Royal Oak

David St Hubbins Nigel Tufnel Phil Tufnell

Here's a little list: Ray Bradbury, Farenheit 451 Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale and Oryx and Crake Kasuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go Cormac McCarthy, The Road Ta Bill. Funnily enough, a couple of days ago a colleague of my wife was telling her that he found "The Road" an almost life-changing experience.

Thanks Jazzbo/Jazzmoose, I'll look into those.

Still reading "Brave New World". I've developed a bit of a taste for these "dystopian future" books. Over the past year I've read Burgess's "Clockwork Orange" and "1985", "1984" and a Martin Amis short story. Anyone got any other suggestions? Preferably not too sci-fi.

Or the Prestige sets "Sniffin'", "Scratchin'", "Chasin' cats" and "Humpin' my owner's leg"

PM sent for a disc, thanks.

A month on, and it's beginning to feel like Spring (a month late, according to the people who record these things for horticultural purposes). I even mowed the lawn yesterday, and am noticing new things in the garden every day. If I could only reduce photos to a size manageable on the forum (hints?), I'd post some!

Just been out doing my garden Spring-clean. Cutting back all last year's dead foliage revealed lots of new shoots, buds are swelling on Rhododendrons and Camellias, and the bulbs will soon be flowering. There is even a shoot emerging from the asparagus! My absolute favourite time of the year, especially after the old-fashioned (ie bloody cold) Winter we've had in the UK.

Aldous Huxley's Brave New World

I haven't been there for a while. I didn't get booted, but I did allow myself to get royally wound up by a troll with a penchant for left-handed pianists. He got banned, but reappeared soon after with a similarly-romantic user name. I also remember Bluenote82's meltdown, which I think was what sent me away.

Yes, last two days have been lovely (and impressive full moon in a clear sky at night). I've spotted the first snowdrop too. Sadly, also spotted five dead frogs floating atop the pond - clearly killed in the bad weather. Had to bury them with full honours accompanied by a Ravel adaptation - "Pavane Pour Les Grenouilles Defunte". And a bugle playing "The Last Croak". Boom boom! I'm hoping for more frogs this year. I sunk an old ceramic sink last spring, and spotted one or two frogs through the summer. I don't know where they're based, but it would be nice for some spawn eventually. I'm not holding my breath - my mum has had a small pond for 20 years, with loads of adult frogs, but they've never spawned there.

Just been in the garden, inspried me to resurrect this thread. Despite the cold and the dead foliage, there are signs that Spring is coming. Hamamelis and Hellebores about to flower, plus the first snowdrops are showing their faces. Such a hopeful time of year.

Allen Lowe Cliff Englewood 7/4

Buster Gonad Biffa Bacon Student Grant for UK members only!

Siegfried Sassoon's War Poems

Just finished Martin Amis's "Einstein's Monsters". A collection of 5 short stories written in the mid-1980s, reflecting Amis's paranoia about nuclear war. My favourite of the bunch was "The Time Disease" which I thought distinctly Anthony Burgess-like. On reading Amis's introduction afterwards, he states it was inspired by J.G.Ballard - shows what I know!

Vanished overnight! Just a few, forlorn dollops of snowmen left. Horrible wet rain now! Still cold. Of course, if you see a field full of carrots its really just a snowman's graveyard. There will be a few mangy scarves too. Yes - found my son's old woolly hat on the lawn this morning. It was the December snowman's hat which was left on the ground when that lot melted, then covered up by January's deluge.

And just like that, the snow is gone, replaced by rain. I can see the garden again, in all it's brown, wet, sloppy mid-Winter glory.

You jammy get, as we say in England....

Yes, just checked BBC weather forecast - 6 degrees on Sunday. I might even forego my vest that day. I hear what you're saying about that ice Bev - I took the kids to school today and used the pushchair for the youngest, which was very hard work. Finding a stretch of de-iced pavement was a real relief, rather than something you wouldn't even think about in normal circumstances.

We'll be able to bask in that, Richard! Just been clearing the ice off the drive and it didn't feel that cold. I never thought 1 degree C would ever seem "not that cold"!

3 degrees C predicted for Manchester this week - hurray!

John Steinbeck - Tortilla Flat

The car thermometer read -11 all the way to work this morning.