A bit of a catch-up

Enormous erection
A couple of weeks ago whilst travelling across-country, I found myself unexpectedly right underneath the Emley Moor transmitter in West Yorkshire. Wow, it's impressive! I mean, I've seen it many times before, of course, across tens of miles of countryside, as the telecommunications beacon it surely is. But it's taller than the Eiffel Tower, you know?

Steve's birthday

The Friday of Steve's birthday we both had the day off and went down to Salisbury, where we ate at The Lemon Tree. Very pleasant, and I wouldn't hesitate to reccommend it. On the Saturday, as Steve's Birthday Treat, we went to the cinema to watch the new Indiana Jones film. The Odeon in the New Canal is, architecturally, a very interseting building, but sadly the main screen has a disappointing sound set-up. Of course we don't want a huge multiplex on the outskirts to destroy the character of the town centre, and I am looking forward to seeing many more films at the Odeon, but perhaps for the must-see blockbusters a trip down to Southampton may have to be arranged.

Burly Chassis

On the way home on Sunday evening we came across a beautiful silver Aston Martin DB5 on the M25 (this was the car Sean Connery's James Bond drove in Goldfinger and Thunderball, in the mid-sixties). With slowish traffic across four or five lanes Steve was able to get into various positions for me to try and take some pictures, the best of which is reproduced here. Click on it for a larger version and you'll be able to see the two passengers are grinning at me!

Bibulous

Wednesday last week to Imbibe in Blackfriars for a pub quiz in aid of a number of charities, organised by Steve's indefatigable fund-raising colleague Simon. Great fun, and a slightly bizarre mystery-tour lift home afterwards with another colleague.

House move latest:
Still waiting.


Wooo-eeee-oooo

Last Saturday was the first of the two-parter Doctor Who season finale. Steve was, to put it mildly, captivated by the unfolding storyline - as you can see!

Health news

In Monday's Times was a story about the NHS, and the accompanying photo had this caption: "Aneira Thomas, pictured at the age of 4, was named for Aneurin Bevin". Dear Times, please please do not Americanise the term "named after". I know that "named for" makes exactly as much sense, and moreover is perfectly comprehensible to every reader, but come on.

Clarkson said it, too, in the report on the Mercerdes, filmed in the Black Hills in Wales, in the second Top Gear in the new series.

Incidentally, reading the newspaper story I learned that the 1.5 million employees of the NHS are exceeded only by the Chinese People's Liberation Army, Wal-Mart, and Indian Railways.

One year on
The 1st of July saw the first anniversary of the smoking ban in England, in case you missed it. Or cared.