Tweets for Today

• 19:27 Must update my twitter profile which, at the moment is blank. What should I write? myloc.me/Gs1R #
• 19:33 RT @paisleyofficial: Topic for 2day:favorite Dinosaur.mine would be either Allosaurus or Giganotosaurus. => brontosaurus for me #
• 20:47 @langley when I emailed Kodak they said mid-sept but it's still not available so I don't know now myloc.me/GukX #
• 22:41 @mariarocio that's a great photo of will and a great post too myloc.me/GxGq #
• 22:42 RT @MDuette: For sheer creativity..ding ding ding! RT @RusticLad The waterKoi #petfilms #
• 07:33 Headin' for home soon #
• 07:48 RT @thermalsatsuma: I haz a soft pillow #caturday twitpic.com/i9ssx #
• 09:00 Setting sail (I mean hitting the road) #talklikeapirateday myloc.me/GS9G #
• 10:05 Yarr putting into port for supplies (need caffeine) myloc.me/GUEg #
• 12:26 Home again twitvid.com/E573 2 #
• 16:26 @langley kodak Zi8 listed on amazonUK as a pre-order for availability 1st October '09 £149.99 kodak have online for same price but no date #
• 16:45 Big thank you to @willkay and @mariarocio for posting on my blog whilst I've been away <3 tinyurl.com/mkg399 #
• 17:13 Posted a videoblog - day one of our holiday tinyurl.com/nm4ce4 #

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Holiday Day One - Getting My Bearings

A Really Big Thank You To Will and Maria

Thanks for posting on my blog while I've been away guys. Excellent job!

cry havoc

Last post! Yep, this is definitely my last guest post (for now). At some point (the mighty) Alan should return home and take back the reins of his blog. I hope I've managed to do my part in looking after the blog. I've tried to stick to topics that should be covered (or would be covered) in Alan's blog - good news, I deleted the whole political rant and the libellous attack on Phil Collins. Which means that I'm left with talking about dogs.

Here's something you can try at the next cocktail party you're at. As you mingle, occasionally nibbling on a carrot stick dipped in humus, swallowing a vol-au-vent whole, attempting to drink around the fly in your Chardonnay (wouldn't that be ironic) casually drop into conversation one of these two bon-mots:

I really don't get on with children.

I really don't get on with animals.

And discover which one makes you the most unpopular. Oddly enough, it is the not getting on with kids that is the more socially acceptable. Society tends to be quite understanding about the fact that some times people just don't like/understand children. However, casually mention that you don't like/understand animals and you can suddenly become a social pariah.

I don't really get on with animals. Don't get me wrong, I like animals, so long as they are in the wild, far away from me, or behind bars. I really don't get on with a specific group of animals, pets. Oh, it's not a medical condition, I don't suffer from allergies or asthma. I'm just not comfortable around animals. I don't like them up close.

...and this is where I alienate myself from all of Alan's readers....

Anyhoo, what I really wanted to write about was dogs, dogs in Tijuana. There are many dogs that run wild on the streets of Tijuana. They survive how they survive, and sometimes they don't. In theory I shouldn't have a problem with them (the street dogs) because at no stage do I have to put up with them sniffing my crotch, licking my face, shedding hair. However, there is one major problem with street dogs - the dawn chorus.

There's this bit in 101 Dalmatians, and I mean the original cartoon because I haven't seen the real life film, where the dogs bark at sunset? They send out a message looking for the missing puppies. I think there is a special name for it? The Dusk Discussion or something daft like that. It's been so long since I've seen the cartoon that I might have got this wrong, but bear with me. Well, that doesn't happen here. What does happen is that, round about 5am, every morning, a group of street dogs come down our street. This sets off all the dogs in people's houses - except they aren't in their owner's houses, they are outside, patrolling the grounds, waiting to bark. And bark they do. And the street dogs bark back. And total and utter bedlam ensues for the next five minutes. Every. Blummin'. Morning. Except Tuesday morning. Tuseday morning is slightly different. Tuesday is bin day, and the binmen come whenever they want. So, most people put out there rubbish on Monday night. This means that the street dogs don't just walk down our street, they stop at every bin bag for a good sniff. This means that Tuesday's bark-a-thon lasts for a good thirty minutes. I'm really not that keen on dogs, especially ones that bark at 5am every day.

And on that note, I'll finish. I hope that you've enjoyed my guest posts. If you have, you can find me here. If not, don't blame Alan.

Tweets for Today

• 19:40 RT @CharleyBoorman: BAM 2 is coming out on Sunday 27th of September in 10 days. Tell your friends. X #
• 17:51 So we have to go home tomorrow! Can't help wondering what state the #allotment and garden will be in. Feels like we've been away longer #
• 17:56 RT @AllotmentAli: RT @BAAF: BAAF is gearing up for National Adoption Week. Help spread the word www.nationaladoptionweek.org.uk. #

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Tweets for Today

• 18:37 @willkay post to your hearts content. those are some amazing trees! #
• 18:40 @Documentally tee hee, how does he pull a pint? #
• 18:44 RT: @thelittleidiot New post: Moby begins extended tour of USA, Canada and Mexico! tinyurl.com/pnevtl #
• 18:45 Cooking dinner (well stirring a pan of beans) and reading tweets #
• 19:46 @documentally twitpic.com/hybar - Cheers - hope you're having a great holiday ! #
• 11:00 Reading a James Lee Burke novel and trying to enjoy the last few days of holiday #
• 14:48 A bit of religous architecture pic.gd/315889 #
• 14:54 Despite being one of God's creatures - he's barred! pic.gd/33220b #

