Eventyr

Dinner!

Free food, good company.  The Eagle, 16 January 2007.

Flu Excuses

My sadness that the flu prevented me from attending the Brighton and Hove Web Awards, was eased somewhat by getting to attend the DScape Designers night the night after. 

I was surprised at how quickly I still wore myself out though.

I'll blame the flu on my inability to draw a decent badge or find the remaining people with my limerick. (My partial limerick was:  "and found out that it was quite true.")

Mostly better now, so no excuses.

Lights in the Sky

Interesting year this year at Lewes, but was overwhelmed by desires to leave the crowds behind.

Managed to time it to see the Southover speech pre-march, where the emphasis was once more on issues around religious persecution.  It was only slightly marred by someone's mobile starting to ring with that ringtone. 

"I'm in a parade" I expected someone to shout.

The crowds were less this year, but the police presence was restrictive - we ended up stuck in a zone, behind crash barriers, packed in like sardines but unable to leave.

It was good to see the familiar banners; `we burn to remember' and `always rivalled seldom equalled' still having a soft spot in my heart.

It was far nicer however to leave Lewes behind and park up on the golf course with views across the valleys, Hollingbury, Patcham, Brighton, Moulescombe and Coldean, and watch all the little lights springing up across the city.   

Nominate

I did my bit today and signed up as a judge for the B&H Web Awards. 

I also thought I'd be different and nominate a site for an award.   For some reason I only got as far as nominating Tom's site before I got bored of filling out the online form.

Go on, do your bit, nominate yourselves so I don't need to!

Evil Children

I'm greatly taken with a piece of graffiti in Preston Park kids playground spotted today at Aurora's 5th birthday party.

Evil.

Judge the Burn

While doing my annual B&H Virtual Festival judging I came across this film of the Death of the West Pier.

Ah, those were the days...

(I also stumbled onto Damp Flat Books which certainly has some items worthy of further investigation when I have time to breathe again...)

The Cardinal

Although a dossier on Cardinal Newman’s beatification was first opened in 1958, no miracles had, until now, been attributed to his intercession. “I had to tell John Paul that the English are not very good at miracles,” Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor said. “It’s not that we are not pious, but the English tend to think of God as a gentleman who should not be bullied.”
Yesterday, however, the cleric responsible for arguing Newman’s cause, Father Paul Chavasse, the Provost of Birmingham Oratory, which was founded by Newman in 1848, said that a deacon in the Diocese of Boston in the United States had testified that he had recovered from a spinal disease after praying to Cardinal Newman. “At last we have a miracle cure,” he said.
Cardinal Newman

It shall be interesting to see how my old school responds to this...

(Thanks to James for the link.)

Missing Meetings

With my heady new lifestyle (i.e. being back in Brighton while trying to do full-time research and work part-time for a university in a completely different county and still have fun) I have realised the need for me to keep a good track of my activities.

So I am diaried up.

So I don't plan too much or miss anything.

This is good.

As without it I wouldn't have realised I would never have enough time to make those damned pinatas myself.

I also wouldn't know I was missing the BPEC AGM right this second. (For the third year running I think. Oops.)

Conkered

Have now proved my mastery at conkers yet again.

My sheer skill has left me with the conker that beats all others.

It doesn't win purely on the basis that I cannot hit anything.

No.

It is special.

Really.

(And then I found a fiver which I didn't use to make apple pie as I could make apple crumble for free using our windfalls)

Ristorante Immortale

I went to see Ristorante Immortale as part of Aurora Nova in the South last night at the Komedia.

The script was amazing (the skill of the actors was also impressive). I particularly enjoyed the accordion playing and drumming, and was relieved that it wasn't as strongly surreal as such pieces can end up.

It also had the advantage of finishing by 9.30 so I could go and get an early night.