www.theblisspages.com - archived news
www.theblisspages.com - archived news22 October I have known Roger Dean's art since the early seventies. I have about a dozen Yes albums, and most of them have Roger Dean covers. When I saw in the local paper that there was to be a talk and slideshow by Roger, I looked it up on the web read more...
14 September A few months ago, I started NIA dance, and wanted to share my experiences read more...
13 June I enjoyed the Brighton Naked Bike Ride 2010 on 13 June read more...
08 May I've just replaced my car, so I thought about the different cars I've owned over the years... read more...
08 May Baron von Thunderclap stood for the Moster Raving Loonies in mid-Sussex in 2010. He received 259 votes read more...
21 April celebrating my new car... read more...
28 March One hour less sleep on Sunday morning, if you're in UK! Don't forget to adjust your clocks as we go from GMT forward to BST. read more...
18 March not with a bang, but a whimper - thus starts The Hollow Men, but I didn't feel hollow as I left my one-and-only job... read more...
17 March I wrote this during a poets cornered workshop, inspired by St Patrick's Day read more...
08 March It's National Procrastination Week read more...
24 February I'd like to extend best wishes and love to absent friends, lovers, and everyone whose birthday is today!
19 February I enjoyed my recent party celebrating 40 years in my current job read more...
29 January My organisation, along with many others, is shedding many staff in 2010 - and I'm one of them! read more...
06 December I was hit by a car whilst cycling home on Friday read more...
29 November Sometimes something small can be the last straw, the final nail, or the detonator - my SKY+ box failed, leaving me with no TV, and potentially losing 40 hours of recorded programs. footnote: it's back, and I'm feeling better read more...
24 November On Friday 20th November, I went to the 'Miming Silence' book launch at the Red-Roaster in Brighton read more...
28 October a poet at the recent open mic at the Sanctuary Cafe wrote a poem about the white bikes that appear where cyclists have been killed on the roads, and it inspired this Halloween poem read more...
25 October I went to Maria Jastrzebska and Janet Sutherland's launch of new collections of poetry on Thursday October 15th 2009 read more...
25 October One hour extra sleep on Sunday morning, if you're in UK! Don't forget to adjust your clocks tonight as we go from BST back to GMT read more...
06 October I went to the Ardingly Autumn Show and Game Fair on the 3rd and 4th October 2009, and highly recommend it read more...
28 September I enjoyed the Burgess Hill Parade and Firework display on 26th September 2009 read more...
23 September my decree absolute has arrived! I am now a free man... read more...
23 September I enjoyed the margate international kite festival in September 2009 read more...
15 September I attended a workshop on relationships, love and sex on Saturday 12 September read more...
25 August I was given a business card and now I can't find it... read more...
15 August I found this video really inspiring, and love the music too. Enjoy! read more...
13 August I save and savour words I find interesting, and try to promulgate and proselytise their use whenever appropriate, though I hope I'm not a lexiphane! read more...
13 August I often watch participants of the One and Other artwork on the fourth plinth read more...
05 August my decree nisi has finally arrived, and I wonder whether my recent interest in kites is entirely co-incidental read more...
23 July I'm hoping to be made redundant and to retire early within the next year, so I went to The Retirement Show on Saturday 18 July at Olympia read more...
16 July I returned to the brighton kite festival in 2009 and bought some more kites read more...
24 June It was my birthday today! read more...
15 June The London Brighton World Naked Bike Ride 2009 was on Saturday 13 June, with Brighton one day later, and I was at both, and a skinny-dip party in July read more...
27 May On Sunday 24 May, I walked from the Jack and Jill windmill to see the Chatri and the Sky Mirror by Anish Kapoor read more...
20 May In May, I went to two June Tabor concerts on successive days as part of Brighton Festival 2009 read more...
13 May This year, I'm planning to attend the London World Naked Bike Ride on 13 June, as well as the Brighton ride on the 14th. read more...
06 May poets cornered held a poetry reading by the West Pier, Brighton on Saturday 9 May 2009 from 11:30-13:00 read more...
05 May a busy and slightly strange bank holiday weekend read more...
28 April I went to Hove for a talk on Karma. What a great evening! read more...
23 April
St George's Day isn't much celebrated in England. See the quintessential Englishman. How did you celebrate it? read more...
01 April All the papers have spoofs today, but it is increasingly hard to distinguish fact from fiction read more...
01 April We've been advised to dress down during G20 demonstrations read more...
01 April French pole-vaulter Romain Mesnil took naked to the streets of Paris read more...
31 March I recently attended a team-building event in Oxford read more...
27 March At 20.30 (GMT) on Saturday, 28 March, businesses and iconic buildings around the world switched off their lights for an hour to show that they care about people, wildlife and the planet read more...
