Monday

Posted by Tania Kindersley.

1402 words today, so, as is now customary, all brain function appears to have halted. I have a horrible feeling that I am giving all the love to the book and short-changing the blog. There are only so many dog photographs you can put up with. I offer keen apologies.

All I have left in my head are random thoughts:

Should I mind quite so much when an American senator says 'incredulous' on the BBC when he means 'incredible'?

And, on the subject of language, I really wish people would stop talking about 'ticking timebombs'. What the hell is a timebomb? Have you ever seen one? Do they actually tick? And if one more person gets on an 'emotional rollercoaster' I might do something foolish.

I discovered today, for various tangential reasons, that Eliza Manningham-Buller's mother trained SPY PIGEONS during the war. I'm sorry about the capital letters, but some things are just too damn cool for normal font. She was called Lady Mary something (you see what I mean about the brain not working) and she schooled the pigeons in Hampshire or somewhere, and sent them off into enemy territory, where, amazingly, they knew to stay stock still while a British agent put top secret information into their little spy satchels or whatever they used, and then the birds flew all the way back to the Home Counties with vital information about fiendish Nazi weaponry. Best story I've heard all month.

I am quite passionately in love with a reporter on BBC radio called Dennis Sewell. I have no information about him at all, but he has the most seductive voice I've heard since the old Queen died. I have a suspicion that grown women should not run around getting crushes on people because of their vocal chords. I suppose it's better than marrying for money.

And talking of crushes: one of my dogs has a mad pash on a black Labrador called Rufus. He is a macho, muscular, swaggery sort of fellow, and the moment she sees him she starts waggling her bottom and letting out strange yipping noises in a most undignified way. I am uncertain if you can explain to a dog the concept of hard to get.

Three words I shall never knowingly use: opined, toddler, and quaff.

 

That's quite enough randomness for one day. Thank you for your enduring patience, and the very kind comments you have left over the last few days. Sorry I have been a bit crap about replying. Time is getting away from me just now.

Did not take any photographs today, so here are a few old ones instead, in the continuing spirit of randomness:

I hope your week is off to a rattling good start.