Apparently I have. This comment in blog was not meant as an insult to him – or anyone else. It was an admission that I have been committing a grammatical error all through my career as a ‘publisher’s minion’. Ignorance is no defence – I should have read Fowler ages ago!

I apologise to if he has been upset by my comment. I’ve always enjoyed his blog entries – I find them entertaining, pithy, often thought-provoking and always much better than my deluges of uniformative, tedious drivel.

I had a job interview today. At the end of the interview, I was told that the potential employers would inform the successful candidate by phone this afternoon and write to the rest of us. They haven’t phoned and so I’ve not been very happy this evening.

As I type this, my beloved Pismo is also uploading my Indian travelogue up to the end of May. This is when I first arrived in Nedumkandam, the small village in Kerala where I spent over two months with an Indian family. Seeing these photos has added to the lump in my throat.

However, I received an email from Ajeesh on Friday. He seems fine and tells me that his and his friends’ social programmes are carrying on. The latest is Kurutholakalari and this event is to bring together 1000 students and 200 elders to pass on cultural knowledge. (kurutola means ‘the tender leaf of the coconut tree and kalari means ‘teaching place’.)

Doesn’t that just make you want to grab your lunghi or saree and head to Kerala?

… specifically an African golden web orb spider.

I haven’t found the original report about this but I did find this.

There’s now well over 1000 of my India photos and mini-movies up here.

Not quite sure about

You are the Hanged Man

Self-sacrifice, Sacrifice, Devotion, Bound.

With the Hanged man there is often a sense of fatalism, waiting for something to happen. Or a fear of
loss from a situation, rather than gain.

The Hanged Man is perhaps the most fascinating card in the deck. It reflects the story of Odin who offered himself as a sacrifice in order to gain knowledge. Hanging from the world tree, wounded by a spear, given no bread or mead, he hung for nine days. On the last day, he saw on the ground runes that had fallen from the tree, understood their meaning, and, coming down, scooped them up for his own. All knowledge is to be found in these runes.

The Hanged Man, in similar fashion, is a card about suspension, not life or death. It signifies selflessness, sacrifice and prophecy. You make yourself vulnerable and in doing so, gain illumination. You see the world differently, with almost mystical insights.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

On the 8th of May I invited you all to guess why I had bought some coathangers while I was in Kerala. There were some wonderful suggestions and but no-one was gross enough to fathom the correct answer.

The best incorrect suggestions were from and . Consolation beers or equivalents will be yours whenever I see you next. Meanwhile, the actual answer is here.

What is this doing on sale anywhere? Surely it’s banned, especially in Scotland?

My photos from February, March and April of this year are currently uploading to here. Constructively critical feedback would be welcome.

The Virgin train I’m on just now (17.52 from Edinburgh to Birmingham) has Fairtrade tea and coffee.

The train’s kettle is buggered so I can’t have any.

Update: The situation got sillier later when my train was delayed by an hour at Preston. An earlier train had hit a cow on the tracks. No-one thought to invite passengers to the ensuing barbeque.