Fink's Links #45

I know - it's Boxing day - and trust me, I'm relaxing with a beer and cold cuts at Flyingpops folks right now (if everything has gone according to plan!), this I wrote before Christmas and scheduled...heh, cheated... ;)

So just in *case* you are bored enough to be on the internet today, it's link time!

Lets make a start with a Tetris ice cube tray...yep, too late to ask for it for Christmas now!

An ingenious Umbrella/knuckleduster combination, so you can carry your briefcase, hold your umbrella and still lash out at others during difficult commutes in the rain...! Why has it taken so long to fill this obvious gap in the marketplace? ;)

A really interesting animation made from 45,000 still photographs (thank you Times newspaper)...

Take a look at this really odd ID card this blogger found in a Chinese made wallet...

Discover that the Spanish are building a Lord of the Rings theme park (in Spain)...might be tempted to pay a visit when they've finished it (if it's any good)... ;)

Check out these really cool imbedded-looking Shuriken 'fridge magnets...

Meet Wooly Tiny (a minature laser-cut mammoth skeleton)...

Try to prevent yourself fainting as you discover something interesting actually happened in Second Life...

Scratch your head in a confused way at the antics of South Carolinas Banana Derby, people really still force animals to do this kind of thing...?

Watch as a couple of guys pour loads of concrete into a huge ant nest (and then dig it up when it has set)...sad because lots of animals died, but annoyingly extremely interesting to see the amazing chambers and huge tunnel network that is revealed...

...and finally a titter-worthy childrens book fail...

More links next week and you can find previous round-ups back in this direction...!

Now get off the internets, eat some cold turkey, consume too many chocolate liquors and fall asleep in front of the TV...it's the LAW! ;)

Happy Christmas

We hope you have all been good boys and girls and Father Christmas delivered you all nice presents...!

Wishing you a very HAPPY CHRISTMAS and Best wishes for 2009!

FinkAngel & Flyingpops,
Colin the Camper & Poppy Matlida ;)

Happy Birthday Fink

Please all join me in wishing my darling husband a very happy birthday...

  

 Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear Fink,

Happy Birthday to you.

We have been fairly busy celebrating over the last few days and are off tonight for a meal so expect pictures and a write up soon.

Love you Fink x

Fink's Links #44

Friday again! And just because you were ever-so good last time and finished up your greens, it's link time -

This week we kick things off with "One Whale Extracts his revenge" (the true story behind the classic tale Moby Dick)...

A nice collection of Shoe-tossing GIFs...hehe...

Watch the happiest dog on the planet...

This link is with my Dad in mind an archive of every Radioshack catalogue (pretty much) since 1939...

...and then (quite literally) the saddest dog on the planet (for it's lack of ability)...no need for a garden fence with this puppy!

Read about Jill Price, a woman with perfect "episodic memory" (and no, it isn't nice)...

Learn about the vast secret tunnel network under London up for sale (hmm, that would speed up the commute, might be a bit costly to heat and light it though)...!

World War II as an online multiplayer game chat interface (rather amusing)...

A rather interesting book-case...

Watch a guy who I confidently predict is going to be *very* dead *very* soon mucking around with a very patient Great White shark...

Check out El-E the robot assistant for the disabled...(closes eyes - (Homer voice) - mmmm...point laser...machine brings beer)... ;)

Following the theme - America announces free prescription guns for the elderly and disabled...

Discover that helicopters can just spontaneously fall to bits thanks to an effect called "ground resonance"...that's the last time I think about getting in one with more than two blades then!

...and finally an excellent menu fail and a funny breakfast option fail...

More links next week and you can find previous round-ups over here...! Make the most of Saturday and Sunday! ;)

Secret Santa - Hunters Biltong

Hehe, second year in a row a -killer- Secret Santa pressie! Last year's gift has been useful about 100 times (from fixing broken glasses, replacing a fuse, countless "have you got a pen?" requests etc. etc.), and this year (although obviously not going to be *useful*) I get a large bag of Hunters Biltong (classic variety)...it was all I could do to only eat one strand for my breakfast! 

So naughty... ;)

Our Tiny Christmas Tree

Here we go, finally got around to taking a picture of our tiny Christmas tree...it's a live, pot grown spruce pine, apparently they grow about a foot a year, so next year it should be a little more impressive!

