Dr Who - K9 Returns

They may have been apart for 24 years but the robot dog K9 will be reunited with the Doctor today on BBC1. I remember as a kid seeing K9 on TV and thinking how great he looked and sounded. I also remember how sad I felt when he was axed in 1981. Tonight even the original voice of K9 will be heard and the original companion, Sarah Jane Smith will be featured. I hope we see more of my favourite Dr Who character in the future...................................

Welcome home K9!

Colour Blind Test

Bored Website

Guess The Celebrity Body!

Since it's been a very busy time for me this week, I've fallen behind on my "net life" and all things Blog wise. So to tie you guys over til the weekend, I need to see if you can guess who's torso this is from the picture above.

Feel free to guess the celebrity and post a comment. (No prizes as I'm far too tight!)

Busy Bee!

Hello Folks!

Sorry it's a bit dull on here this week - it's been hectic as I've got a new house mate who moved in on Sunday/Monday and I've been working nights, as well as days. On top of that I'm out every evening this week catching up with my friends.

Last week was just the opposite kind of week, but that's just how it goes!

I might get to sleep at some point..............................

St George's Day!

Today (23rdApril) is St George's Day here in England and there is a growing sense of passion in our country to see the day celebrated. For too long we have sat back and done nothing to celebrate the patron Saint of England but we are finally waking up and becoming proud of all the good things England has to offer. This is different from being racist, which has often been thought of when we have an England or Union Jack flag.
Celebrating all that is English includes freedom of choice and freedom of religion, it includes the diversity we enjoy as a culture and the way of life we are privileged to have in this country.
Then of course we have our national icons such as Big Ben, English tea, Red phone boxes and red post boxes, the British mini, the Royal Family, the English countryside, scones, Yorkshire puddings, Shakespeare and so the list goes on and on............













Visit :
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~stgeorgesnewport/george.html for a brief history on Saint George.

Madonna Tour 2006

Yay! I'm going to see Madonna @ Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on Sunday 30th July 2006.

It's the first time I've seen Madonna in the 20 years I've been collecting her music.

Look No More!

It's a funny old world............... Have you ever walked down the street and looked at someone?
You know what I mean, where your checking someone out and you glance - then glance again.
They see you, you see them, but then you look again. How many times do you keep glancing back?

Well, I was walking down the street with a mate after finishing my post round and had a look across the road, they looked back and so this went on for a while. I was wondering if I knew them but quickly stopped looking when they stopped walking and called over. I was too scared to reply so we carried on walking, just in case it went wrong!!

I think you'd have to be there to have found the funny side..................................

The Queen at 80

"I have been very touched by what you have written and would like to express my gratitude" - The Queen.

Her Majesty the Queen turned 80 today, and it was nice to see crowds outside Windsor Castle as she did a 45 minute walkabout Palace said the Queen had received 20,000 cards and 17,000 e-mails - sent via her 80th-birthday website.

What ever your views on the Royal family are, I think moments like these make it special. Even though she's 80 years old, the Queen will continue serving the nation until her death. Just as she promised to do 53 years ago when she became monarch.

It was touching to see a warm message from Baroness Thatcher who said:

"She is truly an inspiration and an example to the whole nation. Long may she rule. Happy Birthday Ma'am"

Life at Royal Mail

For those of you who are new to the Blog, I'm a postman based in Coventry, England. I had been doing the job for 8 1/2 years before leaving but I soon realized that I had made a mistake. Being a postie is my vocation in life, it's what makes me happy. I love the flexibility in my sleep pattern and having the afternoons if I need them.

So I've been back there for almost one year and still loving it. Yes, I could be earning more money easily doing a management job but the truth is - I'm happy earning enough to get by on with little pressure.

Over the next few years thousands of jobs will be going, as Royal Mail opens up to competition. Let's just hope I can survive the cuts and carry on delivering for many years to come.............................

