Dr S-No

Ha!  Sometimes I Amuse Even Me
Although, looking back on the anniversary posts that Facebook brings up by default, I do wonder what on earth was going through my mind back then.  Be my guest and Google both "BOOJUM!" and "Voles" to bring up an in to the - er - mental landscape of your humble scribe.  Which is ambiguous as a description, and accurate, too.
     Anyway!  This time I am using a James Bond title to bait the eager millions who might be looking for something to do with their literary/cinematic icon, because something came up whilst reading 'Dr No'.

A Doctor
(Stern-but-good variety)

     James and Honeychile are hiding in the sand on a beach, behind foliage, when the bad guys turn up on a boat and strafe the shore with a machine-gun.  Since they are close, James can see that it's what he calls a "Spandau", or an MG34 to be correct.  Art?

Thus

     We are then told that our hero last heard this in 1944, in the Ardennes.
     Which raises a whole lot of questions!  Given that JB worked in Naval Intelligence, what on earth was he doing knocking around the Franco-Belgian border late in the Second Unpleasantness?  Also, given that - oh, yes, the "S-No" and "Snow" pun needs an illustration - Art?

The AA might have trouble getting that out of the ditch.

     Not only that, the Battle of the Bulge was predominantly fought by the South Canadian army - raising another question of what our hero was up to there. 

Another Doctor.
(Flip-but-wicked variety)

     I can't do anything to the motley at present, it went up super-glued to that aircraft wing and hasn't come back from Austria yet.  Or was it Australia?

More Of Literature
Your humble scribe has just finished reading "Abbadon's Gate", which is a rather dull title for what is quite the exciting read.  It is volume 3 in "The Expanse" series, and has also spawned an excellent sci-fi television series.  Karolina spotted me reading it at work, and asked what it was, so I tried to explain it was hard sci-fi, which obeys the laws of physics, except for One Allowed Thing.  Art?

This gives you a flavour

     The One Allowed Thing is a nuclear fusion propulsion system known as the 'Epstein Drive', which we don't have and are unlikely to ever have.  Anyway, Conrad likes the novels (and television series) because they adhere to the "Babylon 5" model of the future, rather than the "Star Trek/The Next Generation" version, i.e. when we go to the stars, we are going to take all our human failings with us.  Poverty, war, politics, religion, exploitation - and lutefisk.
     Seriously.  One of the touchstone characters in AG considers that politics is the most evil thing ever invented, after lutefisk.
     "What?  What?  What is this most heinous of entities, Conrad?" I hear you calling.  "Tell us, for we are eager to know!"
     Tomorrow.  I shall tell you tomorrow, but in the meantime have a picture of - THE HORROR OF LUTEFISK!

Thus

     Now, please excuse me as I have to pop downstairs and turn the oven off.  Back shortly.

The Exigencies Of Being An Indigent
Can you tell that I like using long words?  Don't confuse "Indigent" with either "Indignant" or "Indigene".  Essentially the title means the misfortunes that come with being an unfortunate.  Art?

Poor poor teaful me.

     This - THIS! - is what I am reduced to.  A pint teapot.  Take note that I moved that great big hardback recipe book soon after, as I think the sliding out of position of same is what broke my back-up teapot. On the plus side, I do have an extremely posh teacup to quaff my brewed beverage in, easily worth £100.  
     Not only do I not have a suitably large teapot any longer, I no longer have a tea-cosy either, because I binned my spare one a couple of weeks ago.  
     You out there who do not drink tea are probably laughing at the resident of the Pond of Eden, and his lack of the amber nectar.  Well then, consider this: we residents of the PoE spanned the globe and enslaved entire countries in our pursuit of tea.  If I don't get a proper teapot and cosy, then I'm coming after YOU!

Not a threat to be taken lightly.  I have lasers for eyes.