Had a bit of trouble actually decorating it though, almost every single decoration we owned was *way* too big (put the bauble on the branch and it simply sagged towards the ground and fell off), the smallest set of lights we could find in the house was a set of 200(!), which frankly would have completely buried the poor thing, so Sunday morning was spent on a bit of a mission to find the absolute smallest of everything on offer...

Tesco was a let down (only coloured light sets, or ones far too long), Woolworths we skipped thanks to a report that they had been already stripped of everything good, Dorking Car boot sale yielded a tiny set of hand-made painted wooden stockings and presents (for a pound), Dorking Garden Centre netted us a small pack of white glass baubles, but again no suitable lights...we finally scored a white set of 20 (just what we were after) from Knights in Betchworth (they even tested them for us before we left!) along with some adorable little hanging signs that say all sorts of festive catch phrases...and actually, it was Knights that had by far the best selection of Christmas decorations (for both inside and out) having turned over at least half the store to the purpose, so if we ever need any more, I know where I will be heading first... ;)

New Timetable - New Earlswood woes

So yesterday the new Winter timetable came into force, Flyingpops was over the moon as our normal train has now turned into a "fast" train (i.e. it doesn't bother stopping at Merstham/Purley/Coulsdon) getting in 10 minutes earlier, however, I am a bit miffed...first off it's now only 4 coaches (which isn't nearly enough, it came in to Earlswood today "full and standing" and 99% of the time we used to get not only a seat, but also seats together, from the looks of things this is now going to be rather unlikely moving forward), secondly it then wastes much of the advantage of not being a stopping service by adding in a coupling up maneuver at Redhill which also doubles the potential for delays (if one or other bit of the train is running late)...thirdly, and this isn't really a big deal, but I have a slightly more "schmoke and a pancake?" attitude to the commute than Flyingpops, preferring to relax and watch movies/TV or play games, using it as quality recreation time (rather than plugging away on a Blackberry)...now it's about 10 minutes shorter (although don't get me wrong, I like getting into town earlier as the tube is less likely to have got itself into a pickle)...it's just that a whole TV episode used to fit into the commute, and now it doesn't...

Humph...

Redhill Belfry Christmas Carols

So yesterday we decided we would have our roast dinner a little early (started cooking at 3pm as the lamb at Tesco was a third off, so I got a whole leg...mmm)...and hurry into Redhill (once we had finished stuffing ourselves) for the Carol singing in the Belfy -

- which was looking jolly festive sporting it's usual adornment of a colossal tree -


- glowing animals and giant stars...and because we got there early enough we managed to bag some chairs from the coffee shop and pop ourselves just behind the band -

- (on previous years we have arrived a little later and been relegated to standing on one of the upper levels) I popped up in the lift before everything kicked off, just to get a couple of shots of the assembled congregation -

- which was quite considerable...

The theme this year was one of recognition that the Christian community (and, of course, the community at large) of Redhill has morphed into an extremely multicultural affair...as each Hymn/Song was reached, a different member of the congregation (from the country where the Carol's author originated (Germany, Poland, America, Africa, etc. etc.)) stood at the lectern and gave a little potted history of the piece before we embarked upon it...and some interesting new Chrismas songs emerged as a result, all of which were easy to pick up and very catchy...

So now we are allowed to feel properly festive, still struggling slightly though thanks to work being a little on the busy side, still, this week (barring one day on the 24th) is all I have to struggle through until my Christmas break...

If my fingernails hold out I'll drag myself there (somehow... ;)

Fink's Links #43

Another week is over! So, if you have finished off all the vegetables on your plate (yes, even the cold spinach), you may proceed to the desert -

Starting this week by getting the felines over and done with - the great picture "Abort! Abort!"...and secondly "Maybe tonight when you are sleeping"... ;)

A reasonably priced hands-free whisk...(whatever next)!

The slightly ironic - Alignment... ;)

Gape in disbelief at "It was when I was a child when I lived in Africa. We always went to the same butcher and then suddenly - we were there a couple of years - the meat started to get so much better" *shudder*...

An awesome collection of abandoned towns and cities (urban exploration style) this is getting really popular now...!

Find out what it's like in a frozen pizza factory (in Ireland)...

