(pen) Move here. You may "glow" a little.

Monday, 2 December - the third consecutive day with a visit from the AA man. Today, they are taking the car away to a garage to be fixed. The advantage is that I get to spend extra time with the Windy Miller (we went to the cinema to see Australia last night - our first-ever cinema date. Marvellous cinematography, probably a lot of it CGI, but sh*t writing - maudlin, predictable and worst of all, it had Nicole Kidman in it). The disadvantage is that he is getting impatient as he has work to do back at home.

I'm packing, and moving. Moving and packing. Eek!

[pen] You have my deepest empathy.

[CdM] Ignore Pen, it may not be great, but her way of seeing Australia is a lot less bother than yours.

[pen] It's a new beginning - sounds exciting. I enjoyed my 2 years in the Netherlands and would probably have stayed longer except for my ex.

hajoqpr budr znbq zoaidfeum cbrglknov mtsjiaex bveowfzyt

Very cryptic, Duj :o)

I wonder if epjlqroab nfpaub is the same person as zbchk bnud from back in November?

[Knobbly] Don't be ridiculous, the names are completely different from each other.

I have two chairs and one lamp left. Everything else has been sold or is in boxes. Even my bed will sell on Ebay today, and a mate with a garage will sell my car for me. Lummy.

So you weren't joking when you said you were leaving, pen. :o)

[penelope] Where will you be living? Will you be using only public transport once you move? I've never been to Holland but I understand they have invested heavily in public transportation.

Has Film Club run it's course, or does someone else want to suggest a new subject for it?

[SM] Public transport? Heavens no. I will be riding a stately omafiets, a birthday present from my schatje molenaar.

[penelope] Would that be a bicycle, horse, moped or skateboard?

It's a 'granny bike' - big wheels, sprung seat, upright handlebars, luggage rack and shopping panniers, enormously comfortable and particularly suited for flat places.

[pen] In my my experience the wind always blows in you face whichever way you are cycling in Holland, making the traditional bikes hard work.

[Softers] Yup. But mine's aluminium so pretty light. And the wind blows against you wherever you cycle in Lincolnshire too, so that's nothing new.

(Softers, pen) The only possible conclusions are that either there is no wind in Holland, Lindsey and Kesteven or that you never cycle at less than about 50 mph. Impressive.

[penelope] The sprung seat is particularly suited to flat places? :)

Does this bicycle come with one of those teardrop-shaped "Pifo" electric horns that were so popular the last time I rode a bike?

[Sierra Mike] I like this. It works very, very well.

[flerdle] Nice one. I read the linked article, then took a mouthfull of hot coffee just as I got to the bit about "30 blasts from one pumping-up". I immediately pictured Inspector Clouseau, in disguise, madly pumping as he cycled toward a pedestrian crowd (the parrot-inflation bit in the "Salty Swedish Sea Captain From The Salty Sea" scene is one of my favourite Sellars moments).

I'm probably going to need a new workstation keyboard now.

I've been a fan of Matthew Somerville's alternative front-end to the National Rail website for quite some time, traintimes.org.uk, on the grounds that it works better than the real one. He's recently added a live train map, and I particularly like the description of how it works:

Live departure data is fetched from the National Rail website, much like my timetable site, and then it does a bit of maths and magic.