While I am way I’ve been thinking about all the fuss surrounding Holmes/Cruise engagement and Katie’s supposed missing days. From a distance it has always appeared to me that so-called real-life Hollywood isn’t that different from the movies; I suspect many over there can’t tell the difference anyway and walk around on a daily basis like it is a film. So, I hope they find the happiness they looking for. As for the rest of us, I think we should stop reading the rumours and stories. Frankly, what cares anyway?

On this day…

2004: Why Would You Be Interested?
2004: Entertainment Trivia
2003: Shameless

Yesterday, Andy at Towleroad posted a picture of David Beckham on the beach looking great in his Abercrombie swim shorts. Why’s he never on a beach when I am? Sadly Andy, when you said, ‘David’s no Speedo man’ you were wrong. The front page of yesterday’s Mirror newspaper (pictured) clearly has something different to say about it all.

OK, so Andy got the update anyway. Still, it was only an excuse to post the picture.

On this day…

2003: Archbishop Has No Objection To Gay Bishop
2003: US to extradite whoever they want, for any reason.

Summer in London has arrived. It’s 30+ at the moment and I have spent the day digging the garden and enjoying being outside (the thermometer is in the garden shed and it was baking in there). I’ve said before that my favourite season is autumn but a life where I can sit outside – in the warm – at 10pm would be quite appealing. You can’t argue that the sun puts you in a better mood.

Last night as I sat watching the planes in the gradually darkening sky I started to think about where all those people were heading on the trips. Were they, perhaps, heading to meet friends or for new holiday experiences? Or were they returning home? I’m not sure what it meant but I started to think of the vast size of the planet and how little I have seen of it.

And therein lies a problem. I love London and being at home. I have thoroughly enjoyed a lazy afternoon in the sunshine in the garden. But then I’d love to be off somewhere new and exciting too. Luckily, that’s why I’m travelling next Friday for three quick days in Spain.

On this day…

2005: Nightlfe
2004: A Little Update
2003: Formula One 2003 Race Calendar
2003: London’s Secret Railway
2002: Rod Stewart plays Glastonbury
2002: Paris in the Summer

OK, so I haven’t been writing quite as much as I used to. There are two reasons for that and, as I don’t have anything else to write right now, I’ll bore you with those excuses.

Firstly, I have been very busy at work. In fact, so busy I have been neglecting my diet & gym routines which is awful and means that, like The Tin Man, I am getting a gut for summer which is more than I want. This is, naturally, your fault as you are my gym buddy so, c’mon, start motivating me.

Secondly, I have been on holiday. Two weeks in Vancouver was lovely. There are picture somewhere which should be updated here eventually but that’s a daunting prospect and – let’s face it – it’s unlikely to happen. And so, we are here.

Normal service will be resumed shortly.

On this day…

2004: Throughly Modern Millie

Well I’ve been to the polling booth and registered my vote in the general election and I suspect an interesting night ahead. Like all elections I will be glued to the television coverage and flick between channels but this year I have started on Sky News. The team at Sky have 16 mini-screens on the interactive service and one of them is a live shot of the Sky News production gallery. Already we have heard the director (or somebody) refer to one of the senior sky journalists who was calling on a mobile ‘phone as ‘that f***ing *** ******’ – or something almost that. I think I might watch this for most of the night. I think it is quite brave of them.

On this day…

2004: It’s May

Now this should turn into a rant about British Telecom as we have been without internet access at work all day. Given most of what I do is done by email this has been a most frustrating day. In the meantime, if you know any cool tools that manipulate tasks inside of Microsoft’s Outlook 2000 then I would love to hear from you.

On this day…

2004: Same-Sex Couples Aren’t So Lucky
2004: Mirror Mirror in Florida

Fantastic news at last. The BBC is giving podcasts a wider trial. This could be cool – although I am sad that they’re not doing The Archers. At last, I will be able to listen to some decent radio in the gym. Oh, and if you have the mp3 of the first of this year’s Reith Lectures, I would be very grateful.

On this day…

2006: Congestion

If, Time Lord style, you have been in 1869 this weekend you may have missed a small wedding in Windsor. It appears that most of the British public was not too worried about it either until it came upon us and then we went all misty-eyed; commented on hats and frocks and decided that it was, after all, a jolly good show. Hopefully, the Duchess of Cornwall and The Prince of Wales will make each other happy and I don’t see how anybody can be against happiness (unless you’re talking about the Ken Dodd song which I am very much against). Anyway, rather than me prattling on about it I think Anna of little.red.boat fame did a superb job at the weekend in The Guardian: although she did miss the shaving foam ‘Just Married’ as they departed for a Scotland honeymoon (which is neither in Cornwall nor Wales but never mind). [more pictures of the wedding]

On this day…

2004: Easter Sunday

If you don’t know who Philip Oliver is, you should skip this unless you are the person who wants to know who he is …

And so as the curtain is drawn on March 2005 I am left with the realisation that I missed all of Philip Olivier’s performances in Channel Four’s The Games. The programme, which has been on our screens for the last week, is week-long athletics competition to which C4 added a pinch of celebrity and a handful of reality television. A whole pile of toned celebrities are then paraded on the television screens in competition with each other.

Living, as I do, in blissful ignorance of popular things until everybody else is well into them I only discovered all of this via a cursory perusal of the web logs where searches for ‘philip olivier‘ dominated last month. Actually, searches for Philip Olivier naked, nude or topless (pictures or pics) were the most popular, while many wanted to know if he was gay or had a girlfriend. Of course, some of the searchers asked about Brookside but my favourite asked, Who is Philip Olivier?

UPDATE 4 April 2005: Times Online: A BARGAIN bundle of foregone conclusions, The Games gave us not only a runaway gold for Philip Olivier, the former soap actor but also a rompingly obvious triumph for Kirsty Gallacher, the television presenter, in the women’s competition.

On this day…

2004: Simplify The Site
2004: Britain’s Railways
2003: Trackback away
2003: It was fun – no need to search my site anymore

I hadn’t been to the Cabinet War Room for a number of years so today’s visit was a great chance to remind myself how wonderful they are. The Rooms are really well done and the audio guide brings some of the exhibits to life. The new Churchill Museum is also open now and that’s got some really interesting interactive exhibits to follow Churchill’s life (concentrating, of course, on his years as War Prime Minister). I’d recommend the place to anybody looking for an interesting day out in London.

On this day…

2003: Online Advertising is a Nuisance