Fate or Destiny

Following on from yesterday's news about the Ryton car plant closing down, with the loss of 2,300 jobs. I was thinking back to March last year and a blog post I had made:

http://robmacca.blogspot.com/2005/03/job-search.html

I'd actually applied and passed the test to work at this very factory but after my successful interview, I'd forgotten to give any contact telephone numbers so they couldn't actually tell me when to start. Was that fate or destiny, because by the end of that week they announced 400 jobs were to go. Now 13 months later the whole factory is to lose their jobs, and I would have been one of those people out of work.

Thankfully things worked out for me as I got back in at Royal Mail, after 6 months away.

Sometimes we don't understand why things happen but the picture eventually becomes clearer and we can look back and be grateful for the way things turned out...................

Peugeot to close Coventry plant

It's been announced today that Peugeot will close it's massive Ryton plant on the outskirts of Coventry in a years time. The news has not come as a shock, because PSA had refused to earmark any more investment. Last year we saw the demise of MG Rover in nearby Birmingham and the closure of the Browns Lane Jaguar plant in Coventry.

The massive motor industry in Coventry has just been dealt another nail in it's coffin and is another example of the effects of globalization. At one time it was British companies that made cars at this plant in Ryton and then PSA bought out Talbot in the late 1970's and even after millions of pounds of Government handouts to keep production in Britain - it is the end of an era for the 1939 car plant. Production is moving to Eastern Europe, where it is cheaper to produce models.

Over the past year or two Peugeot has cut shift numbers down in a general wind-down in Coventry, so the loss of 2,300 jobs doesn't seem as bad yet it's 1% of Coventry's population who will have to find a new career. This will have a devastating effects on the local economy.

The Humber and Hillman were models that had been previously produced at this factory and it's another example of Britain becoming weak in Europe. This would not have happened in France!

A bad day for the people living here........................

Prince William - Real or fake?

I just "stumbled" across this picture as I was surfing the net.
It looks like Prince William but is it really him, you can never tell on the net these days!
What do YOU think?

Danish Easter

Hello folks, it's been a busy few days, lots of alcohol and lots of food. On Easter Sunday I spent time with my good friends Torben and Simon, who had some Danish friends staying over the holidays. So we had a proper Danish Easter - I had food I'd never tried before.
I love experimenting with new things, and this Easter has been a good example of that.
Back to work tomorrow, so back to a more normal routine. I need to get posting to get fitter again and cut out the alcohol................

Talk To God.................

Bored Website I've replaced the Spanking Monkey cos the noise was getting on my nerves everytime I opened up the Blog. If you still want to spank it, just click the "Hot Topics" on the right and you'll find it ! Meanwhile, try this quieter more spiritual bit of fun. Have a chat with God and you'll be amazed just how much he knows!

Latest "robmacca" pic

For those that haven't seen me for a while - here is the latest pic of myself (might as well post it since this blog is about me!).
Hair has been cut slightly shorter but much along the same style as before, since I prefer it longer these days.

Hum de dum............... I'm bored now!

Teachers

This blog entry is dedicated to teachers all over the world! To Pete in Australia, Susan in Canada and Ben and James in the UK....................

I was delivering on a post round and delivered to my old tutor and biology teacher from my secondary school. This got my mind thinking, and I started to feel really grateful for the hard work and dedication such teachers show over the years.

As an infant/junior pupil I was a nightmare because I had behaviour problems, which meant I rebelled against authority. Yet it was the loving care of my teachers from my secondary school that helped me grow up and respect authority. I have a lot of tales I could tell about the little extra things my teachers did for me as a poor pupil and at the time I was unable to repay such kindness.

Today I was able to show how grateful I am, in a small way by writing a card and buying a bunch of flowers for my old teacher. She may have gone grey but I'm sure she would have lost none of the zest she had when I was a pupil.

As I've got older I now realize that teachers often do a thankless job, which is harder now than ever before. Yet they provide a vital part of shaping the nation they teach in. I can confidently say my life has been made better because teachers gave me inspiration to reach my potential. If it were not for their care and love my life could have taken a dire course.

So if your a teacher reading this - be encouraged to know your hard work doesn't go unnoticed, even if at most times it goes unrewarded. You are helping to shape lives for the future and that is so precious.

