Weather: Sunny, sunny, sunny. Still quite chilly when out of the sun. 15.

Lots of little stuff done. Cleaning the house, chopping bits off in the garden, washing the sheets. All good stuff.

Tonight's telly: Treasure Hunt (1988, Challenge) Caitlin Moran reckons this is the quintissential programme of the 80s. Today's episode comes from Hebden Bridge, West Yorks, and features Annie abseiling down to find a golden calf. *****
Buffy (Sky1, taped) From last Friday. Complete dramatic irony, and enough to really confuse the main baddie of the year. Plus yet another wonderful line for Tara. *****

Train robber Ronnie Biggs flies back to the UK, is arrested, and returns to prison before the end of the day. After a brief hearing at court, Biggs, 71, was sent back to jail to serve his time at Belmarsh Prison in south east London. He was not charged with any offence, District Judge Tim Workman merely having to be satisfied that he was the person named in an arrest warrant issued following his escape.
Biggs has 28 years of a 30-year prison sentence still to serve for his role in the 1963 robbery of a Glasgow-to-London mail train, which yielded £2.6 million. Jane Wearing, solicitor for Biggs, read a statement outside court: "Mr Biggs has returned to the United Kingdom voluntarily. He has been arrested upon the warrant outstanding against him and brought before the Magistrates Courts. He is aware of the immediate consequences of his return and will remain in custody. In due course he will seek a hearing before the Court of Appeal in respect of his outstanding sentence. All he seeks is a fair and balanced hearing at which all relevant issues can be addressed. He is confident that he will receive such a hearing. We are assured by the police that he will not face any further charges and are proceeding upon that basis."
Biggs announced Saturday that he would appeal against his 28 years sentence, for reasons that were not made public.

Tony Blair calls a meeting of the Cabinet, at which he is believed to have gotten out the Official Silver Starting Gun. The gun, an unofficial pre-amble to the General Election, is expected to be fired by lunchtime Wednesday, with the election itself following on June 7. Coverage of the election begins when the election begins.

There's a reason why I nominated Mark as the Token Sensible Brit of the List a few years ago. It just happens to be fact.

Okay guys, perhaps the Hitler comparison was a little inappropriate but I think onlist berating and sarcasm is a little past the mark.
It is a fact that, *in my eyes*, anyone comparing their case to that of Europe under Hitler, or Cambodia under Pot (to name but two examples) is on a losing wicket already. These people killed millions and millions of others. To hear them compared to an awkward parent, or an obsessive loonie, trivialises the suffering.

On the other hand, it does remind us that these people were human, and that it's faintly possible for the circumstances that brought them about to be repeated. Highly unlikely, but it's something we need to keep an eye on.

We've all made inappropriate comments on the list
Some more than others, he said, declining to cite his own examples as there's probably a limit of 5MB per mail.

Let's give the girl a break and just chalk it up to being somewhat pissed off with her parents... I've been there too.
Fair call.

Anne, if offence was taken, please accept my sincere apologies.

Let's not forget that it was empathy that brought us all together in the first place...
Ah, wasn't it also emotion? And isn't this - both sides - an expression of emotion?

Mark xxx (who is sure this isn't what Iain meant by posting more.. ;)
A post is a post is a post. They all count.

Two from the top and any other four, please.

Weather: Sunny early, clouding over mid-afternoon. 16.

Feeling really, really grotty. Not quite enough sleep, not enough chocolate, not enough caffeine. It's dozing and trying to act normal well into the evening.

Tonight's telly:
Election 01 (Sky News) There's a ticker that is going to annoy. Time bottom left (as usual); rolling display of polls and days left bottom right (why polls?) and three-minute cycle ticker between the two. I'd be giving some more useful information, like targetted constituencies, leader's locations, and more facts.
History Of Britain (BBC2) Simon Scharma's flagship series picks back up. It's billed as the most interesting version ever, but it's not. It's dull as ditchwater. **
God, The Devil, And Bob (BBC2) This is great stuff. Bite-sized comedy, featuring a confused Christian, his laidback deity, and his own prison. Excellent. *****

Rest of the election coverage begins there.

Cliff Evans, Billie Piper wed. The pop star (18) marries the radio station owner (1,215) in a secret ceremony in Las Vegas. The pair are happy, apparently.

