Monday, July 30, 2007

Entry for July 30, 2007


Little Lad and his mum returned from their holidays Friday, so that night was the first time I had seen him in about two weeks. In all the excitment I managed to pick him up ackwardly and put my back out good and proper. Spent the weekend mostly curled up on the sofa with a collection of Samuel L Jackson DVD's.

On another more serious note, mum has been re-admitted to hospital. I won't go into all the details but my folks had gone away Friday to stay with friends in Bournemouth for the weekend and she had then started to go down hill Sunday it seems. Hopefully they can get her eating and find some way of making sure the food stays in, so it does her some good.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Springfield

Thanks to Alkelda at "Saints and Spinners" for directing me to The Simpsons Movie site where you can make your own Simpsons avatar character. Above you can see me strolling through Springfield to meet my old mate Homer in order to discuss next year's "Mature Blogger" awards over a do-nut or two.

By the way, visitors old and new, this blog will probably be in mothballs until August 9th because Shirley and I are heading to the south of France tomorrow - Biarritz then Lourdes, then five days with my brother and his girlfriend near Pamiers before a short spell at the Mediterranean near Perpignan and then home. See ya later!

Friday, July 27, 2007

Simpsonize Me!

Thanks to Emma for putting this gem of a site on her blog.


















Upload a picture of yourself, then follow the instructions to see yourself Simpsons-stylie.





27 July 07 Emma says: lol...It's good innit? You look great!

27 July 07 Annon says: That's GREAT!

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Floods


Let's take a couple of minutes to think about all those affected by the recent floods and remember how fortunate most of us really are.

Mr.Game Maker...


Playing games is a child's play...sometimes and may be some rare times not.But creating them... Hell no,well there is hell yes.Its @ http://pepsizone.yahoo.co.in/gaming.html
It has a simple drag and drop interface, having though its limitations too, you can only have a game that has a
pepsi truck,magnets,repellers,rocks,trees,wells,volcanoes,tanks
Checkout my game: http://in.pepsizone.yahoo.com/games/game_page.php?gameid=13926
Well it makes cool games free of cost provided that you have a yahoo id, whatever you wont get anything like
that on net....If you are a little more serious towards game making(may be this attract you towards it) there is a simple, better
and free programme available.(This may save your net charges too)This software's good name is Game Maker.You can download the software from www.gamemaker.nl
And no restrictions associated with those bullshit trucks and all that.Ya its more difficult if you compare it with the Pepsi's Game developer, its better you go through the tutorials and
i am the one who believes in who-the-hell-will-read so i created a game i.e. Nose Pills Please.Download it from here:http://supershiva.zoomshare.com/files/NOSE_PILLS_PLEASE.zip
Ya abuse the game play,but have a try.And if you try yourself you'll get it better

Division

Towards the end of June, Yorkshire was hit by the worst floods in living memory. Thousands of households were affected and yet... the national media and national politicians were slow to react. It took a full ten days before the BBC Ten O' Clock News gave proper coverage to the awful floods in Hull -which labelled itself with bitter irony, England's "Forgotten City". Our new prime minister - Gordon Brown took twelve days to reach South Yorkshire and Hull to pat rescue workers on their backs and visit some affected dwellings and schools. To give Prince Charles his due - he was round and about offering heartfelt support well ahead of Mr Brown.

And now new floods have hit our island - but this time mainly affecting the southern rivers Severn, Avon, Thames and Great Ouse. And what do you know - surprise, surprise - the film crews and reporters, politicians and journalists are there straightaway! They are standing in waders and wellies - they are "Live" from the scene while Gordon Brown is shown marshalling his cabinet like Winston Churchill in wartime. An objective observer of the media would confirm this clear bias. England remains a divided nation.

You see it in various guises. Look at a quality Sunday magazine - take the restaurant recommendations - invariably they are nearly all down south with perhaps a token northern restaurant thrown in for good measure - to keep accusations of bias at bay. I remember when I was ten or eleven years old, camping with my family in South Wales - I met a boy of similar age who came from London. We were chummy enough for him to ask me one evening at the swings, "Do you have electricity in Yorkshire?" That kind of ignorance about "Up North" abounds in southern England and there are plenty of southerners who have never travelled north of Watford. It's like an old map and in the unexplored northern territory the cartographer has written "There be monsters!"

I am proud to be a northerner. I would loathe living in London with its pretensions and cosmopolitan over-indulgence, its greasy palmed taxi drivers and besuited tube commuters scowling like saints in stained glass windows, its Hooray Henries and "IT" girls, its beggars and blaggers, its Chelsea and Arsenal and pearly furred women clambering out of Bentleys and motor cycle couriers honking. Good heavens - I am shocked to admit that we northerners probably have more in common with the Scots than we do with those southern softies! Come on lads and lasses! To the barricades! Home Rule for Yorkshire!

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Rant


Feeling pretty awful today so this might sound a little intolerant but...

Rant of the Day.


If you were born and raised in a county that is generally hotter than the UK and you spend all your time moaning you are too cold, what the hell are you doing living here?

I mean it's July. It might be wet but it is quite warm. Do you really need to run a fan heater all day in the office?


End of Rant.

Entry for July 24, 2007

For those who might might be interested or concerned, mum was topped up Chemo drugs on Friday (20/07). The Consultant seemed fairly happy with her blood count and progress in general. He has ordered another scan for two weeks time to assess progress or otherwise.


24 July 07 Heidi Hi says: I know what you're going through-my dad had cancer,keep you chin up.Sending love your mums way.xxxxx PS- and don't forget to look after yourself too....xxx

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Sport

Isn't television sports coverage wonderful these days? Although football (soccer to Americans) will always be my first love, there are numerous other sports that I can watch in goggle-eyed awe. Rugby - the only sport I ever really excelled in at school - cricket, tennis, darts, snooker, indoor bowls, basketball, athletics. One of the few sports that bores me rigid is horse racing - in fact any sports that involve horses leave me feeling grossly underwhelmed.

Last evening, I watched the conclusion of the British Open Golf Championship live from Carnoustie in the county of Angus on Scotland's east coast. Sergio Garcia of Spain snatched defeat from the jaws of victory while Ireland's Padraig Harrington held his nerve to clinch his first major and a cheque for £750,00. It was tense and fascinating stuff. Golf is about form and bounce and lady luck. The changing weather meant that participants were suitably challenged. It was a great tournament.

Padraig Harrington - the first Irish winner of The Open since 1947.


You know sport doesn't matter. It is unimportant - a mere adjunct to life - but perhaps it reminds us that living life to the full must involve some frivolity and activities that take the spotlight away from the daily grind of work and sleep and getting food on the table. At times it is like a new religion - with hushed audiences, team colours, chants and pure unadulterated hero worship. Perhaps they'll make Padraig Harrington the next Pope!