20 March The new Disney film 'princess and the frog' has a black heroine but an olive-complexioned hero read more...
20 March Google has released street view in 22 cities in UK (not yet in Brighton and Hove, but mapping has started there) read more...
17 March I had an all-day meeting in Manchester on 17 March 2009 read more...
15 March Congratulations to all the naked cyclists that participated in the Southern Hemisphere naked bike rides. In the spirit of solidarity and in preparation for the London and Brighton 2009 rides on the 14th and 15th June, we met on Brighton beach read more...
01 January 2008 was not a good year for me, particularly with the breakup of my most significant relationship to date, and I really hope 2009 is better read more...
22 December turning over a New Leaf. I'm reluctantly leaving the Hove book reading group read more...
03 December My web hosting server was upgraded on 03 December 2008, so www.theblisspages.com was offline for a few hours read more...
20 November In September, I read a great book, Addition by Toni Jordan about a girl obsessed by counting. I am of course, not obsessed by numbers, but read more...
12 November I went to Bom-Banes to experience Rosi's tinted spectacles on 11 November 2008 with a staccato headache read more...
12 November in cahoots were appearing at the Portland Rock Bar, Hove, on Friday 7 November 2008 read more...
12 November I went to see Michelle Shocked at The Komedia, Brighton on Sunday 9 November 2008 read more...
03 November I try to mark all holidays – see Diwali – and All Hallows Eve is no exception. read more...
03 November I haven't been to Brands Hatch for a few years, but my children saw an advert for Truck Racing, and I didn't take much persuading. I bought tickets online and prayed for good weather read more...
02 November Speechless brings together new poetry by five writers from across South-East Asia and four UK-based poets on the theme of freedom of expression. I saw them at the Southbank Centre's Poetry International Festival on Thursday 30 October read more...
29 October I was recently asked to write 500 words on the American elections read more...
29 October I've been campaigning against global warming and about the environment for thirty years or more, and I recently volunteered to be the 'green champion' in the IT department where I work read more...
28 October I haven't been to poetry at the Sanctuary for a couple of years, so thought it time to show my face again read more...
16 October see the latest news on my tropical fish tank read more...
13 October It was National Poetry Day on 9 October, and I attended a couple of events read more...
13 October I decided to pop to Devil's Dyke to fly my Jazz Prism kite, and soon discovered it was One Sky One World Day, held on the second Sunday every October read more...
05 October I was on leave this week, looking after my children whilst my ex-wife was abroad read more...
30 September I noticed that October is breast cancer awareness month, so thought I would celebrate breast awareness month read more...
23 September nobody knows what will happen when the Large Hadron Collider operates at full power for the first time. At a well-attended poets cornered workshop on Tuesday 09 September 2008, we read some articles and wrote our thoughts read more...
10 September I just discovered bookcrossing.com, a cool way of recycling books read more...
08 September I was very tempted to stay at home tonight and watch a film, but I was so glad I made the effort to get out to the Portland Rock Bar in Hove for In Cahoots and three other bands read more...
02 September I had a daydream a few months ago, and it's been going round my head ever since. I thought I'd exorcise it by writing it down. It's my first short story, so I'd appreciate any feedback. It's a cautionary tale about indecision. read more...
01 September Canon IXUS 90 IS replaces my IXUS V3 read more...
01 September I have been on leave since the August Bank Holiday with my children read more...
01 September On Saturday 30 August 2008, I took my son, mother and uncle to Shoreham air show read more...
21 August I made a last-minute appointment to see the doctor this afternoon as I have had some chest pain for the last few days, and thought I'd better check it out read more...
12 August I've been watching the Beijing Olympics, and had a sudden flash-forward to the London games read more...
25 July I wrote this immediately after Chris and I broke up and I was feeling hurt - nine months on, it seems even less amusing, but I remain optimistic read more...
23 July Poetry at St Barnabas Church was the second poetry event of the Hove festival 2008, on Tuesday 22 July, and I had to compère it at the last minute (now with some videos) read more...
18 July I last went to the Kite Festival in Stanmer Park, Falmer about ten years ago, and thought another visit was overdue, so headed there on Sunday 13 July 2008 with my mother and children read more...
17 July as part of the 2008 Hove Festival, the Poets Cornered group held an open poetry event on 15 July at the Eclipse pub, 33 Montgomery Road, called "Making a World of Difference" read more...
