My son was reading the Easter Story this morning, and saw the pic of Je$us in front of the Roman Governor.

"There's Conscious Pilate" he told me :haha:

The British and Commonwealth Women's Club invites all women to come and celebrate South Africa's 10th anniversary of Freedomday. Go and experience the warm hospitality of South Africa and enjoy a traditional warm meal and wine tasting..

WHEN: Thursday 22 April at 10h30

WHERE: British and Commonwealth Clubhouse / Rue du Bois 509 / Tervuren

COST: 20 euro per person for non-members

RSVP: To make a reservation phone the clubhouse before 12 April or call Mariza (02 305 30 05) for more information.


Sunday 18 April at 12h30 there will be a Africa celebration at St Anthony's Parish Church in Oude Wedstrijderslaan / Kraainem. There will be fun for the whole family. Music, dances, handcrafts, a braai and a tombola.

As some of you may remember, I was supposed to go to the dentist today to have a wisdom tooth removed. The appointment was cancelled & I now have to go in a couple of weeks time. I am in no discomfort at all but the dentist said it has to come out. Wisdom teeth always seem to cause hassles don't they? I guess it's better to get rid of them as they are not really needed at all!!!

Is it a safe vaccination? Side effects? .... the school nurse recommended I get my 14 yr old daughter done ..... I know its a serious illness so I'm keen to have her done ... just wondered if there is anything I should know before hand?? :confused:

I have compiled a list of some book titles sent to me from friends with some reviews on them.....

Here they are:


Nick Hornby - High Fidelity
Dave Barry
Bored of the Rings...
Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
The Horse's Mouth by Joyce Cary
The Ginger Man by J P Donleavy
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
Handling Sin - Michael Malone
Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy O'Toole
The Sot Weed Factor - John Barth
Dead Father - Donald Barthelme
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues - Tom Robbins
Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series-"The Eyre Affair", "Lost in a Good Book" and the latest "The Well of Lost Plots". I have been reading WoLP in the hospital waiting room and feel guilty when I laugh out loud! But it really is that funny!

Evelyn Waugh. Particularly 'Decline and Fall'and 'A Handful of Dust'
In a Sunburned Country is also good.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is one of the funniest books I've ever read.
"-What the hell is a head shot?
-Getting shot in the head.
David Sedaris, of course! That guy is extremely funny. I have laughed out loud many times while reading him.
Davis Sedaris' Me Talk Pretty Some Day and Naked.
"Barrel Fever" by David Sedaris


Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer is a brilliantly original book and has some great moments. Its partly told by a ukraninan escorting a character called Jonathan Safran Foer to find a family who saved his grandfather from the nazi (i promsie you it IS a funny book). Its the mis use of language and some interesting conversations about american pop culture which gave me some very awkward looks when i was reading it on the train!

Wilt
Wilt on high
The wilt alternative
by Tom Sharpe

"Imagine The Omen as done by Monty Python"
-Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY)
Douglas Adams' books are very funny: the Hitchhiker series, also the Dirk Gently books (The Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul and Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency).
Also Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, although it mixes the horrors of war with humour, so it may not be your cup of tea, depends what you're looking for.
Anything by Carl Hiaasen. My favorite was Sick Puppy.
Can you keep a secret, by sophie kinsella, its one of the best books ever!
***** Magnet" by Jim Goad. .
"Population 1280" by Jim Thompson.
"Breakfast of Champions" by Kurt Vonnegut.

If you are a straight male, ah, a particularly funny book is The Machiavellian's Guide to Womanizing, by Nick Casanova. It's a hilarious "guide" to winning women over, with tutorials such as "Spending the Least Money Possible" and "How to Get Your Best Friend's Girlfriend," as well as "How to Get your Girlfriend's Best Friend." Absolutely no literary value, but extremely funny.

***I'm currently reading "Good Omens" (after I found out my favorite director was scheduled to direct the movie version) by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.
It's a terribly funny book, reminds me of "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams...another book I highly recommend!

Good Omens...
We hear the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner. Unfortunately, Sister Mary Loquacious of the Chattering Order has misplaced the Antichrist. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse ride motorcycles. And the representatives from Heaven and Hell have decided they actually like the human race...*** review from friend...

I was wondering if anyone had a recipe for Hot Cross Buns please, here in Germany unfortunately you do not get them and decided to surprise my family on Sunday.

Phew! I've finally managed to finish this! What a good book!

The author had obviously researched her subject well, and all the different twists were very well managed. The basic plot is as follows.. (from Nikkinaz' synopsis earlier; )

At a Manhattan party, fashion photographer Maggie Holloway is reunited unexpectedly with her former stepmother. Both women are thrilled to meet again, and quickly resume their friendship. But when Maggie arrives for dinner one evening at Nuala's home, she finds her dead. And stranger still, she learns that only days before her death, Nuala had changed her will, leaving everything to Maggie... The one condition is that Maggie occasionally visit an old friend, Greta Shipley, and it is when she accompanies Greta to visit Nuala's grave that she discovers something is badly wrong. When Greta also dies suddenly, of supposedly natural causes, Maggie's suspicions are only confirmed. What Maggie doesn't realize is that she, too, has become a target for the killer, and that each clue she uncovers brings her closer to a terrifying fate....


I found the writing clear and crisp, and I was able to follow it easily, although at times all the characters and their relationships to each other did get a tad confusing. This is my first MHC book, and found it quite good. I did wonder how plausible it would be for a stepmother to actually confide her suspicions as to the retirement home to someone she hadn't known for over 30 years. And I seemed to have missed why the murderer actually placed the bells on the graves.
It was a good suspense thriller, not letting the reader know who the perpetrater was until the last moment, the plot being very skillfully worked.
I think that her beginning where the killer has placed her in such danger especially good - a great way to maintain the reader's interest throughout the book.
Out of curiosity, I would read another of her books, but she's no Dick Francis. (my all-time favourite)

Did anyone pick up on the relevance of the Title of the book to its plot? I didn't, and not knowing it is very annoying...

I am off to Spain next week - was so looking forward to it but in light of what has been going on am I right to be a bit worried or am I letting these guys get to me?
We will be going to Alicante. What do you guys think?

Hey guys are there any cheap air tickets going direct to canada in august. I am looking to leave round 19th of August coming back roung the 9th or 10th of september. I want to fly direct to Vancouver, where my cousins are living, if at all possible. Can you let me know how to go about looking for cheap tickets. I dont need accomodation as I will be with my cousins for the whole time... Thanks for your help

Does anybody know of anyone who can offer my hubby and i some legal advice - or who can offer it here on the site...just a few questions we have...