Sara Lou :)
Now, this may sound like just a fantasy, but Ross and I are moving home. around July 19th. My mom and my sister are coming to visit, and we are (hopefully) going back with them..or if that doesn't work out, a few days later, cause its proving really difficult to get the same flight back AND get the cheapest price. so yeah :)
Flights are cheap right now. Hopefully, they'll get even cheaper. Weaver's one-man tour, "Being English Is A Jolly Good Thing, Old Bean," could be coming to a place near *you* soon. If you're in North America, that is.

I still have to apply to have permanent residence in the UK as my leave to stay here ends this coming Friday. so thats what we are off to do tomorrow - wish us luck :)
Retrospective good luck was wisherened.

Toby is doing really well - hes stringing sentences together! and you can hold a proper conversation with him..sometimes he gets his answers a little screwed up
Has he thought of applying for THE WEAKEST LINK yet?

(At last! A pop culture reference that makes sense in all countries!)

do you know Ihave 1300 some messages from this list in my mscl box? well, that is new messages, not ones I've saved :)
Have you not read *anything* since the beginning of February?

ah well..better get back to my rumbles stuff :) I hope that you are all doing well *big hugs to all*
Hope to see you on Saturday. I think Ariel does, too.

Weather: Cloudy, with some showers during the evening. 13.

Tonight's Telly:
The Weakest Link (BBC2) "In which country would you find Vermont and Delaware?" "Texas." This guy went on to win over £2000.
Roswell (Sky1) Confusing, as ever, but in a sensible way. ****
Annie Goes To Hollywood (BBC1) Anne Robinson tours the US, making and promoting (The) Weakest Link. Fab. *****

Weather: Thunderstorms at 3am and 6pm. Sunny and close and humid. 17.

Tonight's Telly
The gang go skinny-dipping and re-create the Which Blair? Project. Watch out for Nicky in Downing Street by the end of next month. As If... **** 1/2

London cabbies who stop for hire will be obliged to take passengers wherever they want to go in Greater London. The Mayor is writing directly to all London's 23,000 licensed drivers to tell them of his plans to scrap the rule, which dates back to the 19th century when taxis were horse-drawn. The taxi drivers' exam The Knowledge will also be reviewed. Mr Livingstone says the world famous test must remain rigorous but that the process should be conducted more efficiently, perhaps by using more new technology.

88-91% prefer Radio 2. Radio 2 has overtaken its younger sibling Radio 1 for the first time ever. The station has reached a new high of 10.9m listeners each week, while Radio 1 reached 10.3m - down from 10.7m three months earlier.
Jim Moir, the controller of Radio 2, said today: "I'm delighted - it confirms that our star presenters, the music we play and the programmes we broadcast are striking the right note with the audience. We are providing our listeners with 'the best seat in the house' for the top artists in a very buoyant music scene."
Radio 2 now draws 14.1% of listeners across the UK, up from 13.3% in the last quarter, according to figures released by industry body Rajar (Radio Joint Audience Research). The station has picked up about 300,000 listeners in the three months. It was already the most listened-to station with people tuning in for longer than any other. Jenny Abramsky, the BBC's director of radio and music, said: "It's been a great month for Radio 2. Having just won Sony Station of the Year it is now the most listened to and the largest station in the country."

Things They Didn't Know On The Weakest Link

• Who is the subject of The Loyal Toast?
• How many notes in a hexachord?
• The concept of a truss.
• A train journey covering 250 miles costs £25. That's £10 per mile. Isn't that a realistic answer?
• Who was Jim Callaghan? Not surprised they missed that!

Esso claims that 70 per cent of the population lives within two miles of one of its petrol stations. Bizarrely, there don't seem to be any Esso stations near north Kensington. Thus, a significant portion of the polar-bear loving public are being denied their democratic right to boycott Esso petrol.
I only buy petrol about once a month anyway, so I've been using the office phone to ring Esso stations. I tell them pretty firmly that I don't need any petrol, but if I did, I wouldn't buy Esso until they leave those ice-cap polar bear nests in peace.
This tactic is only quite effective. The cashiers who answer the phone don't seem much bothered (though at £4.60 an hour on the night shift, why would they be?) Most of them politely said they weren't worried about losing my custom.
I rang the Exxon-Mobil UK head office to ask what people who don't have a car should do if they want to join the boycott. You should write in, said the girl at Customer Care. But will that stop the drilling in the Arctic wilderness? What if we boycott the barbecue sets and the sweets and things - would that have an effect? "Yes, it certainly would, sir," she said.
Esso Customer Care is on 01372 222000.

- Alex Renton, Evening Standard

Weather: Cloudy, some sunny spells.

