Monday's Mission: Mutt-Minding Marathon

Also, The Cat

Though none can deny that Conrad's job for the next 8 days is to principally mind Edna.  The cat, after all, only needs feeding and her litter tray cleaning, as she maintains a typically independent feline spirit.  Edna, on the other hand, would go into a serious decline were she not blessed with human company 24/7.  Preferably human company she can manipulate and twist to her own agenda, which might lead to a clash of wills over the rest of the week.

     "But Conrad!" I hear you querying.  "Why you?"

     Well, because Wonder Wifey and That Other Feller are out of the house on a gallivant across the ocean deeps, which makes feeding and walking Edna a bit tricky unless you have a lead several hundred miles long.

     Conrad, of course, takes his dog-sitting duties very seriously.  A short walk in the morning, to ensure she missed the departure of those significant others from the Mansion- Art?

Biting on a biscuit

     What you can't tell from this picture is the bitter wind that came in across Europe straight from Siberia, blowing right in our faces*.

     Then it's back to sit on the settee, so Edna has access to her comfortably-padded and self-heating human-shaped cushion:

Thus

     This procedure lasts several hours, whilst Conrad takes the opportunity to read up on his murder mysteries, watch tacky daytime television and watch passing buses.  Then, mid-afternoon, it's time for the long walk.  This time we detoured from Tandle Hill Road, up the Public Footpath and into a field.

Atypical Edna

     The idea is that Edna comes off the lead and can gambol around like a spring lamb (or is that a lamb on springs?) except she chooses to hang around your humble scribe in the hope of getting a dog-treat or two.  I had to carry her over the muddy stile at the entrance to this field, which is where your modest artisan is grateful that she's a Border Terrier, not a Labrador or a mastiff.
     There now.  Hopefully this will inform those who want to know (Anna!) and entice those who see a small cute dog on Facebook's default photograph.

Television Channel Titles
There really are some bizarre names for programmes out on the television guide.  Or maybe it's just me, as I don't watch television on a regular basis.  Once a week Saturday morning when dogsitting, usually.
     So, I was struck by this odd title: "Book Folding With Debbie Moore".  What?  What what what?  Art!

Folded.  Unfolded.

     Bear in mind that this programme lasts for half an hour, probably boiling down to twenty-two minutes once the adverts are out of the way.  That's still a horrendously long time to experience Debbie Moore's one skill.
     That's not all.  Behold this: "Live Falling Auctions From Gemporia".  Excuse me?  Conrad has no idea what a falling auction is and my time is too precious to waste finding out.
     But wait!  There's more!  "Scuderia Ferrari Birthday Pick Of The Day".  Is this to do with cars?  By "Pick of the Day" do they mean that the price of a £350,000 sports car will be reduced to £349,99.99?  Get out of here!

Told you so.

"Futureshocks - The  History of 2000AD"
I could blather on about this subject long enough to generate a 5,000 word Master's PhD thesis, but in the interests of mercy shall refrain from doing so**.
     Okay, first of all, did you realise that back in the day, if a British comic absorbed another comic, it had to, by law, incorporate a certain number of strips from the comic taken over?  Don't lie, you had no idea, did you?  Did you?
     Here is the cover of 2000AD's Prog 86, where the unsuccessful comic "Starlord" got merged:

The "Sinclair Microvision Mini TV" was a big deal in it's time

     The cover art doesn't make it clear, however that's Johnny Alpha in the fetching green costume, from the Starlord strip "Strontium Dog", which snuggled right into 2000AD's ethos.  And on the right-hand side, you've got Ro-Jaws and Hammerstein (a terrible pun on the musical duo of R-) from "Ro-Busters", which duo popped up later on in other 2000AD  strips.
     Then there was "Tornado", unlike "Starlord" this comic had been around on the comic scene for at least a decade, so perhaps it felt all the terror of a maiden aunt being enrolled into a Hell's Angel gang.  Art?

Well, two of them at least

     The palooka in cod-piece and cape didn't appear in any strips, and 2000AD ran Wolfie Smith and Blackhawk for a while before quietly retiring them, unloved and unmourned as they haven't been back.
     Oddly enough, none of this was mentioned in the documentary.  I'm only posting this because I want to show how ferociously clever I am, and as an outline for that Master's PhD.

EGAD!  Over 900 words already!  Time to pack this in and go see Edna, who is at this very moment sulking in the hallway because your humble scribe is tapping away on his computer.

Pip pip!

OH!  Hang on, I had copied and pasted on top of another document to get the correct word count, and it's not over 900, it's only 876.  Phew!


*  Well, it felt like it.
** Mostly.