Amusingly named Swiss fire-extinguisher.

How very Swiss to keep fire-extinguishers in plastic bags:

On tour in Switzerland!

Ooops!

Facebook has lost about $40 billion in market value since the IPO, and as such is the worst major IPO ever!
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/facebook-stock-fb-closes-50-percent-offer-price/story?id=17018516

VIGYÁZAT! Hazi Palinka!

DANGER! Hungarian 51% plum brandy is powerful stuff! This video of what Hungarian lorry driver Korbely Pal got up to after drinking '51% plum brandy' is proof:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-19206417

The ailing car industry's latest publicity stunt

Rover due to land on Mars.

I hope they remembered to check the oil before they set off.

How desperate are the pubs and restaurants in central London.
This was taken today (July 31st!) round the corner from here.

(Courtesy of my friend Maria)

Tower Bridge, Five Rings and a cruise liner

Intelligent Life

As well as the fascinating review on Mountains of Instead, there's also a very interesting interveiw. With me! I've just managed to find it: http://www.mountainsofinstead.com/2012/07/author-interview-neil-arksey-author-of.html

UK Government to shift Jet Stream north in time for Olympic Games.

Cameron announces entire UK ground force to be pulled out of Helmand province in order fill G4S security staff shortfall at London Olympics.

Spotted my first olympic athletes last night, taking photos with the rings in the background down by Tower Bridge.

St Swithin's day

Dry so far, but don't count your chickens. The fact that it's been raining for the last 100 days will not be taken into consideration.

The way the UK floods are going, they could hold the Olympic sailing pretty much anywhere in the UK.

                                                                       Weymouth!

July 9 2012 - Hosepipe ban in South West England finally lifted.

76 years since a Brit male won a Wimbledon final. Then 2 men come along with practically the same name! Marray did it. Can Murray?

THIS is England!

If you're coming to the olympics bring your wellies!

(picture: Reuters)

Announcement -

we're pretty certain we may possibly have found something that might eventually turn out to be the Higgs Boson or something like it. Probably.

Messing With Time -

Woohoo! We get an extra second today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_second How will you spend yours? #leapsecond

We Should Be Told -

Does The Queen Cook?

You Learn Something New Every Day

With Ascot kicking off today, everyone is talking about fascinators. Now you can too:
http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/ladies+hats/5084,default,sc.html?gclid=CJmQwqLQ2bACFYQMfAodOx7Pzw&prefn1=Style&prefv1=Fascinators&fix&spcl&cm_mmc=Google+Adwords-_-Headwear-_-Headwear+-+Accessories+-+W+-+Fascinators-_-%2Bfascinators+%2Buk

Female Chinese Astronaut Docking

For the first time in history, male Chinese astronauts have docked with a female.
In orbit.

Royal Events are becoming Common

Yet another fly past over London today. Red Arrows, military aircraft, blah blah blah

Bloomsday in Bloomsbury

Thirty years ago today I was in Dublin celbrating James Joyce's Ulysses with the likes of Anthony Burgess.
This year I'll have to settle for a pint of Guiness in Bloomsbury.


What I remember from those days is that Finnegan's Wake is pretty much unreadable, but Ulysses is a fantastic book.

Good News about Libraries for a Change

Good fun visiting libraries for the Young Readers Birmingham festival today. Great to find England's second city is building a brand new central library. Personally I prefer the look of the old 70s monstrosity. But of course - it's never just about looks.

Anyone remember Boxing Helena, the movie that in the 90s became a byword for 'unbelievably bad'? Prometheus was worse!

Hollywood Hubris

OMG! Prometheus was so shockingly bad that tonight's cinema audience laughed. After all that hype, such a breathtakingly terrible script!

Intelligent Life author interviews

Two online interviews. Note the subtle ways the author contradicts himself!



http://neabarabea.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/intelligent-life-by-neil-arksey-review.html


http://booksweremyfirstfriends.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/author-interview-neil-arksey.html

Intelligent Life - Neil Arksey Interview

As well as a fab review of Intelligent Life, today Alison B has posted an interview with yours truly on her blog : http://booksweremyfirstfriends.blogspot.com.es/

Intelligent Life review

'Marked with sporadic bouts of seriousness and humor, Intelligent Life is a fun, easy read for the younger reader in your life.' http://booksweremyfirstfriends.blogspot.com.es/

Nuff said!

I don’t usually enjoy science fiction, but I really liked Intelligent Life. It was character focused, and had an exceptional plot as well. http://booksweremyfirstfriends.blogspot.com.es/2012/05/review-intelligent-life-by-neil-arksey.html

After 15 years writing books and having them reviewed you get to know when a blogger is the real deal:  @paperboxgirl is on the money! http://booksweremyfirstfriends.blogspot.com.es/2012/05/review-intelligent-life-by-neil-arksey.html

INTELLIGENT LIFE - 'an amazing story that wove a web of mystery and intrigue.' Check the full review and RETWEET: http://booksweremyfirstfriends.blogspot.com.es/2012/05/review-intelligent-life-by-neil-arksey.html

Intelligent Blog!

@paperboxgirl's review of Intelligent Life smart and thoughtful: http://booksweremyfirstfriends.blogspot.com.es/2012/05/review-intelligent-life-by-neil-arksey.html and I love the name of her blog!!

Yay! @paperboxgirl describes INTELLIGENT LIFE as 'AN AMAZING STORY' Check it out:
http://booksweremyfirstfriends.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/review-intelligent-life-by-neil-arksey.html

Fab new review of INTELLIGENT LIFE!! - http://booksweremyfirstfriends.blogspot.com/2012/05/review-intelligent-life-by-neil-arksey.html 

Read about the UK's first commercial space flight in INTELLIGENT LIFE:   http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intelligent-Life-Out-There-ebook/dp/B006KTVQ9O/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_t_4

At last! The launch of the world's first commercial space flight - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2147981/SpaceX-Falcon-9-launch-First-private-commercial-flight-takes-Cape-Canaveral-International-Space-Station.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

'INTELLIGENT LIFE is an exiciting and interesting read' - http://neabarabea.blogspot.co.uk

'OMG, hilarious!!' - http://neabarabea.blogspot.co.uk about INTELLIGENT LIFE

'Everytime they showed up in the story, I found myself laughing like crazy.'
http://neabarabea.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/intelligent-life-by-neil-arksey-review.html?showComment=1337447358773#c4273673052570046793