U2

Ah, Quite - What Do I Mean?
NO!  This is not Conrad resorting to that dreadful mangled lexicology which goes with that most dreadful of all modern inventions, the mobile phone.
     So, no, this is not "You too" in SMS.
     "Ah - so what is it, Conrad?" I can hear you ask.  "Are you referring to that Irish band from Dublin, one of who's brother was in the Virgin Prunes?"
     No, I am not referring to this lot:

                                                    U2
     "What's that?  Then surely we can only be referring to the high-altitude American spy plane?"

U2

     An interesting hypothesis, but wrong.
     Will the real U2 please come forward?

     A chocolate Scrabble piece.
     That is all.

Tomorrow We Shall Have Cake
I say "We" but actually Conrad won't be eating any as he is not big on chocolate to begin with, and certainly not on chocolate cake.  This probably makes as much sense as his loathing of poetry whilst being prevailed upon to create doggerel for those leaving the office.
     Anyway, the cake:

     The bake is quite straightforward, it's the prep that takes time.  You have to melt chocolate, then let it cool, but not too much or it won't mix into the batter properly.  You need to prick an orange all over, put it in boiling water, simmer for 30 minutes, cut up, remove the seeds, blend to a puree then cool before adding to the batter.
     'So you made chocolate orange cake?' asked Sophie, the instant she saw me.  Affirmative nod from Conrad.  'That's my breakfast for tomorrow sorted!'
     I hope it tastes fine.  The pressure, the pressure ...

"Ambient"
This word happened to be part of the business logo of an 18-wheeler travelling past my bus window this morning.  Where does it come from? wondered your favourite white-haired parsing pedant.
     Well.  Of course you guessed - Latin.  From "Ambrire" meaning "Going round".  Quite how this accords with the meaning in English of "referring to local conditions" is a bit obscure.  But there you have it.

I Googled "Ambient" and this came up.  Nice.  I like it.

Source COLUMBA
Hold on to your hats, folks, because this one is a corker.
     It's the dark days of June 1940, and there you are, an officer of MI14, pondering on how to get information about the German occupation forces over in occupied Europe.  You sort through hundreds of possibilities until you sieze on - pre-packed parachuted pigeon post!
     It's so obvious really.

Our feathered friends, forefront fighters of Fascism

     The RAF would drop packages containing homing pigeons, pen, paper and tube to be attached to the pigeon's leg, over France and the Netherlands, in the pious hope that locals who found them would report back.
     And, by Jove, they did.  What's more, half the info they sent back was useful stuff!
     In recognition, seven of the pigeons were awarded the Dickin Medal.
     What's that daft animated film with a voice-over by Ricky Gervais, about pigeons?  You should have done Source COLUMBA, mate.

Superheroes With Their Pants Down*
Today we focus on Thor.  Yes, I have been looking at the members of The Avengers more recently.  Once again, whose blog is it?
     Now, bear in mind that Thor is an Asgardian, hence from a drinking culture and can hold his beer a lot better than milquetoasts like Bruce Wayne or Clark Kent, so he is thus able to knock back a few with no harm done.

"Barman! Another 55 gallon drum of your finest ale!"

     The question is what you, dear reader, ought not to do in his presence.  Let the list begin!
     1) Ask if he can "just knock this last nail in", as total destruction of entire house can offend.
     2)  Pass comment about his "mallet"
     3)  Point out that long hair is for girls.
     4)  Ask him to "bring the thunder"
     5)  Query if his helmet is motorbike-compliant
     6)  Limp and say you have "a thor foot"

Our Treacherous Weather
What did I say yesterday?  Here is the view from the street at 7:10 this morning

     Typically unpredictable, it actually stayed bright and sunny all day today, no rain at all.
     Let's see what tomorrow brings, eh?
     I rather put Rabs at work on the spot earlier this week when I asked her to describe Australia in a single sentence.
     "Hot," she replied.  Then she added depth and emphasis and consistency.  "Hot AND Dry", which is a lot more that these sceptred and well-watered isles can claim.

The Queen Is Dead
NO! I don't mean that silly Twitter story that the Chip Shop Wrapper put across the front page**, I mean this:

Well, she has looked better ...

    Because this stands exemplar for British music worldwide.  We soggy if regal islanders net 13% of music sales across the globe, the Beeb link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-32990882

     Which, if you stop to think about it, is really something***.



*It's a metaphor hence SFW, I assure you.
** What, is it a slow news day?
*** Although I am listening to Danish indie stalwarts Mew just now.