Friday, July 20, 2007

Bye Bye H.P Week!!!

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows has finally released today.So i have to end up this HP week stuff.This title is usually not understood by many, but being die-hard fans 2 million copies are already pre-ordered. And Post Selling will always be better than Pre-selling."Deathly" means Causing or capable of causing death and "Hallows" means Render holy by means of religious rites.Now that adds to confusion, but whats wikipedia all about, dont go there, I think i have copy pasted the plot below.Read and Enjoy!!!
The final book begins with Voldemort and his Death Eaters at the home of Lucius Malfoy. They are beginning to plan out how to kill Harry Potter before he can be hidden again. After borrowing Lucius's wand, Voldemort kills his captive, Professor Charity Burbage, teacher of Muggle Studies at Hogwarts for teaching the subject and suggesting that the end of pureblooded wizards was a good thing.
Harry, meanwhile, is getting ready for his trip and reading an obituary of Albus Dumbledore; it is revealed that Dumbledore’s father hated non-wizards and had killed several Muggles, and had died in Azkaban for his crimes. Harry regrets not having asked Dumbledore more about his past, but this is soon forgotten as he is leaving his home that night. He convinces his aunt Petunia, uncle Vernon, and cousin Dudley that they need to leave as well to avoid being captured by the Death Eaters, and eventually they leave escorted by a pair of wizards, though not before Dudley admits that he cares about Harry.
Soon thereafter the Order of the Phoenix arrive with a plan to sneak Harry away from his house without Voldemort capturing him. Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, the Weasley twins, Fleur Delacour, and Mundungus Fletcher take a polyjuice potion to make themselves look like Harry and each depart with a different member of the Order of the Phoenix. Harry departs with Hagrid and, after being chased by Death Eaters and Voldemort, narrowly escape to the Burrow. There, the casualties are counted; Hedwig, Harry’s owl, was struck by a killing curse; George Weasley lost an ear, and Mad-Eye Moody was killed by Voldemort himself. Harry later has a vision regarding his escape; his wand had reacted with Voldemort’s borrowed wand, destroying it, and he has a vision of Voldemort questioning Ollivander, the wand maker, about why it happened.
A few days later the Minister of Magic arrives at the Weasley residence to give Harry, Ron, and Hermione what Dumbledore had willed to them: a Deluminator for Ron (known as a "putter-outer" in previous books), with the power to douse all the lights in a room; a book of children’s stories to Hermione; and Godric Gryffindor’s sword and the first snitch Harry had ever caught to Harry. The sword, however, was withheld because, the minister claimed, it was not Dumbledore's to give. The three try to discover the purpose of the objects being given to them, but are unable to figure it out before the wedding between Fleur Delacour and Bill Weasley the next day.
Harry disguises himself for the wedding, but during the wedding they all receive a message; Voldemort has taken over the Ministry of Magic. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all flee the wedding, first fleeing to a Muggle café. Though they think themselves safe for the moment, two Death Eaters find them almost immediately and attack them. Harry, Ron, and Hermione manage to defeat the Death Eaters, but thinking themselves in danger in public, flee to 12 Grimmauld Place, Sirius Black’s home, where they hide themselves. The group realizes that Regulus Arcturus Black was the R.A.B. from the amulet Harry found with Dumbledore, and begin searching the house for the Horcrux. Eventually they realize that Mundungus Fletcher stole the amulet and send Harry’s house elf Kreacher to find Fletcher and bring back the amulet. Kreacher finds Fletcher, but he has already given the amulet away to Dolores Umbridge.
After a month of spying on the Ministry of Magic, the trio try to infiltrate it in order to retrieve the Horcrux from Dolores Umbridge. They ambush three wizards and use polyjuice potion to impersonate them. They discover the Ministry of Magic has changed considerably; Muggle-born wizards and witches are being rounded up openly and the Ministry itself is demonstrating its superiority over the muggles. The three discover Mad-Eye Moody’s eye has been taken by Umbridge, so they take it; they then knock out Umbridge and take the horcrux from her, freeing a number of muggle-born wizards and witches in the process and encouraging them to flee the country. However, in the process their hiding place is discovered and they are forced to flee to the countryside, moving from place to place, never staying anywhere too long.
After several months of moving around they overhear a conversation wherein it is revealed that Godric Griffindor’s sword is actually a fake, and someone did something with the real sword. Harry hears this and is heartened, and after questioning the portrait of Phineas Black, he discovers that the sword had last been used by Dumbledore to destroy another Horcrux, the Gaunt’s ring. However, Ron feels this is just another thing for them to do and, having been injured in their escape from the Ministry of Magic, he gets in an argument with Harry and leaves, leaving Harry and Hermione together. The two are greatly saddened, but eventually realize they have to go to Godric’s Hollow on the off-chance Dumbledore left the sword there for them.
Arriving in Godric’s Hollow, the two first visit the memorial to Harry’s family, then the graveyard, where both Harry and Dumbledore’s families are buried. After laying a wreath on Harry’s parents’ grave, they encounter the old woman Bathilda Bagshot, an old family friend of Dumbledore’s who authored The History of Magic. Thinking she may have been entrusted with the sword, they follow her to her house, where they find a picture of the dark wizard Grindelwald, Bagshot’s relative and once, long ago, Dumbledore’s childhood friend. However, it is actually a trap; “Bagshot” is actually Nagini, Voldemort’s snake familiar, and Harry and Hermione only narrowly escape from Voldemort, destroying Harry’s wand in the process.
On the run for a few more days, eventually a doe patronus appears on the edge of their camp and leads Harry to Godric Griffindor’s sword, hidden in a frozen forest pool. Harry strips down and dives down after the sword but the locket Horcrux responds poorly and tries to strangle Harry. Ron returns and saves Harry from drowning, pulling the sword out of the pool in the process. The two then destroy the Horcrux with the sword and return to camp. Hermione is less than pleased with Ron and his return, but had discovered their next step: to speak to Xenophilius Lovegood and ask him about Grindelwald's mark, a symbol which has shown up time and again during their journey.
At Lovegood’s home, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are told an old wizard story about three brothers who bested death, and each had received a magical item for it – an unbeatable wand (called the Elder Wand), a stone which could bring back the dead (the Resurrection Stone), and an Invisibility Cloak that never failed with age. Harry believes that his own cloak is the Invisibility Cloak, and is very excited, but soon discovers that Lovegood has betrayed them to the Ministry; Luna, his daughter, has been taken captive and he believes that giving them Harry Potter would cause them to free her. The trio barely escape from the wizards sent to fetch them, but Harry is emboldened and believes that they need to collect all the Deathly Hallows, these artifacts given by Death, to defeat Voldemort.
A few weeks later, the three are still no closer to finding the Deathly Hallows or more Horcruxes. They finally manage to tune into a rogue wizard radio broadcast, run by people they know which gives news on what is really happening. However, Harry accidentally says Voldemort’s name and Voldemort’s followers, having jinxed the name, find Harry, Ron, and Hermione and capture them, taking them to Lucius Malfoy’s home. There, Hermione is tortured and interrogated by Bellatrix Lestrange to find how she acquired Godric Griffindor’s sword, believing it to have been stolen from her vault, while Harry and Ron are imprisoned in the basement with Dean Thomas, Griphook the goblin, Ollivander the wand maker, and Luna Lovegood. Harry asks the broken fragment of mirror he has for help and Dobby appears to help him, freeing them. Dobby saves Dean and Ollivander, but they have made too much noise and Wormtail is sent to check on the prisoners. Harry and Ron subdue him, and Wormtail resists strangling Harry. Ron takes away Wormtail’s wand and Wormtail’s artificial arm, made by Voldemort, strangles its owner to death for the mercy he’s shown. Ron and Harry, helpless to aid him, rush upstairs to save Hermione with the help of Dobby. They escape as Voldemort is close to arriving, but Dobby is slain by Bellatrix Lestrange as they flee.
After burying Dobby, Harry and his friends begin planning anew. Harry questions Ollivander about the Elder Wand, and chooses not to try and prevent Voldemort from acquiring it from the tomb of its last owner, Dumbledore. Instead, he questions Griphook about how to break into Gringott’s, and in exchange offers him the goblin made sword of Godric Griffindor. After extensive planning, the group goes to Gringott’s to see if they can find one of the horcruxes in the Lestrange vault; Hermione poses as Bellatrix Lestrange, Ron is disguised, and Griphook and Harry go in under the Invisibility Cloak. They manage to penetrate the traps and find the horcrux, Hufflepuff’s cup, but Griphook betrays their presence and flees with the sword. Harry, Ron, and Hermione narrowly escape on the back of a captive dragon, but Voldemort discovers at long last that they are seeking out his horcruxes.
Harry has a vision shortly after the escape; he can see from Voldemort’s eyes and hear his thoughts. Voldemort lists off all the locations of the horcruxes, realizing now they are being sought after and destroyed. Voldemort inadvertently reveals that the final horcrux, which Harry suspects to be a relic of the founder of Ravenclaw, is safe within Hogwarts. Harry realizes that if they want to get the Horcrux within Hogwarts, they need to do so immediately, before Voldemort finds his other horcruxes missing, and the trio immediately head to Hogsmeade to find a way to sneak into their old school.
At Hogsmeade, Harry and friends are cornered by Death Eaters and saved by Aberforth Dumbledore. Aberforth opens a secret passageway to Hogwarts, where Neville Longbottom greets them. After saving Draco Malfoy's life, Harry finds Ravenclaw's Diadem in the room of requirement and it is destroyed. Harry, Hermione and Ron go to the Shrieking Shack, where they see Voldemort kill Snape, believing this will transfer the Elder wand's power to him. As he dies, Snape gives up memories to Harry, which reveal that Snape was on Dumbledore's side, motivated by his lifelong love of Lily Potter. Snape was asked by Dumbledore to kill him if the situation demands it; the curse placed on the horcrux ring limited his life, regardless. Furthermore, Harry is the final horcrux and needs to die before Voldemort can be killed. Resigned to his fate, Harry sacrifices himself to Voldemort, and is seemingly killed, but finds that the spell destroyed the part of Voldemort's soul he had inside himself. After Nagini is killed by Neville, Voldemort is killed by attempting to use the Elder Wand when his Death Curse against Harry is deflected back at him by the Elder Wand itself.
In the story's epilogue, taking place 19 years (2017) after the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry and Ginny Weasley have three children named James, Albus Severus, and Lily. Ron and Hermione have two children named Rose and Hugo. Draco has a child named Scorpius. They all meet at King's Cross, about to send their children to Hogwarts at the beginning of term. It is revealed that Harry's scar has not hurt since the Dark Lord's defeat, and there, the story ends. _______________________**************************_____________________________________________Good bye Voldy!!!Get the cool harry font:-http://www.mugglenet.com/downloads/fonts/files/harryp.zip
H.P Week Ends