A real fire and a random picture

I went to my friend's (Martin and Paul's) on Monday night to see their new cottage and was treated to a real open fire in this really old property. As you can see in the picture above, it looks the bee's knees and made Monday night very warm indeed............


Above is a picture on one of my walls at home, I've always loved this picture by Tony McGee and think it's so romantic. That almost kissed look gives it a slight erotic feel to it as the guy lies on the sand with goose pimples!
Random I know but expect even more in the coming days.................

Meet my cat!

My name is "Dillon"

What Goes Around Comes Around!

The car in the picture is the car that hit mine while pulling off recently, but they didn't report it or leave a note - even though a neighbour saw them do it. They just looked and drove off!
I decided not to take any action as it had just scratched my car not dented it.








Now, if you take a close look at the rear wheel arch, you will see a massive dent in the car.

Ha! What goes around comes around.

(Sorry just had to share that cos it made me chuckle.)

France - Youth Job Law Scrapped

I've never been to France, and being British - the relationship between the two countries has never been good. But I am proud of the French young people for standing up against the proposed Youth Job Law (First Job Contract). The law would have meant that French youths (18-26 yrs old) could have been sacked from their job and would mean they could do nothing about it.

Instead of sitting back and allowing it to become law, the young people of France rose up and stood together as one shouting "Noi!" Weeks of strikes and protests has caused the President to back down and announce that the proposed law was now dead.

I've been following the story as closely as I can over the weeks and I'm full of pride for the victory the young people of France have won. They spoke out and made a difference, which is what democracy is all about. I like the French way of doing things - the unions have a lot more power over there and have defended the rights of the lower paid for many years.

Over here in Britain we have lower unemployment and a more flexible workforce, according to the Government - but at what cost?
It is at the cost of the lower paid, who's working conditions and pay is under constant attack. Had the British Government introduced such a law here, the British youth population would have just moaned but accepted it.

Well done to the French youth!

Geri Halliwell

Over the recent weeks we've seen fresh pictures of Melanie B, with her red hair and Melanie C with her European success. Now it's the turn of Geri Halliwell, she may have been written off by the British media following her last album but her true fans still love her no matter what.
The now pregnant Geri still looks stunningly beautiful as this "Hello" magazine picture shows. Not only is she looking better with her fuller figure, she looks so radiant with her pregnancy.
We don't know what the next career path holds for Ms Halliwell but, for now, we salute you Geri - you still look wonderful!

I'm No Cook!

Those that know me well - know I'm a product of modern society, when it comes to cooking. OK, truth be known................ I'm just plain lazy and want my meals ready to eat in less than 30 minutes.

But last night I was faced with the challenge of cooking for my friends Andy and Kelly, who wanted something a bit more than just pasta and processed chicken.

I was making a chicken korma with rice, nann bread and poppadom's. I managed to over cook the rice and so it went stodgy, while tending to that, I burnt 2 of the nann breads. On top of that I didn't buy any chutney to go with the poppadom's.
Thankfully the korma was really tasty with added mini tomatoes, cucumber and chopped carrots so it was worth experimenting.

Next time I'll know better, now where is my processed food?!

Ronaldo

These and more can be found on a website called "Famousmales".

Just posting them on my Blog for a dear friend who has requested them.

Night out with strangers

-Almu and Benno from the Hospitality Club.

As well as going out with friends, it's always a pleasure to host visitors to my city. That's where the Hospitality Club (See link on the right) comes in so handy.

I got to host Almu from Spain and her boyfriend Benno from Germany (both are studying at Southampton) as they started their tour of the UK.

For me, it was a pleasure to have them stay at my house and take them out into Coventry for a meal and show them a good time pubbing/clubbing. Even though we'd never met before, by the next day it was as though we'd known each other for ages.

It goes to show we can use the internet for good and being an ambassador for my city helps me feel proud of my city and gives me great joy in being able to give something back to others.

The bible has this very interesting verse:

Hebrews 13:2 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it."

Night out with friends

1. Kev and Kully get closer
2. Could it be love?
3. Paul and Nana become friends
4. The crew








I went out with some of my friends the other week -
Paul: who I've worked with for the past 10 years at Royal Mail.
Nana: Kev's girlfriend, who I've known for over 10 years.
Kev: worked together in the early 90's and stayed friends even though he lives in London.
Kully: worked along side Kev and I, still meet up once in a while for a great night out!

