Yet another spiffing start to the day at the Castle this morn, sunny, warm, calm and comfy, the kitchen is almost empty of broken thingies, and the garden is looking rosy.
My Orange internet connection went live last dark thing, which is why I am a bit late because the “installation disc” that came with my new wireless router wasn’t recognised by bleedin Vista so I had to install it manually, but all is now well and I have W.W.W. speed of near light.
I have noticed that the Blue Tits, Sparrows, Chaffinch’s and Gold finches seem to have disappeared, they no longer visit for nuts, fat balls and a swim in the birdbath.
Maybe they are on holiday…..
And his majesty finally crashed out at about 8pm.
An "unfortunate error" meant maths students were set a question that was impossible to answer in an AS-level exam.
Just fewer than 6,800 teenagers took the paper - set by the OCR exam body - last Thursday.
The error was in an exam paper taken in 335 schools and other exam centres in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and carried eight marks out of 72 being awarded for the paper.
OCR has said it deeply regrets the "unfortunate error" and says it has a range of procedures in place to ensure candidates are not disadvantaged.
A spokeswoman said: "We very much regret that there was a mistake... and that our quality assurance procedures failed to identify this error.
What “quality assurance”?
And the question:
Verify the shortest route, for two given conditions, giving values of 32.4 + 2x km and 34.2 + x km. These values should have been 34.3 + 2x km and 36.1 + x km respectively.
The error was not to have included twice the journey between A and B (0.9 km) and the journey between F and G (1.0 km) in the values given.
Apparently “problems” with NHS reforms and opposition from the Liberal Democrats have forced the paper's publication back until July.
In February U-Turn Cam wrote that the white paper would "put in place principles that will signal the decisive end of the old-fashioned, top-down, take-what-you're-given model of public services".
And he wants to place the "burden of proof" on the state to justify why it should ever hold a monopoly on any public service.
So the NHS won’t be privatised then?
A traffic cone has become the must-have des-res for a family of great tits, who moved into the red and white object in the main driveway of the grounds of Holt Hall, Norfolk.
Chris Blake, head gardener at the field studies centre, lifted the cone to cut the grass and found nine eggs in a nest.
Two weeks later, after a bit of tender loving care from their doting mother, they all hatched into healthy chicks.
The birds have now flown the impromptu nest, leaving the cone free for its next residents to move in - but Mr Blake might just move it to a quieter area so he can mow the lawn.
So that’s where they have all gone.
There's no law in Fort Worth, Texas against wearing saggy baggy pants but a new code of conduct prohibits sagging on city buses, myFOXdfw.com reported Wednesday.
Just like the requirement for a shirt and shoes, now those who want to ride "The T" actually have to wear their pants. It's not a campaign. It's the Fort Worth Transportation Authority's new policy.
The authority said if a person refuses to abide by the rule they will be asked leave the loading premises. Otherwise they are considered trespassing.
But the two week old rule is catching some resistance.
Saggy pants fan De'Shawn Miller said he doesn't understand the problem.
"This is something we grew up into," the 16-year-old said. "That's why they don't tell us nothing about sagging. We gonna sag regardless. We ain't disrespectful. That's how we were raised."
Obviously not with the English language, nor with consideration for others…
British chef Andy Bates says he has sourced some of the finest ingredients on the planet - including milk-fed lamb from the Pyrenees - for his creation.
The humble kebab has well and truly had a high-class makeover, with its champagne-infused mint and cucumber yoghurt, and micro cress and lettuce salad.
It also comes with gold-leaf garnish, couer de boeuf tomatoes and barrel-aged yew's feta cheese - a far cry from a few shavings from the traditional elephant's leg rotisseries in most British late-night eateries.The impressively-expensive dish was unveiled at the launch of the Great Truck Race, a new TV programme focusing on the increasing popularity of the street food truck trend.
It was created to demonstrate how standard street fare can be given a gourmet makeover.
The man behind the king of kebabs said: 'It took a fair bit of time to source the best possible ingredients to ensure that this kebab was the most exclusive one out there, but I loved every minute.'
The Japanese government is trying to set a trend by encouraging people to dress casually for work this summer to save energy.
Super Cool Biz has been launched this week with a fashion show in Tokyo to promote the concept.
Models hit the catwalk with examples of energy-friendly work-dress.
Women are encouraged to wear open-toe sandals and men to ditch the traditional tie, a mainstay of Japanese business culture.
The government hopes the move will allow companies to limit the use of air conditioning systems.
"As we are lacking electricity, the Japanese government is asking for a 15% reduction in electricity consumption," environment minister Ryu Matsumoto said.
Energising fashion?
That’s it: I’m orf to train a Vulture.
And today’s thought: "It's so bad being homeless in winter. They should go somewhere warm like the Caribbean where they can eat fresh fish all day." - Lady Victoria Hervey