Harry Potter and the Quidditch World Cup: Review


Harry potter and the Quidditch World Cup: Review.

There are many HP games, unfortunately i could get my hands on just one.
And about this game its cool, its crazy and its damn' exhilarating.
Just play one match and you will know.

The game is not much heard but you couldnt imagine anything better for a game of Quidditch.
But first let me tell you something( can you get something from Wikipedia) about Quidditch

"Quidditch is an extremely rough but very popular semi-contact sport played by wizards and witches on flying broomsticks using four balls and six elevated ring-shaped goals. The game is played by two teams of seven people at the scholastic level by such wizards as the series' title character, Harry Potter, as well as regionally, and internationally between national teams, similar to football (soccer)


The two teams of seven people consist of three Chasers, two Beaters, a Keeper and a Seeker and involves four balls: a Quaffle (essentially a mundane oddly shaped ball with no magical capabilities), two Bludgers and a tiny hard to spot Golden Snitch which is the province of the seekers who spend virtually all the game time looking for the elusive mobile ball which actively hides most of the game. Thelatter three are magically self-mobile, though the Snitch is both faster and far more agile, able to twist, turn and dodge almost able to ignore inertial effects where as the two actively aggressive bludgers—which are in between sized and smaller than a cantelope but somewhat bigger and more massive than a very large grape fruit— while capable of reaching fairly high speeds can turn only gradually thus follow trajectories which are far more curvilinear when closing on a target. They spend a lot of time flying back towards the arena, when beaters bang them out and away from team mates, no better angle then being present in the momentary crises.

The Keeper guards his team's three hoops, the Chasers score goals with the Quaffle either hurled by hand, or by batting it with the end of their broom sticks or both, the bat armed Beaters keep the Bludgers (which are aggressive, self-powered, self-guided missles of limited focus but more than capable of bruising and bone-breaking attacks to all and sundry) away from their team mates and try to knock them towards players on the other team, and the Seeker seeks to find the extremely fast, hard to spot and very elusive Golden Snitch, which is quite difficult to catch even when it's in plain sight as it takes evasive action constantly.

Thus those two single balls figure directly in the scoring, where the object of the game is to score more points than one's opponent overall, before the game ends because the Golden Snitch has been caught. This phase of the game is essentially open ended and proceeds by the teams maneuvering and acting by putting the quaffle through one of the three goals defended by the other sides' "Keeper" more than the other team does to the goals defended by it's keeper. Both teams strive to build what in most other sports would be an overwhelmingly significant lead, for the game includes a built in high capacity for catching up from well behind and thus winning with a "Walk off" score using the Golden Snitch.