14 July the sixth Pasteboard and Plastic board gaming event, in July 2008 in Saltdean, was a great day read more...
01 July
from 1 July 2007, smoking in enclosed public places in England was banned. Yeah but, no butt, yeah but... read more...
09 June This week I've only been getting three hours sleep a night, so I've been plagued with headaches. On Friday, I thought "Enough is enough" and went to my doctor, who prescribed 7.5mg Zimovane (sleeping Tablets) read more...
09 June The Brighton World Naked Bike Ride 2008 was on Saturday 07 June 2008. See my illustrated report on the day read more...
14 April My nephew in law, Andy Rye, took part in the Flora London Marathon 2008 on 13/04/2008 to raise money for BLISS read more...
01 April Stop Press! Do you want to see a naked picture of Margaret Thatcher? Then mosey along to I want to see Thatcher naked immediately - this link might disappear at short notice... read more...
13 March We had a great - if rushed - trip to the Essen games fair in 2005 read more...
12 March you may have seen the unobtrusive adverts at the bottom of each page read more...
23 January There has recently been a lot of publicity about a picture taken in Gusev Crater in 2004 by Nasa's Mars Explorer Spirit. The Gusev Crater is believed to be the bed of an ancient lake. I have a different take on the picture... read more...
02 November Paul Tibbets died on 1 November 2007. He was the commander of the B-29 Enola Gay, which dropped a five ton nuclear bomb, Little Boy, on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 read more...
01 November now Halloween has been and gone read more...
31 October a Halloween poem... read more...
13 September I haven't been away for a holiday this summer, and was sorely in need of a break. read more...
02 August We read Northern Lights in May 2007 at the New Leaf book group, and the play is on in August at the Little Theatre, Brighton read more...
23 July The last Harry Potter book is here and I've finished it - but my lips are sealed read more...
02 July The World Naked Bike Ride 2007 was on 9 June: I had a great time and am trying to raise more money to support Diabetes UK. See my report and pictures read more...
29 June Chris took me to a New Zealand wine tasting and meal as part of my birthday celebrations read more...
24 June I went to the goodwood festival of speed. I've been meaning to go for years, but couldn't resist the offer of free tickets, and it marked the beginning of my birthday celebrations read more...
16 June dumb blond? Yes, it's that time of year again read more...
15 June I freely admit that I don't watch big brother, but are double standards operating? read more...
16 May new moon rising was a Brighton Fringe Festival event. Poets Cornered is a local poetry group who write and share our poetry in a friendly and supportive atmosphere, and many of you came to hear our poetry and some songs read more...
01 May I joined a Civil Service strike on 31 January 2007, and another one on 1 May, to protest about outsourcing, compulsory relocations and redundancies read more...
24 April
St George's Day isn't much celebrated in England. How did you celebrate it? See the quintessential Englishman read more...
16 April This poem was inspired by the beach huts in Hove, with the news that the Gehry-designed replacement for the King Alfred Centre has been approved read more...
02 April I have just attended a ten-week course on songwriting at the Evolution Centre, Hove read more...
07 February Researchers have recently announced that playing computer games for a few hours a day can improve your vision by up to twenty percent read more...
17 January With eight million players of World of Warcraft, the Burning Crusade expansion was eagerly awaited read more...
03 January I look back on Christmas 2006 from the distance of the New Year, and am filled with hope read more...
02 January my core computer is a 'cor' computer. I am pleased with my newly-built Core Duo 2 computer read more...
02 January I was appalled by the execution of Saddam Hussein in December read more...
06 December another Christmas poem... read more...
16 October The Mind Body Soul Exhibition 2006 was on at Brighton racecourse on 7-8 October and I was there read more...
15 October I helped the IIYS (Institute of Iyengar Yoga in Sussex) in their first appearance at the Mind Body Soul Exhibition in October 2006 read more...
03 October I looked out of the train window on this clear and crisp morning and was inspired read more...
03 October When I read this headline in the papers, I thought at first that they were talking about Tony Blair... read more...
27 September On 27 September 2006, I ran a Poets Cornered workshop and the theme I chose was Elements read more...
10 August It is National Chip week, so I thought you might enjoy this! read more...
26 July The streets of Poets Corner are named after famous poets and wordsmiths, and this event gave people a chance to listen to some of their works, and to a modern response by local poetry group, Poets Cornered read more...
02 July Yes, it was theblissbirthday again on the 24th June. See what I got up to read more...
19 June In June 2006, I shaved off my beard for charity - Diabetes UK read more...
15 June The World Naked Bike Ride was on 10 June 2006: I had a great time on the Brighton ride read more...
01 June The Playwright in Residence Scheme 2005: Twenty hours of coursework over eight workshops during February and March culminated in a rehearsed reading written and performed by (most of) the participants, and a follow-up meeting in May read more...
