We're gonna make you a star.

Mutterings continued.

It's Tamu the rhino's first birthday today and she's going to be on the news. Channel Ten came out and took some great footage, according to our PR person, of her having a mud bath and eating her "cake".

Meditations on Mission:Impossible. I wonder if American audiences at the time realised just how close to the truth some of the episodes were. In a number of eps it was made very apparent that this American government controlled governments; assassinated, or caused the assassination of, unfriendly leaders and rigged elections. Given the naivete of the American audience at the time I'm sure the stories would have been seen as just that - stories, and not the actual activities of the CIA.

Martin Landau, underrated actor. By me, anyway. Scene at the end of one of the M:I eps - Rollin has become infected with a nasty bacteria, Dr Sulu, on leave from the Enterprise, has to give him a shot of something but doesn't have a syringe. The ever inventive Barney rakes through Cinnamon's handbag (women obviously didn't use feminine hygiene products in the 60's as no little 'mousies' fell out when Barney upended the bag) and lights upon an atomiser perfume bottle. He sharpens the plastic end of the atomiser, hands it to Dr Sulu who sucks up a dose of anti-bug juice. Now, your typical butch secret agent would manfully thrust his arm out and watch as the pointy plastic was jammed into a vein. Not Rollin - he did what any normal person would do. He screwed up his eyes, turned away and jumped when the plastic went in. Far more realistic.

I received an email from Ash in Yorkshire today - it's snowing where she is! She doesn't think it will last until Xmas unfortunately. I rang her a couple of Boxing Days ago and while I was dissolving into a puddle of sweat she described the snow falling on the robin sitting on the fence she could see from her kitchen.