It’s rediculously cold here in England. It’s so cold that they’re calling it ‘global cooling‘. Some parts of Britain are predicted to hit -10C! WHAT THE HELL? We have ground frost and snow here that hasn’t melted in 5 days now.  That means it hasn’t been above 1 or 2C in … 5 days! If it continues, we’ll be having the coldest winter since 1740. Brrr.

The other day, when I fell into that bog, I actually thought I might get frostbite and have to amputate before gangrene spread up my legs to my more important organ. Er, organs. To top it off, I have no heating in my bedroom (it’s an old house, and daddy just told me to ‘grow a pair’ back when I told him I was waking up, unable to find my penis (the irony was lost in the ‘growing a pair’, I guess)– so I promptly started wearing thermal underwear…), so I sit here in big furry slippers, a wooly jumper, and fingerless gloves. ‘Classy hobo chique’ I like to call it.

This is where I should probably rant about global warming, and how it doesn’t seem to be an issue, but I think it’s probably better if people draw their own conclusions on the matter. It’s just so abhorrently boring having one-sided arguments hammered into us by the media.

I’m trying to remember where I heard it (I think it was during Frost/Nixon, which I watched last night, and was very well realised and acted!), but there’s some phrase that goes like: There’s a difference between a democracy where everyone can be heard, and a democracy where everyone just gets a vote. Actually, I think it was in the book I’m reading (Nation still), but who cares. I’m not even sure of what my point is; I think it’s that no matter your level of education, or wisdom, or aptitude, everyone has a vote. Long gone are the times where people were really heard. Or perhaps people were granted more merit, given their education or repute. I guess that’s more a problem of a burgeoning population though… The best we could hope for is a population that is educated enough to vote correctly.  People should be educated enough to research and reach their own conclusions, with important matters at least.

Anyway, I caved and bought the Sigma 10-20mm. I figured the 17-40 covers the end of the range nicely, so really I am just paying £300 for the extra 7mm on the wide end. Not a bad price to pay, really. Amazon have a fantastic deal on it, if you’re also in the market for an ultra-wide-angle lens: Sigma 10-20mm.

While we’re on the topic of technology (OK, tenuous at best), I’ll leave you with Apple’s new revolutionary innovation.

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

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Newton’s Apple & Shoe Porn

Seb: I’m in two minds about whether I’m going to make this something deep and meaningful, or if I’ll just let it stand for what it is.

This apple is the fruit of a direct descendent of Newton’s apple tree.

Someone obviously scrumped an apple from his garden and planted another tree at the Cambridge Botanical Gardens. I then scrumped this apple and brought it back home to photograph. The actual tree from which Newton’s apple fell from died, so these stolen progeny are all that remain!

I didn’t want to do ‘yet another macro’ of the apple, so you get an experiment in ‘landscape still-life’. It works! (Though it’s a shame the tree is not alone in a field, eh? But I love the colours on the trees behind!)

As for the deep and meaningful bit, you’ll have to check my blog. It’s about Newtonian physics and racism — not for the faint of heart.

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Abi: I find myself in London this week sans chocolate sauce, so very little thought went into this shot. I visited the V&A museum and saw these shoes as part of the History of Fashion exhibition. Although I am not really a “shoe girl” I think we can all appreciate this sexy pink and gold encrusted pair…

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