Bit dusty around here isn’t it?

To be perfectly honest, I thought this site had gone offline absolutely ages ago. Then, to my surprise, upon trying the link today, it still works.

Now I’ve rediscovered it – and I’ll probably spend the evening reading back on some of the guff posted on here – let’s see what happens. It may be reprised, it may not.

In the meantime, happy new year!

Let’s not speak too soon… remember a couple of years ago, and April to be more precise – when the snow returned and ground the country to a halt? If you don’t…

… then this Hayling-orientated video will remind you (not that you could forget what snow looks like after the winter just gone…).

But, it has certainly been milder and nicer this week – enough to warrant the first day out excursion since… bloody hell… possibly twelve months ago in Southampton. Foxton Locks was the location, a place only around forty-five minutes from here, near Market Harborough. And, as the name suggests, there are locks there. Ten of them, to be precise…

(It was actually a heck of a lot nicer than the dark nature of the photo suggests – the sun decided to do one for a few minutes! The rest of the photos are available here, incidentally. All nine of them.)

Summer can wait until the traditional time of the last Saturday in June. Just a small request…

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Now playing: Spin Doctors – Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong
via FoxyTunes

After being faced with a £500 bill for getting the car up to tip-top shape at the top of the month (in fairness, it had been a while since a proper service), plus the local gob mechanic extorting me to the tune of £160, the bank account was left looking a bit of a sorry state. So, it’ll be potentially rescheduled for later this year. Maybe October.

What this means, though, is that all effort is now focussed on a third Skytower roadshow tour. 2008 focussed on Minehead to Hayling, 2009 on Burnham-on-Sea to Lepe. 2010? Well, probably more of the same – venturing slightly into the south-east too with a bit of luck. Haven’t visited Eastbourne in yonks!

Three months to go yet – and if it resembles last year in any way, the second half won’t be planned at all.

Anyway, back on thread. Here’s “Inga from Sweden” (as she’s properly known):

As you know, Sweden is reknowned for its’ musical heritage. Abba. Roxette. Ace Of Base. Bodies Without Organs (or BWO for short). Yes, you’ve heard of them…

And, clearly, Inga is no exception when it comes to the high quality musical output of the country:

See what I mean? Look, you can even buy the above single, “Mama Paparazzi”, on iTunes. Oh, and there’s also Inga’s group and page on Facebook. There’s even details of how to make an Inga cocktail on there. How fabulous!

Let’s leave you – belatedly – with her festive offering, in which (allegedly) she’s been a “bad, bad girl”:

I spoil you, sometimes…

Your video, (*title removed*) , may include content that is owned or licensed by these content owners:

* Content owner: WMG Type: Audio content

As a result, your video has been blocked worldwide.
What should I do?

No action is required on your part. Your video is still available worldwide.

Fantastic. So, everyone in the world can watch it, except those on planet earth.

(Let’s not even touch on the copyright bollocks in the first place…)

Having said that, it might give off the impression you’ve been wanking too much, so be careful…

Can’t find the fault right now, but give me time – I will!

And, it seems, if you live in the Radford area, there’s a new hazard to be aware of. Never mind who’s lurking around the corner, you now need to be aware of what might be coming from the skies. Or, to be more precise, the high-rise blocks.

Yes, be wary of televisions being launched from balconies. Okay, so maybe Ant and Dec had been on telly once too often, and it sent this particular goggle-box viewer to distraction – but mind the contractors fixing their vans outside, eh?!

Amusingly (and picked up on by one of the more astute commenters on that article), the guilty woman was forbidden from…

… threatening to cause a nuisance or annoyance and from assaulting or threatening to assault others in the Pine View block of flats and adjoining car park.

She is also forbidden from damaging any Nottingham City Council premises.

So are these things normally okay, and accepted? Just in case anyone feels like assaulting their neighbours, or damaging any council premises, or causing a nuisance – bear in mind that launching a television out of a tower block will get those privileges taken away…

Further on in that article, in a separate incident, someone who launched a bin bag from their balcony (narrowly missing a caretaker) was sadly traced, due to being dense enough to leave letters identifying them inside the bag.

One more brain cell and they’d be a cactus.

Love the woman’s expression, too!

Ahhh, tune.

So, what plans are there for 2010, you may not be asking? Well, not many, as usual – I’m not one for saying “I’ll do this, I’ll do that” – but there are a couple of things that I’d like to achieve, certainly over the next few months.

The first, and foremost, is the one previously mentioned – to regain the weight lost, plus a bit more for insurance. The second – with a provisional target of April (i.e. to neatly coincide with my birthday, although knowing my strike rate with timing, probably September), is to visit Sweden. For some forgotten reason, it’s been an ambition for a good few years, alongside New Zealand (although the flight time would seriously put me off the latter) – and it’s one of those where it’s high time to break with tradition (i.e. either Hayling Island, or going on holiday at the end of June).

Some have suggested that this video bears some relevance…

… although I dispute that! It just seems like a nice place, with plenty to see and do there. The Ice Hotel seems like a must – which is why visiting the place in the summer would be futile – and of course there are package deals to incorporate staying at the hotel into your time there.

Time will tell, and it all depends on how much money can be accrued over the next three months.

(Oh, and for those wondering, the title of this post is Sweden, in Swedish. So, now you know…)