tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66393342024-03-13T05:00:31.023+00:00Strange Thoughts of a Strange ManThis is the place where I'll put down the strange and random thoughts that creep into my head now and again.Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.comBlogger619125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-28479008466075193612013-08-06T08:18:00.001+01:002013-08-06T08:18:24.192+01:00Joe 90<p>I used to love watching Joe 90 as a child. It wasn't my favourite Gerry Anderson series but, even if I don't remember any details apart from the basic concepts and a rather groovy flying car, I also don't remember disliking it.</p>
<p>I've had it on DVD couple of years now and I've watched two episodes. I find I don't like it. OK, it's aimed at children and I'm nearly 49 but that isn't the reason.</p>
<p>I find it disturbing. The whole premise of the show is that Joe becomes a secret agent when his dad invents a machine that can record people's thoughts and play them back into his son's brain. Joe is nine years old.</p>
<p>Can you imagine the psychological damage that would cause to a developing mind?</p>
<p>Not only does he acquire all sorts of espionage skills, including the ability to kill, but also, I can only assume, all the other adult baggage that floats around in grown-up minds.</p>
<p>I don't think many adults could cope with that. How could a nine-year-old?</p>
<p>And what sort of man does that to his son?</p>
<p>Charity shop? I have some DVDs for you.<br>
</p>
Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-34956610305712076392013-01-10T08:35:00.001+00:002013-01-10T08:35:37.527+00:00Fridge poetry #1<p>I've had a box of Fridge Magnet Poetry for years but it has just sat on top of the fridge gathering dust.</p>
<p>Recently, I started puling out words at random and building poems over line at a time.</p>
<p>Apart from the "est" this came out the box in the order you see here.</p>
<p>Is nothing ghost art<br>
Behind by thousand smell<br>
And disaster put greatest<br>
Glitter dome silent autumn<br>
Use mean high voice<br>
How not beautiful walk</p>
<div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-HWFJ7JOteVw/UO59USXbLVI/AAAAAAAAATc/b-krcUDIStk/s1600/20130105_162004.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border='0' src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-HWFJ7JOteVw/UO59USXbLVI/AAAAAAAAATc/b-krcUDIStk/s640/20130105_162004.jpg' /> </a> </div>Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-62682086316426175802012-10-04T12:01:00.000+01:002012-10-04T12:01:29.099+01:00Points of note for tourists in Covent Garden<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Covent Garden is lovely, isn't it?</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Some parts of it are pedestrianised. That's really good of the authorities, isn't it? It means you don't have to worry about cars and things and you can just mill around without a care on the world.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Some parts aren't pedestrianised. These are the parts that have cars, taxis and, oh I don't know, bicycles on them. It usually is a good idea to pay attention to traffic as vehicles can't always stop at the drop of a hat.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">It isn't a good idea to launch yourself and the suitcase you want to load into that taxi into the road without looking.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">It also is a good idea if you're standing by the taxi to not go running across to the man with the suitcase without looking.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Cyclists wearing bright orange clothing, riding bikes with flashing white lights on the front do so to be seen safely. It isn't a fashion statement.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">The phrase "thanks for looking, everyone" is an Old English greeting uttered by cyclists with bright orange jackets and flashing lights. It roughly translates into modern English as "you are f***ing idiots".</span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Originally posted as my Facebook status 03/11/2012.</span></span>Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-5384597873530561202012-08-20T13:48:00.003+01:002012-09-03T13:00:12.318+01:00The Grand DukeBefore I embark on this, I should point out that I am not a professional reviewer. My "reviews" are little better than the typical "I liked this because it was good" comment that a child might make but here, for anyone who wants to read them are my comments on <a href="http://gsfestivals.org/content/gs-opera-company-grand-duke">G&S Opera Company's production of <em>The Grand Duke</em> at the 2012 International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in Buxton</a>.<br />
<br />
<em>The Grand Duke</em> is the last of the Savoy Operas that Gilbert and Sullivan wrote and is also the least performed. I don't know the reasons for this but productions, especially professional productions, are exceedingly rare. The Grand Duke shares this distinction with <i>Utopia Limited</i> and only <i>Thespis </i>is performed less and that is because its musical score has been lost.<br />
