Apologies for my absence......

Having recieved several threats, I believe it is about time to post something.......

Life has been super hectic, I have been playing two operas at the same time last week. Since the last post I have been in about 20 performances, three audtions, spent maybe 60 hours commuting, horn lessons, lectures, rehearsals, three games of squash, 11 frames of snooker, abused via blog 6 times, 12 crickets consumed by spiders, 2 exams, I even managed to fit in a few hours practice.

As you can see it has been a busy few weeks, it does unfortunately mean that I have had little time to do something blogworthy. The good news is that in two weeks I will be embarking on a four week tour to Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Kazachstan. Hopefully providing blogworthy news and pics of the Alps, beautiful cities, concert halls, European ladys and somewhere near Russia. As you might imagine I am looking forward to it immencely, it does mean that a return to Cork is unlikely during the Easter hols.

More news to follow soon. Please stop abusing me.

Another new blog on the block.....

Our heartiest congratulations to Kid Sis, the fourth clan member to have their very own blog. Her move to Strasbourg will mean that every child of Our Father and Mum of... will live in a different country. Our combined blogs should therefore be stimulating and varied reading.

We wish you the very best for your new blog.

I can take photos........

A turning point in the history of my blog has occured. After four years in London I finally have a credit rating worth mentioning. This means I can scrap the pay-as-you-go phone and move onto a much better value contract. The real upside is 3.2 mega pixels at no extra cost.


I have posted a few proper pics of my two lady's for your leisurely perusal....


Stella





Josephene
She is a little shy and I don't think these pics show the true size of this beast. In due course I will find better ways of giving a decent scale. Especially if I start take her out of the tank for a walk...

New Blog on the Block.....

The other cold one has finally joined the ranks of the blogger.
I look forward to many very chilly adventures, skiing children and musical adventures.
Welcome.

Guildhall Squash Club

Due to recent increased interest in the game of squash, which I have played on and off for the last 3 years, it has been decided to form the Guildhall Squash Club.

A ranking ladder has been concieved, upon which, after the initial qualifying matches of the founding members to decide ones starting place (or seed), members will be allowed to challange a player up to three places above them on the board. A succesful challange will allow the winner to take the other's place on the ladder, dropping the other players overtaken by one place. An unsuccesful challange leaves the challanger in the same position.

Matches will occur during the week and particurarly a weekly group session, lasting an hour and a half, attended by about 8 people.

Could the it minded among you please advise me as to the best way to set up the gsc website, preferably for free. As co-founder I have decided that things should be done properly.

Josephine

Firstly, apologies for the lack of new posts in the recent past, I have been a little busy back in London.

I am very pleased to announce the safe arrival of my second baby Josephine.

Being a Goliath Bird eater (T.Blondi) she is one of the largest breed of tarantula. Having been purchased in Cork, smuggled to Britain in a horn case and having a little time to settle down, I have appropriated a suitable habitat for her to grow into. Her new tank is approx. 2 feet * 1 ft * 1 ft. I then spent a happy evening squeezing out two bucketfuls of this soil stuff which expands in warm water and landscaping the cage (pics as ever will follow shortly)

Since arriving in her new home two days ago she has mainly sat in her prefabricated burrow, although at some stage she ate two crickets and I have now left her with another cricket and a locust to see how she manages. I plan to give her to give her bigger prey to encourage her to feed more aggressively, she has been understandably a little lazy since the big move.

By the way, locusts are mental, and rather fun too, as long as they don't escape. They don't so much jump as go pop, their steering can be a little haywire too. Maybe not for the faint of heart when there are 2 inch insects which can jump two feet sleeping in the bedroom.

Stella doesn't mind though, when offered one of the smaller ones (about inch and a half) she had immobilised it in less than three seconds of it hitting the floor. 30 minutes later she was doing the tarantula equivalent of sitting on a couch, watching TV with a beer, feeling absolutely stuffed and quite content, she really is a legend.....

Platform Five

The Tradition of Platform Five began on a Friday..........

Platform Five is a tradition among horn players dating back to the late 2005's, myth states that two young horn players (named Alex and Steve) were the first to take out their horns and play to the multitude apon the sacred platforn of the train station of the Bridge of London. The multitude, who have tasted the holy spirit (or cider or ale), throw their loose change into the cases of the horn players and applaud the players of the horns.
The players of horns can then proceed to the Park of the Honorable Oak weighted down with the coins of the drunken men and women of business and finance from the city.

The players must be anointed with spirits and ale.........

Alex

One of the pretty leaflet girls trying a tuba:

Last Saturday myself and Alex earned almost £40 each in 40 minutes on platform 5.
Yesterday (Sunday) myself, a tuba and trumpet went busking on Oxford Street and Carnaby Road. As well as leaving somewhat richer (and colder) than we began, we were also shown on Italian TV yesterday evening and French TV yesterday afternoon. We also became aquainted with some rather pretty girls who were handing out flyers and dancing to our more jazzy Christmas carols.

Counting coins:

It took over thirty minutes in a cafe to count and split the almost £300 we brought in. I can also tell you that that amount of loose change weighs quite a lot.

I was then prompted to count my collection of 1 and 2ps, about two years buildup, which some of you may have seen. The grand total being 535* 1ps and 235 * 2ps. (Just under a tenner of coppers)

The bank will be visited tomorrow.