Hotel on Mayfair....

Hotel on Mayfair,

I've got a hotel on Park Lane, the blue one,

And Little Frank, he's not even got a house on the Old Kent Road.

Oh I've got hotels on all the red ones, and the green ones,

And all of the yellow ones,

He's not even got a light blue one,

And he's not been past the Water Works.

(taken from The Monopoly Song by Frank Sidebottom)

You could do a lot worse than spend a couple of minutes watching/listening to this!

Now it has to be said.... I'm a player of games.  I love 'em.  Whether they be rooted in this reality or a virtual one, I love playing games.

I like video games, board games, card games.... traditional games, contemporary games.... you name it and if I haven't played it then you can guarantee I wouldn't mind playing it!

I've played Gulo Gulo, Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots, Chartbusters, Pass the Pigs, Settlers of Catan, Risk, Chess, Chinese Checkers and Mah-jong.

I've played Tapper and Toobin'.  I've leapt at the chance to play Burnin' Rubber and Ms. PacMan.  I've played Smurfs, Star Wars, Ponpoko and Space Duel.  I've thrown virtual darts, footballs and javelins. and I've even been known to play Pokemon (Silver; diamond; AND platinum)....

I've bragged about three cards.  I've chased the ace.  I've had my knuckles scraped until they bled at Scabby Queen, and I've fifteen for two'ed myself into oblivion with cribbage.  Canasta, Spades, Hearts, Bezique, Pip Pip, Oh Hell and Beggar my Neighbour.

Yes, I love them all.

The problem with games.... is the same as that faced when trying to dance an Argentinian Tango.... invariably it takes more than one.... and unless someone else likes to cut a rug..... you're up a snookery creek without a black ball!

An example of this lack of willing participants is as follows:

Today I played Monopoly on the internet... not just your average, common or garden variety of Monopoly.... but Monopoly the World Edition.  The main differences being that:

a) instead of streets, you buy whole cities like Beijing or Vancouver.

b) instead of starting with the usual fifteen hundred quid, you start this one with fifteen MILLION!!  (that's inflation for you)

c) Rather than play an endless pit of turns waiting for everyone to go bankrupt, this game is turn based so we each get 34 turns (perhaps) maximum.

d) Game winner declared after two people bankrupt or maximum turns expired.

e) "total worth" decides winner!

Other than that it's exactly the same.....

So I play against three computers, who are, rather imaginatively named: Computer 2; Computer 3; and Computer 4 - I am playing what would presumably have been Computer 1's seat.... and I try not to think too much about the four of them playing non-stop for all eternity until someone visits their gaming table.

All goes well up until you realise that there's an element of racism at play.... they trade with each other reasonably whilst making insulting and paltry offers to me.  The dice rolls don't seem to favour me.  They're stitching me up.

It gets to a stage where they've all swapped properties and Computer 3 has a full set of the oranges (Vine, Marlborough and Bow Streets - equivalent).  Computer 4 on the other hand only has a set of the dark brown ones (we'd call the Old Kent Road and Whitechapel). And can you guess what Computer 2 owns?  Yes, the dark blue pair (Mayfair and Park Lane).

I've got.....

A light blue; a pink; a red; a yellow; a station; and two dark green ones (the ones that cost a fortune and nobody ever lands on them, and if you DO get all three you can never afford to build houses on them anyway).

In the dying embers of the game, Computer 2 buys the final dark green at action for a staggering twelve million.

There are hotels on the oranges and dark browns.  Five turns from the end of the game and I'm comfortably in second place.  Despite owning the most expensive proiperties on the board, Computer 2 is sitting in jail with no money to build any houses (and that serves him/her right for overbidding for my dark green).

I am two turns from the end of the game when the conspiracy trap is sprung, and I am unceremoniously dumped onto Vancouver (an orange one with a hotel on) and after stumping up the ten million rent..... I finish in a very poor third place.

Now, if I had some REAL friends....Scooby Doo Monopoly or Gulo Gulo anyone?

Surprise!!

I am truly surprised by the reaction to my previous post. It would seem that my passion for birdfeeding is not such an isolated case. Messages of support have been flooding in.... well a couple of people mentioned that they also indulge, and that's nice.

This year is the first year that I have had baby birds living in and around my garden, and it fills me with delight.

There's a family with three baby goldfinches. The juveniles looking similar to their parents, but lacking the vibrant red patch on their heads. They have a resplendent yellow "Z" down their wings though.

A family with three baby robins, and they are just starting to get their red breasts and to lose their spotty juvenile down. They've been such good company this summer. Apparently they are rarely seen in July and August, but I have had a garden full of them.

Bluetits nested in the holes in the cement between my house and next door. You wouldn't even know there was a hole there to be honest, and it took me a while to actually find where they were flying their beakfulls of worms into. Lots of chicks and still a good number in the garden.

Other feathered friends without families it would seem are:

Collared dove; Starling; Dunnock; Wren; Sparrow; Chaffinch; Greenfinch; Blackbird; Thrush;

In other news.....

Big Brother.... we're winding down, and tomorrow is the final. I'd be lying if I said I was excited, but I am looking forward to it. I think I have managed to keep my blog fairly Big-Brother-free during the mammoth thirteen week stint.

Beer: I've got a hankering for some real ale this weekend. I am going to give both The Star at Lockwood, and The Grove at Springwood a shot. From what I've read, they are two of Huddersfield's finest "ale" pubs, and I am getting a bit old for drinking wihtout being able to speak to my companions.

