Christmas top 10 (part four)

I'm back home now, and I really must be in holiday mode as I'm already losing track of what day of the week it is. Christmas shopping is almost done, and whilst in town yesterday (or was it the day before?) we said goodbye to Tarni and Dave, who are heading back to Australia; we shall certainly miss our friends, but at least we now have a holiday location sorted out for some time in the future. Haven't had the opportunity to catch up with any other friends yet - yes, we do have some and we pay them well - but there is all that to look forward to in the next week or so.

And speaking of things to look forward to, here's the penultimate part of our Christmas top 10, where we have reached the number 4 spot:

4. Jethro Tull - Ring Out Solstice Bells (1976)
One of my favourites for many years - wouldn't be in this list otherwise - and it brings some good old English eccentricity to our countdown. A song that always makes me go 'ahh..' when it comes on.




3. Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas? (1984)
The track that spawned a charitable phenomenon, and a classic the moment it was recorded. Impossible to hear it without replaying the video in your head, and a testament to the durability of the pop stars of yesteryear when compared to their modern counterparts (although quite how Marilyn got into the recording session was as much a mystery back then as it is now). Tonight thank God it's them instead of you...

I (don't) come from a land down under

I don't know why, but ever since our move to Canada I regularly get mistaken for an Australian.

It happened again twice today; well, it was once really, because on the second occasion I was asked if I was from New Zealand, which if I actually had been Australian is probably worse than an Englishman being asked if he's really from Australia or a Canadian being confused with an American.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I really don't detect any similarity between my accent and those of our Antipodean cousins, and for a cricket-loving Englishman to be mistaken for an Australian is not exactly a complement (no offence Tarni and Dave, but who holds the Ashes at the moment?). Maybe the lack of exposure to shows like Neighbours and Home And Away means that your average Canadian can't quite distinguish the Australian the accent the way we Brits can, but one would have thought that the likes of Crocodiles Dundee and Hunter would have provided enough of a reference point.

If I ever end up moving to teach in a different Northern community I think I will put on my best Australian accent from the moment I get off the plane just to see what happens. Maybe then I'll be asked what part of England I'm from. Or not.

Pass the Vegemite.

The genie-us of the BBC

It's been a very wet summer in these parts thus far, and as I look out of my window it's raining once again. Hopefully some of our rain will eventually make it across the Atlantic to save England's cricket team, who are kicking off the Ashes series in traditional fashion by struggling alarmingly against the Australians. I've been invited over by my Aussie friends, Dave and Tarni, tonight, so that rain better get there quickly if I'm going to be able to enjoy a mockery-free evening.

Speaking of mockery, I read an interesting story on the BBC website today, but I wasn't originally going to comment on it for fear of appearing offensive or mocking. Apparently, a family in Saudi Arabia is trying to take a genie to court, accusing it of theft and harassment, amongst other things. Now, I was going to avoid remarking that, by the sounds of it, this family might have issues with different kinds of spirits in bottles, as this might be seen as being disrespectful to the Islamic religion. However, it would seem that the BBC have no such issues; this will probably only mean something to our British readership, but take a look at this screenshot of the BBC home page, and focus your eyes on the 'Weird and Wonderful' section in the bottom right:

(click on image to enlarge)

Sheer 'genie-us', eh? (see what I did there?). Oh, and have a read of the 'fact of the day' piece too; I knew Tim Hortons was good for you!