With the media awash with all kinds of lists for 2006 I thought I’d restrict myself to a single ‘best of’ moment – the first night of my US book tour in Washington back in May. I was staying in the Hotel Helix, a funky, tacky, retro kind of place that was full of college [...]

I’ve got to hand it Sally. She always gets me unexpected and well thought-out Christmas presents. This year it was two bottles of Crown Lager and a pot of Chicken Salt. All I got her was the unauthorized biography of Shane Warne and a dressing gown from Marks and Sparks! It was the Chicken Salt [...]

Due to popular demand – well, a throwaway remark from Mick in a previous entry – here’s a pic of the lovely Nikola. Nikola is the chocolate female equivalent of Niklas. And she does look like Jordan – just as Mick spookily mused! I suspect that he might already have the matching set!

I’m off to Lincoln for Christmas with the in-laws so I’ll just take this opportunity to quickly wish all the readers of this blog a Merry Christmas. And leave them with the abiding image of the 2006 festive season for me. Niklas, the chocolate Christmas himbo. I spotted him next to the equally scary Nikola [...]

2006 has been the Year of Unfinished Projects for me: Crikey … Vroom 2 … the trip to Russia. I thought it was because of laziness. But according to the latest issue of Glamour -Sally brought it home – it’s because Saturn spent the year playing silly buggers with Cancerians. Nevertheless I was heartened by [...]

I was going to post this yesterday morning, just after Warnie clean bowled Monty. But I thought I’d leave it a bit so I wasn’t accused of being the gloating redneck Aussies that most people posting on British newspaper blogs seem convinced we are. The Ashes are back in Australian hands and all is well [...]

We got back from Bergen a few days ago. I didn’t bother with Day 4 and 5 of the Dairies because it was just more of the same – rain, reading and the occasional reindeer sausage. Not that I’m complaining – it was exactly the kind of holiday we wanted. And Bergen is the kind [...]

There were two ways today could have gone. We could have stayed in our cosy front room reading books, occasionally looking up to watch the clouds scoot across the mountains and dump their rain on the gingerbread houses of Bryggen. Or we could rug up, put our waterproof coats on and head off into the [...]

As I write this, Pet Shop Boys, actually is playing on the cassette player. I found it hidden at the back of the cabinet, with another Alan Parsons Project cassette (I, Robot). It’s like the owner of the house was ashamed of it. Me, I’d be sticking the Michael Bolton there. In other news, the [...]

Well, Anders and Veni were right. It’s raining in Bergen. Only a light drizzle most of the time. But quite heavily sometimes. But it’s such a pretty place it kind of adds to the charm. Anders reckons Bergen gets 22 days of rain in December and only 5 hours of sun. He should give Norwegian [...]