.000Z

Boggins, in massy company, will be in your area next August - provided your area is North-Eastern Bohemia. In a hintellectual hendeavour to ingratiate himself with the locals he has identified some authors with whose works he plans to become familiar.

Josef Skvorecky
Bohumil Hrabal
Ivan Klima
Karel Capek

... will do for starters. Mr Hrabal, it is said, was a Prague "defenestree" in 1997:

According to some sources, he was trying to feed the pigeons, according to others he commited suicide.

Plenty there to get me going. Any suggestions or comments gladly received, as ever, apart from the usual one.

Dám si jedno pivo prosím.

Space Is Dark. It Is Cold.

2005-11-11T09:22:00.000Z

Boggins is at a funny age. This is the trite but only possible reason that he finds himself listening to old Hawkwind records, and re-reading Michael Moorcock potboilers like "The Warlord Of The Air" and thoroughly enjoying both.

Here's a lovely lyric, Hawkfans:

Lives of great men all remind us we may make our lives sublime
And departing leave behind us footprints in the sands of time

so far, so Longfellow. We continue:

Of hewn stones the sacred circle where the wizened sages sat
Let us try to remember all the times where they were at.

- pure Dave Brock.

So your thoughts they were expecting
assault and battery on the human anatomy
Assault and battery on the human anatomy, man.

Ah, those ear-splitting nights at the long-gone Queensway Hall, Dunstable. The acoustics were immense. Pardon?

I am indebted to Betty for getting me going down this particular memory-lane again.
Lyrics purloined from here. Hope they don't mind.

Next week: Trumpton, probably.

Not Dead Yet

2005-10-31T14:59:00.000Z

... just haven't got any words in my head. I'll be back, but not for a while. Happy Christmas !!!

Great Books on-line

2005-10-05T08:54:00.000Z

Where do the Google Book-Scan scheme and Yahoo's similar-sounding idea leave Project Gutenburg, one of my original "10 reasons to get on the web" (the others were probably either salacious or plain stupid)?
For years, Project Gutenburg has provided, free, out-of-copyright classic material, including many good things not provided by the mighty Penguin Classics. The great thing about PG is that it provides all its texts in .txt format, a simple, if limited, plain ascii-text format that's been around for ever, and as far as one can see will always be readable whether you're using the simplest text editor or the flashiest WP, no matter what the operating system. No need for special software, continuous upgrades to readers or to imaging products, just download and read. I really hope Project Gutenburg doesn't get buried under all the Flash generated by the others.

boohoo

2005-09-21T08:21:00.000Z

The unruly people at VillagePhotos disabled my (free) account, and the very attractive photo in my Blogger profile disappeared. I cock my snoot at them. The very attractive photo is now hosted by the lovely people at PhotoBucket, with whom I anticipate a long and frabjous free-account relationship. Perhaps I should start by uploading an even-more attractive photo.

Today is a sad day as I bow to the inevitable and logoff my HATTRICK account for the last time. I put Gundolf Wimberwepper up for sale, fired my longest-serving player and will let the rest of the "players" play out their time without me. It's been fun and I recommend Hattrick to anyone who quite likes that kind of thing, but I just don't have the TIME.

Anyone for winky-kinkies?

Helpful

2005-09-19T08:37:00.000Z

B & Q own-brand Lemon Ice (Silk).

Three things

2005-09-09T14:19:00.000Z

Here are three things I want to see, all utterly different, all available to me, all proof that the ice is still thick enough, for now:

* The Persians at the British Museum.

* Henri Rousseau at Tate Britain.

* "Howl's Moving Castle", a new film by Hayao Miyazaki who made "Spirited Away", one of my All-Time Favourite Films.

Thin Ice

2005-09-08T15:27:00.000Z

We're all skaters on the pond-ice that is civilisation. For most of us in the West it feels solid and good beneath the feet.
When did you last feel the ice cracking? Was it during a power-cut? Was it while you were in a queue on a motorway, unable to move? On a train or waiting for one that didn't come? In the airport or on a 'plane? In a crowd of people, stuck, powerless? These things are trivial, but through them you can sometimes feel or intuit the terror of the cold water beneath, and this piece by Timothy Garton Ash says a lot about the world to come.