<br />
I am a comparative newbie to Gilbert and Sullivan so it's refreshing to be as much in the dark about a show as the rest of the audience. Most G&S fans have seen all of the operas several times. All except <i>The Grand Duke</i>. For many, this is a brand new G&S opera and they will have found the story puzzling. I know that one couple of G&S fans staying at our hotel were up until midnight trying to make sense of the plot.<br />
<br />
What can I tell you about the show and this production?<br />
<br />
The rough story concerns a theatre company who are plotting to overthrow the Grand Duke, although why is not clear. Their "secret handshake" is to eat a sausage roll while talking with a potential conspirator and if they eat one as well then they are also part of the conspiracy. This backfires when one of the company accidentally reveals the plot to the sausage roll loving Grand Duke's private detective. To mitigate this disaster, the accidental whistle-blower fights a "statutory duel" with a co-conspirator. This isn't a real duel but a draw of a card - the possessor of the higher card is deemed to have lost and is therefore legally dead. The purpose of the duel is so that the loser can be blamed for the conspiracy.<br />
<br />
Much confusion follows.<br />
<br />
For me, as one who has dabbled in writing, the plot was complex enough to be satisfying but not overly so. The ending did not suffer from the normal weaknesses of G&S plots. No-one turned out to be the wrong baby nor did anyone cave in through the invocation of Queen Victoria's name or anyone have to marry anyone they didn't want to. The ending worked for me and hasn't yet had me thinking "oh hang on...".<br />
<br />
The full plot, with spoilers, can be found on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_Duke">Wikipedia</a>.<br />
<br />
Aside from the lack of really memorable songs, I really rather enjoyed it. The only confusion for me was as a result of the casting two similar-looking actors for the Grand Duke and the Prince of Monte Carlo at a point where the duke was supposed to be legally dead (the result of another "duel") which made me think that the prince was really the duke in disguise. It soon turned out this wasn't the case.<br />
<br />
I really can't see why this show isn't as popular as the others and I would definitely like to see <i>The Grand Duke</i> performed more often.Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-12064762535006810912012-07-04T19:08:00.001+01:002012-07-05T21:03:27.918+01:00Spiderman<div><p>I'm not sure how surprised I am to learn that I am not that desperate to see the new Spiderman movie.</p>
<p>I think this stems from the fact that this is a reboot, a remake of an existing film to tell the same story again with different actors and in a slightly different way.</p>
<p>I know this happens and I know it can be necessary. We've all seen films and TV shows where the end product falls slightly short of the mark. I would love to see a remake of Xanadu, for instance, where the plot is as good as the soundtrack.</p>
<p>Battlestar Galactica is an example of where the slightly camp cheesy 1970s original was very successfully re-imagined as a dark, serious and eminently watchable series.</p>
<p>Where Spiderman differs from BSG is that the original was an already successful and relatively recent film franchise. It was popular with both comic and mainstream fans even though the story differed from the original here and there.</p>
<p>To my mind, there was no need to remake it and I feel exploited, in a way, to be offered a new version quite so soon.</p>
</div>Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-33249749035824457542012-02-10T18:39:00.001+00:002012-02-10T18:40:51.446+00:00Folding<div><p>I have a Brompton folding bike. I've mentioned it before. I ride to the station fold it up, go on the train with it then ride it at the other end. Hundreds of people do it daily coming into Charing Cross.</p>
<p>When I first bought it, I would carefully fold it up outside Charing Cross station, carry it through the barriers and then carry it all the way up the platform and then on the train. This made my arm hurt.</p>
<p>Then I realised that other cyclists wheeled their machines up the platform and folded them up before getting on the train. So I gave it a try.</p>
<p>Not only was it a lot easier on my arm but the people manning the ticket barrier would say a cheery good morning and give me and the other cyclists a smile. It made the day a little nicer.</p>
<p>None of us rode our bikes on the platform. We didn't get in the way of any other passengers. We caused no problems.</p>
<p>Tonight was different. Tonight I was greeted by a very officious pair of guards who insisted I fold my bike before I could go through the gate. I asked why but they ignored me.</p>