29 May Another year - another Brighton Festival. The Festival was from 6-28 May, and I went to - and reviewed - a number of events read more...
07 May On Friday I saw a forty feet tall elephant and a spaceship - and no, I hadn't been drinking read more...
04 May There is a rare conjunction in the early hours of the morning on my mother's birthday on the fourth of May 2006 read more...
23 April some reviews of, and poems from, Murray Lachlan Young - as linked to by the BBC read more...
29 March Today was a solar eclipse, but finances did not permit a trip to Turkey to see totality. Instead I took some pictures from my front door, and at 19:30 went to the Eclipse pub in Hove for an eclipse workshop. read more...
19 March In March 2006, I went to a very interesting workshop on homeopathy read more...
17 March It may be a hovel, but living alone's still novel read more...
12 March my debut on radio - and I missed it read more...
12 March I recently critiqued a concert, and thought of what another critic might have thought at a controversial premiere dramatised on British television this weekend. read more...
05 March A new site has appeared on the web, www.theholisticpages.com, specialising in all things holistic read more...
03 March A company in Germany called Lebenlust (Lust for Life), is selling tailor-made condoms read more...
28 February The last day of February was Shrove Tuesday, and I had pancakes read more...
21 February In February 2006, I watched the furore about the cartoons published in Denmark read more...
13 February On Monday 30th January, I went back to the Sanctuary Cafe in Hove for the monthly meeting of the Brighton Poetry Society read more...
24 January This is the story of the Thameslink leviathan, in her own words. The Northern Bottlenose whale died on Saturday 21 January 2006, whilst being transported towards the sea on a barge read more...
16 January I had a narrow squeak on my way to the station this morning, and wrote this as I sat on the train, reflecting on the nature of luck and fate read more...
03 January Happy New Year! I had an enjoyable christmas, and I hope you did too read more...
30 December a poem for Christmas read more...
24 December Since, unlike the Queen, I don't have the luxury of a three o'clock nationwide broadcast on Xmas Day, here are my high- and low-lights of the year read more...
22 December To celebrate the winter solstice, I attended a labyrinth walk and evening of circle dancing on solstice eve, 20th December read more...
07 December On Monday 28 November, I went to the Sanctuary Cafe in Hove for the monthly meeting of the Brighton Poetry Society read more...
30 November I was sent an invite by poet Murray Lachlan Young and notes inégales to this event based around Miles Davis, William Blake, and the proverbs of Hell read more...
29 November Today at work, I went to a workshop on stress management read more...
07 November
the London to Brighton veteran car run was on 6 November 2005
read more...
29 October 13 October 2004 was John Peel's last broadcast before his untimely death in Cusco, Peru from a heart attack read more...
12 October The Mind Body Soul Exhibition 2005 was on at Brighton racecourse on 8-9 October 2005 read more...
10 October I had some home-made raspberry jam for breakfast, made by Joyce from a late-ripening variety called 'bliss', and very tasty it was too!
07 October On Thursday 6 October - National Poetry Day - we enjoyed an evening of poetry in Brighton, written in response to the possibilities offered by contemporary genetics - promise or threat? read more...
02 October Saddlescombe Farm in Sussex is only open a couple of times a year, and 2nd October 2005 is the next open day! I won't be able to go this year, but don't let that stop you read more...
18 September petrol prices rise and blockades are threatened. But not all are worried... read more...
01 August The echoes of the bombs in London still reverberate, but hope did not die with the victims read more...
26 July This was the second year that I have been involved with the Poets Corner Summer Festival read more...
23 July a new age therapy taster in Hove was most enjoyable read more...
06 July London is hosting the 2012 Olympic Games read more...
05 July I watched Live 8 on 2 July, and what a day! read more...
03 July I was appalled by the farce that was the Indianapolis Grand Prix read more...
30 June my garden party, or 'from jungle to garden' as I called it read more...
28 June yes, it was theblissbirthday again on the 24th June read more...
15 June Another fancy dress salsa party at The White Hart in Lewes, and this time, the theme was Arabian Nights read more...
14 June Chris ran an Indian Head massage stall at the Whitehawk family festival in Brighton on Saturday 11 June, and I helped read more...
31 May Brighton Festival in 2005 ran from 7th to 29th May 2005 read more...
19 May I enjoyed another visit to the CSMA classic festival 2005, and saw some exciting motor racing read more...
16 May
In 2004, I had a great time at Brands Hatch, and I went again in 2005 read more...
