Raising money for Cancer Research UK

My friends Sharon & Aileen are taking part in Race for Life on 24 May to raise money for Cancer Research UK. If you're not sponsoring anyone else in the race, please consider sponsoring them. They hope to raise at least £250 between them so they need all the support they can get. It's really easy - you can donate online by credit or debit card at the following address:

http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/sharonconnachan

You can donate any amount of money, large or small. All donations are secure and sent electronically to Cancer Research UK. If you are a UK taxpayer, a 28% bonus will automatically be added to your donation at no cost to you.

Go Sharon! Go Aileen!

A jukebox just a click away

I read about this music site in Gigi's blog and thought I'd share it with you.

Whether you're after a trip down memory lane or just looking to listen to some good pop music, you'll enjoy visiting the site.

NB: Works best for the over 30's.

"Shaggy Blog Stories" for Red Nose Day

Mike at Troubled Diva has set himself the enormous task of selecting the funniest of British blog entries for inclusion in Shaggy Blog Stories, a book that will be printed and sold in support of Comic Relief.

I don't think there's anything in my own blog that qualifies, but if you're a British blogger, or know someone who could contribute a piece, please refer them to Troubled Diva.

The deadline is 6:00 pm UK time on Wednesday evening (March 14).

I'm a true Adama

Finally, a questionnaire that matters: you answer 40 questions to determine which Battlestar Galactica character you're most like. Apparently I'm 50% Admiral Adama and 50% Chief Tyrol. I was hoping to turn out to be more like Six, but I guess I screwed my chances when I answered "No Frakking Way" to Q9 - there are many copies. Oh well. It could have been worse, I could have turned out to be Starbuck, which would have been awful for two reasons: a) Starbuck has a destiny which doesn't involve living to be 90; and b) Jasmine may never speak to me again (which would be awful since she's my best friend).

You scored as Commander William Adama. You have risen to your position by being damn good at what you do. Not only that, you have the deepest respect for the people under your command. You may be a little grumpy and unapproachable, but every commander needs to distance himself. Shame that you apply that to your children too. CPO Galen Tyrol 50% Commander William Adama 50% Dr Gaius Baltar 44% President Laura Roslin 38% Tom Zarek 38% Capt. Lee Adama (Apollo) 38% Number 6 31% Col. Saul Tigh 25% Lt. Kara Thrace (Starbuck) 13% Lt. Sharon Valerii (Boomer) 13% What New Battlestar Galactica character are you? created with QuizFarm.com

Thank you, Sarah, for giving me the idea for this post!

Peter climbs Kilimanjaro

My friend Peter recently returned from Tanzania where he climbed Mt Kilimanjaro, the tallest free-standing mountain rise in the world. Kilimanjaro is in fact a giant volcano, but not currently active. Its highest point is Uhuru Peak on the volcano Kibo, which stands at 5,895 metres above sea level (that's 19,340 ft for the metrically challenged amongst you). As the highest point in Africa, Uhuru Peak is one of the Seven Summits.

Obviously I think Peter's mad, but he claims he had a brilliant time, despite the physical challenge - to get to the top you need to trek through the rainforest, then hike through lava-covered plateaus and finally climb the snow-covered slopes to the top. The higher up you go, the more difficult it gets, not just because of the snow, but also because of the lack of oxygen in the air. Still, it's not called the roof of Africa for nothing, and I can only imagine how invigorating it must have been to reach the top and stand next to that sign.

Peter is a keen photographer and took scores of pictures while he was there, all very unusual and impressive. Here are some of the ones I like best.

Lunal eclipse

Last night we had a lunar eclipse. My photos aren't anything special, but my friend Loops took this photo of the red moon with her super duper Canon camera.

Isn't it beautiful?

We've lost Sky!

We had it until 1 hour ago. Then the clock struck midnight and we lost it, just like Cinderella lost her shoe. Which means no new episodes of Battlestar Galactica, Lost, 24 or The Simpsons.

Bollox.