Each goal scored during the quaffle-play is worth ten points, and with the active distractions of the missle-like bludger's constantly zooming and attacking whomever they pass near, the beater's swooping to intercept them when they are attacking a team mate, or the evasive actions needed to dodge an undefended attack by either bludger plus the constant rough play between opposing team players jockeying and bumping for position at high speeds well up off the ground, the sport presents plenty of fast paced spectacular play for spectator satisfaction—while each team tries to build a lead of at least 160 points, for the team which catches the Snitch recieves a full hundred and fifty points and ends the game immediately. Thus the gameplay is open-ended and the game ends only when the Snitch is caught, or by mutual consent of the two team captains."

Now can we get back to the game:
Quidditch explanation is enough already.
Firstly you are supposed to win over all the houses of the school itself i.e.
Gryffindor
Hufflepuff
Ravenclaw
Slytherin
These matches are not too hard.
You can practice seperately also.

The real game starts when the Quidittch World Cup starts.
The teams present are:
Australia
England
Bulgaria
Japan
Ireland
Germany etc. etc.

For these games the graphics are awesome, the moves brilliant, the coolest EA gameplay ever found.
The matches are just enough detailed to live in their world.
First you play as the Chaser, Beater and te Keeper.
And after 5-10 minutes, its your turn to be the seeker, which is the most difficult part of the game.
Difficult and addictive, you have to be in track of a saturn type ring and chase the snitch, catch it before the other does.At this time the match becomes tense( My thighs always started shivering in the world cup's while catching the snitch).
Be aware of your speed meter.

If you love speed, love sports the better option is QWC.


.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of fire: Review


Harry Potter and Goblet of fire: Review.
Now this one would like to have tough words from me because I had read the novel!!!And every next movie will have the same words from the die-hard readers... ther reason being uptil POA the pages were less(normal) as compared to the 4th 5th 6th.And you cannot make a 10 hour movie( can you?)So they try to mess up every damn' thing in less than 2.5 hours.Ofcourse eating up some scenes.
So what's Goblet of fire all about [Movie]:
Well it is all about the goblet of fire (cant you read the name of the movie).This time something is changed in Hogwarts studies,magic, plus The Triwizard Cup (three cool tasks)in which hogwarts plus other two schools i.e. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons have participatedThe goblet of fire is where the students (17+) put their names in for participating in the triwizard cup.Unfortunately (Fortunately) his name is found from the goblet.( he is only 14)along with Victor Krum (from Durmstrang),Fleur Delacour (from Beauxbatons),Cedric Diggory(From Hogwarts)And then the real story starts with Harry fighting all his tasks.
The first task: stealing away a dragon's egg.
The second task: Rescuing your friends(inside water)
The third task: The Maze
Let me spoil:In the third task Harry and Cedric touch The triwizard cup at the same time which is actually a portkey (better than those ugly shoes)to the graveyard from where Cedric dies,Voldemort arise and Harry cries(will you laugh when you arm is tore off for your enemy) and then a ferocious battle(What ferocious,yelling standing with a green and red light, three souls boasting bullshit) takes place where Harry like a brave (coward) runs off with Cedric.
Actually it was a web spinned by Barty Crouch Jr.(death eater...deaths are yummy) who was with Voldemort.He had became Mad-eye Moody by drinking the potion.He had put harry's name in Goblet of fire so that Voldemort can have the same blood of harry.(Cant you simply say harry to donate his blood)In the end he's caught red handed and... and everybody's home.
What is swallowed up:
1. You had a nice Hermoine who was doing social service for many many nice house elves so that they should get paid for servicing but she was ignored by both the elves and the students.
2. Leprechauns and dances werent required instead showing a whole damn' match of quidittch final would be better( WB no brains for this)
3. Showing Rita Skeeter as a bug and being caught up.
Well every one had a reason, for this stuff an extra million was required( now who'll pay that?)

Coolest Scene: The whole first task is amazing!!!
Craziest Scene: Like mongooses, then watch out Malfoy when he become sone.
Coolest Creature: The nominees were Mad -eye Moody for everything, Voldemort for nose, and those sea-creatures.Well the winner is Voldemort... his nose is so cool(can hardly be seen), and his movements Oh! Babe...Was this the Voldemort you looked for?

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban:Review

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban: Review
When i watched this one for the first time i thought what a headache!The second time the headache began to get recovered and the third time oh relief! i understood what the movie is all about.(You may have suffered or will be suffered like this)
Well its all about ofcourse the Prisoner of Askaban which is ugly by face and dress-up---Mr. Sirius Black and people believe that he was from one of the faithful persons of you-know-who(much long name)and he is in search of Harry.And later on it is discovered that Professor Lupin who saved Harry from the Dementors(creatures wearing a black bed-sheet over them) who becomes a were wolf on moonlit nights(revealed later) is in contact with Sirius Black, who wasnt actually the killer, it was Peter Pettigrew( the ugliest Yuck) or Wormtail(whom harry found in Marauder's map- google earth) who had became a rat(Scabbers) of Ron by animagus and for which ron had to be injured by Sirius in his dog-form.He was the on who was with the dark lord.Then whatever happens Sirius decides to kill PP. Fisrt lupin appears and they do bad things then snape appears he's thrashed away.Lupin gives clearance. Harry decides Dementors are more suitable for such bullshit, they thrash him out, he runs ,Lupin turns into a werewolf by seeing the mooon, he could differntiate between friend and foe, dog and wolf foght.Someone gave a call to the wolf and he ran, Sirius lay somewere on the ice, and harry came to help, Dementors start having feast drinking souls( yummy souls) till some blue dot appears from his mouth.Harry spells the Patronus charm to throw them away and he too fades until a deer appears on the other side who harry thinks is his father.Both faint,Sirius is back in prison.Hoped this was the end but this was just the beginning.