13 May I was recently musing about theblisspages, and whether it was a blog, or a website read more...
06 May Labour won the election with a greatly reduced majority, but the Liberal Democrats won 62 seats, their best result since 1923. See my poem the count read more...
23 April
St George's Day isn't much celebrated in England. How did you celebrate it? See the quintessential Englishman read more...
22 April I was approached by the director of a play being staged at a school hall in Portslade in the last week of April. 'Wait Until Dark', by Frederick Knott, is being staged in Portslade read more...
17 April A lot of pavements were pounded today on the London Marathon, with a field of over 35,000. Congratulations to my niece Gemma, who ran it with her boyfriend Andy in four hours and six minutes.
31 March There were more than 300,000 hits on theblisspages in March! read more...
26 January I was appalled at the loss of life in the Boxing Day Tsunami resulting from an underwater earthquake read more...
22 January It's difficult to make sense of such a disaster as the Boxing Day tsunami. See my Tsunami article. I also felt compelled to write a poem, encompassing the human cost, the ongoing civil wars and the humanitarian efforts. read more...
15 January Over the last two weekends, I assisted in an Indian head massage course read more...
05 January Xmas is here and gone and it's now 2005 read more...
01 January This year, Chris and I went to a New Year Salsa dance at The Albany (Lions) Hotel in Eastbourne read more...
07 December As part of Brighton poetry & book festival, I went to mouth cabaret, at the Open House, 146 Springfield Road, Brighton on Thursday 02 December read more...
07 December This year's red, religious, or rude: Salsa Christmas party was as much fun as last year's, though not without its trials and tribulations read more...
03 December why does it always happen? read more...
16 November Christmas will never be the same again read more...
16 November On 4 November 2004, I was lucky enough to be invited to a poetry evening, with Benjamin Zephaniah, Roger McGough, John Asgard, John Hegley and others read more...
15 November
the London to Brighton veteran car run was on on 7 November 2004
read more...
15 October I was offline at home until for a couple of weeks (until 15 October) due to my recent house move. I was only able to do some limited updating from Internet cafes and via my mobile phone, but I managed
12 October The Mind Body Soul Exhibition 2004 was at Brighton racecourse on 9-10 October 2004 read more...
08 October was National Poetry Day and I went to a Poetry reading at lunchtime. The poet Dannie Abse and his wife Joan read some of his work. I enjoyed it, and bought a signed copy of his most recent book, "new and collected POEMS" read more...
28 September I wrote this poem on the train as I waited to exchange contracts on my new house. I have now moved in read more...
18 August After the great Salsa break in Lille last year (see my 2003 Lille Salsa report), I went to Lille Summer Salsa & Tango 2004! on 6-9 August read more...
27 July I felt a bit intimidated as I crept, late, into the room above the Eclipse pub in Hove, especially when I heard the quality of the poems people had written for the exercise I'd just missed read more...
18 July With mist and rain, the signs were not good for my second excursion to Brands Hatch this year (my first was the CSMA Classic Festival at Brands Hatch), but it was a great day read more...
15 July on Saturday 10 July 2004 I went to the Hove Poets Corner Festival Fun day in Hove read more...
07 July On Tuesday 6 July 2004, the sound of Formula One V10 engines was heard in Regent Street to help publicise the British Grand Prix. I was there, and I saw (and heard) the cars over the surging crowds read more...
05 July I went to a Hypnosis Day on 3 July 2004 in Preston Park at the Isis School of Integrated Hypnotherapy read more...
29 June 24th June was my birthday, and I went blonde again. I got some great gifts and some treats, including open-air Shakespeare and a trip to France read more...
15 June Joseph sent me an interesting account of his experience of the Venus Transit of 8th June 2004 read more...
14 June I've been working in my department for half my life. They took me out for a party, right? Wrong read more...
14 June the LibDems were in second place in the local elections, and increased their vote in the Euro Elections read more...
10 June Peter Gabriel's Growing Up tour was a great experience... read more...
01 June There were nearly 200,000 hits on theblisspages in May! read more...
30 May There was a problem on theblisspages on 30 May, which affected searching and stories. This was a server problem and is now resolved. Sorry for any inconvenience and thanks for your patience...
24 May Brighton Festival was superb in 2004, and I went to lots of events read more...
24 April I went along to an open house preview of African arts and took a picturesque route home on my Brompton read more...
24 April
St George's Day isn't much celebrated in England. How did you celebrate it? read more...
