…grayblog…

Category: old blogging

  • It seems that the story

    It seems that the story of a motorcycle being in the accident yesterday at Fontwell was a total fabrication. In fact, a milk tanker overturned at the roundabout, and the road had to be cleaned as a result. Only the tanker driver was hurt, and only slightly.

  • A sunny and warm day,

    A sunny and warm day, but ultimately not a burning day, thanks to factor 30 cream and the arrival of a thin veil of high cloud. Unfortunately, not the greatest selling day. Good but not great.
    At least it means that I will not have to spend ages preparing things for tomorrow, when Tim will be on duty here at the plant fair. Therefore, I should be able to get to the bar and a cold pint in a timely fashion.

  • Sunblock on – it’s time

    Sunblock on – it’s time to head out and spend a day getting roasted in Selborne.

  • Paging Dave…… paging Dave…. Sorry

    Paging Dave…… paging Dave….

    Sorry mate, I can’t make Thursday.
    And your email is bouncing.

  • Imamzadeh Hashem, in the Alborz

    Imamzadeh Hashem, in the Alborz mountains two hours’ drive from Tehran, is where a group of women paragliders – modern women living in an Islamic state – gather. Even though they are far from Tehran’s morality squad vigilantes and the main road, they stick to strict dress codes (chador, maghnae’h and manto) in case of intruders and, to be doubly sure, prop their image of the Ayatollah against the van and unfurl their flag. Fatemeh Asgharpoor, a mother of three, told me: "In addition to all that has already been said about women’s lives in Tehran, add the summer heat. The hejab gets really annoying – Tehran is hot and polluted, and we feel boxed in. Any spare time I find, I come to the mountain and I feel free, away from the ordinary weight of being a woman in Iranian society. Flying through the air reduces my frustrations."

    Heaven and Hell and The Place To Go… are two pieces of thought-provoking photojournalism by Hengameh Golestan posted on nthposition. Hengameh is the widow of Kaveh Golestan, the freelance cameraman who was killed in the landmine explosion in Iraq that injured BBC journalist Stuart Hughes, and it is via his excellent weblog that these links come.

  • It seems that a couple

    It seems that a couple of flies have taken up residence in my flat, much to my annoyance. They seem to move just a little bit faster than I do, thus evading capture/splatting. It was suggested I should try spraying them with perfume in order to get rid of them. Lacking such stuff, I asked if some eau de toilette pour homme would do the trick. Yes, came the reply.
    I now have a hallway that smells really nice and a couple of flies that are a big hit with the laydeez. Great. I think I’ll buy some fly spray.

  • A night in tonight, with

    A night in tonight, with a cold beer, some good summery salad type food, music and a book, as I have a relatively early start tomorrow.

  • Strange experience this evening to

    Strange experience this evening to pull onto the A27 at Crockerhill to find it deserted. It has been closed for most of the afternoon following a major accident at Fontwell, that has also closed the A29. I overheard a conversation in Waitrose this evening – apparently the accident involved a motorbike and the rider was very badly hurt.

  • Busy busy again today, preparing

    Busy busy again today, preparing for a plant fair the nursery is attending this weekend. Looks like I’ll get sunburnt there tomorrow – I’ll be sure to pack some block.
    At least I have the day off on Sunday, as Tim is doing the fair that day, so I’ll get a chance to catch up on a few more domestic duties. The flat is bordering on messy, and if I nip it in the bud this weekend, it’ll save me a lot of work. At least I have finally done the freezer – it took six hours to do last night, not finishing until about midnight.

  • All evening, I’ve been trying

    All evening, I’ve been trying to find reference to a Tex Avery cartoon that featured the "Figaro, Figaro, Figaro" song from Puccini’s Barber of Seville. And I wasn’t thinking of the Bugs Bunny cartoon "Rabbit of Seville" or even the Woody Woodpecker classic that featured that song. Nope, I knew it was definitely an MGM cartoon directed by Tex Avery.
    It was, of course, Magical Maestro (details can be found here), which featured a "leet-ul maaag-ic wand!", and is, almost without doubt, one of the funniest cartoons ever made. It was also one of the last that Tex Avery made for MGM. If ever you get a chance to see it uncut (a scene where Poochini is transmogrified into a Chinaman and then a black man is now often cut, even though there is absolutely nothing racist or offensive about it), be sure to empty your bladder before you watch it.
    For more on Tex Avery, get this book, which happens to be in my wishlist [hint].