Hairy bush!

It's been a while since I gave an update on our hairy baby that runs around on all fours, eats his own poo and can chew through walls. He is currently moulting his winter coat (even though it is still winter - I think our heating system has stuffed up his body clock, or he just moults on a regular basis, who knows), so for the last couple of weeks I have been scraping his hair out of the carpet. The total amount of hair seems to have come from at least ten rabbits as opposed to one tiny one, but we still love him!
P.S. The pic above is of Bushel eating some dried dandelion leaves which was a Christmas present to him. He was more interested in all the wrapping paper than the present until he found out it was edible...

Public displays of drinking

For some bizarre reason, you can crack open a can of beer on public transport here in the UK and quite happily drink yourself stupid. People seem to be under the impression that Australia is a land of drinkers, but this country is 10x worse!

Heroes - Watch it, it's very good!

Spade-Men Series 12!

Snow update

All the snow had melted by the time I got home last night, and no snow this morning either :(

Footprints in the snow

It had snowed sometime during the night, so everything was covered in quite a thick layer of snow this morning. Aww, pretty! Everything was very white, but I don't like the crunchy moise it makes when you walk on it(as well as the prospect of slipping over onto your arse). It was also eerily quiet, as a lot of people must have decided to stay home (cars and roads were covered in snow, and some cars were having problems going up the hill due to the wet and icy road). However, as I trudged further from the suburbs towards the inner city-ness of the train station, the amount of snow decreased and the amount of salt/grit on the footpaths increased. Trains were of course delayed due to "adverse weather conditions", and there was not much snow on the ground at all at London Bridge (snow doesn't settle for very long in the city - probably something to do with all the dog poo on the pavements, and the Thames won't freeze anymore due to the high cocaine content of the urine flushed into it). Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how much snow is still around when I get back home this evening.

Winter wonderland

It snowed for a few minutes this morning! Would have bee nice if it had snowed a month ago for Xmas, but anyway...
Also helped the wife with her luggage and put her on the train this morning, much like sending Harry Potter off to Hogwarts (because it is such a magical experience catching trains in the UK...NOT!).
She's off doing HMS Pinafore in Poole for a week, and as a replacement I get my brother coming down for a week (he's doing a show in London). He's hardly a substitute though, as he's a terrible kisser!

Another whinge

Why is it I always get someone of excessive girth sitting next to me on the train on my way home? They are usually out of breath from having to run to catch the train, they then sit on the seat so that I am pinned against the window, and then they proceed to read a newspaper so that I get elbowed each time they turn the page. I'm getting tempted to pretend I'm a crazy person so people won't sit next to me...

Whinging pom?

One of the few people that writes constructive comments on my blog has made me realise that I do slag off the UK quite a bit in my blogs. Does this mean that I have become a whinging pom? Probably, but it's just because there is so much stuff that you can whinge about: the weather, the cost of living, the weird people, the weather, council tax, tv tax, limescale, dog poo, litter, the weather, overcrowding, people that spit on the street, etc etc etc.
Compared to Australia, all you had to complain about there is how hot it is, how sweaty you are and where the next bush fire is.

Take it easy!

In London there are a lot of homeless people on the streets, either begging or selling the Big Issue. You even get them on the train going from carriage to carriage with a very well rehearsed story about could you please spare some change so they can get somewhere to sleep for the night. Now, I feel bad for these guys having to do that, as I'm sure living on the streets/having to beg is a pretty sh*t way to go through life. However, I'm not going to give them money as I have no guarantee on what they will actually do with the money, and it is recommended that any money you want to give you should go through a charity.
Anyway, what all this is getting to is that when I walk to work from London Bridge station, there is a Jamaican guy who sells the Big Issue who is the most upbeat homelsss guy I have ever seen. Even in the rain he is smiling and cheery, greeting passer-bys with a "Take it easy!", "I'll be here when you get back", "Good morning beautiful ladies" (which he says to the ladies, not to me). Like most commuters, I have my head down as I trudge to work, but this guy and his antics always put a smile on my face and make me think no matter how much I may be dpressed in my job, I'm a lot better off than that guy! Or am I?

Pan's Labyrinth

It's a great film. From the trailers I had watched, I was expecting it to be more of a fantasy story, but the plot in the real world was the more dominant one. Great visuals and acting, even if some of the violence was extremely graphic (I had to shut my eyes at one point, and if you do see it, you can probably guess at what scene I am referring to). It is rated R, so thankfully no kiddies can go an see it and have nightmares for the rest of their lives. I give 8/9 out of 10. (One question though, it is Pan's Labyrinth but there was no character called Pan in the film!)
P.S. I also have a signed script by Guillermo Del Toro! Sucks boo to you!

I hate pigeons

I was standing outside Covent Garden Boots (a pharmacy, not a shoe store) waiting for my wife to return when something wet and quite chunky went plop on my shoulder. A pigeon had shat on me. Joy. My wife then came out to tell me that it was good luck. I don't think so.

Fat

Yesterday I went to a book signing at FP by Rob Grant (of Red Dwarf fame) who was there to promote his new book "Fat":

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fat-Gollancz-S-F-Rob-Grant/dp/0575074205

I've read his Red Dwarf novels, as well as his two others, Colony and Incompetence, and he's not a bad writer. I've read better and I've read worse so hopefully Fat will be a good read, but the main reason I went is that I do have a fond memory of watching the Red Dwarf series, so I got the Official Red Dwarf Companion book signed (thanks eBay!). The book covers series 1-5, which contained the best episodes before Red Dwarf spiralled off the rails and became really crap (gosh, I hope that hasn't happened to the Spade-Men!).
Usually at these signings, I would have turned up half an hour before to get a good spot in the queue. He's what I would classify as B or C level writer (an A level writer would get me there 1-2 hours early), but as he has the Red Dwarf connection, I was not sure how many Dwarfies would turn up. However, due to an exceptionally slow bus driver and subsequently hitting every red traffic light along the way (not literally though), by the time we got to FP (I had dragged my wife along), there was only 5mins to go before the signing was due to commence. But there was no reason to be concerned, as there was only about 10-15 people in the queue, and I was the last! No one else joined while I was waiting, which must be terribly sad for the writer to have to sit there as the staff make a feeble announcement over the PA that he was there signing books. Oh well, he got my 8 quid (might pay for one half of his train fare in?), he was a nice guy and signed all my books, and hopefully I'll enjoy his new book, and if I don't I'll post a scathing review!

Back online

Our laptop decided to stop working just after Xmas (and it was just after I installed some secuity updates too!), but it's just been fixed, so hopefully I can post a bit more. I've been back at work since Tuesday, but it's been a real bugger getting back into the swing of things after a week off of sleeping, eating and generally doing sweet F all. Train prices have gone up, it's dark, I'm getting a cold, and all the people at work need a good beating, but I guess things could be worse. I've completed pencilling Series 12 of the Spade-Men (titled "Carry on Spading") and have inked it half of it, so hopefully it can be sent around by end of January/start of February.
Tomorrow I'm going to a book signing by Rob Grant (Red Dwarf), see the movie Pan's Labyrinth and then have some dinner at a nice Thai restaurant near the British Museum. Reports of those to follow!

Santa-Bushel!

He knows when you've been naughty or nice!