RNA Conference, I make another very odd speech, lots of people are very kind (or, at least, drunk with style) and cats.

Ah good, you're still here.  I must apologise for my tardiness in the blogitude this week, but I was attending the Great RNA Conference in Penrith, (no, it's not in Wales.  No, it's not in Cornwall either.  Just - I don't know, look it up or something).

And truly it was a marvellous thing.  So many old friends!  Some of them are old whilst remaining quite young, in a trick previously unknown to physicists, and some of them are new friends whose age remains indeterminate because it always seems impolite to accost a new acquaintance with the phrase "how old are you, because I need to know where to file you on the friendship-timeline', don't you think?  Anyway.  There I was.  And whilst there, I received The Rosebowl.  It has joined my other trophies in the land of cat-inaccessibility.  Look. 

Is this not a delicious sight?  It was previously much dustier, but I blew quite hard.

I don't have any roses though, which is a drawback. I'm thinking of filling it with Maltesers, but this may be a short-lived activity, plus there's some quite nice decoration on that bowl which might never look the same again if subjected to the briefest touch of a chocolatey ball.

You know who you are...

There were also moments of quiet fun.  Like this.  Those bottles are, in fact, stunt bottles, the chocolate is artificial and the grins are sponsored by M&S.  Not S&M.  And my lips are sealed on the 'fisting' debacle...

The most wonderful time was had by all and sundry, the people were, as ever, brilliantly tolerant of my inability to tell the difference between 'appropriate' and 'inappropriate' comments, Kate Johnson will never, ever discuss Fifty Shades of Grey with me again, and many other people will wince ever time that rosebowl is on public display - suffice it to say, for those of you who weren't there, my 'wee' comments during my previous speech were NOTHING compared to what I said this time...

And now, for those who were mentally scarred by the whole 'Jane Makes a Speech' event, here's a picture of cute cats.

Abraxus and Cal asleep on the sofa.  Yes, it does look uncomfortable, doesn't it?  But they are already planning how this pose will look when performed in a rosebowl.