Time may pass but true friendships stand the test of time, as a recent night out with some of my best friends has shown. It was the first time Paul had met the other three but that didn't matter as all got on so well.
It was good to see my other close friends Andy and Kelly, who joined us later that evening.

For me, my friends mean so much because my parents are not around - I know I can rely on my friends in times of need. So a big shout out to those listed above and the many who are not mentioned but I really value.

Coventry City Football Club

Carrying on the theme of being proud to be from Coventry, I'm also proud of our football club. They were the 3rd longest club in the Premiership but sadly got relegated several years ago. It's easy to give up and die, but CCFC carried on their dreams and have opened the new Ricoh Arena. It's won the hearts and minds of the fans and it seems the club are going from strenght to strenght as they have just signed a new 5 year deal with Puma.

On top of that Michael Doyle is staying, even though he could have gone on a free transfer - now that shows faith in CCFC. Lets hope we finish in the top half of the table.

*From www.bbc.co.uk :
Coventry City midfielder Michael Doyle has signed a new two-year contract, with an option for a further year.
The 24-year-old could have left the Sky Blues on a Bosman free transfer this summer, and his decision to stay has delighted manager Micky Adams.
"It was no secret that I wanted to keep Michael at the club as he is an integral part of my plans," he said.
"There isn't a player in the league who can match him in terms of work-rate and at only 24, he has years ahead of him."
Doyle said: "It wasn't a hard decision to sign. We've shown this season we can compete with anyone at this level."

Deal or No Deal Game

http://www.qatopia.co.uk/BeatTheBroker/BeatTheBroker.aspx?Name=ROBMACCA

It's 00:34 and I'm still up, OK so I got up at just before 20:00 and have been busy clearing out my old "Spice" room (it's all gone folks!). I've been distracted by the online version of "Deal or no Deal". If your a UK viewer of this nightly show (3.7m of you will know what I mean!) - then the game link above will have you hooked as well.

We Need A War!

We need a war in Britain for these reasons:

1. Reduce Unemployment - after the war there would be a jobs boom as we rebuild the country.
2. Higher Wages - the skills shortage will push up wages.
3. Reduce Illegal Immigration - let's face it, who's going to come here with a war going on?!
4. Exciting New Buildings - with the old one's gone, it can only get better!
5. Community Relations - will improve as we all get closer in our time of crisis.
6. National Pride - the nation will be proud again.
7. Solve Housing Shortage - with thousands dead, houses will become available. Might even bring the prices down...........
8. Reduce Pension Crisis - again, with thousands dying, it will reduce the pensions problem.
9. Baby Boom - suddenly the nation will get horny and lots of babies will be born.
10. Winner - finally Britain could win something for a change.

OK, I know this all sounds stupid - but I'd been thinking about some of the problems it would "solve" to go to war. This war would have to be fought either in Britain to add to the impact.

Girls Aloud at "Alien Autopsy" Premier.

How stunning do Kimberley Walsh and Cheryl Tweedy from Girls Aloud looked totally awesome as they arrived at London’s Leicester Square Odeon last night for the premier of "Alien Autopsy" starring Ant and Dec.

Great outfits and looking totally sexy, but then I'm a fan so I would say that but the picture above say's it all for me...............

I've won a competition!

Hello viewers,
Sorry for the lack of activity on here this week. I put it down to three nights in a row of late night social activity that required lots of alcohol. A process that will be repeated one last time tonight, just to make sure my bladder is being fully working and up to the challenge!
Even my "31 Things About robmacca" managed to fail its 31 day completion, but all is not lost - I've won a competition as the opening title kind of makes obvious!

It's not everyday I enter competitions, but it's about the first time I've actually won something.
You can see the caption above, yet better still - check out the website as it's full of funny cartoons and stories. They are drawn by the blogger himself (Bill) and I fully recommend popping over to the website now, plus while your there why not enter the competition to win a tee shirt!

http://wwwstik.blogspot.com/