Welcome to my perfumed garden

Computer trouble, folders refusing to open or worse, reading ' this folder is empty' (cue the weeping and wailings of deepest despair). 3 days later, operating system has been re-installed and upgraded, all appears to be well (though aren't th'internets frustrating before you re-install add blocker? Just look at all those gyrating torsos and invitations to 'Trojans R Us'. Here be Dragons and Demons indeed. Goodness, I had no idea such things existed. Such a sheltered life...)

Anyway, I'm back. Life is much improved (wheeee! I'd forgotten lappy could do things this fast!  I'd rather got used to using egg timers and a sundial to track operations), work may re-commence and gosh, there you all are! How nice to see you all again. ::waves::

The leader's in the debate is fascinating.

But as usual, Twitter rules for the laughs.

Dara O'Briain is currently tweeting to Ed Byrne about some slashfic he's been sent featuring the two of them.


"Ed threw his cigarette down and stubbed it out with his foot, his eyes leaving Dara, just for a second. Only a second, though"

I'm not posting the link. It's really poorly written, loads of clumsy "Irish" references e.g. "Looking shyly up from his pint of Guinness..."



And I find myself wondering, who amongst you is responsible for this outrage against taste and decency? No one's going home till the culprit owns up.


@daraobriain and @edbyrnecomedian - if you're on Twitter and feel the need.

I pass on some future awesomeness from Step-Hen Free. Praise Be The Tweet.

wot I found on the electric interwebs.

6 writers who accidentally crapped out masterpieces.

Why oh why does SF never get the Booker?

Well, they tell me it's Saturday. I suppose they could be lying but then, why would they bother, you know? But then the Met office said it would be sunny and they lie! for it is darkly grey and ominous and suspiciously warm.

A sleepless night after a tiring week has left me a well-knackered bunny. I had planned to use this day wisely and well in printing out the 3rd draft of Entanglement and doing that all-important 4th edit but I'm mildly scared I'll find that it's wall to wall shit now it's been sent to an agent and then worry. Why do that to myself, I cannot help but ask? Also the continuous interruptions - water meter man, post men, couriers, an itinerant hedge cutter - have done nothing to help my resolve to stare at the wall work on the book.

So, all of the above plus the aforementioned tiredness and my natural inklination to idleness leads me to endlessly peruse Twitter, t'internet and my current crop of reading, some self-chosen, some chosen for me (and for which I shall have to write reviews alas). For the bookly minded, these be:

Breath, Tim Winton. Surprisingly readable and really good.
Makers, Cory Doctorow. Frighteningly long.
Day After Night, Anita Diamant. A review copy and not my cup of tea at all ('Extraordinary true story', internment, Polish Zionist, Holocaust! run away, run away!!!) but I shall do my duty and hope (but not expect) to be pleasantly surprised.
The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield. Been wanting to read this for ages but work keeps getting in the way.
Vineland, Pynchon. Ditto.
The Men Who Stare at Goats, Tom Ronson

Tea now, I think. I'm currently working my happy way through a box of Twining's Lemon Grove which I hadn't had before and is surprisingly delicious. It tastes of lemon Opal Fruits which can only be a Very good thing. New Californication on the box tonight, also a repeat of the Robbie Coltraine, John Sessions Boswell thingum.

In short, life is currently pleasing me in a sound and goodly way, I hope she is doing the same for you, too, my esteemed and doxilicious flist. Here, have a sprinkling of pink sugar-dusted, sparkly cherry-vanilla kisses. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Whatever Mark's using in the bath, it smells bloody awful.

ETA: Too good not to share (Caution, contains Dan Brown).

Of Stephen Fry writing about writing.

And now I must go and be about some of the same. I have set myself the target of 15,000 words a day (These are rewrites, I need to add! Not actual writing, for which 15,000 words a day would be an insane target!) to complete this bloody thing in a week.

I am turning teh internets off. I am sitting down at my laptop with my serious intent face on. I may be gone some time.

Probably my last post on this for the weekend.

Glinner just posted a link to a blog post from an American who lived in the UK who puts the record on the NHS about as straight as it can be, I think. Very fair, very reasoned, very well written.

And now I really musty get my act together and pack my bag. It's FRIDAY people! Let us give thanks and be merry.

Nice article on Graham Linehan who started it all.

Even Fox are backpedalling!

Ah. Enjoyable LOLs but I really must do some work now.

...anyone?

ETA: 8.19. S'OK, it just came back on again. (phew!) *g*

ETA2: Up and down like the proverbial cheap tart's knickers. Twitter saying they've been under attack (again). What the frack is happening out there on teh interwebs?

Reports suggest massive co-ordinated attack on LJ, Facebook, Google may have been aimed at a single user

He's still on Twitter but I can't get to his LJ.