<p>I don't think I would have minded so much if they asked me to fold it politely and give some sort of reason. The words were polite, barely, but the tone was not. They talked to me in a very condescending tone like I was a village idiot trying to lead an explosive cow through the gate.</p>
<p>I did not feel like I was being treated like a human being. An explanation or even an "I'm sorry sir but we no longer allow unfolded bikes on the platform" would have helped but "you've got to fold that" with no reason just isn't good enough.</p>
<p>We will see what happens Monday.</p>
</div>Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-40344600667767075282012-01-01T01:27:00.001+00:002012-01-01T01:27:43.871+00:00New Year's Resolutions 2012I'm sure I make and break the same resolutions every year. For the record, however, here are my resolutions for 2012: <br/> <br/> To lose weight (again). I lost nearly two stone in the last year but put a large part of that back on recently. This will stop. <br/> To spend less. This comes at the end of a week that saw me spend over £600 on replacing tyres on my car and £1600 on my annual season ticket. Both costs were unavoidable but not a promising start. I will definitely spend less in the coming weeks! <br/> To finish my novel. I could do a few hundred words a day or more if I tried. <br/> <br/> I feel very committed but we all do,don't we? <br/> <div style='clear: both; text-align: center; font-size: xx-small;'>Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.2</div>Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-56088668763825265362011-11-30T18:29:00.001+00:002011-11-30T18:39:52.471+00:00Day thirty<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6431968025/" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7033/6431968025_4376af6f75.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6431968025/">Day thirty</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/">DrRob</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small; margin-top: 0px;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px;">Last one for this year!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px;">I have learnt a few things during Movember ...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px;">Firstly, that growing a moustache takes me about two to three weeks before it looks anything like I would like it to look. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Seeing other men with decent looking moustaches has been a treat but has made me rather jealous.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px;">Secondly, it is so grey! I look like someone's granddad. Well, I am 47 so I suppose it is possible. Despite that, I do actually like it. I may even keep it. I know I would keep it if I regrew the beard but part of me really likes this.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px;">Thirdly, that taking a picture of myself every day is a pain and is the part of Movember I absolutely hated. I have to think of something funny or I look awful.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px;">Fourthly, I need to lose some weight!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px;">And fifthly, that wallpaper really has to go.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px;">Many thanks to all who donated money. My team raised £307 of which £172 was via my MoSpace. There's still another couple of weeks before the account closes if you want to make a sudden final donation: <a href="http://mobro.co/DrRobWilliams">http://mobro.co/DrRobWilliams</a></span></div>
<br /></div>Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-6979419374078462622011-11-28T20:12:00.001+00:002011-11-28T20:12:12.361+00:00Day twenty eight<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6420454899/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6225/6420454899_e46fa50a4b.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6420454899/">Day twenty eight</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/">DrRob</a>.</span></div><p><i>Via Flickr:</i><br />I do need a haircut.<br /><br /><a href="http://mobro.co/DrRobWilliams" rel="nofollow">mobro.co/DrRobWilliams</a></p>Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-87563845773269525962011-11-27T23:04:00.000+00:002011-11-27T23:04:11.273+00:00OperationOddly, although I don't mind inflicting this on the world through my blog, I am somewhat more reluctant to spill all on Facebook. Howver, now that the RSS feed for my blog is no longer picked up by Facebook, I feel safer blogging about my operation.<br />
<br />
My reticence is partly down to embarrassment. This is a sensitive subject as you will find if you elect to read on. It is also partly due to avoiding the concerned messages I would receive from family and friends. While it is nice knowing that people are that concerned, my reason for writing this is not to garner sympathy.<br />
<br />
Why I have decided to write this rather personal piece is purely in case someone else is in a similar position to me a few months before the op. It is possible they might get something from this.<br />
