Don't be alarmed, but I have found out that Monday the 27th (not any other day of the week 27th) has been identified as the most ill-fated date on the calendar. More accidents and mishaps are recorded on such dates than on any other.

How do I know this? An AA study of over one million insurance claims revealed a high incidence of accident claims for events occurring on those dates. The details show that people either hurt themselves in some way, or there were domestic disasters. There were a high number of motoring claims for that date too.

So, beware, the next Monday the 27th is coming up in August 2007! You have six months to prepare.

If I hadn't paid hard earned cash to buy the flaming book, I would not have been so determined to finish it. Hurrah! With the determination and zeal of one not to be short changed, I have now completed reading it. It is by far, the most aggravating and awful read I have experienced for a long time. Anything of worth there might have been in this exposition was lost in a gross overlay of description, more description and even more description of the same things, every which way - you get the picture - repetition, verbiage and inconsequential page-filling, not to mention an over use of flash back technique.

I shall never, never again, make a point of specially reading any competition prize winning book. This book was called The Inheritance of Loss, by Kiran Desai. It has certainly been a way to lose a few pounds, sterling, and lose time. If you would like to experience the inheritance of those characteristics you now know how to do so.

As I was stretched on the blood doning bed today, the conversation between me and assistant went as follows;

"Would you like an anaesthetic injection?" I was asked.
"Pardon?"
The question was repeated.
"What on earth for?"
"Some people like to have one."
"I can't see much point in that, having a jab to numb another one which won't feel any different. No thanks, I won't have a jab." So I didn't.

I have been an intermittent blood donor over the years, and in all honesty I can say, I have never, ever, been offered an anaesthetic for doning blood not even the first time, when too much of the red elixir was removed from me.

I will tell that tale another time, perhaps.

"Celebrate the Chinese New Year!" the supermarket adverts exhorted.

Our new, and much wanted Tesco store had placards everywhere. reminding me, at any rate, that this interesting event was nigh. Having noted the imperative I decided it would be a good idea to have a stir-fry, rice and a few trimmings that were within my culinary remit, just to show willing.

The two Chinese Takeaway shops and the one restaurant will definitely be out of commission for this celebration. Their proprietors and families will be hundreds of miles away enjoing their festivities, and quite right too.

Basic to my culinary needs were a tin of water chestnuts and a tin of bamboo shoots. A pleasant man in a smart but funereal suit, didn't know where to find them. He got the section supervisor to assist him and I continued my shopping. When I met up with the man in black again, he also had the deputy manager involved in the search; so, now there were three! Voila! a tin of water chestnuts eventually appeared. Oh dear, much to their chagrin, this store has never stocked any bamboo shoots.

Who was the man in black? He was the product manager.

IT IS NOT IMMEDIATELY OBVIOUS WHY FRIDAY THE 13TH HAS UNLUCKY CONNOTATIONS, HOWEVER, FRIDAYS TOGETHER WITH THE NUMBER 13 ARE WIDELY LINKED WITH ILL-STARRED FATE AND PEOPLE REACT ACCORDINGLY. THERE ARE NUMEROUS POSSIBILITIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PHOBIA AND MANY OF THEM POINT TO A CHRISTIANISING BASE; AN EARLY FORM OF RELIGIOUS PROPAGANDA. NUMBER 13 WAS A VENERATED NUMBER IN SOME ANCIENT CULTURES. IT WAS USED BY PAGANS, IT WAS SACRED TO DRUIDS AND MUSLIMS AND APPEARS TO BE BEING REVIVED BY WICCANS. THIRTEEN IS ABSORBED INTO MASONIC TRADITIONS

BOTH MUSLIMS AND DRUIDS WERE COMPETING FOR BELIEVERS AND WERE A THREAT TO EARLY CHRISTIANITY. OUT OF THIS SIMPLIFIED MELTING POT ARE SOME EVENTS THAT MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE FEAR AND MAINTENANCE OF SUPERSTITIOUS EMOTIONS.

ON FRIDAY 13TH, 1307 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS WERE MASSACRED IN A VERY CLEVER STRATEGIC OPERATION BY ORDER OF KING PHILLIPE IV OF FRANCE;

THE FALL OF THE CHRISTIAN BYZANTINE EMPIRE IN 1453 TO THE TURKS; THE SUM OF ALL THE DIGITS (1=4=5=3) = 13

CONSIDER ALSO, THAT THE LAST SUPPER WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HELD ON A FRIDAY NIGHT (CULTURAL HABITS MAKE THAT VERY LIKELY) WITH THIRTEEN PEOPLE PRESENT, IN THIS CASE, THE THIRTEENTH MEMBER OF THE GROUP, JUDAS, WAS SAID TO BE INSTRUMENTAL IN THE DEATH OF CHRIST.

OTHER POINTS:

IN BRITAIN FRIDAY BECAME KNOWN AS HANGMAN'S DAY AND THE FIGURE 13 WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE NUMBER OF STEPS THE CONDEMNED PERSON HAD TO CLIMB TO THE GALLOWS.

MANY HIGH RISE BLOCKS IN AMERICA HAVE TWELFTH AND FOURTEENTH FLOORS AND NO NUMBER THIRTEEN. THERE ARE MANY MISSING THIRTEENS IN HOTEL ROOM NUMBERING .