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raised like royalty

Weirdly, we were all raised as if we were not ever going to have to get our hands dirty. I thought it was just my mother, but speaking to one of my kids' godparents the other day, he said to me that he was having trouble starting a new business because he's having trouble charging.
So. He works, but people don't pay him.
I asked him why he couldn't just say "It's going to be this much" and he said exactly what I would say in his situation. "Money is so vulgar!"
It is. It's how we were raised. How does one get through that hurdle? I've given him some advice - things that I think I could muster, given his circumstances -, but I really don't know the right answer nor do I know why we would both feel this way. Is it our parents? Did they never discuss money or, maybe, argue about money so much that we in turn find it infinitely pedestrian?
I don't know. But I don't like it. It impedes my own development. It's very frustrating.

Tweets for Today

• 22:09 @mariarocio yay day off! Enjoy :) #
• 07:15 @willkay hey thanks for posting again, twice in one day on two blogs! Enjoy your day off #
• 13:57 twitpic.com/hxdxf Gonna climb this next #

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would photos help?

Re: the post below (no, not that one, below that one, further down, the one about gardens and stuff). It occurred to me that mayhap my words weren't explanatory enough. So, I nipped out with a camera this morning (try to feel special dear reader, try to feel that I stepped out especially, in the early hours of this morning, on my day off, just for you - in reality maria wanted to get some photography done so I tagged along and then banged off a couple of shots) and took some photos just for you, yes you.

Now, I'm not sure how to get photos in Blogger, nor how to position them. Plus I don't want to flood Alan's blog with pictures. So, I'm going to load them in small and hope that you can click on them to biggerize them (or is it embiggen? never sure what the correct name is). The picture here, on the left, is a roundabout. You can't see the real work that goes into it, but you have to remember that this is Mexico. You need to think how hard it is to grow stuff in a place where there is (on average) 20cm of rain a year. Then think of the work that goes into keeping this roundabout green, clean, and growing. The picture on the right is of trees (just in case you don't recognise trees), not mushrooms. And on the left they are cut into cuboids. And this is what I was trying to say in my post. The trees are all cut into shapes, not left to grow willy-nilly. And the thing to note is that this isn't some important road, in the middle of the city, that might help attract tourists. And this is what helps to make Tijuana beautiful. It's all in the details. A side road off a side road, reveals how a tree has been cut to make a shelter for a car. This morning, as we driving around looking for photo ops for maria, we came across countless examples of trees, roundabouts, and weird bits just off the pavement that someone had gone totally mad with. Considering that it hasn't rained now for nearly five months, it's surprising how green and pleasant this city is.

Enjoy.

I'm on holiday too

It's 7:48pm in Tijuana, which makes it 9:48pm in Mexico City, and 3:48am in London. It is Tuesday 15th September. In an hour and a bit (9pm my time, 11pm in Mexico City, 7am Alan's time) the President will ring a bell. Several times. This is because nearly two hundred years ago Miguel Hidalgo rang a bell, summoning the Mexican people to war. Mexicans celebrate their independence on the 16th September. However, the celebrations start now, on the evening of the 15th.

They don't have 'Bank Holiday Mondays' in Mexico, but they do have days when the banks are shut. These are national holidays. They are fixed to dates rather than Mondays. Tomorrow (for me) is a day off work. The country will (semi) shut down, and everyone will get a chance to sleep off the hangover, that the majority of Mexicans are casually working their way towards as I type. As the President rings the bell he repeats the call to arms, he calls out the names of the heroes who have died defending Mexico, he mentions the names of the leaders of the independence. Each time he says something he prefaces each statement with ¡Viva! When he finishes, the crowd respond ¡Viva! At the end he will ring the bell another three times, ¡Viva Mexico! The reply is ¡Viva!

So, now you know, in case you are stuck in a Mexican bar tonight and a bell starts to ring. It isn't last orders, it's a call to arms. And the bar will be full. All the bars are full. And the streets are full. The majority of Mexicans will be out of the house tonight, together, waiting for that moment when they proclaim their readiness for Independence. It's a great evening. On of those things you should try to do before you die. Get yourself into a bar full of Mexicans on the 15th September.

And tomorrow is a day off work. There is a great advantage to having holidays on fixed dates, and there is a tremendous disadvantage. The good news is when the day falls on a Tuesday or a Thursday, because when that happens I also get the Monday/Friday off, making it a very long weekend. This is fantastic in May when 1st, 5th, and 15th are days off. It is possible to get the 1st of May on a Thursday which means I don't go to work until Tuesday. If it falls on a Friday, no work until W*dnesd*y. However, there is a problem. When the date falls on a weekend, you get no day off work.

May 15th is my birthday (make a note), it is also teacher's day. Teacher's Day is a day to celebrate teachers (that's me), and to celebrate, they shut the schools! Whoot! A day off on my birthday! How cool is that? In four years of teaching it has become something I (sort of) expect. Therefore, can you imagine my disappointment when I discovered (as you discovered when you went to make a note of my b'day) that in 2010, the 15th May is on a Saturday. In 2011 it is on a Sunday. I don't get my day off work.

And those days off work are important. The majority of Mexicans work 9/10 hour days. Vacations are 6 days in the first year, 8 days in the second, 10 from then on (basically, after 3 years you qualify for two weeks holiday a year). So, national holidays are important because they are the "free" days, the days that don't count as part of your holiday allowance.