<br />
There will be some reading this who do know me. You may have seen my other post about the op and probably my Facebook posts about it. You will therefore know a few odd things about the operation without knowing anything specific. You'll know it's delicate, personal, kind of sore in the shower and a bugger to change the dressing.<br />
<br />
This is your last chance to turn away and read no more. What follows is going to be rather personal and you will know a little more about me than you possibly want. People who have asked me about my operation and have received an honest answer have replied "too much information".<br />
<br />
There will be no pictures but where I need to describe things I will. Just so you know.<br />
<br />
Ok, your choice ...<br />
<br />
I was circumcised.<br />
<br />
There, I've said it. I was wheeled into an operating theatre on Friday 18th November and half an hour later wheeled out again leaving my foreskin behind.<br />
<br />
No doubt you have a mass of questions. I will try to answer what I think of as the main ones which are: why I had it done, did it hurt, and am I recovered?<br />
<br />
So, why? Why does a 47-year-old man have a circumcision?<br />
<br />
There are only three possible reasons that I can think of: religion, aesthetics or health.<br />
<br />
My religious thoughts are still as nebulous as ever and I have not decided to align myself with a faith that requires this particular surgical procedure. So, it isn't that.<br />
<br />
Is it aesthetics? You all know I am gay but I don't consider myself particularly vain. I haven't had this done because I think it will look nicer or the girls in <i>Sex in the City</i> say it's better. That may be the case but it wasn't a consideration.<br />
<br />
That leaves health, the only reason I would entertain such an idea.<br />
<br />
I have a skin condition on the head of my penis called lichen planus. It is largely controllable by steroid creams but they aren't recommended for long term use and cannot reverse the damage done by the condition over time. That damage, in my case, was the adhesion of my foreskin to the head.<br />
<br />
To be honest, I could live with that. It wasn't covering a huge area and seemed to be under control. The problem was that the adhered skin wasn't that secure and would painfully rip at the edges at the slightest provocation. This has been going on for years but has been growing worse recently.<br />
<br />
The only permanent solution was circumcision.<br />
<br />
Getting the operation done took time. I had been seeing my GP for years about the lichen planus. It had had two flare-up episodes resulting in a biopsy and a course of visits to a dermatologist. The second flare-up seemed to leave the adhered foreskin in its delicate state and that led to the visit to the GP with the conclusion that circumcision was needed.<br />
<br />
From that meeting with my GP, where we both agreed that it should be done, to seeing the consultant took 10 weeks. Then a further three or four weeks to my pre-op assessment and then another week for the operation itself.<br />
<br />
The meeting with the consultant added little. He agreed that it should go ahead and that he would recommend that the registrars arrange the operation. He also said that for a while after the op, my penis would look like it had been "bitten by a shark" but once everything had settled down it would be "aesthetically pleasing". I put the quote marks in there because those were his exact words.<br />
<br />
The operation itself seemed to go smoothly. I arrived at the hospital at 7:45 am and was waiting for my sister to pick me up at 11:15 am. In between, I met some lovely friendly doctors and nurses who introduced themselves to me by name (quite useless for me, I'm afraid), gave me drugs, explained what would happen. They also explained that I shouldn't drive, operate heavy machinery or sign any important documents.<br />
<br />
There is a curious sense of security. Every time one of them came to talk to me they always and without exception checked my identity - name, date of birth and so on. Tedious in a way, but it ensured they don't operate on the wrong person, I suppose, which was all to the good.<br />
<br />
Then they walked me off to the operating theatre. I had a cannula (one of those things they plug a drip into) put in my hand, then some sort of injection and I was asked to talk about my job. I got as far as "I program computers".<br />
<br />
From my point of view, I had a lovely snooze and had a dream where I thought I was able to communicate directly with Facebook without the use of a computer or a phone. All that was interrupted by someone asking me to wake up. Very disorientating. It didn't occur to me until a few minutes later that the operation had finished.<br />
<br />