This is the first movie where you hear Voldemort's name not see him.And thats refreshing and head aching, that Harry and Hermoine go back in the previous time to save both Black and Buckbeak(forgot to name this extremely important character which is half-horse half-bird.).(Buckbeak had to be killed because he broke malfoy's arm)They stop his death by returning back in the time using time turner of hermoine who had became genius from it only. And do the extremely essential(beating themselves,howling and bullshit .Harry was himself the deer) things that is to save Black and the Buckbeak, both are saved finally and finally my headache seems to get over(which you may have got after reading this).
Crazy Scene: This one has most of the crazy scenes including ride of the Knight Bus,Dursley's sister Marge's float and more..., but the winner is Marge's fatty float which is caused by Harry's anger.(The scenes so crazy see it to believe it)

Cool Scene: The nominees were Hermoine's Punch and Buckbeak's ride, but i give points to hermoine because it was simply cooooool

Bore: That Trelawney

Coolest Creature: No guesss for that its BuckBeak

Apologies

It appears that the "Mature Blogger" awards have created some tantrums and foot-stomping from many bloggers who were not recommended for this year's prizes. Unsuccessful candidates must recognise that the "Mature Blogger" team set very high standards, scouring the world wide web and closely monitoring thousands of blogs from around our planet. However, our Welsh team of judges have sadly blundered this time round by failing to forward their nomination by the due date. For this we most heartily apologise.




The affected blogger may now have the satisfaction of knowing that the Welsh judging team have been sentenced to a weekend drinking spree in downtown Cardiff - bound to end up with fighting, an unwanted pregnancy, a night in the cells or a real Cardiff greeting - the broken glass attack that leaves you permanently scarred. Land of my bally fathers! Of course the affected blogger is the annually "Demob Happy Teacher" - Jennyta , known to her friends and ankle biting pupils as "Taffy". This blog can be intermittent as mature Jennyta lives a demanding life - balancing the stresses of home, school work and sheep rearing. Once again Jennyta please accept a big "sorry" from "Mature Blogger". A bouquet of lilies is even now winging itself to your door!

Jennyta - wantonly setting the style in her Welsh sheep farm playground.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Harry Potter and the chamber of the secrets

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets: Review
Much darker, must exciting than the previous one.
Same appearances but this one is more thrilling and horrifying than HPSS.

The story:
Starts from an house elf-Dobby stopping harry to visit Hogwarts due to a "reason"The reason being that the chamber of secrets has been opened up.(by ofcourse... later on).Okay Okay it has been opened up by Tom riddle or you may say Tom Marvolo Riddle or you may say I am Lord
Voldemort . Actually a memory of him in a diary creates chaos by almost killing some bad blooded students
(muggle students) who see into in the eye of a big snake who is present inside the chamber of secret, who is a
pet of Voldemort.And he is doing this with the help of Jinny Weasely(controlled by him).
I told you the spoilers not the story .Whatever...,

Coolest scene: The climax when Harry kills the snake using the Godric Grifffindor's sword.
Craziest scene: When Harry falls off from his broomstick and breaks his bone, Lockheart's spell...crazy
Coolest Creature: Dobby the house elf (other nominees were the snake and the spider)

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Ceremony

The audience of assembled mature dignities was hushed yesterday evening as the winners of this year's "Mature Blogger" awards received their coveted prizes at The Woodseats Workingmen's Club off Woodseats Road in Sheffield. Each recipient gave a moving and maturely phrased acceptance speech with awards being variously sponsored by Walls' Pork Sausages, Saga Holidays, The Pfizer Pharmecutical Company and The Cooperative Funeral Parlour on Queens Road.

This year the only overseas winner was the mature Mrs Friday-Webb from Rednecksville, North Carolina. Her figure-hugging jet-black chiffon gown with its plunging neckline caused some members of the audience to gasp with incredulity and Ms Mopsa from Devon yelled out "You brazen hussy!". Her brown tweed twinset with cerise blouse and grey Nora Batty stockings did not invite the same kind of reaction.
Above: Mrs Muddy Boots, Ms Mopsa, Mrs Friday-Webb and Ms Griselda A. Cobblers thumbing through "Studs and Stallions" magazine after the Woodseats ceremony.

Interviewed afterwards, Mr Arctic Fox said he had always thought of himself as rather immature and Ms Griselda A. Cobblers from Northampton said that she felt so mature "it hurts!"
Scandalously, Mr A. Clewley from North Yorkshire was discovered behind the stage curtains in an unseemly romantic clinch with the ice cream magnate Mrs M. Boots. Both blushed with dire embarrassment. Rebuttoning her blouse, a flushed Mrs Boots growled "What you looking at you perv!" Mr Clewley asked for a beta blocker.

Direct from Springfield, Vermont, President Homer Simpson gave a video-conferencing address in which he praised maturity in blogging. The Sheffield master of ceremonies, well-known screen actor, Olympian, academic and all round good egg Lord Yorkshire Pudding referred to up and coming bloggers who could be in the frame for next year's awards - including Texan Earthmother - Mrs ByGeorge, Washington State subversive storyteller Alkelda the Gleeful, animal-loving terraced house-dwelling journalist Miss Tracey Muttering-Meanderings, Manchester's princes of blogging Steve of "Occupied Country" and Mr Sparrots from the city's wealthy Cheshire underbelly and last but not least South London's own Hamish McBeth - Mr Walter Reidski.

After the ceremony award winners and supporters all descended on "The Big Tree" in Woodseats and in a mature way got utterly sozzled on sweet sherry and barley wine. Hic!

Supporting wrinkly bloggers

Cerne Abbas Homer


Amused to see the Cerne Abbas giant in Dorset now has a new neighbour, at least until it next rains. Given the way this summer is going, shouldn't be too long.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Awards

Borrowing an idea from Ms Mutterings and Meanderings, I have decided to institute a new blogging award:-
Designed FREE by WWW.DUCKYTEXT.CO.UK .... Check out: www.lookitsme.co.uk
When listed you are entitled to copy the logo above and paste it into your own blog. The font is obviously "Simpsons" as the exclusive Society of Mature Bloggers is led by our noble President Sir Homer Simpson. The first six recipients of this award go to bloggers who have blogged with mature dignity, saying wise and mature things. Such bloggers drink in moderation, pray each night and begin every other sentence with either "When I was young..." or "In my day..."

1. Mr Arctic Fox - in spite of his weird ideas about paragraphing.
2. Mr Arthur Clewley - in spite of the fact he keeps going into a coma and failing to blog.
3. Mrs Friday-Web - in spite of her vindictive attitude towards The Thing.
4. Ms Ali Cobblers (Griselda) - in spite of her kindness towards down and out Scots in London.
5. Mrs Muddy Boots - in spite of her lucrative ice cream empire.
6. Ms Mopsa (definitely female) - in spite of her rural and inbred Devonshire habitat.

Any other bloggers who feel that they deserve the "Mature Blogger" award must send me money or grovel.

Sir Homer Simpson - President of Mature Bloggers.

Accuracy

There are various stories doing the rounds in Britain about the consequences of confusing the terms "paedophile" and "paediatrician". It seems that early in this decade, a female paediatrician came home one night to her house in South Wales to find her home vandalised and the word "Paedo" sprayed on a wall. How ironic that a skilled professional doing her best to help children in need should be confused with those warped individuals who prey on kids. Growing out of this tale came rumours about a fatal assault upon a paediatrician in Portsmouth and various other similar stories. What is interesting about all of this is the embedded implication that ignorance and inaccuracy in the field of spelling can have dire consequences.