Work finally gives in, and lets me have a funky little organiser. Neat.

Tonight's telly:
The RDA (BBC3) From last night. Election dancers. The Slovenian spokeslady for Eurosong. Tugs on the ear. Jeremy Paxman's skin care range. Katrina sans the waves. *****

Off the rails The driver of the Land Rover involved in the Selby rail disaster is charged with causing the death of 10 people by dangerous driving. Gary Hart from Strubby, Lincolnshire, was released on police bail to appear before Selby Magistrates on May 17. A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "Gary Hart, 36, from Lincolnshire has today been charged with causing the death of 10 people by dangerous driving. "He has been released on police bail to appear before Selby Magistrates on Thursday May 17 2001."

Murder delay: one month The long-expected judicial murder of alleged Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh is to be delayed for at least a month after it's revealed how the FBI failed to give defence lawyers access to thousands of documents of evidence during the early stages of his trial. The FBI claims that the boxes of documents, which came to light during a routine sweep of its archives, were withheld accidentally and would have had "no bearing" on the outcome of the trial or the sentence passed on McVeigh.

It's so long, and thanks for all the fish to Douglas Adams. Scriptwriter, novelist, futurist, and all round good egg.

No-one growing up in Britain during the 70s and 80s could avoid Dr Who, and Adams was the script editor or writer for some of the most impressive stories that show ever did.

But it was the famous Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy that brought him fame. It's science fiction, but it doesn't take itself seriously. In an era of Futurama or Third Rock, this may not be remarkable; in the early 80s, it was ground-breaking material.

From the radio show came the television series; from the tv came the book; from the book came the computer game and (perhaps) the movie. All of them showed a lightness of touch, a sense of playing just within the accepted boundaries.

Adams' canon wasn't just Babelfish and poetry-loving Vogons, of course. In later years, Adams wrote of Dirk Gently, a holistic detective whose books were perhaps even better than HHGG.

More recently, Adams has turned away from literature, and taken up the cudgels of real internet use. Eschewing the 1999 dotcom bubble, Adams allowed HHGG to be turned into a maddeningly bizarre hypertext-based publication, written by its readers, at h2g2.com. Though financial troubles stopped the service earlier this year, it has since been bought by the BBC as a public service project.

Adams leaves a legacy that nothing is too serious to make fun, and that most things are possible if they're approached in the right way.

The author notes at the front of "Life, The Universe, And Everything" are mostly useless. Adams was married, had one child, but still resented hearing from estate agents in Surrey, as his home was in LA.

Weather: Sunny. Hot. 28.

Today's telly:
Wanted (UK Horizons; 18 May 1997) Donna and Vincent in NE London. They're never going to get caught by Matt Randall. Cleaning football trophies nets £6000, with more false leads than ever.
Melody and Lindsey are outstanding contestants, heading for £6000, setting false leads for Andy Stuart to follow, tending sheep, but their endgame at Cambridge's Brick Wall fails. Bugger. On live, national television. The ITC didn't like that.
Phil and Steve survived by the skin of their teeth last week, and throw off Victoria Fay in central Glasgow. Kiss the bride and throw confetti wins a whole one grand. Heck, this pair are a complete load of uselessness. And they manage to cost Melody and Donna a grand. They're helped by the phones going down.
The Tribe (5) Season 3 finale. In which more questions are posed than answered. It's as bizarre an ending as to season 1, setting up a possible story arc for season 4. *****

Football: FA Cup Final: Liverpool 2, Arsenal 1.
In League action, Liverpool drew 2-2 with Chelsea in midweek. Leeds crushes Bradford 6-1 tomorrow, with MUN losing 2-1 at Southampton. The loss closes MUN's lead at the head of the Form Table to just 2 points.

So, to London to meet Ariel and anyone else who deigns to come along.

The journey down starts with a shock - over the aisle is a hen party, en route to a seaside resort of ill repute no doubt. They've brought a man with them - a bow-up male doll. He's better conversation than the average male, apparently.
I've a little time in hand before the meeting, so do a bit of shopping. Including a punnet of strawberries. We'll eat them during the day. Also purchase some hot, hot weather. This turns out to be a mistake.

I'm there well before time. So is an apology message from Ross. So just a twosome, we set out to see some of the sights. Buck House is first on the agenda, less impressive than the Albert Memorial right outside, thinks our visitor.