Greatest Painting Vote

2005-09-08T14:26:00.000Z

In fine Boggins loser tradition, my preference, for which I voted at least 01 (one) times, came last. (If you don't know what I'm on about click the heading to this post).
My and everyone's personal favourite - if they are being truly honest with themselves - was scandalously not shortlisted due to snobbery and malice.

Important

2005-09-06T16:19:00.000Z

Don't ee be forgetten! yarr!.

Traditional Christmas Message...

2005-08-25T15:14:00.000Z

Last year my this fine gentleman got in a Traditional Christmas Rant on September 12th. This year I intend to prove him a rank amateur.

Any minute now. Plastic Santas. Bunting. "Seasonal" goods. You can feel it.

They're "gearing up".

Have you bought all your presents yet? Better hurry.

This year, mine will all be wrapped in brown paper and hairy string.

Can you still get hairy string? Will someone please hold onto my sanity until January?

Alsace-Lorraine

2005-08-22T13:43:00.000Z

Alsace -Lorraine.
See what I did there?

[If you are as gripped by the Schleswig-Holstein question as I and all my readers (I'm afraid Lord Luvaduck's Mrs Trellis has been sojourning in Baluchistan and has been replaced by an animatronic doppelganger), drop me a comment and I'll make sure that the whole boiling is placed somewhere where you can reach it. In doing so you agree that you are part and parcel of the whole copyright infringement, and that you started it.]

The Schleswig- Holstein Question: Part 3

2005-08-18T09:47:00.000Z

The Napoleonic Wars had awakened German national feeling, and the political bonds that had historically existed between Schleswig and Holstein suggested that the two regions should form a single country within a united Germany. A countermovement developed among the Danish population in northern, or North, Schleswig and from 1838 in Denmark itself, where the Liberals insisted that Schleswig had belonged to Denmark for centuries and that the frontier between Germany and Denmark must be the Eider River (which had historically marked the border between Schleswig and Holstein). The Danish nationalists thus aspired to incorporate Schlweswig into Denmark, in the process detaching it from Holstein. German nationalists conversely sought to confirm Schleswig's association with Holstein, in the process detaching the former from Denmark. These differences led in March 1848 to an open uprising by Schleswig-Holstein's German majority in support of independence from Denmark and close association with the German Confederation. The rising was helped by the military intervention of Prussia, whose army drove Denmark's troops from Schleswig-Holstein. This war between Denmark and Prussia lasted three years (1848 -50) and only ended when the Great Powers pressured Prussia into accepting the London Convention of 1852. Under the terms of this peace agreement, the German Confederation returned Schleswig-Holstein to Denmark. In an agreement with Prussia under the London Protocol of 1852, the Danish government in return undertook not to tie Schleswig more closely to Denmark than to its sister duchy of Holstein.

Down Memory Lane, with Clement Ader

2005-08-18T09:38:00.000Z

nicked from here

He said it flew. Who are we to argue?

The Schleswig Holstein question. Part 2

2005-08-17T10:15:00.000Z

In the 12th century Schleswig became a dukedom, and it remained a fief associated (but not without dispute) with Denmark until 1864. Holstein developed somewhat more independently; it was ruled for centuries as a duchy by the kings of Denmark, but, at the same time, remained a fief of the Holy Roman Empire. After 1815 Holstein was incorporated in the newly formed German Federation.

During the 1840s, issues relating to the rights of Schleswig's and Holstein's respective German- and Danish-speaking minorities, to the succession rights of the Danish royal family, and to Denmark's interests in the two duchies resulted in the duchies' becoming a bone of contention between Denmark and Prussia and then among Denmark, Prussia, and Austria. At this time the population of Schleswig was Danish in its northern portion, German in the south, and mixed in the northern towns and centre. The population of Holstein was almost entirely German.

The Schleswig- Holstein Question: Part 1

2005-08-16T09:12:00.000Z

History.
Schleswig lies directly north of Holstein. Both Schleswig and Holstein have at times been subject to the claims and counterclaims of Denmark, Sweden, the Holy Roman Empire, Prussia, and Austria. The region has had Danish minorities in predominantly German areas and German minorities surrounded by Danes, and consequently its history has been one of border and sovereignty disputes and, more recently, accommodations. A prolonged controversy between Denmark and Prussia over Schleswig-Holstein in the 19th century became known as the Schleswig-Holstein question. The historical region of Schleswig-Holstein was long a part of Denmark, and the northernmost portion of Schleswig in fact still belongs to Denmark.

