Ever wanted to fly a helicopter......

...... but thought it was too expensive?

Then thought about getting a radio controlled helicopter, but discovered that they are really difficult to fly and they also cost a load of money to buy and then repair (repeatedly!)?

Well, there is now an answer to your dreams - the Air Hogs Helix - available at Argos for just £59.99, it is an amazing bit of kit. Easy to setup, very easy to fly, very stable and a great deal of fun both indoors and out.

The contra-rotating blades make it very stable, the small thruster propellers make it highly manoeuvrable in all directions and best of all the on board rechargeable battery gives about 10 minutes on a 50 minute charge.

UPDATE : it flies better and longer if you take the oversized polystyrene body off, I might even look at fitting a bigger battery as minus body it now has more payload so it can fly for even longer. Also, if you have the misfortune of knackering the blades (and then the spares that come with it!) you can order more from Spin Master Toys UK Ltd. for £4.99 incl. P&P on 01628 535000

To Wii or not to Wii......

I found one, online at Argos in my home town store. It was available for reservation and collection. So I reserved it and collected it, easy or what!?

The store Manager was asked to take item from locked storeroom & gave it to me, as she did, she said "here's your own little bit of gold dust", at which point most of the people in the queue started looking closely at what I had bought!

I can't work out whether to unpack and try it, or post it on ebay and make on it.

I've had a go on a friends Wii & its quite a bit of fun, seems like Wii sports that comes with it would be of most interest to me, maybe a driving game if there are any good ones for it?

I have a sneaky feeling, it will get unpacked and installed....

Yummy bargain.....

On a recent trip to my favourite wine merchant, BBR Outlet in Basingstoke, I noticed what can only be best described as a "boringly labelled magnum of Champagne", if there is such as thing, this was it. Maybe uninteresting would be a better way of putting it.

Luckily the name on the label rang a bell... Roederer is well known in the Champagne world with the name Louis Roederer, but I had also heard of Theophile Roederer somewhere and decided that the £29.00 being asked for the last magnum on the shelf was worth a punt.

Turns out to have been an inspired choice, it was fantastic. Sadly only bottles left at BBR now, but at less than £15.00 still a bargain. Strangely labelled altogther differently.

Also noted after a bit of searching was a Theophile Roederer history from the Irish Post, where he is linked to Champagne Cristal, which as everyone knows was the toast of the Russian Tsars and current tipple of P Diddy, Nelly et al (oh and Dr Evil!)

Come back, all is forgiven....

.... even if you do look like a cartoon character!!

BBC News reports of an article in Autocar magazine for a new, revised updated & green version of the Routemaster bus that was synonymous with London Transport for decades.

Apparently the new version will run on electric motors which would be powered by battery packs which, in turn, are charged by a hydrogen-fuelled engine and generator.

Sadly the whole scheme has been completely damned as it has been endorsed by none other than Henley MP Boris Johnson, who is the Conservative candidate for London mayor, he backed the plan which he said was the "shape of the future". Oh and the cost, about £600m!

Its only taken me 6 months.....

... but I have finally got a load of images together for my birthday present (from May!) - a Philips Digital Photo Frame.

I don't think it was the cheapest item ever bought for me, but it is a really clever & useful bit of kit.

I've taken a few of my own images & added quite a few from the internet from various sites.

Whilst looking for some images on pBase, I came across the stunning work of Ian Cameron, he has his own website called Transient Light as well. Definitely worth a look, and if you're anything like me, you will glued to your screen for a while in awe of the beautiful images & maybe even prompted into taking a course with him in Scotland, something I plan to do in 2008.

Do you expect me to talk.....

..... aucun M. Bond, je m'attends à ce que vous mouriez!

Yes, it looks like the new Bond villain is a Frenchman. At least he looks a bit scary.

Actor Mathieu Amalric is reported to have told film magazine Empire "I play the villain, yes." No official confirmation by Bond producers Eon or distributor Sony Pictures yet.

New film set for UK release on 7th November 2008 is based on the novel called Devil May Care, written by Sebastian Faulks is apparently set in 1967?

UPDATE : the movie itself has reportedly had a number of working titles such as Bond 22, B22, Agent in Risico, Risico, Risico Hessi, Risico Quessi and The Royal Creed. The actual title was announced on January 24th 2008 as.... Quantum of Solace.