Bayeux Tapestry...Animated With Music.

© David Newton

∗ Excellent stuff ∗

Don't Know Why I Bother Sometimes

I really hate it when tickets to shows sell out almost before they even go on sale to the public. I really wanted to see the one off production of Freshwater at the Charleston Festival starring the West family, but instead I ended up wasting my time and phone bill by being put on hold for over 30 mins, only to be told that the tickets had already sold out ages ago. Simply wonderful...not. :(

Samuel West Charity Auction Picture

The ever so wonderful Sam has kindly supplied an un-dedicated autographed picture of himself for a Scottish charity that I belong to called 'Pathfinder Dogs'. This charity specializes in training German Shepherd dogs to guide blind people.

Click on link below...
Sam West Auction

∗ Pathfinders have other celeb auctions so please check them out too ∗

More info on Pathfinder Dogs...(website having make over at the mo)
Pathfinder Dogs

Shame I can't bid on the pic myself, but I hope whoever wins it will treasure it forever. *sigh*

G20 Summit demos, April 1st and 2nd 2009 London

More details here...
Demand Obama drops George Bush's War Policies

∗ Moi will hopefully be going ∗

Comic Relief Red Nose Day Fri 13th March 2009

Just thought I'd mention that I will be doing a sponsored cycling event on Red Nose Day here in London.

Details here...

http://www.myrednoseday.com/m4sure

Any help with sponsoring me, or simply giving some good old moral support will be much appreciated.

∗ fingers crossed my Red Nose stays on ∗ ;P

Equal Roles Survey

© The Stage

.."Recent research by the International Federation of Actors revealed that female performers earn less and have shorter careers than their male counterparts, and do not feel that TV or theatre represents them in a realistic way"..

Weird Facts That You Probably Didn't Know

© Metro.co.uk

• There's a mountain range the size of the Alps hidden underneath the ice of Antarctica - and nobody knows how it got there. The Gamburtsev Mountain Range stretches for 1,200km, and is up to 3,400m high - but because the ice is 4km deep, nobody's ever seen them. Current theories of how massive mountain ranges form (either by continental plates colliding, or through volcanic activity) don't seem to explain how these mountains might have been created. A scientific expedition is currently being planned to study them in more detail, in an effort to work out what they're doing there.

• The four suits now commonly used in a deck of cards originated from France around 1480. The kings on the cards are the faces of some of the great kings in history. The King of Spades is King David, who was regarded as the founder of the Judean royal dynasty by the 9th century BC. The King of Clubs is Alexander the Great, the ancient Greek King that conquered most of the world known to his countrymen. Hearts is King Charlemagne- leader of The Franks, who in the Middle Ages conquered most of Western Europe. And King of Diamonds is Julius Caesar, the Roman king who played a significant role in the transformation of the Roman Empire.

• On February 10, 1355 rioting broke out in Oxford between the scholars of the University and the townspeople - started by an argument over the quality of wine in a local tavern, during which 'saucy' words were spoken. Almost 100 people died in the ensuing fighting.

• The Niagara Falls ran dry on March 29, 1848, after an ice dam further up the Niagara River blocked the flow of water from Lake Erie. People were able to walk along the river bed for a day before the ice broke.

• A beer flood hit London in 1814 after a giant vat burst. More than 1million litres of booze spilled from a brewery in Tottenham Court Road, killing nine people – including one from alcohol poisoning.

• 14 ships and their crews were trapped when the Suez Canal was closed due to the 1967 Six-Day War. They remained stuck there for eight years – during which time they set up their own postal system (complete with stamps), held a mock Olympic games, and formed a yachting club. They were known as the 'Yellow Fleet', because of the amount of sand that collected on their decks.

• The unofficial anthem of Cornwall, The Song Of The Western Men (otherwsie known as 'Trelawny'), was composed by Robert Stephen Hawker, an eccentric, opium-smoking priest in 1824 – but he passed it off as a long-lost traditional poem, fooling Sir Walter Scott and Charles Dickens in the process.

• In 1997, scientists recorded a mysterious, powerful, low-frequency noise under the sea. The 'Bloop', as it is known, appeared to come from a gigantic animal, far larger than any known creature. What made it remains unknown.

Steam power rolls into London

© ITN news story

.."Britain turned back the clock almost 50 years as a £3 million steam train chugged into London"..

