A great effort all round on Movember. Some were a bit more whispy than others but the Mo's on display were certainly distinguished in every way. The blocked plughole in the bathroom sink on 1st December was probably a welcome sight to some of the participant's partners though!

There are some pretty heavy questions floating around at the moment what with economic meltdown, continued religious conflict and the imminent election of the most powerful man in the world. But at codegent towers we have got a few questions of our own...

Who in the office can fit the most amount of Rich Tea biscuits in their mouth at once?

Answer: Mr Matthew Jukes (4)

Next week, an update on who can grow the best tache as we kick off the month of Movember

David has sold my beloved fruit machine on e-bay for £10.50 "to make more room in the office" for our new joiners, he might have a point. But! Matt and I nearly killed ourselves carrying that thing up the stairs! And in doing so we bonded with 'fruity' in a special way.

So with a heavy heart I turn to the words of others to express my feelings on this impromptu break-up :(

"And although we might say that we're alright,
it's clear that we've stepped out of time.
There's something quite telling just there at the edge of your smile.

And its not that a heart has been broken.
It's just sad when the flames start to freeze.
And the sparks that we had can no longer light up our debris.

It's just part of us all growing older.
Facing things that we don't want to see.
Like a heart is a thing ever changing.
And love, is a thing that will come and go with the breeze."

'Debris' available for purchase here

Now is the winter of our discontent.

The digital world is an exciting place to be right now, but it’s time to get selective. Trouble is, browsing the web, it’s so easy to get distracted and go off on tangents.

My digressions used to include thoughts such as ‘how long have my trainers been so dirty’ or ‘how long have I had my umbrella up and it’s not been raining?’ Now they’re more frequently ‘how long have I spent on this website!?’

I guess Shakespeare was right when he said, ‘All the world’s online, and all the men and women merely avatars.’

I know what you're thinking, but apparantly it’s not a diet, it’s a mixture of "dietary and lifestyle changes that will enable you to lose weight without the unpleasant side-effects normally associated with dieting."

What are the 'unpleasant side-effects' I wonder, putting on weight I guess.

The 'No diet' diet will change the way your body responds to food. 

Well that's great, but whilst we're at it, how about ‘No payment’ bills and ‘No hangover’ alcohol or 'No show-up' work,  then you’d really be talking!

Driving from Brighton to London, I ended up sat behind this truck with the words "Alan Partridge" smeared in the grime.

A few things occured about this; firstly, it's really high up - so the person must have decided to either climb a ladder or another vehicle in order to make the name stand out. And secondly... why? Were they actually called Alan Partridge and just wanted to add a kind of "... woz 'ere" type thing? Or were they fans of Alan Partridge and felt the best way of expressing their admiration was via the gift of dirt graffiti?

I really wish I knew.

I've never been to watch the World Darts Competition before, little did I know that it would enrich my life so much!

Beer, snacks, music, dancing, competition, tension, larger than life characters - there's not much it doesn't have.

I urge you all, go, become a darts fan, don't just watch it on the box, book tickets, do it now!!

These are the people I recognise soley from my journey into work.  We get on the tube at the same station, we always try and sit in the same seats.  I don't know much about you but I know you all by name - 'woman with big hair and strong perfume', 'man who looks like my uncle' (gets me every time) 'boy who stares' and the 'old lady who tuts when the carriage gets full' who I always wonder if I should offer my seat to (but I don't).

I see you more regularly than some members of my family, so I thought I should just throw out a quick Happy Christmas. Sorry I didn't get you a present, perhaps I'll just give you a smile next time I see you (and you pretend not to recognise me either), although would that just make me 'random smiling' girl to you.......?

In the midst of a deadly cold snap us men need to make sure we look after ourselves or we might get the sniffles. Nasty. Women have been known to get cold ears, I suggest ear muffs and a big dose of Zippit!

Anyway, Nick Frost (the man flirts with danger in his name alone! What a hero) ably demonstrates the dangers of man flu in this government health video. Optimistically the big trooper still ends on a positive note, an inspiration to us all.

Dear Secret Santa,
if you are having trouble working out what to get me this christmas, just follow this link