Toxic To Voles!

Not Really.  But -
If Conrad were to rename the blog, I think that would be the new title.  It just has a certain ring to it, a bit of a spark, plus it's utterly untrue (like a lot of stuff on here) and I used it on the "Stressbuster" sheet that I had to relieve tensions at work.  Hopefully you remember it well as I don't think I have a photograph of it any more.

What the heck, close enough.
And an awesome programme.

     Probably wouldn't go down well with the rodent community, though.  Nor some of the people out there who are kind to animals*.
     It also sounds rather like a silly punk band from 1979.  Who sing like this:

Toxic to voles! Toxic to voles!

We're going to squash squirrels

And stamp on your moles - 

Toxic to voles! Toxic to voles!**

Classical Organ Music Is NOT Creepy!
Er, perhaps I overstate my case.  Not all classical organ music is creepy, and to this end I give you a performance of that lovely cantata by The Skreeming Voles JS Bach, "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN4AGVq1XG0
     Of course the organist is a zombie, but they use CGI to cover his decaying face at the end.

Doctor Who: In The Forest of the Night
Aha!  I remember that line Mr Pink used: "Is he even CRB-checked?"
Wrong!  The CRB check has been replaced by something else, equally as dull which is why Conrad can't be bothered looking it up.  But I did like the line.
     Also, Conrad having been an escort on umpteen school trips with primary-age children, the one thing that doesn't happen is a child "being mislaid".  They get counted in and counted out, by every teacher present, repeatedly, and if you have only ten children then one "being mislaid" will be noticed instantly.  So both teachers managing to miss a child "being mislaid" is rather stretching credulity too far***.
     Also, I made a marginal note whilst watching: "The Genocides".  This is a science-fiction novel by Thomas Disch, who wrote stuff so gloomy that it created darkness at noon.  In his novel the world is overrun by trees, giant ones, that wipe out humanity.  The end^^^.  Oh, and I was also reminded of that old favourite of mine, "Life After People".

A Wood.  Close enough

    
Okay, I Give In, What Is A "Lammergeyer"?
Once again Oscar^, my subconscious, has been working.  The word "Lammergeyer" popped up in my mind whilst making a cup of coffee this afternoon.  Here's one:

Formidable-looking chap, eh?

     Known as the "Bearded Vulture", this businesslike bird lives mainly on carrion and it's name means "Lamb-vulture" in German as it was thought to carry off lambs.  This is entirely credible, since it lacks mutually opposable digits with which to hold a takeaway menu.
     Also, Aeschylus, the Greek playwright, was claimed to have been killed by a turtle dropped on his head by an eagle, with the "eagle" very probably a Lammergeyer^^.

Why Everything Is Connected To Everything Else
Or, perhaps, another visit from the Coincidence hammer?  For today Conrad was reading his cherished volume "Greece and Rome at War", by Peter Connolly

The Spartans at Thermopylae

      The Greek hoplite fought principally with a spear; he had a sword but only used it if his spear broke.
     Now, one of Conrad's analogies about the Battle of Britain and "The Few" was that the RAF was rather like a spear: the pilots and aircraft were the spearhead, the bit that did the killing business.  However, a spearhead without a shaft was just a rather crap dagger.  The RAF equivalent of the shaft would be the fitters and craftsmen and armourers, the control centre staff, the anti-aircraft gunners and the other personnel on the squadron strength.
     Jump to Page 44 of "The Hardest Day", by Alfred Price, about the huge battle on 18th August 1940:

Coincidence?  Only Philip K Dick can tell!

     I've never read this book before, so obviously Mr Price is a telepath, and a plagiarist to boot!

Invincible Universe
This is a brief run of comics from Image, an offshoot from "Invincible".  One reason Conrad loves "Invincible" is the consistently detailed artwork; the artists switch around a bit but they never compromise on quality - one reason I stopped buying "Scalped".  This consistent quality holds true for "Invincible Universe" too, which focus on the character Best Tiger.

That's Best Tiger right there, with the eyemask.  Plus Claire Voyant, Wolfman and Flaying Mantis.
Oh, and that's the Lizard League in the lower left.

     BT is alleged not to have any supernatural abilities or superpowers, but you would be well advised not to put this to the test - this chap can shoot, and then some.
     Another thing Conrad likes about this TPB is that people die.  None of your Marvel/DC "Oh everyone was a bit scuffed/yes the Masked Mank died but his replacement from an alternative universe will be back for next months edition (can't have a cash cow end up as a beefburger can we!)"
     Oh, and they cheat a bit by having Invincible turn up - but only towards the end, so Conrad allows them that.

Finally
No pictures of cute animals today, instead we have a hen.

What the cluck?

     No, I don't know why it was in the ready-use files, but it was, and Conrad is frugal when needs be, so - have a hen.
     Be grateful it's not a -

 - Skreeming Vole

* Hello Anna!
** This came out of my head all on it's own.  I'm just naturally gifted, aren't I?
*** Mister Hand points out that this episode consists of the entire planet being enforested to prevent global death by a coronal mass ejection.  Inattentive teachers stretch credulity?
^ I have a name for my memory but - er - I've forgotten it.
^^ It thought his bald head was a rock.  Lammergeyers - deadly but stupid.
^^^ Incredibly, this miserable grey depression in words also wrote "The Brave Little Toaster".  Life.  Stranger than fiction.