14 April I went to visit the Seven Sisters Sheep Centre near Birling Gap in East Sussex over Easter read more...
17 March St Patrick's day and I was in green. After an Irish stew, I went off to the pub for some Irish music and a glass or two of the hard stuff read more...
21 February I try to keep updating this site and adding new facilities, but have to try to keep a balance between that and life read more...
29 January a bit of a cold snap read more...
22 January if you're stuck or lost, look here for help! read more...
01 January Xmas has now been and gone. Happy New Year! read more...
23 December over 500,000 hits on theblisspages since mid-June! read more...
17 December The die is cast as we make a life-changing decision read more...
16 December I saw 'A Child's Christmas in Wales' by Dylan Thomas on 15 December 2003 at the Brighton Little Theatre Company read more...
15 December Saddam Hussein was captured on Saturday 13 December 2003. See more information in the Iraq section on my politics page
08 December the rugby world cup victory procession just passed my office. See the picture I took read more...
07 December Wow! In November, I went to a performance of Under Milk Wood, my first experience of Dylan Thomas. It was awesome, even life-changing. Has it sparked a lifelong obsession? read more...
12 November There was a Harmonic Concordance on 09 November 2003 at 01:13 during a total lunar eclipse, and many people brought together their energies in 'The Chant Heard Round the World' ... and if you're open to new age experiences read more...
05 November It's November the fifth again, and we remember the events nearly four hundred years ago which nearly resulted in a radical change of government read more...
04 November I've had a couple of golf lessons read more...
02 November
I went on a forty-minute flight with Ace Aviation on 31st October
read more...
02 November the London to Brighton veteran car run was on today, but the weather was awful read more...
01 November the site is still growing in popularity. We had over 98,000 hits in September and again in October read more...
24 October If you read the Argus, you may have seen my 15 minutes of fame. For my views on the story, read more...
11 October I've got new glasses after my old ones got terminal metal fatigue! Titanium frames, varifocals and Transition lenses should ensure they last and look good. read more...
01 October I enjoyed the Burgess Hill bonfire celebrations on 27 September 2003, with a parade, fireworks display and funfair read more...
24 September I just got an email telling me about the Bliss Family History Society website
19 September I've created a new feature for theblisspages - I can update the site from any computer world-wide, and even from my mobile phone. read more...
17 September lots of upcoming changes in my life - my wife is changing career from midwife to train as a health visitor, so goodbye to shifts and hallo to an au-pair.
09 September It's big and red, and everyone who's sat on it has commented on how comfy it is ... it's amazing how a suite that looked small in a large showroom looks huge when I put it in my lounge. read more...
11 September On the second anniversary of the terrible events of 9/11, I reflect on the victims, and of the inept political decisions that have led to more troops dying in Iraq since the war than during it.
05 September The world's first online feature film was released today by the UK Film Council at 18:00, in a simultaneous online and theatrical premiere. It's also available in a subtitled version for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers, and an audio-described version for blind and visually-impaired people. You can stream or download it - it's available for 56Kb modem users and those of us with a broadband connection. You will also need a credit, switch or debit card to pay the £2-3 charge. The movie will only play in the UK and it's an 18 certificate. See www.thisisnotalovesong.com
04 September was my tenth wedding anniversary. Ten years ... you get less time for murder. See my views on my marriage
31 August was the International Bognor Birdman Rally 2003, where assorted loonies (or intrepid adventurers, depending on your point of view) leap off Bognor pier and try to fly 100m. Read my 2002 Birdman report.
29-31 August I went to a Summer Salsa Special three-day visit to Lille, in France and had a great time. See my Lille Salsa report
07 August from a plastic Jesus action man to how I could have been 'well-hung' in Saudi, in my take on religion. Look for my "I can't believe it's not Buddha" caption!
01 August the site is still growing in popularity. We had more than 74,000 hits in July - theblisspages have now been going for eighteen months and there are well over 1,000 links on 120 pages. Thanks for all the comments and feedback.
31 July was National Orgasm Day. Organised for the last few years by sex-shop Anne Summers, it's a fairly low-profile event. As a married man, I rarely get the chance to celebrate it, so no Bliss here ... still, just in case, I bought a few oysters and a bottle of 1978 Chablis... Read more on my wine page.
24 June 
was
my Birthday. Thanks to everyone for the great presents, whether on my wish list
or not, including the above-mentioned hot-air ballooning, flying with Ace
Aviation and golf lessons!
15 June theblisspages have moved from Bargainhosts, which has been having a lot of problems recently, to a new host, LunarPages. It's now much faster as it's running on a server with dual Intel Xeon 2.8 GHz processors, 6 GB of memory and 3 x 70 GB Raid disk drives!
