Toast

Shirley Conran is a hit for me, thanks to Jasper's newsflash a couple of hours before the deadline!

I tried one of Mick Herron's Oxford series but gave up about a third of the way in. It was a very different style, way too slow and I didn't like the main character. To be fair, it was his first novel so the others might be better, but it was nothing like the Slough House ones. I've got a collection of his short stories from the library so will try those next.

I'm not sure about this Gollum one, but there are quite a few separate stories that could be done, eg Beren and Luthien

I need to give this another go, as I've read all the books now and they're a very good read. Some nice atmospheric descriptive passages, but otherwise easy narratives with plenty of humour. I've had a 3 month Apple free trial, but looks like I can get another via Vodafone, but it will only be 2 months. I've started watching Shardlake on Disney (only 4 episodes) but it hasn't really pulled me in. Partly because the title character is nothing like my mental image from the books, he looks too young. I know Shardlake is only meant to be in his 30s at the start of the books, but people aged earlier in Tudor times. The other thing that riled me is a bit of woke casting. The Abbot is black. Come on! While there might well have been some black Africans around in 1537, they wouldn't have been in such exalted positions. This is particularly irksome because one of the other characters, who recurs through the series, is a Spanish Moor turned Christian monk and apothecary. He meets quite a bit of racial prejudice. The inappropriate casting of the Abbot undermines this.

And me please. "Hi Steve, are they letting dogs in?"

Two orphaned puppies who were recently rescued. They are with Terrance who is the official "puppy uncle". He's very patient. This was Terrance two years ago when he was brought in.

Thank you all! Some good news: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/kabul-small-animal-rescue/ksar-all-paws-airlift-2024

Thu 9 May 32 Creedence Clearwater Revival - Up Around The Bend 31 Bobby Bloom - Montego Bay +4 28 Lynn Anderson - Rose Garden 28 Edwin Starr — War 27 Three Dog Night - Mama Told Me (Not To Come) 26 Don Fardon - Indian Reservation -5 26 Andy Williams — Can’t Help Falling In Love 26 Neil Diamond - Cracklin’ Rosie 26 Ashton, Gardner and Dyke - Resurrection Shuffle  22 The Supremes - Stoned Love  22 The Four Tops - A Simple Game 00 Bobbie Gentry & Glen Campbell - All I Have To Do Is Dream -1

Thu 9 May 56 Lady Gaga & Beyoncé — Telephone 46 Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris — We Found Love 45 Adele — Someone Like You 31 Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg — California Gurls 26 Tinie Tempah — Pass Out 26 Cee Lo Green — Forget You 24 B.O.B ft. Hayley Williams — Airplanes 24 Iyaz — Replay 24 Scouting For Girls — This Ain't A Love Song 24 Bruno Mars — Grenade 24 Jessie J ft. B.O.B — Price Tag 24 Professor Green ft. Emeli Sande — Read All About It 24 Owl City — Fireflies 24 B.O.B ft. Bruno Mars — Nothin' On You 23 Yolanda Be Cool Vs D Cup — We No Speak Americano 23 Olly Murs ft. Rizzle Kicks — Heart Skips A Beat 23 Kesha — We R Who We R 22 One Direction — What Makes You Beautiful 22 David Guetta ft. Chris Willis — Gettin' Over You 22 Taio Cruz — Dynamite 22 The Black Eyed Peas — The Time (Dirty Bit) 22 Bruno Mars — Just The Way You Are 22 Tinie Tempah — Written In The Stars 21 Rihanna — Only Girl (In The World) 21 Roll Deep — Green Light 21 Example — Changed The Way You Kiss Me 21 DJ Fresh ft. Sian Evans — Louder 21 The Wanted — Glad You Came 21 Flo Rida ft. David Guetta — Club Can't Handle Me 21 Olly Murs — Dance With Me Tonight 20 LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock — Party Rock Anthem +4 20 Usher ft. Will.I.Am — OMG 20 Diana Vickers — Once 20 Roll Deep — Good Times 20 Little Mix — Cannonball 20 The Wanted — All Time Low 20 Alexandra Burke ft. Laza Morgan — Start Without You 20 Rihanna ft. Drake — What's My Name 20 Nicole Scherzinger — Don't Hold Your Breath 20 Pitbull ft. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer — Give Me Everything 20 Jason Derulo — Don't Wanna Go Home 20 Nero — Promises 20 Wretch 32 ft. Josh Kumra — Don't Go 20 Example — Stay Awake 20 Pixie Lott — All About Tonight 16 Dizzee Rascal — Dirtee Disco 15 Olly Murs — Please Don't Let Me Go 15 Jason Derulo — In My Head 15 JLS ft. Dev — She Makes Me Wanna 14 Bruno Mars — The Lazy Song 11 Ne-Yo — Beautiful Monster 08 Cheryl Cole — Promise This 00 Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull - On The Floor -6

Thank you, Spade, you're gold.

Forgive me for asking for help for a charity I support. Kabul Small Animal Rescue is an animal shelter and veterinary clinic in Kabul. It's run by a heroic American woman called Charlotte Maxwell-Jones. The account in Our Story very much downplays the hell that Charlotte went through during and after the NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan. They are desperately overcrowded - as you can imagine, it's impossible to rehome many of their cats and dogs locally - and they have organised an airlift to the USA at the beginning of June to send 200 dogs and 100 cats to new homes or shelters in the USA. They are still a long way short of raising the funds for this. All Paws Airlift Please, if you can spare anything, even if it's only the price of a cup of coffee - it all adds up. Donate here And share to anywhere and anyone you know that might prompt a few donations. Charlotte is very active on social media and regularly posts updates on animals and new arrivals.

One of the beef options had a Nectar discount, otherwise no. Spread? well, you could buy a jar of spread or a pack of butter but it's going to do for several meals. You wouldn't need any if you made a toasted cheese sandwich.

Final series of Inside No. 9 starts tonight. It's series 9, of course.

Sainsburys. Sliced deli beef, £2 - £3 Sandwich loaf, £1.40 400g mature cheddar cheese, £3 (other cheeses are available) And you'll get more than one meal out of that lot.