So, enjoy your holiday Alan. Know that I am also on holiday, and so is the whole of Mexico. However, we will all be back at work on Thursday. There are no "half term" holidays in Mexican schools, so the next day off is November 2nd. Hey ho.

Tweets for Today

• 07:50 RT: @mariarocio posted at @tontowilliams's blog. bit.ly/weMj3 more than I've written in ages. => thanks for the post :) #
• 14:10 twitpic.com/htcyb On safari #
• 15:23 twitpic.com/htjh8 Still on safari #
• 15:27 @mariarocio don't think you can break a blog - and yes i did like the post #
• 17:07 My guest bloggers @willkay & @mariarocio are getting comments on their posts. Thinks I should holiday more often #

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guest post. different guest. obviously.

Or maybe not so obviously. Why would I think it was obvious that it is someone else?

I met Alan through blogging. I think he arrived through neil h, but I might be very wrong about this. I remember being a teensy bit worried about his showing up because he's English. Then, when I realised that he wanted to be friends, in spite of who we were, I remember being awed by his braveness. He's a brave man, Alan. Maybe you don't think he is, I don't know, I know it must seem all so very normal, with his allotment, his water butt, his dog, his books, his life. Know that he's an extremely courageous man, Alan.

-The courage that it takes to have hope. To go to his allotment and see the ravages of some bug or other, and still believe everything is going to come through, to struggle through every day life, that takes courage.-

And that is not even the courage Alan had to display to be our friend. When Alan found us and commented, there was a small - it felt huge - sub-segment of the bloggy blogginess that hated us with hatred only known in Mexico by people who live around people from Veracruz.

Big hatred.

I think we even warned Alan.

But he persisted. And we loved him for it. We love him now. We live for his videos (much like we live for neil h's caturdays. When I say we, I may be using the royal we, but I'm confident I'm not), we wish his life was better - damn water butt stealing bastards! -, we wish we all lived closer.

And to think we didn't even know each other a few years ago. And now we kind of feel like adopting him. How life changes.

Anyway, the photo is our fair city, Tijuana, Mexico, and I am maria. I have a blog, somewhere in Typepad, where I try to make sense of my life and show images of the city.

Don't go there now, though, because the images are not that beautiful at the moment. I usually try to show the best side of the city, but it's an uphill battle, because, beautiful as Mexico is, Tijuana is not the most shining of examples. Some people feel like it's not really a part of Mexico at all, it looks so... outside of it. It's like we've put together the worst of it all and just dumped it at the border.

I'm not going to say that all people find it ugly. Tourists seem to love it (and it's hard to express how much not like Mexico it is), or hate it (and then you're really disappointed that they think this is Mexico), and the people who are actually from Tijuana believe it's the best city in the country (and who can blame them? I think my hometown is the best even though I know it sucks). It doesn't lack excitement, though, and it's where we've made our home.

And this is where maybe we're a little bit like Alan, courageous. Or at least that's what I always hope to be. A little bit like Alan, because he is awesome.

Tweets for Today

• 20:03 RT: @FaunaFloraInt Last Chance To See Stephen Fry & Mark Carwardine search Africa for the northern white rhino. BBC2 8pm bit.ly/fpEpL #
• 08:42 Small gardens good for wildlife bit.ly/shtHd #
• 11:01 Just remembered that it's Monday and I'm not at work 'coz we're on holiday #

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Tweets for Today

• 20:34 We're here settled in, checked out local pub already #
• 21:12 @willkay I assume trash means writing a pulitzer of a post? #
• 21:35 @willkay Me. Worried? Is this the face of concern? #
• 21:39 twitpic.com/hhkhw Not the face of concern #
• 21:54 @Soggous if i heard news right - Lewis pole, Sutil 2nd, Kimi 3rd. Jenson 6th #
• 08:16 RT: @willkay I have written a guest p ost on @tontowilliams's blog bit.ly/13OfCb about how green Tijuana is. => Thanks will :) #
• 09:43 twitpic.com/hkhd9 Out with the hound getting to know the lie of the land #
• 10:47 Back at base. Walked a good few miles this morning #
• 10:49 It's @tontosgirl 's birthday today. The hound and I are now waiting for her to get up so she can unwrap her presents #
• 11:28 @Documentally not harsh at all. I'd have deleted his comment, and blocked him #
• 16:57 @tontosgirl official birthday bbq photo twitpic.com/hlgfk #

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need a gardener?

Shhhhh! Try to read without moving your lips. Rumour has it that although Tontowilliams (can I just call him TW from now on?) has left for his holidays, he might have left traps around the place. I know he got very upset when he woke up to discover his butt had been tampered with (I've always wanted to write that line "his butt had been tampered with", I wonder how many times I can get to write it today?) and I'm a bit worried that when he discovers that his blog has been tampered with he might get all cross again. I love TW (or Alan as I will now call him) in that whole way that a man can love a man (without tampering with his butt), however I have a sort of set image of Alan in my mind. He always seems to be a very patient, understanding bloke. Never seems to get too over excited. So when he swears (and I know this is a bit childish) it comes as a bit of a shock. And boy, did he swear when his butt was tampered with (yes, I know, his water butt was stolen, but it sounds funnier when I don't type water and do type tampered). So, I'm a bit worried that if I say something wrong, do something wrong, in his blog, then he'll get all medieval on my bottom.