Following the theme, take a peek inside the Nokia damage test labs (or "why they refused your warranty claim" - yes, they know...) ;)

Watch a considerably large meteor hit Canada, courtesy of a vehicle mounted police camera! And some pictures of (bits of) it, sticking out of the ground...

Life not complete without a chair made of shotgun shells? No problem sir/madam...

Read - "Oh shit," he mumbled. "I just broke the Internet." - an excellent article from Wired...

Watch a guy using the worlds greatest anti-zombie weapon, yes, a chainsaw mounted assault rifle...

...finally a nasty ad location fail...and a totally classic "infedelity fail"...you definitely would/wouldn't want to be that guy! ;)

More links next week and you can find previous round-ups back in this direction...! Have a jolly good weekend! ;)

Take over Disneyland!

Hehe, sorry, couldn't help myself, (I know) it's *blatant* advertising, but it is so cleverly done I just had to share...Well, admittedly some bits of the grammar don't work too well ("It's a Angel World" for example), but I really enjoyed it none the less... ;)

So don't miss out, it's your chance to rename Disney World to something completely different, although not swearwords I'm afraid...(Yes, I knew what you were thinking, you cheeky little imps)... ;)

When you get to the landing page scroll down to the bit at the bottom to generate code to embed it on a website, that saves you having to fill out the form at the top... :)

Happy "holidays"... ;)

Jolly Farmers Christmas Market

On Sunday we were lucky enough to spot this Christmas Market running at the Jolly Farmers pub/restaurant/deli/thingie in Betchworth (that link was from our last visit - a slightly disastrous day) on our way to the car boot sale to get some of our wedding pictures framed...We decided to stop by on our way back, pulling into the car park to be asked if we had made a reservation for lunch (we hadn't) and being directed into a muddy field as a result of our negative answer (even though there were spaces in the hard standing one) where we were met by an absolutely manic man (with a crazed look in his eye) as if he had been doomed to an eternity of trying to organise thousands of cars in hell, rather than (roughly) 1 car every five minutes for two days...

Obviously with Poppy the Beetle being all new (and just having been washed on Saturday) Flyingpops was rather loath to park where the mad, bellowing gentleman was yelling at her to drive (amid babbling assurances we wouldn't get stuck or muddy "It was perfectly alright yesterday you know!"), but as he started yanking large poles from the ground and twitching uncontrollably, she yielded...We slid our way across the car park (slightly frazzled) to the sounds of the guy shrieking at his next victim and struggled up the hill, past a chap who appeared to be making broken tent pegs from perfectly good pieces of wood -

- (as we passed him he commented, to no-one in particular "Oh no, now it's busy, that's when things normally start to go wrong", causing me to gaze with some confusion as he shredded more of the tent peg to one side with a large blade, wondering how it could possibly get any worse), and then we were into the market itself...


...which was actually rather good, lots of local produce (or so it was claimed), including all sorts of meats and fish -


- a good selection of tasting, including cheeses and Hepworth Beer from Horsham (so I know that definitely was local) -

- all sorts of crafts (including the wood some of which was for sale), Flyingpops was actually quite taken by the Christmas trees -

- (oh, and it turned out the tent pegs were supposed to be parrots) -

- an excellent selection of veg (shame we had already been to Tesco), (the extremely popular) mulled wine, and a Christmas BBQ of festive burgers and sausages (which no-one seemed interested in, but perhaps it was a little early for lunch)...

When it came time to leave, we *did* (as Flyingpops feared) get stuck in the mud, much wheel spinning (*covering* the car in mud), pushing and shoving (covering the windscreen in muddy hand prints) from me and the parking guy (serving him just about right), we finally managed to get back on the firm stuff and escape...

Parking aside, it was actually really good, and on the face of it, all very local produce...so one must applaud the effort and hope that they do a similar thing next year...

Bravo... ;)

Christmas Decorations

So we've made a *start* on the Christmas decorations -

- Flyingpops popped up into the loft on Saturday to put a load of summer things (like the big fan) up into the loft, and bring a lot of winter things (like the Christmas decorations) down...I busied myself stringing the lights around the front of the house while she tidied up the front garden -

- although we have agreed that we are going to be doing things a little low key this year for the simple reason that we are spending Christmas day and Boxing day away at the respective sets of parents and then spending the rest of the break down in Cornwall (so there didn't seem much point in really going to town)...

