but let's begin with Dotts
Graeme Dott's recent World Snooker win aroused much comment. Even some comment about his apparently dormant website. But imagine if he had a daughter, and she was called, let's say, err...Dorothy. Would her e-addy be 'dot@dot.dott.co.uk'? Try reading that out loud!
bangers & mash
Well, just bangers actually. I only found out last week that they got their name because years ago, when they had a high water content, they used to 'pop' if you did not prick them. I guess you all knew that.
how far? how young?
The Times reported last week that in India, one Budhia Singh ran 40 miles in 7 hours. Amazing, though hardly world-beating I suppose. Until you consider that Budhia is 4 - that's FOUR - years old... They carried a pic of the toddler, too, and he's coming to London later this month. That must be some paper round he has.
this may come in handy
From a Law Report, also in The Times.
"No passers-by witnessed indecent act in public". "......
The witnessing of a lewd and obscene act by a single observer of a CCTV was not sufficient to satisfy the common-law elements of outraging decency. The foyer of Lloyds TSB in Sheffield University was covered by 24 hour CCTV. On February 2, 2005, an unidentified female performed an act of oral sex upon the defendant. Subsequently, the Manageress of the branch saw the video recording. It was judged that to meet the criteria of 'unlawful indecency' more than one person had to see it.
So, it's OK if only one person watches it. The defendant was acquitted.
Might come in handy, you never know.
bluebells
Bluebells are one of the first plants to bloom every year, why is that? It seems that they tend to be in woodland, and they bloom early otherwise once the trees start to leaf up, they are denied the sunlight they need. There you go, how clever is Mother Nature?
more cuckoos
I had a bit of read up on Cuckoos over the weekend. Did you know that a cuckoo is likely to lay up to 25 eggs per year? Given their nesting habits (see my previous Cuckoo-piece) that's an awful lot of eggs and hatchlings that get killed by cuckoos alone. Tom also told me that cuckoo chicks are enormous buggers, and their usual 'adopted' nests are owned by very small birds. So imagine what the, say, little mummy blue-tit must think when she has to try & feed her almost pigeon sized baby!
one last bird piece
Sorry, but I love birds. I wrote in an earlier blog about the untimely death, at the hands of Angell, of Bertie the Blackbird. But he's been replaced, which is wonderful news for me. When you hear the dawn chorus, as pokerists are wont to do, the most noise comes from blackbirds, they have the most beautiful range of birdsong. Crows and magpies make more noise, but the blackbird has such beautiful song. I wonder why they all sing first thing in the morning?
Oops - one more last last Bird piece
Stood on Crewe station, awaiting Wooly Jumpers much delayed (but no announcement) Preston train, two girls were sat on a station seat, both of them snacking, one on crisps, the other on sarnies. Inervitably, this attracted the attention of two passing pigeons, who decided to clear up the crumbs, as pigeons do. Both girls visibly recoiled as the pigeons were busy pecking the crumbs near their feet. I gently shooed the pigeons away (never miss an opening, me...) and got chatting to the girls, both of whom expressed their thanks fulsomely. I asked why on earth they were frightened of pigeons - they said, "they are horrible things". Now, I know Pigeons rank low in the bird, err, pecking order, and ain't fussy what they eat, but how on earth can anyone be visibly scared of a pigeon? "Woman eaten alive by giant pigeon" is a headline I have yet to see. Nowt weird as folks, but maybe it's me, not them.