Oh, hang on, here I go, talking about Al (nope, don't think that works does it? I can't call him Al because that makes me Betty) getting medieval on my bottom and you don't know who I am. Sorry. How rude of me. Hello. I'm Will. Although I tend to go by will because I'm down-wiv-da-kids and don't use capitals. But I find that it gets confusing sometimes when I say will without using a capital W and I'd hate to start italicising my name, that would just be weird. Anyhoo, I'm Will and I live in Mexico - Tijuana to be more exact. Last week I was lying in bed (it was 9am Saturday morning) checking the footy scores on my laptop. Although I live in Mexico I'm not Mexican (well, not for a another year). I was born and brought up in England. This means that I have a totally irrational devotion to Sheffield United. Therefore every Saturday morning I have to get myself to a computer to check on how the mighty Blades have done. Except there was no match last Saturday. However, there was the other delight of Saturday morning, am allotment post from Alan. Even betterer, it was a video post. We (that would be maria and I) love Alan's video posts and have a Saturday morning ritual of loading them up, checking out Neil's caturday picture, then settling down to watch the video. Except there was no sound. Somehow Alan and I ended up in a chat on gmail, he explained he was going on holiday, asked me to guest blog on here.

So, guest blogging. What the heck am I supposed to do? Do I just copy out posts from my blog and stick them up here? Except that wouldn't be a good idea.I mean, if you read my blog you read it for your own (sick and twisted) reasons, reasons that would be totally different to why you read Alan's blog because, let's face it, we tend to write about different things. I'm fairly sure that people who read Alan's blog don't read it to hear about the gun battles in the streets of Tijuana, the problems of crossing the border, the annoying people I work with. You might be interested in tacos, what a real Mexican taco is like, because Alan sometimes posts about food. Or I could write about books because I know Alan likes his books, but I've hit a personal reading block at the moment (it's an age thing). But I think I'd probably write about gardens and gardening because, if there is one thing I can be pretty sure about, the readers of Alan's blogs like stories of gardening.

Except I haven't seen many gardens in Tijuana.

Not gardens as English people know them. The smallest, awful-est, rattiest, unkempt garden in England is still better and bigger than most gardens in Tijuana. If you have any space in front of your house (that would be space between the house and the pavement) then you park the car there, behind the eight foot wall (topped with razor wire) that surrounds your property. You see, you don't keep your car on the street if you can help it, and you don't have a garage because it only rains six days a year. So, you squeeze the car into the space between your house and the wall. If you have space at the back of your house this is normally taken up with the washing machine and the dryer (it only rains six days a year), the water heater (you don't really want that inside the house because of the heat it generates - anyhoo, it makes more sense to be out in the open air where it gets heated by the sun), and the grill (for cooking on because there is nothing better than a Carne Asada and who wants to cook in the house in this heat?). So, in my experience, there aren't a lot of gardens in Tijuana BUT there are a lot of gardeners in Tijuana.

Yes, I'll give you time to re-read that again - no gardens, lots of gardeners.

It is amazing how beautiful Tijuana is, and it is beautiful because "the devil is in the details". Although there appears to be little greenery on private property, there is a lot of greenery on public property. The side of the roads are covered in green, the middle of the roads are covered in green, the roundabouts are covered in green, and there are parks all over the place. All of these green areas are carefully manicured and lovingly cared for. And not just once every six weeks. Squads of (council?) gardeners move around the city tending to the grass and the trees. And when I say "tending to the trees", I don't mean giving them a bit of a trim. The trees are all shaped. They aren't hacked back a bit, each tree is shaped. There are streets with rows of trees that are cut to look like fat, bass drums perched on wooden sticks. The trees in the shopping mall car park are cut to look like birds.

I am often asked what is the difference between London and Tijuana or England and Mexico. When comparing the countries, the first thing I have to say is that Mexico is immensely bigger (mind-boggling bigger) than England but England is green. England is very green, whereas (the) Mexico (I know) is brown. When it comes to comparing the cities, again the Mexican city wins in the size category (mainly because the city is spread out and there are few buildings taller than two stories). Tijuana is a huge sprawling city built in a bowl (there's a beautiful picture of Tijuana at night here). However, and here's the strange bit, I'd say that Tijuana was also greener than London. Oh, I know London has its parks but so does Tijuana. And Tijuana has its streets. Its streets that are four lanes wide with a row of trees down the middle of the street. Its streets that have, not just trees and grass on its pavements but has areas that whole corner gardens appear. Its streets that have roundabouts covered in grass (and often statues). All of this greener is tended to with great love and care. If England is seen as a nation of gardeners I would suggest that Mexico comes a close second.

Tweets for Today

• 20:10 12seconds - 12erator: The 12seconds User That I'd Like To Meet In Person tiny12.tv/5YX7G #
• 08:07 RT: @thermalsatsuma Doris oversees the recycling bins #caturday twitpic.com/hexta #
• 08:08 Holiday starts now! #
• 08:23 @Soggous just right for overwintering broad beans variety aqua dulce claudia #
• 08:47 AudioBoo: I've posted a phoneboo... boo.fm/b62567 #
• 08:49 @thermalsatsuma thank you #

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Tweets for Today

• 19:34 Video Live Now qik.ly/fuzr #qik #
• 19:45 I uploaded a YouTube video -- Qik - Guest Bloggers by Alan bit.ly/16Y3wT #
• 21:35 I uploaded a YouTube video -- Guest Bloggers bit.ly/QB73q #
• 21:54 @Nico2lette :) thanks #
• 21:56 @stephenfry it's been an hour. Can you tell us now? #

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Guest Bloggers

Someone will be blog sitting. Can you guess who?

