I've added a new we listen section to the sidebar, containing a list of the CDs which are currently rocking Troubled Diva World. You'll also find Amazon links to all the CDs listed. Every single one is a guaranteed gem - no room for half-assed mediocrity here!

Welcome also to four more fine blogs: 8 legs, dust.from.a.distant.sun, Prolific and World In Motion.

I had some fantastic birthday presents last week. In particular, let me single out just two.

The kindness of strangers: Ron at the splendid Leather Egg, a regular reader from all the way across the pond, accessed my Wish List and sent me a stunningly good CD. It's a gesture which I appreciated enormously - and one which, frankly, is to be encouraged. (Thanks also to Peter at Naked Blog for a lovely congratulatory e-mail, which deserved a longer reply than my booze-addled brain was capable of producing at the time).

Dymbel and Dymbellina, aware of our burgeoning interest in the caricatures of James Gillray, actually commissioned a caricature of their own, from a professional cartoonist friend of theirs. It's based on a famous depiction of a Regency period dandy - the original caption reading "All Bond Street trembled as he strode". The dingy looking digipic below does his work scant justice, I'm afraid. Nice to see that the cartoonist has captured the famous Slater Nose so faithfully...

Mike’s holiday reading.

It’s been a nice Bloggiday.

Firstly, I’ve had the decorators in. I call the new look “K-Hole mauve”, for reasons I’d perhaps better not go into (it was all a very, very long time ago).

Secondly, I’ve been catching up on some reading. Here, then, are my Personal Publishing Picks for the past week. All links go directly to the article in question, wherever possible.

Photos from my 40th birthday party can be seen on this page (you can click on each thumbnail to enlarge it).

Hello. You've just popped back to see whether my will has cracked and I've started posting again, haven't you? Well, I haven't. I'm still on Bloggiday. Having a lovely time, will write soon...

www.40in40.com
I've finally set up the 40 In 40 Days Project as a separate site. You can read through each entry in the order it was originally written, or in the order in which the events actually occurred. I've also written an explanatory introduction to the site.

If you've enjoyed reading the project, then I would be most grateful if you could help spread the word. That's all I ask!

I'm taking a few days' break from blogging. Partly because the celebrations of my glorious 40th seem to have robbed me of nearly all my powers of language - partly because after writing around 800-1000 words per day for 40 days, my creative batteries need charging - and partly because I think that every blogger needs to take a break once in a while (let's call it a reality check).

If you're new here, then have fun paging down and digging through the archives.

In the meantime, I'll see you all in other people's comment boxes!

Pick of the birthday cards.
They know me too well!

I was hoping to launch The 40 In 40 Days Project on its own dedicated site today, but this will now have to be delayed till later in the week. Blame the hangover. Yes, it was an excellent birthday party, thank you...

F***ing hell, I'm forty.

And it feels fabulous....