Thanks guys...

Thanks...

...guys for a great birthday. You know who you are. Despite advanced years I found out so much. Including that elephant yams are not just yams but bigger. No, their either (a) elephant-shaped, or (b) harvested by elephants, according to which of the mickey-takers you believe. That it's bad manners to blow out candles directly in line with the face of the person holding the cake. That lemon in a lassi is a bad idea, because bits break off and clog up the straw. That BLISS has (a) a liking for spinach and lentil curry, and (b) no concept of what constitutes 50% of a portion of spinach and lentil curry. That there's huge benefit and comfort in our nation belatedly embracing the American concept of the doggy bag.

It seems that Kiz and I are able to eat, and having eaten, leave. BLISS, having eaten, needs to sleep after a large meal and given the chance would nod off. DLL, while awake, has difficulty moving, and given the chance would be carried out in the chair she's occupying.

Oh, and earlier, having slightly drifted while driving and fiddling with the cd player? Best not to do that. Drifting is classed as 'veering' and I should not question their thirst for adventure when they criticise my capabilities behind the wheel.

Debunking the multi-blade myth

I'm getting used to the old-fashioned double-edged safety razor. The shave is as close as the one I was getting with a five-blade vibrating razor. Three passes with one blade = three blades over the skin, a decent shave and much less irritation. Before, three passes meant fifteen blades going over the skin, huge irritation, and poor environmental performance, as the bonded plastic and metal of the disposable systems is one of the hardest compound materials to recycle.

How to revitalise housebuilding

Younger architects. That's the answer. The Christmas Lego advert is a speeded up film of father and son building a model house. Dad produces the car, garage, and half of a bog-standard suburban dwelling.

The son's half of the construction has a multi-coloured windmill, a drop-down launching pad for a flying saucer, an anti-aircraft raygun installation on the ground floor, and all manner of similar innovations. Imagine having a remote-control raygun jobbie by the front door. That would redefine the risk levels associated with being designated an unwanted visitor.

Second day of the test...

...went well. Runs for Root and Prior who both played very well, and then wickets for Anderson.

There was one of those lessons about high principles, too. Swann dismissed Gambhir, given out, wrongly, off the elbow then the pad and caught by Bell. Big appeal. Not up to the players to administer fair play or look for reasons why not, all they're doing is asking the umpire the question. If his answer happens to be wrong, well, win some / lose some, relax. Lessons from sport for life.

Hi-ho

The restaurant had prawn bamalam or something like that on the menu. According to Rich and AD, Black Betty had a chile, darn thing run wild. Also according to them, there's a recent dearth of similar songs everyone knows the words to. Admittedly, I don't get out much nowadays, but in't'olden days every house party ended with The Jeff Beck Group and Hi Ho Silver Lining. A sort of everyone dance singalong. The universally known words are:

Hi ho silver lining

And away you go, now baby,

I see your sun is shining

But I won't make a fuss

Though it's obvious

The obvious is pronounced ob-vee-us to rhyme with fuss.