Tweets for Today

• 18:23 At a pub on the beach enjoying the late summer weather #
• 19:09 twitpic.com/gzl9d Just had dinner here #
• 19:58 Picked up parcel it is my @scottevest ultimate hoodie and it is awesome! 13 pockets of awesome, attention to detail are phenomenal #
• 21:11 @ScotteVest my top 2 Life is an Adventure. Don't Run Out of Pockets. Clothing for hands free travel #

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Tweets for Today

• 20:44 RT: @gavingough "Bangkok Photo School: November Classes Announced" at bit.ly/PNoV9 #photography #
• 16:59 My @scottevest hoodie is at the parcel office gotta go pay the VAT on it #
• 17:02 If iphone going to Orange is the good news bad news has gotta, be their merger with T-Mobile. Expect exceptionally 5h1t service from now on #

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Tweets for Today

• 18:12 At last. Video post on my blog - now with the soundtrack! tinyurl.com/ksrx2q #
• 19:12 RT @tontowilliams: Don't miss "Last Chance To See" with @stephenfry and mark carwardine tonight BBC2 2000hrs BST #lastchancetosee #
• 07:35 Holiday: T-minus 5 days #
• 16:40 Work done. Closer to holiday #

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Tweets for Today

• 08:22 Time to walk the dog then feed the birds then possibly play #batmanarkhamasylum #
• 08:32 Don't miss "Last Chance To See" with @stephenfry and mark carwardine tonight BBC2 2000hrs BST #
• 08:35 Don't miss "Last Chance To See" with @stephenfry and mark carwardine tonight BBC2 2000hrs BST #lastchancetosee #
• 09:48 Just realised that one of the books I read during our last holiday is all about where we are going this holiday #
• 09:51 Just made a coffee following instructions given in one of @documentally 's audioboos from last week and can taste the difference #
• 09:55 PS3 has just updated it's software for a new look. Now time to play #batmanarkhamasylum #
• 10:54 RT: @Danny_DiVito I'm gonna try follow my initial followers but only if you tell ppl to follow me. I need a fuckin beer. #
• 11:31 RT: @EmmaK67 Hang tight on following @Danny_Divito peeps. He's spelling his name wrong and he's not validated #
• 15:29 Sitting reading and watching the birds in the garden #
• 17:08 12seconds - 12seconds Wazzup tiny12.tv/N5MRP #
• 17:26 I uplo aded a YouTube video -- The Weekends Are Just Too Short bit.ly/HfiMz #
• 17:56 @willkay Damn, and still no sound the second time I tried. Will try something else #

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The Weekends Are Too Short

Apologies to those people who have been trying to watch the YouTube version of this vid which has lost the soundtrack. Here's the same video with sound (hopefully)!

Tweets for Today

• 19:34 Sitting in the garden enjoy the last of todays sunshine and a beer #
• 19:36 The birds are wary of my presence though staying away from the feeders #
• 19:39 @Documentally cheers #
• 21:06 Have onion sets to plant tomorrow if the weather stays fine #
• 08:38 Gonna walk the dog then off to the allotment. Hoping postman might bring my order from @scottevest today #
• 08:54 @mariarocio Goodnight Sweet dreams #
• 11:02 I'm recording short videos on the allotment this morning. When I get home I'll edit them together and see what we get #
• 15:06 @ScotteVest no not today. Will have to wait until next week now #
• 16:04 I uploaded a YouTube video -- Onion Sets 2 of 2 bit.ly/1E0vr #
• 16:04 I uploaded a YouTube video -- Onion Sets 2 of 2 bit.ly/3BtuzW #
• 16:21 I uploaded a YouTube video -- Onion Sets 1 of 2 bit.ly/YDkHg #
• 16:34 I favorited a YouTube video -- Onion Sets 1 of 2 bit.ly/YDkHg #
• 17:27 Video Live Now qik.ly/fG35 #qik #
• 17:38 I uploaded a YouTube video -- Qik - cooking dinner by Alan bit.ly/6xubC #
• 17:42 @willkay Seem to have a slight problem with my videos - they are set to upload automatically everywhere, but then everywhere tweets about em #
• 17:50 @willkay I am selective with my head apparel #

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Spuds

Editing failed. So here are todays allotment vids one after the other.

Onion Sets 2 of 2

Editing failed. So here are todays allotment vids one after the other.

Onion Sets 1 of 2

Editing failed. So here are todays allotment vids one after the other.

