Wallabee Crop Circles

This rather wonderful story on the BBC, recounts how Tasmanian Wallabies are eating opium poppies and creating crop circles as they hop around "as high as a kite".

The story is made all the more fabulous by the assortment of comments people have left.

My favourite is probably "I have seen a stoned wallaby but I don't know about them making crop circles. The one I saw was slurring his words and asking me for a dollar as he was trying to get the boat to see his brother in New Zealand - he looked in no mood to be formulating a series of complex agricultural design patterns. I could be wrong - they might have masterminded the twin tower attacks, who really knows?".

Marvellous.

Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi

Last week was Refugee Week and having been approached by the Red Cross, this week's Book Group is a little out of the ordinary.

Firstly we've selected a book from the list of novels by or about refugees (you leave the guys unattended for a second and they chose a graphic novel...) and secondly two representatives from the Red Cross join us for the evening.

I have to confess that graphic novels speak to me of geekdom, but I endeavour to keep an open mind.

I am utterly rewarded. It comes as a blessed relief that there are no superheroes; instead it's the charming and insightful autobiographical tale of the author as she grew up and eventually left Iran.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I may need to reframe my prejudices about graphic novels. Which is perhaps not quite the point of the evening from the Red Cross' point of view, but then I guess I was pretty refugee friendly anyway.

France

J recently turned 40. Not for her the big party or formal bash; instead seven of us headed to a small villa in Brittany for a week of sunshine and relaxation.

Wine, BBQs, swimming pool, beer, sightseeing, farmhouse, wine, langoustine, hypermarkets, fly infestations, sunshine, wine, fresh salad, baguettes, tarte citron, wine, girlie chats, aftersun squealing, local dogs, novels, games, siestas, sat navs, William the horse.......memories.