Releasing My Inner Peacock

Actually That's A Lie*
In no way whatsoever can Conrad ever, ever be described as a "dandy", still less a "fop" or a "popinjay", as he is a scruffy rascal whose normal plumage is a tee shirt (usually unironed) and a pair of jeans (frequently dirty around the cuffs).  Last weeks attendance at "Autumn Shades" was very much the exception that proves the rule.  Art?

Dark of dress and countenance

     Although that will have a bearing in a short while.
     "What on earth is he babbling about now?" I hear you quibble querulously.  "And he's getting an awful lot of mileage out of that organ recital."
     If only you knew ... 
     What I wanted to prattle on about in this Intro is a little gem I came out with at work last week.  No! not a lettuce.  A bon mot.  A witticism.  Something clever.  I had gone over to pester Hannah about a technical matter - you need to be careful over on that team as they have Anne, Anna and Hannah - and she made the mistake of asking how I felt.
     Here an aside.  This is very much a British thing, where you ask someone this question and don't expect to hear anything except the most positive feedback, and because I am forthright and utterly un-duplicitous**, I have to rein in the response "I'm feeling great because I'm going to TAKE OVER THE WORLD!" 
     Back on track.  My response was "I'm as chirpy as a chaffinch.  But I look like a crow."  Both Hannah and Vicky laughed at this, which they reassured me was laughing with me not at me.
     Here, for your education, is a chaffinch.  Art?

Chaffinch, Conrad dubs thee The Balaclava Bird

     And for your further education, here is a link to a chaffinch singing.  Don't worry, it's less than a minute long.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpojgOhDeNs

     Now, Conrad tends to lump the crow, rook and raven all together.  Large, dark and sinister-looking - hey I like them already! - and I refer you to that photograph of your humble scribe above.  Art?

NOTE: not suitable as a domestic pet
(They eat small children)

     Not the kind of thing you'd want to see on your windowledge as you throw the curtains wide of a morning.
     Enough wibble!  On with the - hmmm - xibble?

What's In A Name
I know that BOOJUM! normally avoids three things - reigion, politics and current affairs, although I also reserve the right to ignore any or all of these if the whimsy takes me, and today it takes me.
     There has been quite a minor furore in the press about the revelation of the true identity of an Italian author, viz:

     Frankly Conrad couldn't care less about an author who appears to neglect zombies, killer cyborgs and H-bombs, although horses for courses, and some literati are up in arms about this.  Her real name being revealed, not the lack of interesting genre plot points.
     Why is this relevant?  Because - and I promise I am not getting commission for mentioning the author, novel or film - I finished "The Girl With All The Gifts" and found this:

Whooooh!

     So.  "Mike Carey" is a pseudonym, eh?  Well, I know what he looks like, now.  I know what fields he works in.  I could try and track down his real identity and squeal it to the heavens -
     But I won't.  I like a little mystery.

Redundancy
I have been binge-watching "Archer" of late, and while I like it, it is definitely not for those under the watershed age, whatever that might be in your corner of the globe.  Far too much sex, violence and swearing.  And of the entire cast of characters, only Lana is sane and wholesome.  Surprisingly, for an animated feature there is the following screen at the end. Art?

     There is a lot of legalistic Blah-Blah-Blah there, the end point being that everyone in the cartoon is fictional.
    Ya think?

A Stroll In The Countryside
As Edna's longer walk this afternoon, I took her down what is laughingly called "Thornham Lane", and here is the proof for Wonder Wifey that her baby is being exercised properly daily.  Art?

The vista

The visitah

     We cut this stroll short as the stormclouds were roiling overhead, and Thornham Lane consists of a series of potholes arranged in a linear fashion.  Didn't want to get swept away in a flash flood***.




*  Starting as I mean to go on!
** Meaning truthful, which is actually another lie <the hateful truth courtesy Mister Hand>
*** It might happen.