Another visit from Boofums

Neighbouring cat Boofums (or that's what we call him) has been visiting again, and this time deigned to come in for a snack. He's still lovely and cuddly.

Smokey the Cat and the Maplin Sound Pressure Level Meter

Loud-purring cat Smokey apparently purrs at levels up to 98dB, louder than a hairdryer. Lovely pussy pics in all the papers, and a nice Maplin Sound Pressure Level Meter in shot to prove the point.

Man from UNCLE carbine Dragonfawn special

I finally received the Man from UNCLE special carbine I ordered some months ago from Dragonfawn. Basically it's a Walther P38 airsoft pistol with resin attachments, quite a nice job, some rough parts, but I think I can tidy it up and make some improvements using the replica parts I have, then customise a case. And I'd like to get an actual Bushnell Phantom telescopic sight to add an extra level of authenticity...

Secret Agent Golden Sniper kit

Picked this up as a Buy it Now from eBay at some considerable cost, but it would have gone much higher otherwise; okay, it isn't James Bond or even Man from UNCLE, but these sets command ridiculous prices, so I might sell it on... or might not.

Nice win - Revell Sherman Calliope

Received a large and unexpected box in the post - very pleased, it turns out I've won a 1/35th scale Revell Sherman Calliope kit in a Scale Military Modeller reader survey contest. See, it is worth filling these things in and returning them... At the moment I'm also trying to collect some Starfighter, Freedom Fighter, Hustler and Draken kits to do a spot of Supermarionation kit-bashing...

Stuff I've bought recently

A nice book about Doc Savage artist James Bama... more Classic Doctor Who action figures... a Dragon South Wales Borderers Rorke's Drift 1/6th scale figure... and the Airfix Plastic Toy Soldiers book I've been looking for for ages...

Klaus Schulze - Big in Japan

Nice to get this package of a DVD and two CDs from the 2009 Tokyo concert. The original limited edition issued in Japan has a slightly different selection of tracks and more elaborate booklet, but I think I can live without it.

Basically this is not classic Schulze, but it does make a change from his recent collaborations with Lisa Gerrard which tended to outstay their welcome. A combination of delicate sequencing, washes of orchestral tones and the occasional tentative solo makes for a relaxing if unchallenging listening experience - the video is obviously fairly static, but serves to show the extent of the light and video show.

But it looks as if Klaus will be unable to summon the energy to perform frantic solos again - I can imagine his output becoming more soporific as he gets older. I'm sure though that he'll never cease to be interesting.