HINDUS AVOID GATHERINGS OF 13 PEOPLE.

JEWS FIND THIRTEEN AN AUSPICIOUS NUMBER.

IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, IT IS BELIEVED THAT GOD HAS 13 ATTRIBUTES OF MERCY.

THE MESOPOTAMIAN CODE OF HAMMURABI OMITS THE NUMBER THIRTEEN IN ITS LIST OF LAWS.

IN PARTS OF FLORENCE THE HOUSES BETWEEN NUMBERS 12 AND 14 ARE NUMBERED TWELVE-AND-A-HALF.

THE FEAR OF THIRTEEN IS KNOWN AS TRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA.

Talking of names to go with professions, which we weren't recently, but have, somewhere along the lines of recent blog history, I came across one today, quite unsolicited.

"A gynealogical appointment has been made for you to see
MR BONGBANG."

Until I tried to do it, I had no idea how difficult it would be. How on earth do you demonstrate that you are (or you are trying to appear to be, more like) a wee bit sozzled, a tiny bit inebriated, a teensy bit the worse for wear, even, delicately disinhibited, in an exchange of emails? (Note plural)

All written tuition gratefully received and temporarily held incommunicado.

Hubby grew up with fishermen and boats all around him; fishing and boats are in his blood. He was taught all sorts of fishing and preparation skills as a child, by his grandparents, his mother and local fishermen; he is one a few people around, who are not fisherfolk, who can make and repair creels and nets. Creel manufacturing is still available so there is no need for him to help anyone out in that department but, occasionally he gets a call to help out with a net, especially those now not in use, which may be wanted for preservation.

Having access to fresh fish from a small town fishmonger and a harbour fish shop(very expensive of course), as well as what comes home in the better weather from a boat outing, I have become a type of connoisseur of good fresh sea food. I don't often eat fish or other sea food when away from home.

Sometimes we get gifted the odd crab or lobster, if hubby doesn't accidentally get one when out in the bay in his own boat. Having had home dressed crab, it is difficult to appreciate some of the lesser efforts of pre-packaged services in shops and what is served up in restaurants. Much to my surprise though, I did get a good dressed crab in 2006, on the London Embankment. On having been told that the chef had prepared the dish himself, I made a point of complimenting him.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why last year's Mann Booker prize winner, won. I am now three quarters of the way through the book, it is just starting to flow, after a fashion. The lengthy scene setting has been beyond tedious. I have even forgotten some of outline, the foundations, as I have plodded on. I am like a voyeur;I have not connected with this story in any way.

If I read another book that uses the technique of flash back so wontonly, I shall dump it. This particular book is one that I felt I dare not break with reading as I was bound to lose the flow. I did leave it, I read another very different book I have totally enjoyed, thank heavens! However, I do not like leaving books unfinished if I can help it, so I shall persevere with the prize-winning opus then completely distance myself from it.

It is curious, as before reading that work, I read another, smaller book written by an author from the same or similar background. She too, had a tendency to flash back, (a little less would have been appreciated). The first book was about the right length for me. I think this author was cleverer, as she knew where to make rich cultural and humourous points without labouring to reach them. I as a reader, was left thinking about aspects of the characters and their interactions and the messages underlying what they represented.

My in-between, virtually non flash back book has revived my reading spirits and has enabled me to consider returning to the unfinished dusty path of reading. Let's hope the path will become less hazy as I tread it.

The French actually label the FTSE as FOOTSIE on exchange rate comparison tables.

As he was standing in the dock of Stirling Sheriff Court, waiting to be tried on motoring charges, the defendant's mobile telephone techno-ringtones regaled the court. He delved into his pocket to retrieve the phone and instead of cutting off the call then switching off the instrument of unexpected orchestration, the defendant answered the call.

"Hello, mate, I'm sorry, I'm in court at the moment, can I call you back?",

The Sheriff told the defendant that his actions were ridiculous, and fined him £100 for being in contempt of court. Following the intervention of his solicitor, the defendant was granted seven days to pay.

"My mate was ringing to see if I wanted to go for a pint after the court. I think I'll need two now. I was telling him I'd call back, not having a long conversation. £100 for a ten-second call is way over the top."

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=180382007

A daylight savings debate has been recently re-ignited for about the third time, I think it is, in recent years. At least countries like the USA get time zones, recognition of differences in sun up and sun down, the twenty four nature thing that is outwith man's control; our hot-aired lot at Westminster, conveniently wish to ignore that teensy, weensy fact when it comes to Scotland and in particular the far north, which has very different daylight and sundown hours to the English regions.

If we have imposed upon us the currently proposed daylight saving hours, the risks to Scottish children getting killed on the roads on their way to and from school is enormously increased. In the central winter months, we don't get anything like real daylight till about 10a.m on current winter times. Our daylight hours are short; some days if the weather is grey or overcast, the light is very strange even for daytime. Our kids leave home in the dark and come home from school in the dark.

At Westminster, they're only fussing on about the number of English children's lives that will be saved. I want all children and all people to benefit from something that is suitable to where they live not get landed with one kind of time that does not fit or suit nature's patterns in certain regions of the U.K.