I have always been brilliant at spelling. I might not be brilliant at a long list of other things - from mental arithmetic to fixing engines but spelling I can do. Hey that doesn't mean I never make mistakes because I do and it doesn't mean I am a pedant who is chiefly interested in the nuts and bolts of writing. What matters is meaning and though I have fortunately been blessed with the ability to spell very accurately, this doesn't mean I look down on less gifted spellers or scorn their writing in any way.


Eleven years ago presidential hopeful Dan Quayle (left) scuppered his political fortunes by telling this little boy that potato needed an "e" on the end.

What does piss me off is people who seem personally offended when their mis-spellings are pointed out to them and people who dismiss the importance of good spelling - "What does it matter?" I see mis-spelling all around me - in shop windows, in newspapers, in TV credits and official forms, holiday brochures, web pages, blogs and magazines. Mis-spellings that have evaded proof readers of novels glare out at me.

I think that if we are inaccurate in our use of language we are very likely inaccurate in other aspects of life. If we shrug our shoulders at correctness how can we measure anything?

My place of work and punishment is near a suburb of Sheffield called Grenoside which computer spell checkers usually correct to "genocide"! Thinking about the untrustworthiness of spell checkers, somebody called Janet Minor wrote this:-

I have a spelling checker
It came with my PC;
It plainly marks four my revue
Mistakes I cannot sea.
I've run this poem threw it,
I'm sure your pleased too no,
Its letter perfect in it's weigh,
My checker tolled me sew.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's stone.

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone: Review.
This was the first movie who spilled the magic all over the world with the little shabby specy guy named as Harry Potter.
And the best one according to me.
If the second one had suspense,third one had puzzle,fourth one had action (magic include in all three), then the first one had all of it and it started the journey of the magical miracles.

Starring Daniel Radcliffe as Harry potter Rupert Grint as Ron Weasely and Emma Watson as Hermoine Granger( oo forgot the spelllings)
Others are Dumb-bell-door(shit the door doesnt open and the belll doesnt ring)Mc Gonagell (Resembles to Vince Mc Mahon), Snape(Snake) and Hagrid(the giant)
A Harry Potter review has to be much grand explaining terms because it has too much.Muggles(you and me) quidditch( sweeping home play).So i'll leave that.

This MPM(magic packed movie) starts with magic and ends with it.
The story is about a magical school -Hogwarts .But basically the story is all about a stone.The Sorcerer's Stone(This was the first and only HP movie till date that whose name was different from the name of the novel, because only the US name had Sorcerer's in it and the rest of the world had philosopher)A stone that produces some sort of liquid that makes you live more( near to immortal),that was the reason why Nicholas Flamel (heard this name in the movie) was 600+ yrs old (cooool) and our great villian Voldemort is in search of that damn' stone and the whole damn' movie is about that protected by a three headed dog known as fluffy.Victory over evil and soo on.Voldemort is the coolest ghost i have seen who drinks silver blood and lives in the back of a so called Professor Quarrel (i said i dont know the spelings) under his turban.

Maddest scene: no nominee for that,Dursley deserves that when he changes his house just because of letters.
Craziest scene: many nominees Longbottom's crazy broomstick ride, Fluffy's big drool on Ron,Monster's snot.
And the craziest scene is the Monster's snot, when the monster attacks Hermoine Harry saves her by putting in his magic wand in his grand nostrils (resembling hose pipes) and when he extracts, wow what a snot!Crazy.
Coolest Scene:When Harry stands on his broomstick and falls off with the Golden ball in his mouth and vomits it out.
Coolest Dialogue: The Climax one by Harry "I am going from home, not to home"(soo emotional)
[Well let me warn you I have seen this movie in Hindi without subtitles, so the dialog will be similar or not i dont know... If you want to check out it then watch the movie instead.]

Friday, July 13, 2007

Harry Potter Week!



Have you heard of Harry Potter?
If not, you are not living on earth.
For you kind information Harry Potter is a so called wizard.
Basically a fictious character portrayed by the great writer J.K. Rowling.

Whatever as i scrolled through Google trends, Yahoo's homepage i found that Harry potter is right in the top searches going on.

The reason well is the movie and the book releasing a week later...
Its first case that i know a movie and its book releasing in 10 days and that too of the same series.
So thats the reason i am starting the H.P. Week.
For this week what is have seen about harry potter i'll review it.
So checkout for sure.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Urgent Missing Report



Round yellow thing usually floats around the sky.

Answers to the name "Sun."'

If you see him, remind him it's July.

Left: a sketch artists impression released by the Police today.









12 July 07 Charles The Potter says: We're not having that trouble here, it's been sunny, HOT and humid..temperature is finally getting reasonable now and the sun is still out. PERFECT. -In Pennsylvania, USA

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Promote Your Blog #2


Using PUBlic Transport
If you dont use some sort of a public transport then use it for a few days.
You just need to carry your wallet for paying the fare to the bloody bus conductor
plus a big black permanent marker (very important)
Here in Jammu (where i live), mostly matadors(not bullfighter but type of a vehicle).
Now what:-
Use your biggy big marker to write at the back of the seat of the next person (infront) sitting to you.Write the URL of your blogs/website... better in bold.
Its better than writin your cell no. or your love's no(which is mostly written).

Beware of the conductor!!!hide the written stuff when he comes gor the fare.
If he sees the understandable bullshit either he'll throw you out or let you be in,
if he sees you in, he'll let you wipe the back of seat, if he loves your work he'll make you a permanent servant.

Well who the hell has time to stare around.
Dont worry get going

Wednesday

At least it's not raining. Frances is away in Ibiza for a week, following completion of her A level exams. She worked so hard and deserves the end reward of a university place - reading American and Canadian Studies at the University of Birmingham. We will be so proud if she makes it. I think the Canadian bit is covered in an afternoon!

Ian is so well-settled in the new house that we hardly see him. It's about a mile and a half from where we live. By all accounts the house has already become a magnet for his many mates. But me and Shirley, we are feeling a certain emptiness. It's a premonition of things to come.

Up until this point in time we have been blessed with a happy family life - meals round the table, barbecues, some crises to get through, pets, never-ending conversation and companionship, a long list of lovely holidays - camping in France, the summer in Italy, trips to Ireland, all the Balearic Islands, Greece, Portugal, three times in America, cottages with open fires and coastal caravans. It has been wonderful and it began in August 1984 when Ian was born. So we have had twenty three years of busy family life - little time to rest on your haunches or feel sorry for yourself. We have been simply... living.

