I swear this is genuine...


I found it in today's issue of Friday Ad, which I've just picked up from my local Co-op. As it happens, I have direct experience of caring for the grumpy and geriatric - I bought my Dad a Father's Day present this year. I haven't actually given it to him yet, but he lives a hundred miles away, and I forgot to take it with me last time I visited. But it's the thought that counts.

I have to say though, rather than hiring a hamster-sitter for minimum wage, wouldn't it work out cheaper to just let Nutmeg die, and then buy another one. Let's face it, he's already geriatric, so the chances of him seeing out the summer are slim to say the least. And you could get a cheerful hamster next time. It's just a suggestion.

Anyhoo, if either of my referees are reading this, start preparing a reference about my love of rodents. And don't mention that Lisa's sister once dropped a fridge on a gerbil.

Employment aside, I'm currently trying to decide whether to brave the elements for the 'Great Waterhall Glow Worm Hunt', which takes place tonight at 9:30pm. Lisa apparently used to go cross-country running at Waterhall, so she's probably squashed thousands of them in her time. Which might explain why they're now doing a population survey. She probably wiped out half the colony before the age of sixteen.

Unfortunately the weather's more barmy than balmy at the moment, and having sat looking out into darkness and torrential rain at 9am this morning (I was up early), I couldn't help thinking that not only was my clock wrong, but my calendar too.

It's particularly annoying, because I wrote a blog post for The Argus on Wednesday which began:

"If you’re looking for somewhere to shelter from the torrential rain, gale force winds and flash floods this summer, then you could do a lot worse than the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery."

That's the closest I've ever come to being topical. Which makes it all the more riling that they haven't managed to publish it yet. Their offices are probably under water. And knowing my luck, it'll be hot and sunny by Monday.