After a very short while I was more or less completely awake and I was given tea and biscuits and lots of water. There was a bit of discomfort but no pain. I had visits from the nurses and from the surgeon who inspected my bright blue (why?) dressing and re-applied it. He also asked if I'd been to the loo, which I hadn't, and if I'd had a look yet. I was in the middle of a ward so the answer to that was also a no. Afterwards I heard him tell the nurse to make sure I went for a pee before I left.<br />
<br />
Very soon I had to do that. It was all the tea and the water. It was then that I had my first look at what was left behind. I found that the surgeon had removed my foreskin ... and the bits of skin that had adhered to my glans. I wasn't expecting that. My GP had said, years before, that the skin would probably not be removed so I was pleasantly surprised to see it gone. It all looked very nice. Bloody but nice.<br />
<br />
OK, so perhaps aesthetics did play a little part in this after all.<br />
<br />
The trip to the loo made me lose the dressing. Well, not lose as such, but it did come off and was rather bloody. So I waddled out, trying not to get blood on my gown, and had to get the nurse to re-dress the wound. Again with the strange blue gauze.<br />
<br />
Shortly afterwards, my sister arrived and I had to get dressed and leave.<br />
<br />
So now what? It's been a little over a week since the op. Am I still at shark bite or have I moved on to beauty pageant?<br />
<br />
I guess I am somewhere in between. There has been a great deal of swelling and I currently appear to have a second foreskin. That has only happened because the swollen skin has ballooned out and sort of fallen forward. The swollen skin is tender and it makes it difficult for me to keep the area hidden by it clean without causing further injury. Because of that it's possible I might have an infection and my GP has taken a swab and put me on antibiotics as a precaution.<br />
<br />
On the whole, healing has been very slow and quite demoralising. Sleep is the worst. I usually sleep on my right side and roll on to my front. That has been out of the question, for understandable reasons, but sleeping on my back is alien to me and so I have found it difficult to sleep. That is getting better but my subconscious mind seems to like playing tricks on me while I am sleeping and I have been woken up in pain either because I have relocated myself or my penis in my sleep or it has got ideas of its own. I will say no more about that.<br />
<br />
I am on pain medication: co-codamol four times a day and ibuprofen three. Co-codamol is apparently addictive but if it is I will have to deal with that a little later. For the moment, I need it.<br />
<br />
I have the hang of timing the meds now. My phone's capacity for alarms has helped a great deal and I have arranged the timings so that I get six hours sleep without interruption for tablets between midnight and six in the morning. I am oddly proud of that.<br />
<br />
That's about all I can tell you for now. As I said earlier, I have written this for anyone who is in a similar position. I don't know if it will be of any help or even if it is of interest to anyone except myself.<br />
<br />
My final words here will be advice. If you've been told you need to do this, think about it carefully before agreeing. I don't think this is suggested lightly or often for adults so if it has been recommended then you probably do need it. If there are other options, however, then explore them. Don't take too long, though! One of my regrets is that I didn't get this done a lot earlier and I sometimes wonder if I should have insisted when the lichen planus first came to light and had it done then.<br />
<br />
Allow for a long recovery period as well. I think the times I have been given are for a much younger man. That doesn't mean don't do it if you are my age or older - my sister-in-law's cousin had the same operation at 68! - but take the estimated times for recovery with a pinch of salt.<br />
<br />
I will post updates later on, if and when things have settled.Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-59299930239891879452011-11-27T12:35:00.001+00:002011-11-27T12:42:50.710+00:00Movember days twenty five to twenty sevenHere are the last three days...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CMfqWmXlzUs/TtIueA79FnI/AAAAAAAAANI/GJ0BngUQ4VU/s1600/CRW_2348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CMfqWmXlzUs/TtIueA79FnI/AAAAAAAAANI/GJ0BngUQ4VU/s320/CRW_2348.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i9zQ7t1lcuY/TtIufkFjg4I/AAAAAAAAANQ/td1PMXkKJC4/s1600/CRW_2344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i9zQ7t1lcuY/TtIufkFjg4I/AAAAAAAAANQ/td1PMXkKJC4/s320/CRW_2344.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ew2R6yYmJtU/TtIugqFADKI/AAAAAAAAANY/2xJHOvfSW5A/s1600/CRW_2346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ew2R6yYmJtU/TtIugqFADKI/AAAAAAAAANY/2xJHOvfSW5A/s320/CRW_2346.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-11855029167265940022011-11-24T19:48:00.001+00:002011-11-27T12:48:18.719+00:00Movember days 21 to 24<p>I’m off sick at the moment. More about that when I am sure that my blog is not echoed to Facebook any more!