Now what? I guess many people have been through this sense of emptiness - as if your main mission in life - to raise a family - is almost through. Sure, Ian will continue to need support with his house and financial affairs and Frances will come home during university holidaytime but it's never going to be quite the same again.

Where is the little girl in her red wellington boots, wrestling with the hosepipe on a hot summer's evening? And where is the boy who yelled one Christmas morning - "...He's been! HE'S BEEN!"...the same boy I taught to ride a bike and with whom I scaled Ben Nevis. And where is the girl who blew out the candles and weirdly wrote her name in perfect mirror image script?

But you know, the thing was, I always knew such a day would come and I knew the trick was to love and live each day because this joy wouldn't last forever. I remember weeping one afternoon when Frances was four and Ian was eight. I had taken them to the post office to post their paintings for a "Blue Peter" TV competition. They were holding my hands and laughing. I saw our combined shadows on the pavement - moving as one and I had this overwhelming and grievous realisation that this ordinary moment was exceptional and that one day I would look back on it as a symbolically happy picture of my fatherhood and no matter what I tried I just couldn't hang on to the physical reality of the moment forever... only the memory.

You see... as well as being hard as nails... Yorkshiremen can also be bloody soft too!

Monday, July 9, 2007

Die Hard


Went to see Die Hard 4.0 at the weekend.


I guess the best way to sum it would be if you could imagine a Die Hard Greatest Hits compilation cd, that would be fairly close: All the best bits you remember without the bum single that only managed to scrape number 40 in the charts so to speak.


Action more or less from the very first moment through to the end and every set-piece action moment swiftly followed by a quip from one of the stars, most often Willis as you might expect. The man himself seemed to me to be on good form, with the ocassional acknowledgement of the passing of the years since the last outing. The plot was strong enough to hold my attention (as did the explosions), mirroring current themes and concerns.


My only concern being that it makes enough money in the box office to convince the studio to flog the franchaise beyond it's sell by date. Other wise full marks from me.




Sunday, July 8, 2007

Crazy Patterns


Introducing Crazy Patterns...
O.kay O.kay i have explored something fishy.I
ts fishy because its an easy way to draw a fish
.with two opposite angular brackets,three brackets,one colion and another angular bracket gives you a cute looking fish.

><))):>
___________________________________________________________________
Another discovery not by me,but while chatting with a friend Ashwini
Did you know that gmail/gtalk isnt so silly that it will have no audibles,smileys (its silly for audibles though).These are just like crap in Gtalk but cool in Gmail.(i.e. is Gmail's Chat)I wont show you the preview because preview will create laziness in you.So checkout these:-
:) Mr. Happy
:( Mr. Sad
<3Heart There are many more to try out...
______________________________________________________________
Another one (neither by me nor by my friend but a website)
Type "Q33NY" without these two thorns(whatever they are called at as trop he).The font size being the highest (72 is cool)The font being Windgdings.
Check it out! 9/11 live!

Google Geared Up!!!

Things are changing...
Online and offline gaps are shrinking day by day.
The reason is the same reason thats hot in the air... net air
The big G... Google.
The google has geared up, not literally but this is the name of their new application known as Google Gears.
Now what the hell's that?
Its what will revolutionise the net... Many of the applications,sites would work offline including the gmail
(How can google forget its son!).
And... Google Gears is a son only for now (Beta is Son in Hindi)i.e. its first beta has released only.
(Dont worry beta's run, your gtalk is still in beta mode,hope the google search engine isnt beta after so much years)
But i still dont understand why google is interested in bringing the whole web to the desktop.
First Google Desktop! and now Google Gears!
Whatever its overall a benefit for home users who are sick in bed (like me) after discovering the bills that the ghost of the internet threw at them.
(By the way I heard that google has a plan to bring up an operating system GHOST in their big brain)

Saturday, July 7, 2007

Rain

For Sheffield and much of South and East Yorkshire, last month was not just ludicrous, it was devastatingly tragic. Sheffield suffered 400% more rain than the June average. Even as early as the 14th, 88mm fell in just one day. Hence the land was sodden when the worst rain of all gushed down on the 25th and 26th of the month. It was officially Sheffield's wettest ever month - not just the wettest June but the wettest month in our city since records began. This weekend looks promising but even into July the skies have been heavy and leaden with rain either falling or threatening.

Another Yorkshire city to be hit hard on the 25th was Hull - home to my beloved Hull City AFC. Nearly two weeks after the flooding began, they reckon that some 17,000 homes have been badly affected (only 1260 in Sheffield!) For many of these people, the aftermath doesn't bear thinking about - stripping of plaster walls, replacement of floorboards, cleaning, replacement furniture, weeks of drying out. The stress will remain awful. Another tragedy surrounds the damage caused to 90% of Hull's schools - some schools are so badly damaged that they won't be able to function normally again for over a year - floors to be replaced - replastering - redecorating - replacing furniture - thorough cleaning etc..

Chanterlands Avenue, Hull - reflections of the sky mask a more horrible reality.

Hull is England's seventh largest city and yet the national news services largely ignored what was happening there until they were deluged (excuse the pun) with emails and complaints and then they finally allowed Hull's plight to hit the news. For example, it wasn't until Thursday July 4th that the BBC evening news ran a special upon the disaster in Hull. National politicians have been just as dilatory. Our new Primeminister, Gordon Brown, should have been up in Hull and South Yorkshire a day or two after the flooding to show solidarity with and governmental care for beleaguered citizens. Yet I understand his much belated visit will occur today July 7th! Too late Gordon!

Beverley, East Yorkshire - near my mother's residential home.

I thank heavens that our house has not been affected - nor Ian's new house near Sheffield United's ground. Flooding is a terrible thing. Lives have been lost, homes ruined and once again England's north/south divide has been shown in stark and bitter relief.
Addendum: Ms Muddyboots from East Yorkshire correctly ticked me off for failing to refer to the flood damage in outlying East Yorkshire villages. Just one unreported flood-related event happened in the village where I was born and raised. Last year, a small estate of some sixty modern designer homes was completed to the south of the village on somewhat low-lying land and yes - you have guessed it - the land flooded and all sixty homes had to be evacuated after water two feet deep penetrated floors and walls, causing misery and damage. These homes are people's dreams - so much hope and money invested in them - and even when they are sorted out after many months, the memory will remain alongside the fear that it could happen again. Why are builders allowed to build on land liable to flooding? It's crazy.

