A Bit Toasty?

Think it might be a bit warm today...

Count

Tomorrow there is a Parliamentary by-election in a place called Makerfield, that may determine the next leader of the Labour Party and therefore our Prime Minister. 

Thank goodness there are people like this guy to keep our democracy, at the very least, from not becoming boring. It is true: Count Binface (of the Count Binface Party) is standing as a candidate, alongside more run-of-the-mill* hopefuls LOL.

Happy Days.

*It should be noted Howling Laud Hope, leader of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, is also standing.

50 Years Of Amazing Adventures

I don't quite know what it is but to me there's something very special about the plasticine characters of Aardman Animations. 

I have fond memories of children's arts show Vison On, featuring the marvellous Tony Hart, and of course the ever so naughty Morph.

Needless to say the madcap exploits of cheese obsessed inventor Wallace and his ever faithful dog Gromit have to get a mention. They are the stuff of legend, at least to me. Who could possibly forget evil genius penguin Feathers McGraw, the dastardly robo-dog Preston or indeed the Were-Rabbit LOL?

Together with Shaun the Sheep and Chicken Run plus a host of other creations, the wacky adventures have bridged television, cinema, books and (oddly) audio. 

It doesn't seen true the company celebrates half a century this year. After all this time they're still making stop motion animation, one frame at a time, when everyone else seems to have moved to computer generated output. It's rather charming and somehow very real.

Oh look: just in time there's a lovely celebration 50p coin from the Royal Mint.

This Is The Way

Nice trip out to the big screen.

Not So Special

At last the BBC have seen sense.

Today the BBC have announced the end of the woeful RTD2 era of Doctor Who. Not a moment too soon. 

The promised Christmas 2026 Special has been cancelled, with showrunner Russell T Davies and his enablers at Bad Wolf Studios departing the franchise. They must accept full responsibility for the abomination they offered the public since 2023; RTD chose to sacrifice compelling narrative and character development in favour of DEI talking points and lecturing the audience. And noone within the production company Bad Wolf stopped him. 

Is it any wonder British viewing figures for this once great sci-fi series dropped to a record breaking low?

Well done to the BBC for finally accepting what many have known for a good long while: the show was not working. Some have claimed it was no longer even watchable. The corporation have said they will now take time to seek a new production partner for the tv franchise, and by implication this could take a good while. A pause of a few years may not be a bad thing.

Buckinghamshire

"Bird watching." LOL 

Glorious

After an extremely wet Winter and lacklustre Spring, it looks very much like Summer has arrived with a bang. Definitely barbecue weather methinks.

Some interesting things are happening in my garden too.

Seriously?

I'm sure there aren't too many countries where the weather can be predicted to vary so much in under one week LOL.

Just what is going on?!?

Curly

Halloumi burgers on a bed of green and yellow peppers, with a healthy side of curly fries. 

I recall the first time (a good few years ago) I tried curly fries for the first time, what a revelation! Whoever invented them really should be given an award LOL.

New World

My Postie delivered something of a little surprise today, an item I had completely forgotten I had ordered. How foolish of me!

This year the Royal Mint is celebrating one of the ships to carry the name HMS Beagle, although likely the most famous one. Originally built as a gun ship for King George IV, it was repurposed as a survey vessel and undertook three important voyages of discovery. On the second journey, Charles Darwin joined Captain Robert FitzRoy on the expedition of the New World.

After the third voyage, in 1859, the Beagle was stationed in Essex as a static Watch Vessel to deter smugglers, before being auctioned and broken up.

Bra-vo

What a great name for a coffee shop, don't you think LOL? Spotted recently in Sheffield city centre.

That Time Again

It comes around so quickly LOL.