</p> <p>Here are the last few days of Movembering …</p> <p>Day 21</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-3ZsrKApnkA8/Ts6h6sfwLaI/AAAAAAAAAMI/c3hc3SLMlec/s1600-h/CRW_2321%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="CRW_2321" border="0" alt="CRW_2321" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-tAeao7I_Pc0/Ts6h7M5MwKI/AAAAAAAAAMM/iK0glYLKhxQ/CRW_2321_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> </p> <p>Day 22</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-4GGfsRXaHNI/Ts6h7u-MvGI/AAAAAAAAAMU/CbB2-lzlOvw/s1600-h/CRW_2328%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="CRW_2328" border="0" alt="CRW_2328" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-dJboS-TOSTA/Ts6h8OFXUZI/AAAAAAAAAMc/fZngoXYQkYs/CRW_2328_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> </p> <p>Day 23</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Es3sD5nYZQI/Ts6iFil0rJI/AAAAAAAAAMo/Xsu55-ORg2U/s1600-h/CRW_2335%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="CRW_2335" border="0" alt="CRW_2335" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/--A6Wbei5v1I/Ts6iGaXo9XI/AAAAAAAAAMw/lpDOo66xjiM/CRW_2335_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> </p> <p>Day 24</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-3DPtFsiiIAk/Ts6iHOpAOKI/AAAAAAAAAM4/m5egbzqqcU4/s1600-h/CRW_2338%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="CRW_2338" border="0" alt="CRW_2338" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-_4TtI0PjRPU/Ts6iILne8qI/AAAAAAAAAM8/uCK2UcmpM7s/CRW_2338_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="164"></a> </p> <p>Remember you can make a donation to Movember (a very worthwhile charity) via my <a href="http://mobro.co/DrRobWilliams" target="_blank">Mospace</a> page.</p> Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-62157487068244154862011-11-20T14:18:00.001+00:002011-11-27T12:48:18.732+00:00Day twenty<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6369268213/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6115/6369268213_e6294607bc.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6369268213/">Day twenty</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/">DrRob</a>.</span></div><p><i>Via Flickr:</i><br />And day two after operation. Just had a shower. Ouch.</p>Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-91901718768129585422011-11-19T12:14:00.001+00:002011-11-27T12:48:18.744+00:00Day nineteen<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6362654299/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6095/6362654299_12d981a7e6.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6362654299/">Day nineteen</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/">DrRob</a>.</span></div><p><i>Via Flickr:</i><br />The day after I had an operation! Looking surprisingly chipper despite having not had much sleep.</p>Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-48500511817282814192011-11-18T06:39:00.001+00:002011-11-27T12:48:18.756+00:00Day eighteen<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6357080353/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6104/6357080353_c27157172d.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6357080353/">Day eighteen</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/">DrRob</a>.</span></div><p><i>Via Flickr:</i><br />A bit out of focus. I had to take this one in a bit of a hurry.</p>Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-87705992089593766352011-11-18T06:38:00.001+00:002011-11-27T12:48:18.767+00:00Day seventeen<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6357080161/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6095/6357080161_497fa5cd14.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6357080161/">Day seventeen</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/">DrRob</a>.</span></div><p><i>Via Flickr:</i><br />There doesn't seem much difference now in the day to day shots. I think it'll need another week to make a difference to the way it looks.</p>Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-62920670547122099032011-11-16T21:57:00.001+00:002011-11-27T12:48:18.779+00:00Day sixteen<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6350977219/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6094/6350977219_a5ac1ac186.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6350977219/">Day sixteen</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/">DrRob</a>.</span></div><p>It's still a surprise when I look in the mirror.</p>Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-78151496327427894272011-11-16T21:56:00.001+00:002011-11-27T12:48:18.791+00:00Day fifteen<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6350976943/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6101/6350976943_7c6b2f67b3.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6350976943/">Day fifteen</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/">DrRob</a>.</span></div><p>Halfway!