Best Science Blogs

Seems Bad Astronomy and Climate Audit are neck and neck for the Best Science Blog.

Looking at the other awards, I'm going to find this one useful. I think next year I'll be voting for Misty for that.

Today, I am mainly

Today I am mainly doing the ironing. I'vegot a month's worth to do and I've left it too long.

This evening, I shall be going to the fireworks show. I'll walk; hopefully, I'll manage to lose some of the weight I've put on recently.

Party!

I went to a wonderful party at the weekend, hosted by my friends Karin and Roland. Good company, good food, good wine; for what more can one ask?

My great great grandfather

The Ditton Doctor.

Pretty girls!

Adverts for Rigid Tools. :)

The day I tried mead

I used to quite like mead, but I hadn't had any since my student days. Anyway, I was given a bottle. So, some time later, I got out a tankard and poured myself a glass. And took a long pull. But this was no ordinary mead: it was more honey wine - 13% alcohol! It was not the long refereshing drink I had expected. Still, it tasted very nice.

Today I shall be...

sorting paperwork.

Deep joy.

Pictures from WW1

My grandmother was a doctor in WW1, first in Leith and then in France. I've scanned some pages from an album she kept. All done by her patients.

The Postmodernism generator

Click here for postmodernist rubbish.

I've been humbugged!

This is gettting distressing.

I think a lawyer's trying to steal my aunt's estate

Obviously I can't go into details here but I'm seriously worried.

This could be expensive

My car's in for a MOT and major service and I was expecting a bill of £300-£400. But there's an additional £200 for broken shock absorbers, £50+ for a tyre, and the gearbox is leaking. That last could be majorly expensive, just when I don't need to be spending money.

Flippin' heck!

ǝɹǝɥ ǝʎ ʞɔı1ɔ.

So I went to bed at 03:30

Almost dawn!

Anyway, I'd finished watching Cliffhanger on the TV and went to check my email before going to bed. And shortly thereafter felt slighty nauseous and smelled gas. So I went round the house and checked everything. I hadn't left the oven on or anything. But the smell was still there. And outside. So I rang Transco and we went through the usual palaver. An engineer duly arrived at about 02:30 and found nothing. But the smell had gone. He left a bit after 03:00

We reckoned it was fuel - or something else - dumped by an aircraft.

Still, going to bed at that hour is not fun. I must be getting old...

Pissed off

I am just so pissed off at the moment, and have been for the past week and more.

Wet pussy alert!

Look ye here.

Misty's feeling sorry for herself

Go cheer her up.

Pub review: Rose & Crown, Kew

I was on my way home last night and in need of a pint and some food. As I was driving through Kew, I spotted the Rose & Crown. A nice pub by the green. There was plenty of parking around the green.

I ordered a pint and a mixed grill - at £13, very expensive - from a very helpful barman and settled to a seat by a window overlooking the green. Earlier in the day it would have been a lovely view.

The pub was very quiet. Too quiet, really, for that time of night.

The food seemed a long time in coming, but I had a newspaper to occupy me, and when it came, I was pleased to see a generous platter. Chips, two sausages, steak, ham steak, two eggs. Tartare sauce was supplied without demur. In a proper pot too, not a little packet. The food was great, except the chef needs to learn that a steak ordered rare is not cooked well done. I was too hungry to complain too much - the steak was still good.

I'd go there again.

Busy with the builders

The builders have finally turned up - they were due last week but were delayed due to the weather. Not their fault, and I've allowed for the delay. They've been doing the edging of the patio, which crumbled over the winter. This time, it's being done with engineering bricks. More expensive, but they'll last.

The skip's due tomorrow and I don't think I'll have too much trouble filling it.

It's a good thing I was prudent and put the money aside some time ago.

The delay has meant that I've not been to my aunt's house for a while. There's just so much to do there.

Go vote

For those of you who have a vote, go and use it.