More soon!

Photos

2005-08-15T09:15:00.000Z

Some photos of our recent trip to Ireland on Flickr - see right panel.
They don't blow up too well: I think I got a bit over-enthusiastic with the resizing tool.

Hallo world!

Om

2005-08-08T15:34:00.000Z

goingthroughafallowpatchwithnospaceinmyheadforanynewmat
erialIhopeI'llhavetimetoputupsomeIrelandpicturesverysoo
ngoodbyefornow.

Post for Broomhilda

2005-08-05T08:22:00.000Z

Picture lifted without permission from
this site. You crossed a continent just to supply a crappy joke? Thanks!

Untitled Post

2005-07-22T12:23:00.000Z

On Kitchens: we shall remain silent. We are (almost) content. We (I) forgot to retrieve the front-door key from Alan: but that is as much my fault as his. It is done. Let us hear no more.

To: Mrs Haveyouhadherdoneyet & Mr Mywifewouldloveyou: greetings from Lily. Despite appearances, she is an extremely dangerous attack-dog who will have your hand off and bury it under the nettles as soon as look at you. This was your last warning.

Demob-happy

2005-07-21T12:00:00.000Z

An enforced, slightly convoluted trip to work gives me a doubledeckerview of a premises named "Bierodrome". A more enticing name I cannot conceive: The Boggins Temperance League review team will undoubtedly be in your area before long.

We are instituting a Word Of The Week herewith: GALLIMAUFRY. Only because, however, the even-better word in my head yesterday has escaped. For those of you who are Shamed By Their Mistakes In English, I should point out that "gallimaufry" is a tiny Joel-sized penguin found in the vicinity of Ushuaia. Oh yes.

Only me.

2005-07-20T13:23:00.000Z

Whereas I have nothing to say, here I am not saying it.

I am tempted into a post regarding a certain nameless kitchen company, but I shall hold fire until Friday: in the event of continued dissatisfaction there will be an annotated list of misdemeanours and shortcomings to warn, enlighten & delight you. Elsewise, we are Ryanairing to Ireland on Sunday, for a week; there will be photos. You lucky people.

Who is this man?

2005-07-11T10:42:00.000Z

Boggins & Bob Dylan

2005-07-05T12:47:00.000Z

Boggins has always had a bit of a blind spot for Bob Dylan. I've known & loved lots of his songs - who hasn't? - covered by various artists (I bought Hendrix's version of "All Along The Watchtower" with pocket-money), but I've never really "got" Bob. I remember going to cousin Graham's house when a mere youngster, and being told of the Greatness of Bob: on the same day however I was told by the same person of the coming greatness of Nottingham Forest, and never truly believed in either; this pre-dated Forest's Cloughie-led glory days.
Then I was bought a Dylan compilation for my birthday. I've even rescued my dust-encrusted CD Walkman from the dust-encrusted drawer so I can keep listening. It's been a revelation - such lyrics, such tunes - I obviously haven't been paying attention all my life. Even a hoary old number you'd think you had by heart, like "Mr Tambourine Man" has been revealed anew, as if I'd never heard it before.
After 45 years in the trade he just got a new source of income...

Old Now.

2005-07-04T13:55:00.000Z

It's been and gone.

There will be some photos but I need to think about some privacy issues first.

e.g.

CATH - £100 in untraceable notes by Wednesday means I won't publish that photo of you. £200 gets it off my hard drive for good. :-)

ETHAN - send all your pocket money or you're on the Internet.

I'll remember Saturday. I hope I thanked people properly in person for what they did: I was truly touched by your gifts and your affection.

Thanks are due to:

The Bushey crowd for "Boggins' Thoughtful Spot". Mainly I'll be thinking "what lovely people". Blub.

"Unky Al" for poo-patrol and inflation.

Bradshaw. For the 2nd year running you didn't get me a new bra. Sort it out. Also: Happy Birthday.

Jackie next door for quiche and not minding getting wet.

Barbara. Big Gold Star. So much; too much to list.

Ali for getting all that family tree material organised. Could you tell I was a bit stunned?

Venus Williams & Lindsay Davenport for distracting my guests with a 3-set classic instead of the usual 6-2 6-0. Kept the booze consumption down for a bit.