</p>Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-6814509664275404702011-11-14T22:03:00.001+00:002011-11-27T12:48:18.803+00:00Day fourteen<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6345695752/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6042/6345695752_f53de0d612.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6345695752/">Day fourteen</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/">DrRob</a>.</span></div><p><i>Via Flickr:</i><br />Nearly halfway!<br /><br /><a href="http://mobro.co/DrRobWilliams" rel="nofollow">mobro.co/DrRobWilliams</a></p>Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-89572869262833305432011-11-13T14:19:00.001+00:002011-11-27T12:48:18.815+00:00Day thirteen<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6340625094/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6217/6340625094_f6f55177d3.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6340625094/">Day thirteen</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/">DrRob</a>.</span></div><p><i>Via Flickr:</i><br />This is definitely looking like a moustache now</p>Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-81916806906542612852011-11-12T12:27:00.001+00:002011-11-27T12:48:18.826+00:00Day twelve<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6337213664/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6058/6337213664_c4252696c0.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6337213664/">Day twelve</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/">DrRob</a>.</span></div><p><i>Via Flickr:</i><br />Starting to look like a tache to me.</p>Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-43138763643892400162011-11-12T11:16:00.000+00:002011-11-12T11:16:57.478+00:00Movember days 9 to 11I had forgotten how slowly my moustache takes to grow. If I hadn't been obliged to continue with growing it because of the donations I have received (thanks to everyone who has given the cause money!) and because I knew I can grow one I would have given up by now.<br />
<br />
I've had, and have enjoyed having, facial hair for years so it's a bit odd when my favourite picture of me in November was the one on day one when I was completely clean-shaven. I will think long and hard at the end of the month as to whether I regrow the beard.<br />
<br />
Anyway, here's days nine, ten and eleven.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nb02xt1UoQM/Tr5VS220HNI/AAAAAAAAALw/g712PyBhUS4/s1600/CRW_2276.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nb02xt1UoQM/Tr5VS220HNI/AAAAAAAAALw/g712PyBhUS4/s320/CRW_2276.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SF8DAD-R_Bc/Tr5VXfo99uI/AAAAAAAAAL4/Y15ganbtORs/s1600/CRW_2283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SF8DAD-R_Bc/Tr5VXfo99uI/AAAAAAAAAL4/Y15ganbtORs/s320/CRW_2283.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HqtaBdtwJrg/Tr5VeL_COpI/AAAAAAAAAMA/VmVrcQd_nYM/s1600/CRW_2282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HqtaBdtwJrg/Tr5VeL_COpI/AAAAAAAAAMA/VmVrcQd_nYM/s320/CRW_2282.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-41828314301160178772011-11-09T13:42:00.000+00:002011-11-09T13:42:40.500+00:00Rubbish swearingLast night when I was cycling down St Martin's Lane to Charing Cross, a couple tried to cross the road ahead of me. They saw me and reacted in different ways.<br />
<br />
She shrieked, laughed and tried to run across the road. He was rather more sensible and decided to hang back. Either action would have been fine apart from one thing: they were holding hands and between the pair of them they made a jolly good roadblock.<br />
<br />
So, I rang my bell, slowed down (I wasn't going very fast anyway - I'm still fairly new) and then went around them but thought that a comment was called for. However, in the heat of the moment, my vocabulary deserted me and my brain decided on the limpest rubbish to shout:<br />
<br />
"Daft cow!"<br />
<br />
Daft cow? Who the hell says "daft cow"?Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-79049909481997516422011-11-08T22:17:00.003+00:002011-11-27T12:48:18.838+00:00Day eight<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6327255008/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6114/6327255008_79fc517290.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6327255008/">Day eight</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/">DrRob</a>.</span></div><p><i>Via Flickr:</i><br />Looking better.</p>Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6639334.post-19409746764433991552011-11-08T22:17:00.001+00:002011-11-27T12:48:18.850+00:00Day seven<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6327255288/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6092/6327255288_974c40f2dd.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/6327255288/">Day seven</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drrcw/">DrRob</a>.</span></div><p><i>Via Flickr:</i><br />There's something there</p>Robert Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549534447177527221noreply@blogger.com0