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Mama Mia!

I got a surprise present from Simon for Christmas. It's a surprise present because Simon forgot that he had bought it for me, forgot to wrap it up and didn't give it to me until yesterday. But on the other hand it wasn't a surprise because Simon only remembered it while we were listening to Mark Kermode's review of the films of the year and they played an excert of Mark's review of Mama Mia!, on our way to Norwich. That was when Si pipped up, "Ohh I've got you a present."

Only problem is I'm very nervous about watching the film as I'm afraid that there is no way it is going to be as good as Mark Kermode's review of it.


Apologies to readers who are not based in the UK but you may well not be able to see the video.

I'm also nervous because you see, like the good doctor, I love Abba in a non post ironic way. The first album I ever got was Arrival, and I played it over and over again, I used to watch everything I could about them on telly, we used to play "Abba" in the playground at school. I was only 7 at the time and they made a big impression on me, I still have that LP somewhere. So I am incredibly wary of tongue in cheek "homages" to the group, or dodgy musicals with a plot created by listing Abba song titles in any old order, I still haven't really forgive Erasure for their cover versions. You don't mess with Abba.

I won't be watching the DVD with an "Oh look at me, aren't I being tremendously 'girly' and knowing in a slightly fag haggy sort of way" no, I will be watching to see if it lives up to the promise of Mark Kermode's review and with my Inner 7 year-old who always took her entertainment very seriously because that's what small children do.

Keep Norfolk Local or "Don't Touch The Special Amenities"

originally uploaded by Jane Goth.

Possibly the worst campaign URL evah. Haven't they seen the League of Gentlemen

Happy Christmas

more animals

Let Me Count The Ways

I think Pope Benny has a big steaming pile of poo instead of a brain.

• Homophobia

• Transphobia

• Misogyny

• Slowness to act or speak out against abusive priests

• Flirting with creationism

• Continuing to condemn the use of condoms to stop the spread of infection even within marriage
  

and those are just a few things that came to mind while I was driving to the shops this morning.

To say that transsexualism or homosexuality is a threat to the future of mankind is so completely laughable it's not funny. Comparing that "threat" to the destruction of the rainforests just goes to show just how many green shield stamps short of a teasmaid he actually is. Because even if he was in any way remotely right, which he isn't I must hasten to add, we dull old heterosexual breeders are carrying on breeding as if there was no on coming gay apocalypse. (edit: and there is quite a bit of fabulous breeding going on as well)

But just underneath his LBGT phobias lies good old fashioned misogyny and patriarchal attitudes. According to the Guardian:

"Speaking in a holiday address to the Curia, the Vatican's central administration, Benedict said yesterday the church viewed the distinction between men and women as central to human nature, and "asks that this order, set down by creation, be respected".

However the differences set out by nature aren't really that huge once you get beyond the obvious like boobies and willies. F'instance intellect and loquaciousness are the same between the genders and things like spacial awareness and what is called emotional intelligence vary more within each gender than they do between the genders. No, what he means by "this order, set down by creation" isn't what has evolved through natural selection but rather what the bible sets out. Where men are men and women are submissive, barefoot and pregnant. He's scared of the gays and lesbians and trans -men and -women because they show "this order" to be what all objectively thinking people know it to be: Bollocks.

So why is Benny coming out with this nonsense and who is he aiming it at? Well I don't think he's aiming it at us in Western Europe we are probably beyond the pale. No I think he's aiming it at Africa and South America, in both continents Fundamentalist Protestant Evangelists are making great headway by offering a simplistic black and white picture of the world and salvation which includes homophobia, transphobia and patriarchal views of the roles of men and women. Benny is just trying to out stupid the fundies. Next thing he'll be saying is that the bible is inerrant. However even taking the potential politics into account it still doesn't stop me from feeling ashamed that I was a cradle Catholic.

Woohoo again

Last Day at Work Before Christmas is finally over. I now have a fortnight off along with the rest of a large chunk of the nation.

I am planning to do the Christmas food shopping early on Tuesday morning, and if possible go no where near a shop until we run out of food again, we will be catering for ourselves for Christmas I think we will be eating duck.

(Not) Nice Weather For Ducks

The weather has been foul the last few days. Cold, which I don't mind too much, but with rain and now wind the weather is getting Nul points from me. This year's winter seems to be colder that last year, the gritters have been out more often and the roads appear to be much dirtier because of it. I'm not enjoying the drive as much as I did last year. I've either become much more aware of the tailgating numpties or there are more tailgating numpties on the road this year, either way they are making the drive feel much more fraught and tiring. I will be glad when the shortest day passes and the daylight hours start to increase again. I'll be even happier when I don't have to do that drive any more - 27th March isn't that far away now.

I am now running out of ordinary clothes that will fit me. I've bought a few things; maternity jeans x2 one pair for painting in as we've got painting to do and a good pair, a maternity skirt, maternity underwear and some lighter weight tops from Next. I've not seen any winter weight knitwear that I like from any of the major maternity clothing providers I've found on the net. I do have a couple of old and baggy jumpers that should see me through winter but we're not sure where they are. The problem is that we don't have much space here, so we packed up all our winter clothes last May and put them in a safe place unfortunately we can't remember which safe place it was, as we have so much packed away and stored in different places due to the lack of... yep, space. We're not panicking yet, just huddling together for warmth.

Oliver Postgate

A great man, warm funny and so so creative. He and Peter Firmin made my childhood and I bet a lot of other people's a happier place to be.



And Charliemouse takes to drink