Aw! Lump in the throat caused by my soppy mum 'n dad... And 'Owl Right Now' is a pun so bad that I really wish I'd thought of it first!

Only just saw this lovely post... Can't wait to show this to my lovely wife the aforementioned PM-designate.

Jess will be home from school in the next 10 minutes or so and I am going to show her this post. I suspect the response from your other grandchild will be to get wildly excited about next week's visit. Maisie is veeeeeeery cute...

It really was a splendid day; ten very fine towels presented to the Universe for its delight and delectation, Brockian Ultra Cricket... excitement, adventure and really wild things. Once again, it's marvellous to have a family so dedicated to working very hard at the higher pursuit of Being Very Silly.

Yes. Awesome is an over used word. This however would be a case of 'awesome' in the proper dictionary definition sense of 'something that inspires awe' rather than in the more oft misused sense of 'oh, that's quite good'.

So glad you enjoyed the Baroque Cycle. It comprises some of the most engaging, intelligent and entertaining books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. His latest 'Reamde' is apparently wonderful too - it is sitting in the 'to read' pile next to my bed. I have the audio book of 'Zodiac' but haven't started it yet, so I can't tell you what that one is like. 'Anathem' is brilliant, but of course you've already read that one. 'Snow Crash' is an early work and is a genre cyber-punk sci fi novel. It's good, and very witty. Reads a bit like Michael Marshall Smith with more computer know-how, and some very cool ideas about pizza delivery.

It really was a very splendid weekend. I would happily go back to Norway. The topography is breathtaking, the people are friendly, the architecture is charming, the trains are nice, everything runs on time... if only the booze weren't so darned expensive, theer'd be a fine case for emigration! Following our return, Bananagrams has become a staple favourite game, we have become increasingly aware of the fact that our log burner is nowhere near as good as the one we had in our little log cabin and we only use the insult 'husky bum' very sparingly... we now know firsthand how mean an insult that really is! Goodness knows what they were fed on, but that smell... eurgh! I am delighted that you enjoyed it as much as you did. Thank you for letting us share in your Christmas Present with you! xx

It was great to have you two over too - glad you had a nice time! Just to let you know, in a mystery worth of Poirit or Marple, your abortive first effort at Christmas cake, which was basically a highly edible collapsed fruit cake, appears to have vanished without trace. Given the fact that I am on a diet it is Impossible That I Ate It. It is also, therefore, Impossible That I Know It Was Lovely. But it was. Thank you.

I have just been reading Neal Stephenson's wonderful Baroque Cycle. One of the many, many storylines in this sprawling epic involves a boat that makes many long and arduous journeys, including one in which its hull is temporarily coated in gold (reputedly the gold of Solomon himself) as a way of smuggling it past various pirates and ne'er do wells. The boat in question is a fine vessel called the 'Minerva'. Would this not be a fitting appellation for the sturdy vessel you have pictured?