To support the citizens of Hull - many of the poorest absolutely uninsured - send donations to the Hull Flood Fund (click link)

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Promote Ur Blog ->1


These bloody trucks steal away,cut across the wires of my teelphone that it R.I.P. for these days.
Soorry for this damn' delay.
--------------------------------- *-------------------------------
So Lets start up something new.
Promote Ur Blog(PUB) series (Series of CrAzY but CooL tips)
getting started with "GET SOCIALISED"



Have you ever visited a social networking site... or never visited a social networking site.
Or you have never visited a social networking site. The latter one will be mostly no.
Whatever, mostly accounts are puffed in without any reason.Just to boast 'i have more social networking sites than you'.
Taking an example of Orkut.
After making atleast a crappy cent friends- the message seen on thje scraps are still are-
'Hello,hi fine if not, drink wine' and some useless forwarded messages.
Just sign up @ Orkut ,make your mark ,will take little time.
Its better you search for a person having maximum number of friends, whose scrapbook gets updated every damn' second.
Send him/her a cool scrap to promote your blog like...
"TECHUP-Visit http://www.supershiva.blogspot.com
Your tech brain will soon crash if you dont forward this message to 10 or more people"

It is better to scrap then message.
The reasons being:-
1.The message is read (mostly not read) by a single person.
2.The scraps are read by any one who visits the persons scrapbook.

So try scrappimg on the most flooded scrapbooks.

Its better you join the BLOGGER GAME.
send your blogs every day, rate and get rated.Visit and get visited.

And dont forget to mention your blog url in your profile.

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Thought for the Day

Thought for the day.

You spend £200 on a new washing machine and when it goes wrong, you call the repair man out.

You spend £100 more on a child's electric bike and when it goes wrong, you throw it away. Why- where's the sense in that?

End of thought for the day.

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Entry for July 04, 2007


It's Catherine Tate- that was a pleasant suprise!

Worship

"A Portrait of Ann" 1957
One of Lowry's favourite images. He was photographed several times with this picture just happening to be in the camera's gaze. Who was she? Perhaps a metaphor for his late mother.
Below there's the lyrics of a minor hit in the UK in 1978 - just two years after Lowry's death. Some awkward lines but don't you think that it's quite refreshing when popular songwriters shelve their obsession with romantic love? Lowry was perhaps the most unlikely subject for a pop song.
MATCHSTALK MEN AND MATCHSTALK CATS AND DOGS
(Burke / Coleman)
Brian & Michael - 1978
He painted Salford's smokey tops
On cardboard boxes from the shops
And parts of Ancoats where I used to play
I'm sure he once walked down our street
Cause he painted kids who had nowt on their feet
The clothes we wore had all seen better days.
Now they said his works of art were dull
No room, all round the walls are full
But Lowry didn't care much anyway
They said he just paints cats and dogs
And matchstalk men in boots and clogs
And Lowry said that's just the way they'll stay

And he painted matchstalk men and matchstalk cats and dogs
He painted kids on the corner of the street with the sparking clogs
Now he takes his brush and he waits outside them factory gates
To paint his matchstalk men and matchstalk cats and dogs
Now canvas and brushes were wearing thin
When London started calling him
To come on down and wear the old flat cap
They said tell us all about your ways
And all about them Salford days
Is it true you're just an ordinary chap

And he painted matchstalk men and matchstalk cats and dogs
He painted kids on the corner of the street with the sparking clogs
Now he takes his brush and he waits outside them factory gates
To paint his matchstalk men and matchstalk cats and dogs
Now Lowries hang upon the wall
Beside the greatest of them all
And even the Mona Lisa takes a bow
This tired old man with hair like snow
Told northern folk its time to go
The fever came and the good Lord mopped his brow

And he left us matchstalk men and matchstalk cats and dogs
He left us kids on the corner of the street with sparking clogs
Now he takes his brush and he waits outside them pearly gates
To paint his matchstalk men and matchstalk cats and dogs "A Manufacturing Town" 1922 - Here the figures are more anatomically correct. His matchstick men style is just starting to emerge.

It's Kylie at Last!


A teensy-bit of Doctor Who news...


The BBC have confirmed the rumours that Kylie Minogue is to join David Tennant in the 2007 Doctor Who Christmas special, "Voyage of the Damned." The plot is said to involve the RMS Titanic and Kylie will have a major (one-off?) role. According to executive producer Russell T Davies,"This will be the most ambitious and best Christmas episode yet." Shooting on this and series 4 is due to begin shortly in Cardiff.

For those that don't know the singer who came to fame in the soap Neigbours, was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and had to halt her "Showgirl" world tour for around 18 months.

Kylie's official web site may be found at:
<< http://www.kylie.com/ >>


The full story carried on the BBC News web site may be found at: << http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6262094.stm >>


Elsewhere it has been reported, the Doctor Who series 3 final "Last of the Time Lords" was watched by 9m viewers with a 39% audience share. Let's hear it for heavy advertising and poor weather!


The BBC have also stated that Freema Agyeman who took the role of new companion Martha Jones in series 3 is not leaving the show. In fact she is to film 3 episodes of the next series of Torchwood before rejoining Doctor Who mid-series 4, along side Tennant's Doctor and an as yet to be named new character. Some reports suggest the new character will be played by Tom Ellis who appeared in "Last of the Time Lords" playing Thomas Milligan.

Either way here's hoping Freema rejoins the series sooner rather than later.
Sadly it looks unlikely John Simm will return to the series, although I guess anything is possible...

Monday, July 2, 2007

Lowry

As a Yorkshire Pudding, it pains me to confess that one of my all-time favourite artists is the Lancastrian - Laurence Stephen Lowry. Born in Manchester in 1887, L.S. Lowry died in Glossop in 1976. He was an odd fellow - a tall bumbling bachelor with a pipe and trilby, an untidy and unmodernised house, few friends but he possessed an abnormally strong bond with his mother even long after she had died.

In the twenties and into the thirties, he was mostly focussed on the grim workaday reality of his sprawling home city. He said, "I saw the industrial scene and I was affected by it. I tried to paint it all the time. I tried to paint the industrial scene as best I could. It wasn't easy. Well, a camera could have done the scene straight off".

His painting came to an abrupt halt in 1939 with his mother's death. "After she died, I lost all interest".

After World War II, he was drawn to painting individual people - often ordinary people who inhabited his neighbourhood. He said, "I feel more strongly about these people than I ever did about the industrial scene. They are real people, sad people. I'm attracted to sadness and there are some very sad things. I feel like them".
In my little gallery below I have posted three of my favourite Lowries from the nineteen thirties:-

A Procession 1938... And an old man turns away from the
passing throng at the end of his street. He has seen it all before.


Man With Red Eyes 1938... The gaze is intense and unsettling. The mind is troubled. Perhaps it is a metaphor for Lowry himself.

A Fight 1935... It's a community event. Who knows why they are fighting? It seems so petty. Like a scene from some slapstick silent movie.