toast sandwiches versus dead birds and mice in tesco food

The bird in the salad

The mouse (minus tail) in the bread

There is an investigation being conducted at the moment after a Somerset man found a dead bird in his Tesco salad. I think that is pretty disgusting, in fact, so pretty disgusting, that it is probably worse than finding a dead mouse in your bread, which was discovered by an Oxfordshire man - 'minus the tail' last year (let's face it, that's bad enough).

Yum yum - can't wait for tea tonight, all this food and dead stuff talk is making me feel peckish.

Whatever it is, l'll certainly be checking it thoroughly (especially if it involves a salad sandwich).

Maybe l should just stick to eating toast sandwiches. After all, times are hard.

toodle pip

holy flying circus (2011) - owen harris

This is a drama based on Monty Python and their real life struggles with censorship when they released Life Of Brian. The drama is done in a Pythonesque fashion, featuring men dressed as women, cartoons, surreal humour, and the cast members playing characteristics of their screen persona's (John Cleese as he is in Fawlty Towers etc). Pretty well done in my eyes, and the people who played Cleese and Michael Palin were especially good (Darren Boyd and Charles Edwards). It's a shame there isn't more of this kind of thing on the TV, l would spend less time on the computer.

toodle pip

cartoon skeletons by michael paulus

A clever idea, and if you want to buy them (or see more), look here.

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silvio, the euro and capitalism

So, Silvio Berlusconi has resigned, the Euro is in crisis (along with Italy and Greece), and everyone (apart from Germany) seem to be worried about the future. A fitting time to re up this old capitalism poster. Viva le Revolution brothers and sisters!!

Nearly forgot. I don't really think the billionaire Berlusconi, nor the millionaire Cameron will be that worried about the crisis, l sure they can rough it out and ride it through, poor little things.

toodle pip

hope and glory (1987) - john boorman

Hope and Glory shows a young boy (Bill Rowan, played by Sebastian Rice-Edwards) growing up at the start of the Second World War, and looking for adventures at the same time as the bombs start to fall. Nothing special about it really, (apart from some good backdrops). l would have stopped watching it if l had other pressing engagements, but luckily for me, due to being off work, l had loads of time on my hands (but not any longer, as l am back in today - DAAAAMMNNNNN!!!!!!!!!). A whimsical comedy/drama (Urghh!), which also explains how to bowl a googly (not interested).

toodle pip

mercy brown and the undead

I was listening to a Halloween podcast (The Memory Palace) that told the true story of Mercy Brown in 1892. Because of various deaths in the family, George Brown (the father), who lived in Exeter, Rhode Island, was told by his neighbours that the deaths were due to undead activity, and one of the recently deceased from his family must still be visiting the house and draining the life away from other members of the household. He exhumed the bodies of his wife and two daughters (which included Mercy), and because Mercy's body was still in excellent shape (being dead for only two months in freezing conditions), he was convinced it was her doing the visiting, so he took out her heart, burnt it, mixed it with water, and gave it to his son Edwin to drink, as he was unwell at the time. It (obviously) didn't work, as Edwin died two months later. When all of this happened, Manchester United had been going for 14 years, it was only 22 years before the start of the First World War, cars had just been invented and it just shows how mad, superstitious and gullible people could be, even at that time. Amazing, but then again, l am sure there will be people alive in the present time who believe in this undead/afterlife nonsense.