Tweets for Today

• 18:28 RT: @FaunaFloraInt ambassador @stephenfry & Mark Carwardine 'Last Chance to See' shows planet's most endangered species bit.ly/paFbG #
• 06:04 Hooray for Friday #

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Tweets for Today

• 19:06 @thermalsatsuma He sure did although it's a bit like giving a child a drum set or a violin - there's only so much squeaking you can take! #

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Qik - dogs birthday by Alan

Tweets for Today

• 06:06 RT: @Documentally Looks like 3 mobile's version of the MiFi will cost £99 bit.ly/ZJtbW WI-fi for #allotment #
• 06:51 My love/hate view of bank holidays continues love the 3 day weekend / hate going back to work Tuesday #
• 06:52 But only 9 working days 'til holiday now #
• 07:32 All our IT still in bank holiday mode #
• 09:42 IT still down chillerfail apparently could be a long day #
• 11:27 Latest news on IT - no service before 3pm at the earliest #fail #
• 16:18 So IT finally came back on an hour before I due to leave #ITfail #

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Tweets for Today

• 20:52 It's a bank holiday tomorrow, which means more #batmanarkhamasylum for me #
• 21:43 @willkay who gets to play the Rupert Bear part? #
• 08:49 @EmmaK67 B/H day definately. There isn't another 'til Christmas #
• 08:54 Should I offer my video blogging skills? twitvid.com/4809C #
• 11:41 Submitted my application to blog #

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For Rent

Tweets for Today

• 08:45 On #allotment dodging showers #
• 09:01 12seconds - My Kingdom For A Hat With Corks Around The Brim tiny12.tv/X3H43 #
• 09:09 Need a hat with corks twitvid.com/38B56 #
• 09:34 12seconds - All Alone tiny12.tv/83D2P #
• 09:46 Our Sunday Roast today will be accompanied by runner-beans, potatoes, parsnips and marrow. All from the #allotment #
• 10:23 I've just refilled bird feeders (second time today), noticed starlings and sparrows sitting on our chimney and roof ridge waiting for me #

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Allotment Vids

Tweets for Today

• 19:58 Batman Arkam Asylum is awesome #
• 10:51 A quick allotment update via twitvid twitvid.com/71075 #
• 11:04 twitpic.com/fopxk Produce #

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Tweets for Today

• 18:05 Batman Arkham Asylum is out tomorrow. Just had a text confirming my preorder, very exciting #
• 06:03 Six hours and counting #batmanarkhamasylum #
• 12:16 It's Batman o'clock #
• 13:02 twitpic.com/fk3n7 Coming to my PS3 shortly #
• 13:11 Waiting for my train. Where's the batmobile when you need it? #
• 13:29 So bit the bullet or rather the international shipping, and ordered from scottevest #

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Tweets for Today

• 21:18 @mariarocio love your new twitter avatar #
• 16:17 @Documentally where are you getting your scottevest kit from? #
• 17:27 @Documentally thanks i thought their shipping was a bit steep but no one in UK seems to stock #

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Tweets for Today

• 20:27 @lastexitshirts lol "let Polly do the printing" really glad i placed my order for my Amity cap today. can't wait for it to arrive #
• 17:02 RT: @willkay I've had a good day, really good day. So I wrote about it. bit.ly/igRMx - Good days should be promoted #

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Tweets for Today

• 07:53 twitpic.com/f75ih Working at home today, no time to play #
• 12:55 Testing twitvid twitvid.com/23986 #
• 14:14 Anyone know a UK supplier for a scottevest hoodie? #
• 14:48 @willkay No want one to put all my geekgear in check out www.scottevest.com expensive shipping to UK #
• 14:54 @mariarocio I have no idea. Thanks for the offer I'll let you know. #
• 16:04 This < a href="http://www.batmanarkhamasylum.com/">www.batmanarkhamasylum.com/ is out Friday. Mine's on pre-order, and I've got the afternoon off #

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Tweets for Today

• 19:09 @willkay I see you heard the news then? #

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Tweets for Today

• 08:42 Machinery day on #allotment strimming, rotovating, and then taking out a few caterpillars #
• 09:35 Strimming done but rotovator won't start #
• 12:57 Allotment work done for today now to watch the Grand Prix #F1 #
• 14:48 That was a well deserved win #F1 #

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Tweets for Today

• 19:50 Watching Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist #
• 20:03 That's just wrong on all levels #
• 12:04 Lunchbreak! Tree nearly down just some chipping to do #
• 17:09 Daily Dogtwitpic.com/euxh0 #

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Tweets for Today

• 17:21 It's Friday :) have a potentially busy weekend if the weather stays fine #allotment #
• 17:24 Picked up my pre-ordered copy of wolfenstein today not sure I'll have time to play it and the new Batman is out next Friday! #
• 17:29 twitpic.com/eq30o Daily Dog #
• 17:40 @documentally twitpic.com/eq3ml - I'd go Red if I were you #
• 19:50 Watching Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist #
• 20:03 That's just wrong o n all levels #

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Tweets for Today

• 16:56 twitpic.com/elhir Daily Dog #

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No Birds

Chomping

Chomping on 12seconds.tv

Insects

Insects.3GP on 12seconds.tv

Potting Shed

An Allotment Video

About 4 mins worth of allotment.

On The Beach

Book Review August '09

Allotment - July Video Update

After I recorded this vid this morning I noticed that one of the neighbouring plots has been struck by blight. In order to save my potatoes from the same fate I've cut off all the tops to protect them. Consequently what you see in the video above is not how the plot looks now!

