3:49pm

Things have perked up a bit since this morning

Graham made Sarah H a birthday cake out of broccoli and jelly babies

4pm sugar rush, here we come.

9:53am

Fruit Towers is rather quiet today as lots of people are working from home or skiing.

 The gym is bereft of buffness

 

But that might be down to quite a few people cycling into work

Sam's chilli plants are coming on a treat

Gile's fish, Johnny, has just had his breakfast

 

And Eddie has found a Mickey Mouse costume under Shilpee's desk. She's very kindly given it too him as it's too big for her.

Apparently the hat with the ears on is rubbish but the four finger gloves are great.

He's going to keep it on till lunchtime

Just to liven things up a bit.

freaky friday

If you're currently looking for some freak for your Friday have a watch of this...

Then if you're still looking for even more strangeness (and have a spare £60 lying about) why not treat yourself to a night out at The Greatest British Eccentric of the Year Award?

google kat

Everyone's looking for themselves on Google Street View today. The UK version has just launched.

We found our Kat (chief designer) strolling back from the shops just at the bottom of our drive.

fruit towers today

This is up on a few walls. Don't know what it means.

This is up above the toaster. I know what it means.

This is the legendary Pritt Stick. It's been stuck on the ceiling for about 4 years. A man called Shrimp threw it up there after he had drunk some beer.

And this is a painting by a good man called Ben Harris. It depicts a talking duck wearing a trilby.

thoughts for thursday

Like any good company we tend to pin a lot random rubbish and thoughts to our walls to decorate the place a bit. And to help with that looking away from your computer screen and focusing on something at a distance thing. 

So here's some thoughts for your Thursday, feel free to print them out and pin them to your walls. Then take a picture of it and get your friend to put it to their wall, by the time we know it it could get like that weird infinite mirror illusion you get in lifts and stuff. Let us know if that happens, we like stuff like that.

 

 

 

hot competition

Our Anthony is running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the National Autistic Society and to spice up his sponsorship a bit, he's given everyone who sponsors him a little chilli plant to nurture.

 

The person who grows the biggest plant by the time he crosses the finish line will win a special prize and the coveted title of Champion Chilli Grower 2009. 

To say the competition in Fruit Towers is hotting up is an understatement.  

Rosie has not one but two plants on the go and has enlisted the green fingers of Atha and his special worm juice to grow the biggest chillies.

 

'Worm juice' is not actually liquidised worms but the nutrient packed digestive liquid that worms produce when you use them in your compost heap.

Atha made a special trip to Kings Cross just to get a bottle. Not like they're taking this too seriously or anything.

Over in Unit 5, IT Sam is keeping his chilli plant under a light at all times and coaxing it to grow big and strong through growth affirming mantras and positive visualisation ( chilli plant screensavers on loop).

Mr. Ed is simply 'leaving it to Nature' (although he's been seen cradling and softly singing to his plant, a la the Athena ad).

 

Becca's chilli plant (a.k.a Fairuza) is doing very well in reception. Becca takes her outside everyday to get a bit of fresh air but is having to keep a close eye on her progress, due to repeated sabotage attempts from IT Sam.

Meanwhile, Jan's chilli plant is not actually on his desk. That's because where he sits is not 'the optimum spot for growing prize winning chillis.' Having surveyed the whole office for photosynthesis potential, he has chosen Helen's east facing desk for it's positioning and proximity to a window (without being in direct sunlight).

And no one is really sure what Reece is doing to grow the biggest chillis in the building but so far it seems to involve a pulley system, special gloves and night time watering in a black polo neck.

 

We'll keep you updated on the plants' progress as it happens.

Meantime, if you've got any chilli growing tips for our growers or anti-chafing inspirational power ballads for Anthony, please post them below.

sneak preview

We've been working on something for a while now. You can only get it in one place at the moment but come April, it'll be everywhere.

For those of you who fancy playing Inspector Clueso, here's some pictorial clues to follow.

 

 

friday the 13th

Useless bit of trivia for a Friday afternoon

Paraskevidekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia are the terms given to having a fear of Friday 13th.

Meaning you will probably have spent most of today touching various bits of wood or trying to type with crossed fingers.

Incidentally, hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is the fear of long words.

Which, when you think about it, is slightly insensitive of the people down the phobia naming department.

blasts from the past

innocent is coming up to it's tenth birthday this year, and like any 9.82 year old worth their salt we're starting to reminisce a bit. Lessons learnt, stories accumulated, favourite colouring pens lost, that sort of stuff. 

There'll be quite a lot of reminiscing in our new book when it comes out but for now here's a couple of blasts from the past closest to my desk this morning.

Here's one of our old posters from back in 2004, a vintage year in posters for us. 

And here's Rich, Adam and Jon in the park, looking a bit younger than they do now. Only a year or two, but younger.

Expect more reminiscing as the year goes on.