14-15 June Le Mans was on this weekend. A workmate drove there to see it in a TVR Cerberus and had a great time, but I had to settle for TV! See the official Le Mans site for more details.
11 June Please note: My site has been experiencing severe slowdown problems recently, due to problems with bargainhosts. I have found a new hosting company and my site will be vastly faster in the next few days. Do please persevere in the meantime!
08 June I'm back from two weeks holiday in Croatia. Here's my report on the trip
24 May My site experienced some slowdown problems yesterday. I do apologise, but the problem was outside my control. The site is back to normal today, and I am monitoring the situation.
23 May The Matrix: Reloaded was cool (see my comments), but not as cool as my new haircut! see what you think.
1 May May Day, traditionally a time for dancing round Maypoles. Regrettably in recent years, also a time for riots. Whilst uneasy about the march of the multi-nationals and global capitalism, I confined my protests to the ballot box. I'm pleased to see the Liberal Democrats doing well, with about 30% of the vote and nearly 200 gains, giving them a total of over 2,500 councillors! See my politics page for more political comment.
30 April I've enhanced the site so old stories can be summarised automatically. You can read more of any story, or expand or summarise all stories for easier printing. I've changed my politics and diabetes pages so far and they're a fraction of their previous size. What do you think of the blisscms content management system ... improvement or not? mail me comments
10 April Well, the war is effectively over, but peace will not be without its own problems. The only proven weapons of mass-destruction were deployed by the US and the only confirmed chemical weapons were tear gas by ... the US. I am glad to see Saddam swept from power but deeply saddened by the means it was done. An illegal war sets bad precedents. See my views on Iraq for more comments.
29 March One hour less sleep, if you're in UK! Don't forget to adjust your clocks tonight as we go onto BST.
23 March the Grand Prix at Sepang in Malaysia was another great race. See motor racing for more information.
21 March Everyone seems to love sequels, and Gulf War II has now opened, starring that well-known double act, Bush and Blair (or see Read my lips - Bush 2). Download the original MPG file here. I feel sorry for all the casualties, both military and civilian, whichever side they're on. The vast majority of British casualties were caused by accidents or so-called friendly fire from trigger-happy US troops ... again. See my views on Iraq for more comment and current estimated civilian casualties.
09 March was the start of the Formula One Grand Prix season in Australia. At last, a Ferrari-free podium! I hope all the races are as exciting as this.
02 March the site is growing in popularity! We had more than 55,000 hits in February - theblisspages have now been going for a year and there are about 1,000 links on 48 pages. Thanks for all the comments and feedback.
15 February was a demonstration in London and around the world against war in Iraq. However unpleasant Saddam may be as a tyrant, there is not yet sufficient evidence for war. See my report on the march and my views on Iraq or go to www.stopthewar.co.uk. See my placard!
14 February is Valentines Day and I'm hoping my postbox will be groaning with mail. I don't think it will be ... but I'm still hoping! Update: It wasn't!
25 January was Burns night. I cooked Haggis with tatties and neeps, followed by Cranachan and a glass of Glenmorangie.
17 January I went to Manchester for a few days. Here's a brief report of my last visit - this trip was similar, but without the dodgy encounters or royal funerals. I had a great meal at KRO2, which I thoroughly recommend. I could have done without Virgin trains though - nearly six hours from Manchester to Haywards Heath, and the buffet doesn't even sell red wine.
4 January
What a difference a day makes!
After a dramatic undercliff walk from Ovingdean to Rottingdean yesterday, which
was so warm that I was in a short-sleeved shirt, I woke up today to snow.
2 January Happy New Year! Back to work on Monday, but I enjoyed my holiday, even with a bad cold. If you were dreaming of a white Christmas, glance at this page!
21 November Beaujolais Nouveau est arrive! See my wine page.
3 November
was the London to Brighton veteran car run. I watched them for a couple of hours
with some friends whilst having a goulash at the Cafe Staube.
2 November I went to an all-day games event in Marcham. See my Marcham games report.
21 Oct - 8 Nov My main computer had a motherboard and processor transplant - then the hard disk failed, as did half the memory! Everything now seems to be working, but I have a lot of re-installing to do. See my computer page for more details.
17-20 Oct I visited Essen for the Games fair and I've created an Essen 2002 section on my board games page.
12 October I've updated my travel page, and moved my recent Cornwall, French & Bognor reports there.
5-6 Oct 02 I attended the Mind Body Soul Exhibition in Brighton. When I saw it featured the music of Bliss, I knew I had to go! I wrote a report on my visit and here it is .