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harold and maude (1971) - hal ashby

This is another one of those films that l had kind of heard about, but never got around to seeing, as l knew it was about the friendship/love between a young boy and an older woman. That was about all l did know, apart from the music was by Cat Stevens, who l did not really like at the time of the films release. I was however, mistaken in not seeing it before now, as l really enjoyed it (and the soundtrack). Harold and Maude is a romantic story, but it is more than just that. It has a very dark side to it and lots of black comedy, the kind of which appeals to me a lot. Harold Chasen (Bud Cort) is obsessed by death until he meets Maude (Ruth Gordon), who has a lust for life. They (of course) fall in love, but (of course) by the time she dies, he has discovered what it is like to enjoy life. It is kind of dated in places, but that didn't bother me, as l often like films more for being that way. I think l may even download the soundtrack now, as it impressed me that much (and l grew to like some of Cat Steven's stuff over the years).

toodle pip

george harrison - living in the material world (2011) - martin scorsese

Living In The Material World is a documentary of George Harrison ("The quiet Beatle") by Martin Scorsese, and has just been shown on BBC 2 over two nights (because of course, it was pretty damn long). There were not a of of surprises, but it was enjoyable enough, even if it did skip over some aspects of his life (the drug addiction, his infidelities). It certainly had some great footage l had never seen before, but the most scary thing in it was undoubtedly Phil Spector's appearance, in his mad wig. He is 100% certifiably bonkers (as we say in the trade). Luckily for everyone, he is now locked up.

toodle pip

the thing with two heads (1972) - lee frost

By Jove, The Thing With Two Heads was bad. Rotten, stinking the place out bad (and not even in an ironic so-bad-it's-good kind of way). It's just rubbish. I can't believe that Ray Milland (The Lost Weekend, Dial M for Murder) would get involved, but l suppose everyone's got to make some money somehow. He plays Dr Kirshner, a wealthy racist who is getting his head transplanted onto another body (due to his ailing health), but wakes up to find the only body available was a black man on death row. It doesn't get any better. Avoid at all costs.

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old city steps on a time lapse photograph

I can't remember who took this (old) photo, but it certainly has a spookiness about it.

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a cute baby hedgehog after a bath

What's not to like?

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we need to talk about kevin (book) - lionel shriver

As l am planning on going to the cinema to see 'We need to talk about Kevin', l thought l would read the book first, to see what all the fuss is about and so l could assess how much the movie adhered to it. The book is in (very long and precise) letter form, from Kevin's mother Eve, to her husband Franklin, after Kevin has killed some pupils at his school. It is also in the form of a thriller, references other high school killings, and questions nature v nurture. The book was really good, but it could have been shorter, as Eve didn't half ramble on a lot. I would have got out of that relationship pretty damn sharpish, or at least encouraged her to go on more of her foreign fact finding trips. According to the narrative of the letters, l think both of the parents were wrong in their childrearing approaches, but Kevin also just sounds like a little git of the highest (or lowest) order. I did think that Kevin should have remained impassive at the end, rather than becoming scared or unsure of himself. To me, that just seemed a bit of a cop out for a happier and hopeful ending. Then again, l am not a million selling author, just a stinking hippie.

toodle pip

chocolat (2000) - lassie hallstrom

A strange one this, Chocolat has the look and feel of a French film but with everyone speaking English. It stars Alfred Molina as the mayor who tries to close the chocolate shop, Johnny Depp as a 'water rat' gypsy type, (who falls in love with the chocolate shop owner), and Judy Dench as the chocolate shop's landlady. Who runs the aforementioned chocolate shop? That would be Juliette Binoche (who is French). The little French town is religious and oppressed, and the chocolate shop and it's contents start enriching the villagers lives, despite opposition from the mayor and the young pastor whose sermons he has been influencing. A little bit too long, but the type of film l like, even if it did not need subtitles.

toodle pip

invictus (2009) - clint eastwood

As the FPO has been slaving away on college work, l have still had plenty of time to watch stuff and read, so today was the turn of Invictus, the story of how Nelson Mandela unified South Africa, using rugby and the 1995 rugby world cup as an emblem of togetherness, forgiveness and looking to the future to create a 'Rainbow Nation'. Morgan Freeman is splendid (as he always is) playing Mandella, and Matt Damon (who has certainly beefed up a bit) plays Francois Pienaar, the captain of the Springboks. I put off watching the film because l have no interest in rugby, but it was pretty moving (but l still don't like rugby).

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