Bedford River Festival

Every other year Bedford goes crazy and thousands of people crawl over the river area buying, selling, entertaining and having fun.

After a parade of lit up boats on the river there is a fireworks display.

This year, mini-me was old enough to go on his own and meet up with mates for the evening.

(i strongly recommend clicking on the first picture and hovering over it until the enlarge icon appears and viewing this picture at its largest.)

author cloud

http://www.librarything.com/authorcloud.php?view=kumquat

check out my author cloud! apparently a free account will only let you bash in 200 ISBN numbers so although my 'cloud' isn't entirely representative of my hundreds more books, it does give a pretty fair impression of who i most buy and read.

geek heaven

are you often regarded as slightly geeky? something of a nerd when it comes to detail? do you often find the thought of writing a list more rewarding than the actual task? do your friends think twice about inviting you out when they know you'd rather sit at home and alphabetise your filing cabinets? THEN LOOK NO FURTHER!!! this could be the link you have been waiting for...

http://www.librarything.com/

Sweet mother of pearl, I think I've died and gone to heaven.

van eyck

Discussed the Ghent altarpiece over dinner tonight as I'm sure everyone has done at one time or another. Quite a triptych.

HOW RUDE

it would have been funny if we hadn't all been so seething at this pompous customer.

i join the conversation as he's looking down his nose disparagingly at my colleage and saying "you don't know what it is do you?"

ebooks

he's come into a bookshop to buy an ebook. yes folks, you heard right. i stepped in - i couldn't help it, the man was a fool and he was trying to belittle my staff - and i told him what an ebook was and that he would have to find them online. "well," he replies, "i don't have internet access". i point out that internet access is required. he responds; "well that's no use to me is it?" no sir, i'm thinking, and that's because you're a laughable buffoon who thinks he can belittle girls behind a counter with insisting they bring him the impossible, oh excuse me while i just go and consult the tooth fairy about this one. in fact i say "then i don't think we can help you any further on that request". NEXT he moves onto maps. again he asks for something that doesn't exist and looks at me with disdain as i show him what is on offer. "well that's a street map, not exactly a map is it" On and on he goes with his rudeness until I decide to hack him down as politely as i can given that i want to blow my nose on his tie and say "That is the extent of our range I'm afraid".

what makes people like that?

i mean take this blog entry for example, not a hint of vitriol or invective about it!

to infinity and beyond

if i were lucky enough to have synaesthesia, i would describe today as having been mid to dark grey and set to some haunting strains of Mahler.

"Wouldn't you just die without Mahler?" (Trish in Educating Rita)

Anyway.

Today i bought a tent!!!!! I am excited to the point of becoming a complete nerd about this. I also bought a kettle, stove, bed and lamp. I'm going to take myself off for three nights next month while mini-me is doing other stuff and brave a holiday alone miles from home. I am alternately feeling empowered and terrified! Lurching between thinking this is a completely bad idea and i could sit at home in the warm and dry feeling sorry for myself and beaming at my own desire for self reliance and explorer spirit. at the moment i'm mostly feeling stoked but this may be the after effects of retail therapy. (giggles) I bought one of those uber cool pop out tents that you literally take out of the bag, hold at arms length and hey presto you have a fully working home. dead cheap it woz. they love me in milletts!