24 September See my politics page for Tony Blair's report about Saddam Hussein and my views on it.
22 September I went on a sponsored bike ride today with my daughter. Kalma Keymer has been set up to try to encourage traffic calming in Keymer, Hassocks, Hurstpierpoint and nearby villages in West Sussex. This means safe routes for schools for children and better facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. Other sponsored events I have organised or attended over the years include: walks, fasts, hang gliding, pub crawls and jelly eats (by the bowl)!
12 September Stravinsky's Rite of Spring was played on 5 September at the BBC Proms 2002. I unfortunately didn't get home in time to hear it. The good news is that it's being repeated on Radio 3 on 12 September at 14:00. The bad news is that I'm out of the country so I'll miss it again. Luckily I already have about six versions so I'll have to play one of those instead. It's not the same though! Perhaps next proms...
11-15 Sept I visited France for a few days. I've updated my France page (in my travel pages), or go straight to my report of the trip.
11 September is a date forever blighted by the memory of the tragic events last year. My thoughts on this day were with the relatives of the victims.
31 August I took a week's holiday in Cornwall. Look at my cornwall page to see a slice of history (me aged seven on the beach) or probably of more lasting interest, the Eden Project.
11 August was the International Bognor Birdman Rally 2002, where assorted loonies (or intrepid adventurers, depending on your point of view) leap off Bognor pier and try to fly 100m. Read my Birdman report here!
25 July A leaving do for a newbie colleague - a mere 28 years service! Had an interesting conversation though - will she remember the site name? hmmm ... no feedback, so it seems not! please email me.
13-23 July Despite two visits to the dentist, four injections and two courses of antibiotics, my toothache come back, so I had to lose the tooth after all. I rang for a dental appointment, they said "two-thirty today?" and I said "Yes, it does!". I'm feeling a lot better now.
13 July Brighton was also in agony as 250,000 people squeezed into Brighton to see Fatboy Slim in concert. Sussex Ambulance Service had to call in Brighton's lifeboat crew to ferry revellers in need of medical attention to Brighton Marina - mainly after excessive drinking. One woman died after falling 25 feet from railings. The trains were in chaos and many people were stranded in Brighton overnight as the last train was full. It has now emerged that broken glass might blight the beach for years.
03 July Sorry if you were unable to get onto the site on the 3rd. My webhosts came under attack from a worm or virus and had to close down some servers from 18:30 to midnight. All is now back to normal! I'm told the servers are being upgraded within a month so the site should then be faster.
24 June ...was my birthday. See my wants list if you still want to get me a present!
21 June 
So England are out of the World cup: 1-2 down to Brazil. Some of England's substitutions
seemed strange. We had a great chance when Ronaldinho was sent off (a harsh
decision). Sven-Goran Eriksson said, "I hoped we would have done a little bit
better against 10 men", which I think says it all. I also thought some of the
Brazilians' gamesmanship tactics were unnecessary, such as throwing a second
ball on the pitch and general time-wasting towards the end of the game, but
overall the better team won on the day. It was good though to see the Union
and England flags flying all over the country for the last month - it was about
time they were reclaimed from the racists!
17 June On the day of my mother-in-law's funeral, I was thinking of the words of Kahlil Gibran in his book 'The Prophet', speaking about death.
15-16 June Le Mans 24 hours race was on this weekend. See the official Le Mans site for more information!
14 June I gather that an asteroid the size of a football pitch travelling at over 23,000 mph missed Earth by only 75,000 miles today!
03 June ...was the Queen's Golden Jubilee. See here for pictures of my garden party!
23 April St George's Day isn't much celebrated in England.
On this day, I wasn't sure whether to have a game of Kings + Castles
or to have a pink gin (a Pimms by the pool precluded by my diabetes - and lack
of a pool).
13 April Various new pages including the first few of my travel pages. More coming every week!
10 April I've just returned from a short trip to Manchester. A brief report is here...
25 March As I've renamed all my pages to end with php instead of htm or shtml, you will have to update any bookmarks to specific pages. Sorry.
12 March The good news is I've lost two stone in the last year. The bad news is now I know why. See the new page on diabetes.
24 March I've highlighted some useful (and free) chat software on my computer page. You'll be able to chat to me whenever I'm online, should you wish to. Here's the link to my Odigo section. Quite a few friends have now done this. Come and join the party.
08
March Mani the canary passed away peacefully in his sleep. His musical commentary whenever a Grand Prix was on will entertain us no more.
11 February I'm back from my recent trip to Poland. Here's a report on the trip, the food and the wines. Dzien dobry.
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: © Mike Bliss 2011
