The Birdy Blitz

Yesterday I had no classes, but with the end of the summer holidays being this week I decided to be a good little bunnikins and go to school to do lesson preparation.

So 45mins of train ride later I'm standing outside a closed school. Hmm, who would have thought that I'd be the only person stoopid enough to be here?

Sitting down under a tree to eat my sandwiches that I'd brought to get me through the hard day of lesson preparation I was given a little surprise from above. A bird shit on me, and even worse, on my sandwich, too.

I took the train back to bed.

Today I finished Matthew Reilly’s Area 7. Take his previous book Ice Station, replace every occurrence of the words ‘snow’ and ‘ice’ with the word ‘sand’ and you’ve written Area 7. While reading his novels I haven’t learnt any new vocabulary, but I’ve learnt a lot about military equipment – both real and fantastic. I’m going to give him one more chance with Scarecrow.

But really (or reilly?), more power to him. Anyone who can make a living using their talents and doing what they love gets my kudos.

Flashman, Bond, Potter

Let me request that any comments don't contain spoilers to these books.

Yesterday, I made the mistake of starting to read George MacDonald Fraser's Flashman on the crowded morning train. The mistake was that the book is so fucking funny that I burst out laughing several times. This is not the best way to avoid annoyed stares. After that I tried to confine my mirth to muffled guffaws, but I fear that all they did were to make the other passengers more nervous than annoyed.

What a gem of a read.

In Australia I also picked up SilverFin, the first book in the Young Bond series. The Young Bond series intends to chronicle the Eton years of the world's most famous secret agent ("Bond, James Bond." if you still haven't worked it out). Written by Charlie Higson of The Fast Show fame, it turned out to be much better than the premise suggests. It had in its favor:

• Unlike other recent literary version of Bond, this is not an updating of the character. Nor does it try to include anything of the cinematic Bond. It is concerned with only Ian Fleming's Bond.
• It is set in the 1930s, which is always a fun period.
• Higson can string a sentence together.
• Higson has researched the character.
• Higson has researched the period.
• Although aimed at young teenage boys, it retained the violence and sadism of Fleming.

If you're a Bond fan and have been putting off reading it, then I'd say give it a chance. Also if you enjoy reading books for teenagers, then it will probably hold your appeal. I for one am waiting for the sequel Blood Fever, which will be released later this year.

+++ PLEASE DON'T SCROLL DOWN ANY FURTHER UNLESS YOU WANT TO KNOW MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUT HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. +++

+++ Major Spoilers Alert+++

To give you a second chance to think about what you're doing I've written the text in the same colour as the background. Highlight between the brackets to read it.
[How about the death of Dumbledore?!?
Is there really only 1 book left to go?
Who is R.A.B?]
Please email me if you want Potty talk.

Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne

Mari and I had 6 days in Australia last week.
The time was used to catch up with mum...


catch up with my brother and his family...




and a little sightseeing...




Mum, Nathanael, Mari and I also saw "The Producers". By the end I was laughing pretty loudly. It was one of those shows that became so stupid that it won me over. Go and see it if you're drunk (or, if like myself, just not too bright).

A good way to spend the week.

Alix and David

About time to catch up on some blogging I think.

It's been a busy few weeks since I've been here, so I'll keep it farily brief and let the pictures fill in for a thousand words or so.

Two weeks ago Miss Alix and her boy David came to Tokyo for a week. We had a great time in the sweltering Tokyo weather.

While we walked from air conditioned coffee shop to air conditioned coffee shop, we saw the typical tourist stuff like Meigi Shrine (sadly not a shrine to chocolate)...


the Edo Tokyo Museum...


and the Science Museum...


But we also did a few different things, like getting up at zero dark hundred to eat sushi at the Tsukiji Fish Markets...


and catching up with old friends.


I loved to see them and hope that it won't be another 2 years (can you believe that their wedding was that long ago!) until I see them again.
As they're moving to England, thus giving me a floor to crash on there, I'm sure it won't be.

Have fun for the next few weeks in China guys.

Lucas Clones Dog

And it's a howler.

Ted, Allan & I saw Episode 3 yesterday.

I wasn't expecting a great flick, but the reviews had said it was better than the other two. After watching it, I feel they must have seen a different film to the one I did.

There's not much to say. We laughed at all the wrong places, and left stunned that so poorly a scripted and acted piece of work could actually see the light of day. At least it provided us with much merriment as we drank our after-movie beers.

I'd devote more time to criticism of it, but if Lucas couldn't be bothered, I don't see why I should.

These guys did take the time, and they say everything about it that I'd like to.

Thank the maker, this is finally over.