Sir Bob Geldof for arranging his stupid little knees-up for the same day. Frankly, it was in my OUTLOOK first. Cheers. Just check next time, OK?

G & J for good thoughts.

Everyone else who helped. Or just came. Or who would have come if they could have.

Above all, the Best Girl In The World. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I'll probably think of other people the second I upload this. Thanks to all.

Elderly Boggins very excited

2005-06-27T09:03:00.000Z

on becoming the owner of a Dutch, or scuffle, Hoe.

If you follow the link it explains that a Dutch Hoe is one you push rather than pull.
Feel free to fill up my comments box with a lot of silly hip-hop puns.

There will be a paddling pool and a bouncy castle on Saturday for my half-century bash. No-one who puts silly hip-hop puns in my comments box can come.

Grainne & Jeremy

2005-06-21T13:01:00.000Z

GJ-8
Originally uploaded by Boggins.

...were married on 18/6 at the 291 Gallery, Hackney.

A groovy time was had by all!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/boggins/sets/482441/

The Middle Ages

2005-06-09T12:27:00.000Z

Boggins is understandably rather preoccupied with the ageing process, as he makes his final approach to another birthday ending in "0".

The following is a quote from yesterday's paper. See if you can guess who said it.

"I gotta keep in shape now. Age man, it's so stupid. It's like this obsequious weasel that creeps upon you."

Was it:

a) Sylvester Stallone
b) Jerome K Jerome
c) Morrissey

Someone who reads this knows already. Anyone else can probably get it through Google, but should resist.

I am not referring to this, which is the first thing that comes up.

Hiatus

2005-05-25T12:13:00.000Z

A hiatus for a few days, while I move house.

Meanwhile, enjoy a new Gerald Durrell book, long thought lost. Following the success of "The Bafut Beagles", "My Family And Other Animals" and "A Zoo In My Luggage", follow his further amusing adventures in "A Lamprey in the Undercroft", a collection of drunken maunderings captured on tape during his brief visit in the early 80's to The White Hart Tap in St. Albans.

A very small part of the above story is true.

Owl Pellets

Yep.

Toodily pip.

Surely he can't be dead..

deep

See this.

No cute

AVENGING NARWHAL PLAY SET

...which says "Christmas? Sorted!" to me.

Harvest mice for Thursday

Pie

#659; O Theoretical Saviors

Continuing your musical education.

Sun Ra and The Blues Project Do Batman and Robin.

Thursday.

Thursday again...

Leaving

Thursday Cute

This is a very impressive way to spend your time.

Boris Bikes

Thursday Cute

WTF

More map fun

Smeagol The Baby Aye_Aye

You are here

Harold Lloyd and friends

David Copperfield

Panda

How to walk from Luton To Hull

Nothing here

Dangerous Minds | The making of 10cc’s I’m Not In Love

Amusing Ourselves to Death

Fart-operated TV remote

Fact & Truth

If Britain decides to ban the burqa I might just start wearing one | David Mitchell

Lloyd Miller

Pug sings Batman theme

The Daily Mash - COUNCILLOR SUSPENDED FOR BRANDING EARTH 'ROUND'

War

Lake/island fun: largest island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island.

YouTube - cows & cows & cows

Free Music Archive: Karen Cooper Complex - Shinjuku Birdwalk (1981)

I write like....who?

Order - rodentia, suborder - castorimorpha, family - castoridae

Going to ground easily.

Afrirampo - Afrirampo

Carl Sagan: A Universe Not Made For Us - Carl Sagan - YouTube - callumCGLP

Kitten vs. Pug

The Straight Dope: In Steve Miller's

Poetry

A mixtape

Seems unlikely.

Two Non-Bimbos

Blows Down

You call that snow?

In Bhalil, Nr Fes, Morocco

Gone Away

Wunty Winderlamp

Please make me stop

What

Welsh - Ukranian discussions

The office Christmas drinkies

Proof Of Global Warming

Defective bogey at Earlsfield*

Smokers' Corner

More TV trivia

Family Entertainment

Song lyric Corner

While I was away

It's NOT OK, OK?

Obfuscation

Tree

Desert Island

Say No to Dreary Slavs & Tedious Old Records

Czech this out.

Space Is Dark. It Is Cold.

Not Dead Yet

Great Books on-line

boohoo

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