From there we stroll down the hot Mall to Trafalgar Square. We can't feed the pigeons, thanks to one of Mayor Red Ken's more bizarre edicts, but we can take piccies of those birds in flight. Not as scary as their cousins in Regent's Park, I can vouch for that.
We also pay tribute to Canada House - there's only one place in central London where you're likely to find the Newfoundland Provincial Flag.

Ariel hasn't taken tea in London yet - we set that straight by going into the National Gallery Cafe, where tea can be taken in appropriately cultural settings. Pinkies out and all that.
While we're there, Mark phones, saying that he will be at Victoria station at 4, to meet shim. The glitter princess calls shortly after, saying it'll be nearer 4:30. Being a stickler for honesty, I can only tell the truth when asked, "Where are you?" "In the toilets at the National Gallery" tends to be a showstopper.

A brief trek up shady back passages, and a stop past the Texas national embassy, takes us to Piccadilly, and the statue of Eros. A common complaint is that it's a lot smaller than we expected. Such are the ways of Eros. Not smaller than expected are the prices of CDs. *Way* too expensive.

Thence to Victoria station, and wait for Shim's train to arrive. Mark beats her in, and we head upstairs for something to eat and drink. I leave at 6, the nightmare only beginning...

Remember how I added a day of hot weather to my shopping basket? It made the Underground trains on the Victoria line seize up *totally*, and I had to quickly re-route via Embankment. Made it, but only with 4 minute to spare.
Then it turned out that my train was the only one heading north. And there was no air conditioning. And, owing to the heat, rails were cracking and bending. What should be a 110 minute journey turns into a 140 minute one. I had hoped to be home to see Spain perform just before the midway break in Eurosong; it wasn't till Greece, last but one, that I get back.

However, let's not detract from the Good Day vibe. Coz that's what it was.

Sing Me A Song For Eurosong. I didn't see the performances, just the voting. However, thanks to a simulcast on Britain's Most Popular Radio Station, I did get to hear all the entries.

I liked Israel, and it's a crying shame that it didn't get more points than it did. Entry into next year's contest is possible, but not assured.

Sweden was a stand-out track, and the one that got my personal vote. How Friends didn't make a better showing than a distant fifth is beyond me.

Ireland deserved to be relegated, Bosnia should have joined them, but Iceland deserved a lot better. And as for Slovenia ... [tugs ear]

France finished fourth, with their rather nice if utterly immemorable tune. How did "Je n'ai que mon ame" go again?

Third place to Greece, which is a best ever result for that country. "Die For You" is happy, inclusive, and jolly good, even if you can tell *exactly* where it's going from the opening bars and the title.

Last year's winners, Denmark, placed second. I didn't quite see the attraction of this myself, but it is a jolly hummable tune.

The winner, though.... Estonia! It's been coming, from their entries two years ago - the Enya-esque "Diamond of Light" - and last year - the Britney-alike "Once In A Lifetime", we've seen that Estonia has a knack for making Really Good Eurovision entries. "Everybody" is a wonderfully infectious beat, sounding in part like the US Marines' party tune, all brassy and bold. And with the obligatory key change.

Interval act was Aqua and the Safri Duo, performing Aqua's greatest hits. It's not Riverdance, but it'll do.

Second biggest let down of the night was Germany using the free-language rules to swap into English part way through. I can't help but feel that the ballad actually works better in German.

That, however, pales into insignificance against the night's biggest annoyance. The hosts. Who said everything in rhyming couplets. It annoyed Ken Bruce on the radio no end, and sounded utterly stupid. Like auditioning for an English pantomime, and not getting the part.

Denmark's was the Eurosong in rhyme,
But on the night we found that the time
For poems was over - they were out of luck.
Coz the presenters made the show sound like flippin' awful.

Weather: Sunny, really sunny early. But it's clouding over from 4, and thunder begins around 5:30. Dying by 7. 26.

Today's telly: Wanted (UK Horizons; 25 May 1997) Phil and Steve are in Edinburgh. Catch a trout. But they prefer to be in a pub. £2000, plus nother grand for sitting around for 11 hours. But it's all academic - Victoria catches them easily.
Donna and Vincent have returned to Newcastle. They've been selling ice creams and hot dogs in cinemas. Dressed as Superman. As one does. Once again, they manage to get Matt Randall on film. £6000 is their target, but Matt's on them with a minute left.
Newcomers Oengus and John camp to Watford. It's flying lessons. Bad weather doesn't help, they play for 5 grand. And have a stand-off with Paul Denchfield in a field outside Watford. For four *hours*. It works, Paul goes totally the wrong way.

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