Australian couple subjected to strange cottage pie

Little do Lee and Margaret suspect, as they chat to Peter and Sparkly, that they are about to do battle with one of my infamous Italian cottage pies, a combination of potato and bolognese sauce (and beans) that would be enough to bring any Tuscan chef to their knees in supplication - 'please, please, Senor Dave, please make only the bangers and mash or the spotted dick.Please leave our beautiful cuisine alone. We beg of you, for the sake of our mothers.' No wonder I can only travel to Italy in disguise.

Without the power of the internet, we would have remained complete strangers but blogging will out - I think Lee and I first made contact in January 2006. It's taken a while to get to the eyeball stage (a horrible expression from the days of CB radio when passing truckers would shout 'eyeball, eyeball!' into their microphones as they narrowly avoided running each other off the road).

Still it was worth the wait. We had tracked their adventures around the globe over the past few weeks and now here they were in almost sunny Worcestershire. The rain held off, the wind died and everything in the garden was lovely, except the lawn.

It was grand, as they say up north and a right pleasure.

And so to the next leg - bon voyage.

Upside Down

I have an unconquerable desire to turn reflected images upside-down; I'm sure it could be classed as some sort of 'philia'. There again, perhaps I have a phobia about inverted reflections. We may never know as I imagine that it would be way down at the bottom of any list of pressing, psychological, research projects.

It has the look of a double exposure, the sort of thing that happened in the cameras of days gone by if, for some reason, the film didn't wind on. Often arty types would do this deliberately. Oh, what fun!

Unpleasant beasts, cobbles, a antiquated trip-hazard for the careless pedestrian or wearer of stilettos, and an uncomfortable and slippery surface for the cyclist. Motorists, however, do get the pleasure of a modulating thrumming noise as they drive over them so all is not lost. Also they do look the part in front of an old building like this clock tower at 3 Mills in east London.

Incidentally there is an election in London today for Mayor. The choice seems to be between a rogue, a buffoon and an also-ran (or two - I've no idea who the minority candidates are). Doubtless it is the same everywhere and it is no wonder that so few people bother to vote. In most contests, and to be honest I'm tempted to say all, the sort of individuals who put themselves forward for public office are just the sort who would not make it onto your Christmas Card list. They generally distinguish themselves by being undistinguished.

I suppose someone has to do it. It has been said that the best form of government is a benevolent dictatorship and if the human race ever breeds one, I'm sure we will be mightily relieved.

Just don't hold your breath.