[charles] storm in an egg cup

According to Jeremy Paxman, Charles enjoys a boiled egg after a day's hunting but he is fussy about how long it is cooked. "If the Prince felt that number five was too runny, he could knock the top off number six or seven," Paxman told today's Guardian newspaper. "The story is not true," said a spokesman for Prince Charles. This is riveting stuff. Are you a FEE [fussy egg eater] or just a pleb? And just who’s lying to the public here? Stay tuned.

[heraldry] the higham coat-of-arms

This is the first mock up of a possible coat-of-arms. Fine details here.

[young ones] two series too few

It's as if the kettle's killed itself rather than be used by me! [Neil] I've just seen the most amazing thing in the garden - Neil biffed himself in the face with a frying pan! [Rick] Oh dear. This calls for a very special blend of psychology ... and extreme violence. [Vyvian] Why are you smashing up saucers, Rick? Yeah, there's a lotta heads buried at the bottom of the garden because of a saucer in the works. [Mike] I'm not really foreign, you know. I just do it to appear more sophisticated. [Balowski] That's just typical of you, Vyvyan! The house is under fifty feet of water and what do you do, build a submarine. [thinks] There's, um, no room for me in there, is there?

[aaagh] just burnt the toast a second time

Isn’t the internet wonderful? Whilst furiously typing just now and following DK’s link, I burnt my toast twice and at this moment the flat is acrid with smoke and the neighbours have just pounded on the door and asked if everything’s OK. In a rit of fealous jage, I typed ‘burnt toast and jam’ into Google and this came up. Any connection with Kinky? Then I got round it by just putting in ‘burnt toast’ and this came up. Art for Housewives will now become one of my visited sites – the concept is inspired although the page could do with some design work. Anyway, one more round of the other lads' sites and then I'm off to do some heraldry. By the way, I just dolloped the jam directly to the mouth with a teaspoon in the end.

[james bond] new felix leiter

There’s a Daniel Craig interview with the ever-tacky GQ magazine which raises the question of the F word. In principle, I’m not against it, if used sparingly and for effect but when it’s just plastered everywhere for Johnny Rotten sensation, then I step off the boat. There’s also a piece on the new Felix Leiter - Jeffrey Wright [follow the link]: Although Leiter is much less of a field agent than 007, his knowledge and expertise have often arrived for Bond just in the nick of time. Over time Leiter becomes the closest thing that Bond has had to a friend. Leiter appears to have somewhat of a sense of humour and irony, but his interests are unknown.

[heraldry] time to get working on those coats-of-arms

Dymphna, one of the partners in her really excellent blog, Gates of Vienna, poses the question: "What would appear on your coat of arms?" I did have one but lost it. Now if you are entitled to one already, well and good and the World is not Enough. But for the rest of us – time to get working on our heraldry. I’ll post my proposed ‘arms’ tomorrow.

[australia] government gets it right again

I like the current, long-term Australian government, I really do. From John Howard down, it goes to show that if the leader is quality, the class also tends to filter down. Look at this for example. Today, treasurer Peter Costello has defended Pope Benedict XVI over his controversial comments on Islam, saying the violent reaction was about the stifling of free speech. On a different matter, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez resembled a dictator who lacked class, during his "rant" at the UN, in which he called George W Bush "the devil". Chavez is not looking far enough.

[magnetic train] clarification

ScotsToryB sets the record straight about the Lathen tragedy: Maglev is magnetic levitation i.e. the train is raised by magnetic force thus moving with least friction possible. If the power(to create the magnetic field) failed, the train should roll to a stop. I am not an engineer but suspect a failure in the infrastructure. ScotsToryB also asks if I’m being ironic. No, just pig ignorant but I still maintain that when the train is not, let’s say, actually attached, then the scope for something like this exists. Am I a Luddite not to like this technology?

[kinky friedman] update on the situation

Every time we write a scathing or humorous piece on someone, there’s always someone else whom that affects. This morning I had a phone call from a friend about the Kinky post, asking, ‘Is this a real person or is he something from your fevered brain?’ Now comes a comment showing that he is indeed real and he is serious to boot: Kinky has been round for a long time. The kerfuffle will blow over; those who love him will look beyond his presumed outrageous orations. He's only getting 16% of the vote, per polls. It would be good to see the majority of candidates listen to his advice about the security of Texas' borders with Mexico. The ranchers and farmers are sick and tired of being shot at by thuglians entering illegally with warm fuzzy bodies and drugs. Different world, isn't it? I wish him well in Texas.

[new university] for local consumption only; uk and us stand easy

As my work requires me to give speeches everyday , I fail to see what yesterday’s bells ’n whistles session signified out of the ordinary and yet I’ve just been woken by a call telling me I was on much of republic TV and it appears it wasn’t the long, impromptu speech but the opening remark which caught the attention, when I used up my supply of local language to greet the audience. Seems they cut to the PM smiling, so maybe I won’t be deported just yet for later forgetting to hat tip or wear a jacket. As my TV was stolen some time back, I can’t see the clip myself, not unlike Iain Dale’s pdf file. Pity there’s no html or video version.