[dull day] how was yours

I have a theory that across the northern hemisphere, the weather, the magnetism in the atmosphere and the mood is roughly the same at any given period of time, give or take a day.

As Watson said: "Surely rather fanciful, Holmes," to which Holmes replied, "Well, I don't insist on it."

I mean that today we had a fairly dull, overcast and slightly colder day. It was a very "nothing" day today. Nothing much happened, nothing was particularly bad, nothing was particularly good.

I had a bunch of girls today, usually my best and they were a little distracted, a little somewhere else. Because they're such good girls they tried but couldn't quite keep the mind on the job.

Now I'd be very interested in how your day was. Was it a bit ordinary, a bit forgettable?

I was just talking with the driver now and he said that it will be awful tomorrow, thousands on the road after the holiday and the weather not the greatest. That usually equates to road accidents everywhere over here.

Does that accord at all with your situation over there? Of course, antipodiaens will be different.

[history in the making] country spread

For the first time in a very long while, the U.S. has surged ahead of the U.K. in my country spread of visitors. Another very noticeable thing, for me, is that I usually have a spread of countries as long as your arm - places like the Greater Antilles - but today it's quite narrow.

Canada was understandable because of the Vancouver post.

Have to say I'm delighted because, with a natural U.K. readership of this blog, this thing won't last but still - it looks kinda neat for now. Plus the chart was saved before most Brits woke up this morning.

[antarctic stayovers] see the ice melt

The Ritz Lockroy, Antarctica

Have you ever considered it?

Close to 30,000 people are expected to descend on Antarctica to observe penguins, seals and seabirds this year - about four times as many as 10 years ago. Tourists who pass through on vast liners without going ashore bring the total to 37,000.

With all the global warming, the Hilton Antarctica and Radisson Vinson Massif are just a melted glacier away. You can book now at:

Antarctic Stayovers

Dodgy Tours

Third cubicle on the left [between 23:00 and 23:15]

Heathrow Terminal 2 Western Toilet block [men's]

England

You won't be disappointed ... at first. Rumour has it that they're running Summer Stayovers in the Arctic Circle, just off Lappland.

[airlines] your credit card is their pleasure

Ready and waiting for you, suckers

Nothing's sacred any more:

Four employees from the American low-cost carrier JetBlue and a New York city corrections officer, have been charged with stealing credit card numbers from several airline passengers.

Investigators began looking at the group after one traveller, rushing to catch a flight, accidentally left his credit card behind at a JetBlue counter at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

Three of the suspects are JetBlue customer service agents. One was a flight attendant.

You - er - ever used a credit card with an airline, by any chance?

[ukdp watch] wednesday edition

UKDP quotes a Tory spokesman about the mystery UKIP member who wasn't:

"She is not a member of UKIP. She was but has resigned. She is a loyal and committed Conservative and has been all the way through. There is absolutely no question of her having misled the people of Worcester."

A loyal member who joined another party. Interesting.

[mp3 clips from russia] 55 seconds of james

Doesn't anyone [sob, sob] want to [sniffle, sniffle] listen to my audio clips I prepared and [bawls his eyes out] I prepared them for you and hoped [sniffle, sniffle] that you'd tell me if you [slowly recovers his cool] like any of them? [Smiles his cutest smile for the reader]

Reader 1 responds: Of course I do, James - right away! Whatever was I thinking?

Reader 2 responds: What audio clips?

Reader 3 responds: From Russia? You're kidding, right?