∗ I missed this event due to visiting family up north, but my Dad who used to work as a fireman on steam trains during the late 1950's/early 60's was thrilled to see this new engine come to life on TV ∗

New Torchwood Series Coming Soon

∗ Can't friggin wait ∗ ;P

Hamas and Israel 'agree Gaza truce'

The deputy leader of Hamas has said the Islamic group has agreed to a long-term truce with Israel for the Gaza Strip, according to Egypt's official news agency. Moussa Abu Marzouk told Mena that Egypt's government, which has been mediating between Hamas and Israel, will announce the 18-month truce in two days after consulting with other Palestinian factions. In Jerusalem, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said the Israeli government has no comment to make on the report.

Earlier, Egyptian and Hamas officials reported progress in truce talks, which included Hamas' strongman from Gaza, Mahmoud Zahar, and Egypt's top mediator, intelligence chief Omar Suleiman.

A Family Reunion Video

∗ it could of done with some more Harry pix but it's still very good ∗

Samuel West talks about Civil Liberty

© all images and transcript taken from the guardian.co.uk video

"The erosion of civil liberties, is something that happens very gradually and very invisibly. And it's extraordinary how under a blanket of fear, these small slivers have been taken off things we fought for, for centuries without really there being a consensus about how best to fight them."

"I find it extraordinary that we could contemplate putting our DNA on a database, on mass in order that our children should inherit the possibility of being tracked down. As that's happened to my own family. Members of my family, who had members of their family interviewed because their DNA happened to be on a database."

"And you just think, that is totally random. And totally unacceptable. Being an actor means pretending to be someone else. And if you do that well, then it becomes impossible to be racist or sexist, or any of the other things that one hopes not to be because one spends ones time imagining what it's like for the other person."

"I feel very privileged in my job. To be habitually required to do that empathising. And perhaps that makes it easier for me to support this campaign."

More info here...
The Convention on Modern Liberty

Dr Who 1963 Theme Music Video

∗ Can't believe this version is 3 years older than me ∗

British chips smell of ... ironing boards, study finds

© AFP.com news

.."Britain is famous for fish and chip shops -- and now scientists have isolated the chip smells which tempt in passers by, including butterscotch, onion -- and ironing boards, they said Monday"..

Who Do You Think You Are Live

Family History Show...
27 Feb - 1 Mar 2009, Olympia London

∗ I'll be going all 3 days ∗

US President Woodrow Wilson

More info...
28th President of the United States

I've discovered that I'm related to this President through my stepmum and half brother's branch of the family through Wilson's maternal line who came from Carlisle in Cumbria...my hometown. lol

Ha Ha said the Clown!

∗ Apparently I used to love dancing to this tune as a toddler ∗ :P

Divers Find Lost Treasure Ship

.."An 18th century shipwreck thought to contain hundreds of millions of pounds in gold has been discovered at the bottom of the English Channel."..

∗ lucky buggers ∗ :)

Introducing... My snowperson

With coloured clothes pegs for eyes, sticks for arms, stones for a mouth, and the chenille scarf (Christmas pressie from my Mum) wrapped around its neck...My very own snow person stands tall and proud in my back garden. Can't remember how long it took me to make. All that matters is that I had fun, while being overwatched by a solitary Blackbird in a neighbouring garden hoping I'd uncover a frozen worm or bug for their supper. lol

The Ice Age Commeth aka it's snowing in London

The weather forecasters are saying that the snow that has hit the UK, in particular London and the South East is the worst for 18 years. All London buses have been cancelled and the London underground network and some regional train servies have been affected as well, as are the airports. Apparently the bad weather is not over yet, with more snow showers predicted later on today and also tonight as well as the latter part of the week.

The scene in my back garden this morning


my cat Sam refuses to venture out into the garden

That doesn't help things my end considering I was meant to take my sick cat to the vets today, plus I'm supposed to be going up north later this week to Scotland to visit my very sick mother who's in hospital having a major op today. My thoughts are with her now. Will attempt to go outside later and hopefully I don't fall over. If you've also been affected by the snow then remember to keep warm and safe and don't forget to wear your snow shoes!

David Attenborough on Charles Darwin

.."On the 200th anniversary of the great scientist's birth, Sir David Attenborough muses on how he changed the world"..

*saw the tv programme this evening. Was amazing. Wish I had recorded it now. Damn*