Antichrist: I have made the fatal error of reinstalling the antichrist of video gaming onto my computer. I had it before, but after it ruined my lust for gaming and lowered my self esteem to nothingness, it had to die. The Sims 2 rides again!! How many weeks will I spend maintaining my virtual real estate, while my real house and life fall into complete disrepair around my ears??

Yorkshire Pudding: You don't scare me, you big puddin'!

Random kindness: Still working on this one. Pol, it was also on R2 the other day when the lovely Davina was standing in for someone. Those blagards have robbed me blind and cast me assunder.

Blog updates: I know it doesn't look like I have been here much lately, and the posts have been thin on the ground, but believe me, I've been working my fingers to the bone for you. Here's a brief list of things that have changed:

Random Shopping has started again.

The navigation stuff on the right hand side of my page was looking really shabby, and there were so many sections with different little snippets in them, and I know nobody read any of them, so I have turned each section into a blog entry.... Feel free to click some fo the things under the "Blogbits" section on the right hand side to see what I mean.

Flickr: Not only did I upload a little section of photos for Connor (and tag them all, and geotag them all, and title, and description them), but I also uploaded a few new ones of my own. Feel free to head across to Flickr and look at mine and/or Connor's pics.

Bloglines: My cousin Sophia mentioned (sometime earlier this year) that there was a product out there called "bloglines" which manages all the blogs that you read. My list of blogs to read was becoming so long, that I have (more by necessity than curiosity) invested some effort into it, and I am loving it. If you have a long blog list to trawl through, then I suggest you set it up for yourself. Thanks Soph.... Also: I found the Guitar Hero disc that I couldn't find when you were here - didn't take me long huh?

Bowling cam: More new pictures on my dedicated bowling cam highlights page.

Pogo; Sims2; Battlefield 1942; Dungeon Keeper2 - Too much time to mention on the aforementioned.

Oh happy day.

I've had a great day. I am in such a good mood.

Counting backwards, the day started like so many others.

Got up at around eight(ish), coffee, and a cigarette (champions breakfast).

De-iced the car, and was knocking on the door of my mum's house by nine.

Spent an hour or so with mum and Fred. More coffee and cigs.

Went shopping (Yes Spice, you're so right.... I love the shopping - I could only ever envisage a Reggie Perrinesque Grot shop as my vocation though). Bought the stuff I needed for lunch.

Came home and prepared a wonderfully hearty leek and potato soup, with low fat creme fraiche, crispy fried shallots, chives, and lovely crusty rolls from the shop.

Fed the birds a bit, and marvelled at the assortment that currently reside in my sunny, but distinctly frost-bitten garden. Tried to clean the windows, but gave up.

My friend Emma came round for lunch, and we played monopoly, and ate lollies. I lost the game so badly it was untrue. If you ever play monopoly, then you will surely know what it's like when, no matter how hard you try, you can never get past "GO".

Mum and Fred called in for a bowl of my delicious soup, on their way back from an art demonstration, and their tangles with the reflexologist.

Then, whilst playing Age of Empires some more, I baked some gorgeous "low fat" chocolate brownies for the lovely Dawn, who has lost 3 pounds since starting her "new year" diet recently. Well done love.

While the brownies cooled, more Age of Empires, now it's time for a shower, and I am heading out.

Oh, and to end my ace day, it's snowing too.... fantastic!! Days like this don't come too often.

Gulo Gulo....

My new board game has arrived, and I have had, not one, but two opportunities to play it. I played last night with both my mum and my uncle - both have been known to immerse themselves in board games with me before - and I was pleasantly surprised at the fun level of this simple egg stealing game. So much fun was had that I managed to sneak another game during a late night soiree.

I thank an old and departed friend Banjo Bob, possibly the most mysterious mentor a child could ever have - allegedly he was an alien brought to this planet to study human behaviour - more often than not, to be found studying behaviour in the Prospect inn at Longwood (Banjo Bob even taught me to swim) for introducing the word soiree into my vocabulary at an early age - It's a lovely evocative word, and truth be known, I spent my childhood looking forward to the time when I might be able to partake in such activities.

Banjo Bob taught me to play cribbage too, and for such a great gift, I will be eternally thankful.

I never really got a chance to thank ole Banjo for his friendship when I was an "ankle biting rugrat" - So now I am doing it.

So, the Gulo Gulo, is good, and attains a FoXy fun rating of 8.5 out of 10 - Sometimes the simplest things really ARE the best. A good lesson in life.

In other news....

I bought a new monitor for my computer in my new bloodstained office space. It's lovely, and I take time out every evening to give it a little kiss. I know it's wrong to enjoy possessions to this extent, but who cares?? Have a looksee here.

I am sending my new television back to Amazon - The picture quality has been troubling me somewhat, and I thank the lord for distance selling policy that allows me to send the item back, purely on the basis that it does not meet my expectations. I just need to make a phone call to the courier to arrange pick-up. Oh, yes, of course I still have to box the bloody huge thing back up, and my back still hasn't recovered from unpacking it yet!!

Play some board games with your folks, share a bit of proper fun-time with them - When the cash register of life finally adds up the bill, I am sure you'll all be glad you shared the experience together.

This post is dedicated to my memories of Banjo Bob - A true player of games: Mud in your eye, blue!