Monday 29th June 2009

Unquestionably I had to post this picture. I stumbled across the aforementioned website - befunky.com - whilst arbitrarily browsing the web. I'm certain you've already determined the purpose of the site, which creates cartoons of any digital photograph, and rather impressively so as well. Indeed, I may have to print this one off and frame it. The website also offers a selection of options for manipulating your photo. but some results aren't quite as impressive, as follows:-



This is, supposedly, a stencil drawing of our family photo in Tenerife. C'est bien? Mais non monsieur, c'est tres, tres merde!



OK, they're just getting worse now. I'll stop while I still have at least a 33% success rate. Intriguing application nonetheless!

Perhaps I should have left Fridays blog as the conclusive end point to the hundreds of posts entered over the past couple of years? Is there a time line to such a format? Will it be superseded by something else, such as "Twitter"? Or is this some form of purgatory with the punishment being to continue for another 13.5 years?

In 13.5 years he'll be 16, hence the blogs proposed natural end.

Another reason for ending the continual punishment of my fingertips on the keyboard (I type like most men, one finger thundering down on each key like it were an EU Agricultural Bureaucrat itself) could also be the lack of subject matter - and that is most appropriate for tonight's post. Very little has actually occurred up here since Friday I regret to say. The weekend was quiet, and only enlightened by another bus expedition on Saturday for Luca. While his Mother and her cohorts bounded around the well worn Bannatyne floors, Luca took flight from home territory by public transport with his Dad into Inverurie in such a bold fashion I may as well have not been there. His strength and confidence are shooting now and any attempts to baby him are rejected out of hand.

Unless he gets an "owey" or wants chocolate or crisps, natch.

Luca wasn't particularly impressed by my new (temporary) toy though. I took one of our companies vans home with me for the weekend in order to transport some bulky items from our garden to the tip. The curious one inevitably climbed in for a closer inspection, but was clearly unsure of the vans layout. Indeed, the look of confusion and suspicion on his face as he looked into the open unseated space in the back spoke volumes. In fact, every time I suggested going out after that he shook his head saying "No in white van Daddy, not like it"

He has a burgeoning and impressive memory though. Despite not having seen the van since early on Sunday, when I came home from work tonight a beaming Luca swung round in his chair proclaiming that "Daddy come home in white van". I shook my head and told him I'd left it at work. "Catch the bus then Daddy?" came the response. I nodded, to which Luca's return was a triumphant smile before swinging back round in his chair. His banana and ice cream was rapidly melting, so I guess the privilege of his attention even for that brief minute was something to be savoured.

Much like his banana and ice cream.

What's coming up? Who knows during this abnormal heatwave. Even our coldest temperature this week will be 22 degrees, which considering the high percentage of North Eastern ginger people will cause a few problems (to put bit mildly). As I'm turning 25 on Sunday (for almost ten years consecutively now admittedly) Carole has arranged something for me on Friday night, but won't let the cat out of the bag. Which is just as well considering we have two dogs. On Saturday we have a barbecue with a fellow ageing child of the mid seventies, before a lazy day on Sunday.

Hopefully once the condolences of another passing year have ended I can get back to the serious business of buying a car. I now have definite possibilities, which is just in time before the final layer on the soles of my feet erode away.

Have I mentioned Luca enough? Did I mention that I made the error of not locking the bathroom door this morning, which allowed the inquisitive young man to enter, take my newspaper away, chat away endlessly before unexpectedly flushing the toilet? Not pleasant, but hard not to laugh as he then proceeded to walk back out whilst waving bye bye before slamming the toilet door shut so hard my can of shaving foam fell to the floor from atop the sink.

I won't list such inappropriate stories next time.

**Useless fact of the day - Scientists estimate that 100 species go extinct every day. That's about one species every 15 minutes**