Martyn Joseph One Of Us Vancouver Island Music Festival 2009

Fox Surprise

Nearly Pickled Onions

65 Questions

QIK | Streaming video right from your phone

Tweets for Today

• 07:05 Oh dear it's Monday again :( back to work #

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Tweets for Today

• 18:23 12seconds - 12erator: The Magazine Cover That I Want to Appear On tiny12.tv/TZH9B #
• 18:29 God I look ever so slightly insane in that last 12seconds vid *cringe* #
• 20:36 Jim Carey in "Yes Man" nothing like the book and so wrong on so many levels #
• 20:37 @rARsh what would you suggest instead? #
• 21:22 @rARsh thanks for that was just method acting ;) #
• 07:36 Sitting in bed wondering if anything else has been stolen from the garden overnight #
• 09:29 @TheAllotmenteer only if each individual plot had it's own supply and sub-meter which sounds expensive to set-up in first place #
• 09:52 @TheAllotmenteer my thoughts about parts of the world are still not fit for twitter at the mo #
• 09:59 Just finished earthing up my celery on the #allotment #
• 10:19 Just weeded my courgette bed and have the scratched forearms to prove it #allotment #
• 12:43 Trying to snooze after mornings weeding duties on #allotment but kids nextdoor making it very difficult #
• 13:17 Counting Crows now blocking out noisy kids #Rain King #

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Tweets for Today

• 18:43 12seconds - Dog does best cat impression tiny12.tv/Z7BKH #
• 07:41 You think as an adult I would finally have mastered the art of having a lie-in on weekends but apparently not #
• 07:54 Time to walk the dog then go to #allotment #
• 07:56 Work's kept me so busy this week I haven't been to the #allotment wondering what state the weeds have reached #
• 08:08 Some fuckers have stolen our waterbutt #
• 11:39 #allotment bumper harvest of spuds, courgettes, carrots, lettuce, gooseberries, raspberries, and radish #
• 13:16 Off to pet store #
• 15:40 Done pet food shopping been for nice walk with dog and had ice cream, spilt tea, burnt hand #
• 17:06 Video Live Now qik.com/video/1999808 #
• 17:17 @willkay :) Just to prove I'm not bitter, I'm also offering the bits the thieves left behind if they want 'em tinyurl.com/l35qxv #
• 17:18 @willkay We have a mini crime wave going on at the moment. My waterbutt, neighbours hose, a mower and who knows what else #
• 17:19 @willkay someone either has a nicely kitted out garden or a garage full of garden essentials! #
• 17:20 @thermalsatsuma Now I'm not a cat person, but I do enjoy caturday #
• 17:33 12seconds - New Shoes tiny12.tv/32DSM #
• 17:45 Video Live Now [qik] - waterbutt thieves qik.com/video/2000245 #

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kept my one and only new years resolution

waterbutt thieves

Tweets for Today

• 07:33 It's Friday :) #
• 17:05 Sitting at the station waiting for my Friday train home #

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Tweets for Today

• 06:50 RT @documentally Tomorrow I'll be at George Orwell's grave at lunchtime for his birthday.. All are welcome tr.im/pEdy #1984 #
• 06:52 @documentally sorry I can't join you and Eric today have a good one #socialmediapicnic #1984 #

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Tweets for Today

• 18:22 Turning last nights roast lamb leftovers into lamb curry #
• 22:07 @AllotmentAli when you plant them out place old drainpipe tube over them to 'force' them and give white stems #

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Tweets for Today

• 12:48 Just ordered one of these tinyurl.com/cdbvtu #

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Tweets for Today

• 18:26 Watching Dave Gorman and Robert LLewellyn on LLewtube www.llewtube.com/ GO WATCH NOW! #
• 21:19 Do I want an i-phone 3Gs? tiny12.tv/Y7R9H #
• 10:49 At the #allotment dodging rain showers #
• 11:50 Have harvested potatoes, onions, baby leaf salad, courgettes, raspberries, gooseberries, and loganberries from #allotment today #
• 11:51 Have also cleared over-wintering broad beans and saved some pods for seed #allotment #
• 13:22 Sitting in a pub garden waiting for my lunch #
• 17:03 watching wood pigeon hold off two young magpies while sparrows eat seed #

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LLew Tube With Dave Gorman

Two of my favourite entertainers. Robert LLewellyn (Red Dwarf, Scrapheap Challenge) and Dave Gorman (America Unchained, Genius and recently of Absolute Radio).

Tweets for Today

• 20:34 Video Live Now qik.com/video/1904462 #
• 08:30 12seconds - 12challenge: Do you even care about the new iPhone release? why/why not? tiny12.tv/Y7R9H #
• 13:24 12seconds - Runner Beans tiny12.tv/B74ZT #
• 16:23 It's Friday and I'm on my way home from work nuff said #

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one about courgettes

Tweets for Today

• 18:32 twitpic.com/7jyvw Latest reading material #
• 19:03 @sueperkins parable not required but how about an avatar? #
• 19:18 Am cooking spicy beef caserole for supper it smells soooo good. Need rice to cook faster! #
• 19:22 @Documentally what is future of video blogging? Tell me more #
• 19:28 If I have subscriptions to both Gardeners World and Gardens Illustrated magazines does that mean I'm getting old? #
• 20:58 @Girlonatrain does that make me an aged rocker then? #

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Tweets for Today

• 19:17 Just started a Twibe. Visit twibes.com/Criminal_Minds_TV to join. #
• 20:07 Watching season 2 of Criminal Minds #
• 06:46 Heat is so sapping today feels like Thursday #

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Tweets for Today

• 19:20 Just joined a twibe. Visit twibes.com/Allotments?v=0 to join #
• 20:44 Watching 80's movie "The Goonies" #
• 09:59 Watching the season 5 finale of Numb3rs #
• 13:32 Just started a Twibe. Visit twibes.com/Numb3rs to join. #
• 16:39 twitpic.com/7druu Foxgloves on a woodland walk #

