Deborah, sure.

Hilary White, will you be my girlfriend? (chastely, of course)

I take my tea fairly strong, with half a sugar and a bit of milk. And I like it to be brought to me in bed, about 8:30 in the morning. (Nine on Saturdays).

Oh, and seriously, you need to do something about all that ridiculous sign-in gobbeldygook rigmarole on your blog to leave comments. My attention span/patience lasted about fifteen seconds before I gave up.

Woo hoo!

I'm more famous!

Now, when do we get to the "rich" and "rules the world" part?

From far and wide

Wow, the internet is cool huh?

Welcoming readers today from some very far-flung places indeed. And especially our first reader from China.

Bucharest, Bucuresti Romania,
Dongguan, Guangdong China,
Osaka, Japan,
Dublin, Ireland (Hi Chris)
Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Los Baos, Laguna, Philippines
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (is that you Julian?)
and
Saltillo, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico

So, we've surpassed 50,000 visits.

And have had our first visitor from Norway.

How's the weather in Trondheim, Sor-Trondelag? Bet it's cold.

And in this corner, Wales and the Czech Republic are duking it out for most unpronounceable place name. Welcome readers from Cwmbran, Monmouthshire and Nymburk, Stredocesky Kraj, and I hope y'all find some vowels soon. Try the Dutch. I hear they have extras.

Welcome also readers from the randomly picked Livingston, West Lothian, Bratislava, Slovakia (hey, do you know my friend Fr. Derek Cross? He goes to Bratislava every year), Kidderminster, Worcestershire and Pismo Beach California (place name that for some reason has always made me smile.)

Isn't the internet cool? Where else can you have friendships with people you've never met and who live in places you're never going to go.

Got this via email from another blogger whom I actually have met in real life: "You're to me an email address that will work every bit as well from Toronto or Chester, or Mumbai."

It's the way I like to have all my relationships: texty.

If I get a choice, I'll probably opt for the Beatific Facebook Page for all eternity.

A big Helloooo

Gosh, the internet is interesting. As I've probably said many times, I always more or less assume that I'm writing to myself and about five of my friends. I'm always surprised when I look at the site stats.

Today we have added some very far-flung guests indeed.

I'd like to extend a welcome to our new readers from

Kabul, Afghanistan
Beirut, Lebanon
Rosario, Argentina
Japan (exact place unspecified)
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Hi Dave!)
Budapest, Hungary
and Honiara, Solomon Islands

Gah!

318?!

What are all you people doing here?!

The site stats were supposed to go back down to normal after Binky stopped linking to me.

Aren't there any good bloggers out there to read? What? is everybody else on vacation or something? Look, go away. For your own good. Everyone knows I'm dreadful and wicked and nasty. I'm addicted to blasphemous rock n' roll and punk rock music. I have undesirable political views. I laugh at the jokes on Boston Legal without the slightest moral qualms.

I smoke cigarettes for Pete sake!

You guys are creeping me out. Stop looking at me.

Don't make me stage my own death!

Whew! Glad that's over

Binky has stopped linking to me for the moment and we can get back to normal.

It was very strange to see the site stats go bursting through the roof. A bit like inviting a friend over for tea and discovering he had brought the entire village with him and you don't have enough cake forks or chairs.

It made me nervous; all day I wanted to tell everyone to go away and stop looking at me. I write this thing on the assumption that I am writing it for about five or six readers a day, the ones I know and have had tea/got drunk with. The idea that other people, whom I don't know, come round and watch us while we're in here gives me the creeps. Like discovering that the walls of your cottage, that you thought were brick and plaster, were actually cleverly contrived one-way glass and all the world is watching you as you loaf about on the sofa reading the Oldie and cackling at the jokes.

I have to say it gave me the supreme willies when Steyn linked to me in April. Yeesh. Who would ever want to be famous?

Horrible.

Now, I've got some lovely pics of Beeston Castle for y'all, and a bit of history of that very interesting place. But first I have to get on the bike and ride over to Tarporley, the next village that has a bank, and pay some bills. It's ten miles there and back, so don't expect too much out of me today.

Go read a book, or have a conversation with a loved-one.

I love the net

Just taking a quick mid-day peek at the site meter locations and would like to extend welcome to some new people from

Cape Town, Western Cape South Africa

Pereira, Risaralda Colombia

The Principality of Monaco

Ljubljana, Bohinj Slovenia

Shah Alam, Selangor Malaysia

Victoria, British Columbia (anyone I knew in school?)

Den Haag, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands

Nigeria (unspecified)

and of course the usual suspects and regular hangers-on from London, Rome, Toronto, Front Royal, Basingstoke, Lewisville, Bonn, Dubai, Singapore and Maidens, South Ayrshire.

Gang's all here.

Weird isn't it?

What a link from Kathy and Steyn in the same day looks like

Welcome Mark Steyn readers!

Just got a little note from Kathy that The Great Steyn linked to me. I can't find the exact spot, but the site meter confirms it.

Yikes! And all I've been doing all day is sitting around blithering on about the Catholic side of things, as if anyone cares about that stuff.

Now I feel like jumping up and washing all the teacups and setting the sofa cushions straight.

Kathy Rules

She posted me again.

Wooo!

Watch that site meter whirl!

Thanks woman.

(I never get sued! Hmp.)

I'll have to put the kettle on

I just installed a site meter a few weeks ago and am happy with the results. We don't have a huge club of readers here, nothing like what I enjoyed a few years ago when at the top of my form before I was compelled to take a rest, but the far-flungedness is astonishing.

Welcome today our visitors from

Moscow,

Sydney

Israel,

Rome,

Salisbury (my mother's home town)

Sioux Falls, ND.

Dubai,

Spain,

Bonn,

Singapore,

Welcome Kathy Shaidle fans!

I hope you will find much to offend delicate sensibilities here.

(Thanks for the link Kathy.)

Welcome

Since returning to the 'Sphere in September, I'm happy to say that all my old readers seem to be back and we've picked up a few friends from some unexpected locations.

Welcome to people signing in from

Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire

Chico, California USA

Rezekne, Latvia

Mersin, Turkey

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

and Singapore (is that you Beishlag?)