- and this includes the tree - we decided to go green and buy a living one (after taking advice from the staff at Priory Farm) -

- (it's also a bit of a waste of money to spend £50, as we normally do, if we're not going to be around to enjoy it)...we had a little look around Christmas Tree Land anyway (as it is jolly festive)-

- but actually more people seemed to have come along to ride the train than actually buy any trees -

- anyway, we picked our little tree out...because it is alive and there is no danger of needle dropping we were able to go for a traditional spruce pine (with that perfect Christmas Tree shape) rather than the oddly squat and twisted non-drop ones that are popular at the moment...

It's out in the garden at the moment (where it can live inbetween Christmases from now on), I think we'll get around to actually decorating it next weekend (although it might look a little odd with the usual 200 light set smothering it)...so that might have to change!

Fink's Links #42

...(very Douglas Adams)...Gosh, only ten more weeks and I've been doing these weekly roundups for a whole year! Ah...Seems like only yesterday... ;)

Let's get underway with a video entitled "the most horrible day of my life"...how can people get so...involved...amazing... <:0

A movie of a very strange Japanese piggy bank...

Now let's check out a fantastic shot of the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone park...

Some good and spooky urban exploration, this time an abandoned hospital in LA...

Chickens break up a fight between two rabbits...(yes, you read that correctly)...

"I do not have any money so am sending you this drawing of a spider I did instead" (you may need to click the image once to make it large enough to read)...an internet legend is born! ;)

The really quite moving story of the butler at the White House...

A Darth Vader toaster...

"Only when the last tree has withered, the last fish has been caught, and the last river's been poisoned, will man realize we cannot eat money"...

Suffering Souls - A search for the roots of psychopathy...

A fairly dangerous trampoline...

An interesting piece by Psywar on the role stamps played (both the forgeries and authentic propaganda uses) during the World Wars...(more interesting than it sounds)!

...and if you're smart, you'll stay down...

A really nasty ketchup dispenser...

...and we'll round things off with an excellent road sign fail and a hilarious hero fail...

Don't look at me like that, it's all I have! Honestly! Links will be back next week though and until then you can find previous round-ups back in this direction...! 

Have a jolly good weekend! ;)

Cameraphone photography

Can't tell you how impressed I am with the tiny camera on the N73, it's reached the stage where I don't feel like I have to lug the Fuji all over the place - although the image quality is unquestionably hugely superior - for general purposes (i.e. the daily grind) the N73 does *okay*, which does mean I can get away with a slightly easier to carry rucksack...

...it's good with deep colours, even in fairly low light, but actually I think it lends itself especially well to black and white shots (with the slightly grainy results from it's Carl Zeiss optics)-



- I would have said that there was no chance of it ever replacing the S9600, but actually...in some situations...it kind of has... ;)

Born of Hope - New Hobbit movie - Casting call

Well this is all quite exciting, a group of British film makers (led by writer/director/producer Kate Madison) are pursuing a "not for profit" project to make a motion picture rival to Jackson/Del Toro's "The Hobbit" inspired by a couple of paragraphs of Tolkien's (regarding Aragorn's parents) from the appendix of "The Lord of the Rings"...the exciting thing about it is the sheer number of people getting behind it to offer their support for free, props are being begged and borrowed without a fee, and all number of people are giving their time and resources for free, from make-up artists to all the actors (over 100 have lent their time and talents so far), filming is taking place in Epping Forest (near London), Bury St Edmonds (in Suffolk) and Snowdonia in Wales, so if you can cobble together an appropriate costume and get yourself to one of those locations you may be able to join in the fun as they are currently appealing for extras...!

It's starting to look a lot like Christmas...!

Well, the trees and tinsel have re-emerged from storage in the office making the place look extremely festive -

- and classes full of school children are frantically busy sliding around and falling over on the Canada Square ice rink...so here we are - December - and only 3 weeks to go!

Am I too early to wish Everyone a very merry Christmas? ;)

This does (of course) mean that once again I am going to be up a ladder this weekend, risking life and limb to put up all our lights...*gulp*... ;)

Canary Islands come to Canary Wharf

Hehe, this made me giggle when I got into town this morning, in a move (apparently not unusual in Spanish circles) the PR Bus for Islas Canarias wasn't quite ready in time to catch the morning commute with whatever message it was they had to convey...

It's okay though, we can try again mañana... ;)