DONG!

Inspired by the same car journey as the previous strip, listening to the Six o clock News on Radio 4, which is always preceded by the chimes of Big Ben. You know the one.

The sky's back to its normal shade of periwinkle in this strip - I lightened it in the previous one so there was more contrast between the bluebells and the sky. Here I have a hedge doing the same job.

Ding Dang Dong

This wasn't going to be today's strip, but driving home from work last week I found the grassy verges awash with drifts of bluebells. I love bluebells, especially the way they suddenly appear from nowhere and carpet a forest floor with a misty blue haze for a couple of weeks, and then, just as suddenly, vanish again.

It's also Eurovision season - so we also have a tribute to the Dutch Eurovision Song Contest winners of 1975, Teach In. Ding a Dong is everything you want from a Eurovision song, upbeat, nonsensical, cheesy Somehow, against all odds, the world is better for its existence.

(Caution. Video may contain 70s Eurotrash fashion)

Remember...
When you're feeling all right, everything is up-tight,
Try to sing a song that goes Ding-Ding a Dong.
There will be no sorrow, when you sing tomorrow,
And you walk along with your Ding Dang Dong.

The yolks on Jones

By law, in any cartoon strip in Britain, if eggs are involved you must involve the old hackneyed pun "the yolks on you" or similar. Read a copy of the Beano, Cor!!, or Whizzer and Chips from any Easter in the 70's and marvel at the way this pun is used in the final frame of every single comic strip. "Ho ho - now for a feast..."

Out of character

Reading a Wikipedia article on Diner Slang, I am assured that terms such as this are unknown outside the US. Sorry, but we know the difference between sunny side up and over easy. In fact it's so ingrained into our culture that Wings' final LP 'Back to the Egg' had both sides of a fried egg on its label, one side sunny side up and the other side over easy.

When Easter Bunnies get bored...

Incidentally, Lindt have started accessorising their chocolate bunnies with chocolate carrots - though at first glance I thought they were umbrellas...

Tail war

It is possible to have fun without opposable thumbs.

BHS

BHS is British Home Stores, a chain of departments stores with not very many departments. Once upon a time it sold food and I used to be fascinated by its cheese department, which would slice exactly however much cheddar you wanted from huge rounds of cheese using a cheesewire. Nowadays it concentrates on clothing, lighting and 'home accents', and it's food heritage is reduced to a cafe upstairs and a sandwich bar downstairs. And every Christmas, if you got one of those pointless gifts that says someone thought of you but had no idea what to get you, you can be sure they bought it at BHS.

Quiz

Written in New Mexico during an afternoon where Linda's mum was watching the Game Show Network, a TV station I find strangely compelling because it shows mirror universe versions of shows I already know from UK TV. Who was that presenter of Family Feud in the 1970s, and was he actually as creepy as he seems? Does it seem strange to you that there are 25 actresses in LA who's only job is to stand behind a numbered box? On The Chase, how did an affable chubby man from Devon come to be called 'the Beast'? 

Make up your own questions to these answers. Obviously, the third one is a Jeopardy answer in the style of a question (Jeopardy never made it over here) and the last answer is a small area adjacent to the City of London where the city police had no authority, and which inspired Madness' highly recommended comeback album.

The still on the telly is of Pointless, my fave quiz show of the moment.

Dungeons

...along with about £1.27 in change, the TV remote, car keys, several tissues, three custard creams, a pair of scissors, several orphaned socks and Lord Lucan.

Scatter

To an extent this series of strips was inspired by my noticing that the number of cushions on our sofa was multiplying, and that I was never comfortable on the sofa until I had discarded every one of them. Besides, they're scatter cushions - so that's what you're supposed to do with them.

Standard

An attempt at drawing a J-cloth. I'm not sure it worked.

Cold words

Actually, you never see breath condense from a cat's mouth, though humans steam like chimneys. Why is this?

Radiator

You'll have noticed that blog posts have been erratic over the last few weeks. Sadly, my mother was ill in hospital and died on April 1st. I'm writing this on Good Friday, the day after her funeral. Thank you to everyone who sent me their sympathies, they were greatly appreciated. Everyone who met her remembers her with fondness, and we miss her.

But life goes on. Let's get on with it. And remember that so much of the sense of humour seen in this strip was passed on to me by my Mum.

Billy's favourite spot over the winter has been underneath the radiator. It's never actually occurred to him that we never turned the central heating on this winter, as it was wet rather than cold one this year. It's meant Bella got to keep the fire to herself.