It’s lovely having Oscar to stay. He woke me up yesterday morning with gentle purring as he padded across my duvet, then rolled on his back to have his tummy tickled. All I need do now is train him to bring in a cup of tea.

I think he’d been woken by the postman clattering the letterbox as he delivered a reprint of one of my Iceland pics, and an invite to Ystabub’s birthday at the beginning of September. I put the invite carefully to one side so I would remember to confirm as soon as I got to work… and promptly forgot.

I never used to get post until almost noon, but since the post office / Consignia / Royal Mail (delete as appropriate) announced it would be introducing a charge for early morning deliveries it’s often arrived before I’m even awake. I suspect there will be an embarassing climbdown over all that, actually, as I see from the news that only one single customer has signed up for the service since it was announced. Are we surprised?

Still, it was a good day. I finally got finished on those jobs that had been hanging over me all week, and on Monday can move on to something fresh and new.

Was feeling far too washed out to do anything productive on the train home, so bought a copy of Fortean Times, which I’ve not read in ages. I forgot how good it is, and this issue in particular has an investigation into allegations that the American government either knew in advance of the attacks on 11th September or even had some involvement:

And we now know that the US was planning an attack on Afghanistan well before September 11. A week after 9:11, the BBC reported: “Niaz Naik, a former Pakistan Foreign Office Secretary, was told by American Officials in mid-July [2001] that military action against Afghanistan would go ahead by the middle of October.” — Fortean Times, Sept 2002

The story to which it refers is still on the BBC site here. Fortunately this is one example of where original journalism surrounding the event has remained pretty much in tact, as a sidebar running by the same piece in the mag uncovers at least four examples of where what was originally said at the time has been altered after the fact.

A scary piece at the front of the news section also seems to predict the end of the world. A wet patch has appeared on the Wailing Wall, precisely where three monotheistic religions (Islam, Christianity, Judaism) believe the beginning of the end will take place.

Combine that with current events in the Middle East and the quote below, and you can see why some people are getting very jumpy:

“Look, Ariel is lamenting in the streets, the ambassadors of peace are weeping bitterly. The highways are deserted, no travellers any more on the roads. Agreements are broken, witnesses held in contempt, there is respect for no one. The land pines away in mourning, the Lebanon is withering with shame, Sharon has become like the wasteland.” — Isiah, 33

Anyhow, until “the end” does come life must continue, so I spent today tidying away odds and ends, periodically feeding and stroking the cat, ironing (for only about the second time this year) and learning my German. I’m a little under half way through the course now but still well below the standard of my failed French A-level.

Took a trip to the garden centre to buy a frame for the new photo, did a bit of writing, and spent an hour and a half at the gym, so all in all had a fairly satisfying day.

Oscar is still being very affectionate. He follows me around wherever I go and keeps on pressing his nose on the end of my nose. I guess it’s the cat version of kissing. He was very upset, then, when after getting back from the gym and feeding him I went straight back out again to puck up Graham and Roger and take them around to Trevor and Jon’s where we were due for dinner shortly after eight.

The food was excellent, as usual, and by the end of the evening, rather full, and hugging a cup of peppermint tea, I felt more relaxed than I have all week. I could have fallen asleep right there and then.

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