Maybe this is fairly exciting and maybe it’s a disaster waiting to happen but Spielberg and Peter Jackson are making a trilogy of Tintin films together. They’re going to use motion capture – so in effect it will be real people made to look like a cartoon.

Also, Dod and Liv: I have been to badminton club on Mondays three times in a row and found it to be most excellent. Waiting times are almost nothing whereas excitement levels are pretty high. Fairly steap at £5 a time though. And anyway Dodman, I assume from you diagram that you have severed you two in twain.

Jul, welcome back to Blighty. I’m sure that you saw absolutely nothing of the UK from the air as you flew in due to the extreme cloud. We have been saving the crappy weather for you for some time now. April was on average 1c warmer than any other April in recorded history and we only 6% of the normal rainfall in the south east (which is suprises me since I’m sure we had none).

Now you’re back though we will be using our quota of grey, damp, miserable crap in one big clump of depression.

Oh, and I am around in the day at the moment for a little while before I start my new job at some time in the next couple of weeks. Mayhaps it shall clear up and dry up suficiently for a crud duel.

What a great World Cup we had! We finished above India and Pakistan and could even finish above the home team, West Indies.

sincerely,

alistair campbell

Congrats Jul on entering your mid-twenties – now you are exactly the same age as Liv and me.

I’m sure you had a great day and noticed that since you’re traveling the world there doesn’t seem to be the need to do anything different than any other day even though it’s your birthday. Relax, have fun, go out for a meal, see something or do something amazing. Same as every other day n’est pas? And just as exciting.

Therefore enjoy. For we are a happy privaliged few; those of us who out of the kindness of our hearts decide to dedicate months of our life to spending the wealth of rich countries in poorer countries. Verily the milenial Robin Hoods of our time – but without the nasty theft bit.

Right… enough gibber.

The story I heard was that the Cambodian government are payed hoards of cash not to fix the road by the airline companies. This ensures that rather than take a hellish bus ride Mr Western Tourist feels it necessary to pay for an air ticket. Sneaky. But I suspect that the money you saved was worth the discomfort?

Nicky, Mmm… not sure about your naked friend weirdo. Would it be deeply distressing to him to run about in his pants instead? But I agree that we should be free to flap our genitalia about as we please. How long before the “paranoid bag women” who read The News of the World get him on some sex abuse register… mere days, I suspect sadly.

I am just about to end 3 days of fasting. It’s all the rage around here – everyone is doing it. Today I helped prepare food for several hours, went to a supermarket and walked into Burger King (purely for research purposes) and still managed not to partake of solids.

Everyone swears that they feel fantastic after they fast and frankly, what the hell else is there to amuse yourself with around here?

I am really surprised that I haven’t even really felt hungry. During breakfast and lunch on my first day I sat in deep concentration for 3 hours – not to awaken to a deeper reality – but to avoid the reality that everyone was enjoying the daily feastings. I’ve just had a mild headache occasionally and aren’t exactly full of beans. What is the Brockbank policy on fasting? I can just as easily imagine you swearing by it as swearing at it – and considering it preposterous.

Well, I shall tell you if it is all worthwhile latterly.