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Tweets for Today

• 09:33 That's all the paths around the #allotment mowed and strimmed now for some weeding #
• 11:10 Have harvested potatoes, broad beans, cabbage, lettuce and best of all gooseberries from #allotment. Think we're set for veggies this week #
• 11:52 Video Live Now qik.com/video/1868095 #
• 11:52 12seconds - Qik Video tiny12.tv/N09IU #
• 11:52 12seconds - [Qik] fruits (and vegetables) of my labours tiny12.tv/EHIS5 #
• 11:53 Video Live Now [qik] - fruits (and vegetables) of my labours qik.com/video/1868102 #
• 11:54 12seconds - [Qik] fruits (and vegetables) of my labours tiny12.tv/W0VCD #
• 12:29 @documentally @barnstormed have fun at #140conf guys look forward to seeing the feeds #
• 14:36 Sitting in my cousins garden having tea and cake #

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Tweets for Today

• 18:12 Video Live Now [qik] - #allotment qik qik.com/video/1856098 #
• 18:14 12seconds - [Qik] Sweet Peas tiny12.tv/BPEU7 #
• 20:39 12seconds - Mystery plants tiny12.tv/TDW9Y #
• 16:59 It's Friday and work is over for the week #

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allotment qik

Tweets for Today

• 20:14 Watching recordings of numb3rs and ashes to ashes from earlier this week both season finales next week #

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Tweets for Today

• 20:24 @willkay sure I'll lend you a fiver anyday #

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Tweets for Today

• 09:07 12seconds - #allotment tiny12.tv/HBFRJ #
• 09:41 Todays weeding is mostly bought to you by the hoe-less hands and knees method #allotment #
• 09:47 Little egret just flown over the #allotment #
• 10:08 Oh I completely forgot! I got a temp promotion at work! More work and (surprisingly) more money. Temp while post holder on seconment #
• 10:29 Rumour of rain is so far proving to be a damp squib #
• 14:46 12seconds - Weather Forecast / update tiny12.tv/N903T #

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Tweets for Today

• 19:37 Video Live Now qik.com/video/1807756 #
• 19:38 Video Live Now [qik] - summer has arrived qik.com/video/1807772 #
• 07:52 Walking the dog and then off to the #allotment #
• 09:04 Lots of weeding required and it looks like lettuces are beginning to bolt have first flowers on courgettes too #allotment #
• 10:21 12seconds - MOV00124 tiny12.tv/6EVHA #
• 11:10 Think I've just found a harlequin ladybird on my runner beans #allotment #
• 14:17 For some reason qik didn't send a tweet about my latest allotment vid. Here's the link tinyurl.com/p4r32v #
• 17:01 @david_hewson isn't that Ken Dodd for chancellor of the exchequor? #
• 17:25 Video Live Now qik.com/video/1813785 #
• 17:26 12seconds - [Qik] Rain- phooey! tiny12.tv/UBAM8 #

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Allotment Tour June 2009

Tweets for Today

• 21:44 It topped 32 degrees in the garden today. Lots of watering required #
• 21:57 Video Live Now qik.com/video/1796574 #

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Tweets for Today

• 09:29 Gooseberries on #allotment still a bit sour to be eaten but they're not too far off #
• 10:11 Harvesting first crop of broad beans #allotment #
• 10:21 twitpic.com/68waq First broad bean harvest = a carrier bag full and plenty more where they came from #allotment #
• 11:33 twitpic.com/68ynv Just dug first spuds. Good crop and nice size #allotment #

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Tweets for Today

• 09:11 @david_hewson what are you wanting to be convinced about? #

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Tweets for Today

• 08:12 Where did the sunshine go? Oh yeah right I forgot - it's a bank holiday #

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Tweets for Today

• 23:06 The Bank Job #tubemovies #
• 08:28 Walking the dog, then off to the #allotment to do battle with black-fly #
• 09:03 Treating the black-fly to a soapy water bath #
• 09:55 Just seen a fox, walk bold as brass up through my #allotment plot and jump through the boundary fence. Not concerned I was less than 6' away #
• 11:17 26 centigrade in the shade this morning #
• 12:51 Settling down to watch the Monaco Grand Prix #

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Tweets for Today

• 10:30 Sunny and hot on the #allotment. Great for working in but means watering will be required #

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Tweets for Today

• 13:08 By Any Means2 RT @CharleyBoorman twitpic.com/5onn4 - Me and the spitfire I flew today #
• 13:11 Sitting in an admiring the garden after planting new rose bush, auriculas, asters and some more tomato plants #
• 13:12 twitpic.com/5oqco The garden #

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Tweets for Today

• 22:28 So should tomorrow be a GTAiv day or a catch up on movies day? #

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Tweets for Today

• 08:06 Gas man finished late yesterday so working on the #allotment today #
• 09:00 Just wondering if I could go wi-fi on the #allotment shed? #
• 09:08 twitpic.com/5jmcu Just wondering if I still have this #allotment in another 30 years if this is the view I'll have in my retirement #

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Tweets for Today

• 07:00 Finished my book yesterday while the gasman was working. Have no idea what I'm going to read next #

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Tweets for Today

• 06:25 twitpic.com/5ew52 Walking the dog #
• 09:56 Gas man is here. Bits of old boiler leaving the building #
• 10:48 twitpic.com/5f3tl Where once our boiler was...... #
• 11:10 Downloading Semana Santa by David Hewson as my next audible audiobook #
• 11:25 Listening to Eric Clapton to get in the mood for his concert in the RAH on Friday - I have tickets :) #

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