Wednesday, 19 February 2025

While it is busy...

Ukraine has begun talks with Panama, Greenland and Canada to settle the US’s petty territorial concerns for it while it is busy.

Noticing that the United States’ negotiation apparatus was all tied up in meetings with Russia, the eastern European nation has kindly stepped in and promised to ‘sort everything out’.

Foreign affairs minister Andrii Sybiha said: “The US has a lot on its plate right now, right as Musk’s fired half the government! But anything to help out a friend.

“We’ve put the US argument forward – I believe it’s that they should have whatever they want "because Trump", it didn’t take long – and we’re now hearing representations from the other countries at the table. Some convincing arguments!

“Our key aim is peace, of course, which is worth any price. So with that in mind we’re offering a unilateral withdrawal of US troops and generous reparations.

“I think the US will be delighted when they come out of whatever they’re doing and discover we’ve forged binding agreements on their behalf but without their input. We’ve saved them so much work.

“What, you say? The most powerful side will just ignore the agreements anyway? Oh. How unlike our own situation.”

The Daily Mash

Of course.

Tuesday, 18 February 2025

Blumenfest!

Just a sample of the delights on show at the Orchid Festival at Kew Gardens, that Madam Arcati, John-John and I trolled off to see on Sunday.

It was, as planned, the perfect way to end my holiday (the Madam was already back at work after our trip to Spain), even if the arrangements were a bit disomfiting in comparison to previous visits - we had to queue in the cold for our ticketed timeslot, much of the Princess of Wales Conservatory (where the event is hosted) was roped-off so we couldn't meander past some of our fave specimens as usual, and in general it all felt a bit like being ushered along a conveyor-belt.

Albeit a very beautiful, colourful and floral one!

Here's something - ahem - appropriate to accompany this floral display, from one of our favourite German eccentrics Fraulein Nina Hagen [who has a milestone birthday coming up next month, so I doubt this will be the last we hear of her]!

I love the looks of shock on the audience's faces...

Monday, 17 February 2025

Fruity, indeed

Aaaaaarrrggghhh!

Back to reality. Gawd knows what utter joys are lined up to face me as I stagger my weary way back to work...

...Never mind, eh? Here - in another nod to our beloved Spain, before our tans completely fade and wash off - is a phenomenon, to serve as a real wake-up call on this Tacky Music Monday.

Laydeez'n'gentlemen, may I introduce one of that country's - ahem - finest trans entertainers, Miss Bibi Anderson!

Good heavens.

Have a good week, dear reader. I won't.

Sunday, 16 February 2025

It's centr- I -fugal motion

Madam Arcati, John-John and I are off to see the annual Orchid Festival at Kew Gardens this afternoon! A welcome break from the grey dankness that continues to envelop us (despite a brief sunny respite yesterday afternoon), and a jolly way to end my fortnight's leave, methinks...

Speaking of jolly - here's our "house band" here at Dolores Delargo Towers, superbly improving (as is their wont) a somewhat forgotten hit from 26 years ago [the year Shawn Mendes, Chappell Roan, Google, the iMac and - erm - Windows 98 were born]:

That mispronunciation still annoys me, decades later.

Saturday, 15 February 2025

O, Canada

Five former prime ministers of Canada, Joe Clark, Kim Campbell, Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper have called on all Canadians to fly the flag as a sign of national unity on Flag Day during the 2025 United States trade war with Canada and Mexico.

I have cousins in Canada, but irrespective of that fact I see no reason why everyone shouldn't show solidarity and stand up to such blatant bullying - do you?

Let's hear from one of that country's greatest exports...

Times are gone
For honest men
Sometimes, far too long for snakes

Black hole sun
Won't you come
And wash away the rain?

Indeed.

Friday, 14 February 2025

You got to know that that will never do

Yes, dear reader, "St. Hallmark's Day" is upon us once again. The shops have been groaning under the strain of pink-and-red-themed items - cards, balloons, flowers, chocolates, bubbly; even a prawn medley (how seductive!) - since before our holiday, in the hope that the cash registers will be pinging as lovelorn chavs queue to buy gifts for their beau. Bleurrcchh! All this commercialisation makes me sick.

Never mind, eh? I may still be on leave, but as is traditional at the end of any week [and this is indeed the last weekend for me before the daily grind begins all over again], it's time to start planning that party!

Here's something - ahem - suitably romantic for the occasion:

Thank Disco It's Friday!

Have a great one, folks!

Thursday, 13 February 2025

Of Romans, boffins, whales, hogs and the Sunshine Band

It's another snippets post, dear reader:

  • Historical discoveries news: The remains of London’s earliest Roman basilica - dating back almost 2000 years - have been discovered under an office block in Holborn.
  • Another festival season we won't be going to news: London rapper Little Simz has been announced as the curator of the 30th edition of the Meltdown Festival at the South Bank Centre. Sigh. It'll be dreadful. Again.
  • Precocious teen you love to hate news: Aged just sixteen, a teenager from Twickenham has landed a $1million deal in Silicon Valley for his self-coded AI program. At his age, my preoccupations were mainly Blondie, Tubeway Army, Not the Nine O'Clock News and masturbation (not necessarily in that order)...

  • Boffin birthday news: Alongside fellow celebrants Peter Gabriel (75), Kim Novak, Stockard Channing, Robbie Williams, Peter Hook of New Order, Joyce DiDonato, Kevin Bloody Wilson and Sonia, and on the same date as the late George Segal, Peter Tork, Jerry Springer, Oliver Reed, Tennessee Ernie Ford and Emanuel Ungaro, it happens to be the 80th birthday today of the marvellously erudite Sir Simon Schama, stalwart of BBC history documentaries and house fave here at Dolores Delargo Towers; indeed, we have not one but two of his series lined up on iPlayer to watch.
  • He made his home in that fish's abdomen news: A kayaker in Chile was swallowed - and then spat out - by a humpback whale!
  • Another day, another load of wild beasts on the loose: 20 feral pigs, believed to have been deliberately set loose in Scotland's Cairngorms National Park, have been caught and killed. Hog roast, anyone?
  • And, finally... How old?! news: Unbelievably, it is fifty years since KC and the Sunshine Band first dominated our discos and the charts - and by way of a celebration, the faboo DJ Cummerbund has come up with this [almost 15-minute long] slice of brilliance!

Wow!

And the weather? Dankness continues.