It's Raining Hen

There is something about Swindon that gets to you.

Right then! Hands up all my homogenised yeomen who followed the link to Andrew Marr’s History of Modern Britain in a previous blog, were able to watch the video and watched it to the end?

Hmmmm, I thought as much. I wasn’t at all sure that people outside of the UK would be able to see the program and I doubt many of you have the time to watch the whole thing.

Still, I posted the link. As the old Swindon saying goes, “You can lead a horse to the bathtub, but is won’t find the soap.”

Funny how Swindon is on my mind. (Note 1)

Not that I am entirely sure why I decided to open up with a picture of Tony Blair in demonic pose during a visit to Swindon or just why I am rambling on about Swindon. I guess it is just the way my synaptic tangents are sparking today. It could be that I was wondering when the next Jasper Fforde book was going to hit the shelves. (Note 2)

I did consider having a quick stab at some satirical synaptic tangents about David Prowse, Start Wars and our outgoing Prime Minister, but in the end found that it was all a little too convoluted. Though fear not my depilated yeomen, I will not be setting homework tonight. For tonight is a special occasion. Rather than setting homework, I’m handing out solutions!

Some of you may have noticed that last week, a rather natty and flashy box appeared underneath my entries. In fact, it is there again today. In that box appeared a series of clues which I rather smugly announced as being cryptic. (Note 3). In fact they were nothing of the sort. They were nothing more than a rather elaborate pictorial countdown. What is more the intellectual yeomen also quickly worked out what I was counting down to – Today.

For today is my blogiverssary. I have now been blooging for a whole year. On the 30th May 2006, I decided to dip my toe in the tepid 360 waters and posted my first blog entry. Yes, it was rather boring an inauspicious. It didn’t really give many clues as to what the blog was going to evolve into and didn’t hint at the risks involved with reading it.

And for those of you who don’t follow the links, it was that last one which spawned the title of the blog – don’t you love puns?

From 14th June 2006, the industry standard Crozzy Standard has been applied to footnotes.

NOTE 1: For those adventurous yeomen who followed the link and are now fit for bursting at the thought of two weeks at the railway museum, please note that the web site doesn’t work properly and to request a brochure you have to email them. It somehow seems appropriate that. Click to return

NOTE 2: For those of you who have remained oblivious, I quite enjoy the writings of Jasper Fforde and in particular the adventures of Thursday Next of the Nursery Crimes Division based in Swindon. I’ve always considered that this is probably because Jasper Fforde’s mind is so stuffed full of synaptic tangents that I cannot help but be jealous. Click to return

NOTE 3: It was rather smug and supercilious of me. In fact one or two of my most loyal yeomen snatched the answer out of the air rather quickly. I was then forced to try and throw in a few curved ball clues to try and distract and disorientate you. Including a picture of ‘The Prisoner’ from the TV Series (Who was known as Number Six as he tried to discover the identity of the elusive Number Two) and a five striped squirrel did nothing to throw you from the scent. Click to return

So now you know what it was all about. I was giving my bloggiversarry a little hype. This was my first proper entry posted one year ago today.

TECHNORATI TAGS : Swindon ; Marr ; FForde ; Blogiversarry ; Puns.