inspired by the "indie chicks you have loved thread", i noticed mention of Marina from Stingray seen here enjoying a glass of Chianti in a small trattoria she knows near Marineville... the question is, which other, er, non-human people floated your boat as a kid? or indeed, a bit later ...

just like to point out that clarkson's review of the bentley brooklands (basic model nearly £240k) is soundtracked by 'wake up' by rage against the machine ... did he know? was someone on the production team having a laugh? ...

The other week, I had to visit the Royal Highland Show at Ingliston, on the edge of Edinburgh, for job-related reasons. This is the massive, annual hoolie for the agricultural industry north of the border with royal patronage, prize-winning animals, rare breeds, food hall, horses, ill-tempered Shetland ponies and unlimited opportunities to buy a quilted gilet or green wellies.

I think I may have been at the RHS once before, years ago, but my peer group shows no interest - so it was always one of those aspects of Edinburgh life that passed me by.

And on this year's visit? I had a ball. After I did my work bit, I wandered round and got up close and personal with Aberdeen Angus the size of a Chelsea Tractor, breeds of sheep that looked like they just walked off the set of Doctor Who, ate some great food and inadvertently bumped into Princess Anne (well, okay, walked past quite closely). An altogether diverting afternoon - avoided the pissed young farmers in the beer tent though.

Told my mates over the next couple of days and they said, "Highland Show? Animals. Just a bunch of animals. What you want to go there for? It's just animals..." They almost seemed appalled.

The unremittingly 'landed' aspect of the participants at the RHS might indeed turn off some people who are leftie minded but what generally struck me was the notion that staying in and watching re-runs of comedy shows from the 1990s (my 40something friends) was supposed to be preferable to real life. It also made me think that next year I should borrow some friends' kids because at least they'd love it.

As for my mates, how fekkin middle-aged can you get? Mortgage, bickering with your partner and wage slavery aside, when was the last time you thought, "Oh shit, we're so middle-aged"?

I was looking at the 'first record I ever bought' thread when I realised that the first record I ever owned was a Top of the Pops album dating to 1972 (although I had to Google it to verify the date): a present from a well-meaning grandma to a nine-year-old who enjoyed "that pop music"...

Check out the cover. Meanwhile for a full Wikipedia explanation of the albums, click here.

For younger Word readers, and those who can't be bothered clicking through to Wikipedia, the TOTP album series had nothing whatsover to do with the BBC TV show, involved compilation after compilation of chart hits, started in summer 1968 and lasted until 1982 - 91 titles in all on Pickwick's Hallmark label. (They brought out a swansong 92nd in 1985.) Famously, their front covers were very simple pictures of 'dolly birds' (no other description really does it justice) and a track listing.

They were the Now That's What I Call Music of their day, with one crucial exception - each album was full of well-kent tunes but they were all cover versions by jobbing session musicians.

The track listing for "my first album" was - with original artistes in brackets, as best as I can Google them - Metal Guru (T Rex), Supersonic Rocket Ship (The Kinks), Tumbling Dice (Rolling Stones), Coconut (Harry Nilsson), Rocket Man (Elton John), Lady Eleanor (Lindsifarne), What's Your Name (Chicory Tip), Doobedood'ndoobe Doobedood'ndoobe (Diana Ross), Little Willy (The Sweet), Isn't Life Strange (Moody Blues), California Man (The Move) and At The Club (no idea - anyone recognise that?).

As a nine-year-old I think I enjoyed the parping on California Man bestest. All together now, "Goin' to a party, meet me out after school..."