savannah, I shall, toots! First day as an American demands lots of photos for sure.

Andraste, chin-chin, clink!

SafeT, I like to get in there with a good renouncing before anyone can pre-renounce me. Some of my best renouncing work has involved using marzipan as a prop.

Pat, I’ve been on a wee break, sweet lady. I’ll be over in the morning – see what you’re up to. How’s the collating coming?

Rand, I wonder if anyone crosses their fingers when taking the oath. I passed the test though! 10 out of 10. My reading test was: The woman put her coat in her house.

Nanas, Hitchens is a puzzling man. I would like to meet him very much but he wouldn’t like it if a girl outdrank him.

Foots, you have made me a deeply jealous woman. I wish you gumboils and dandruff, you Cohen-seeing git.

Laughykate, their poor little skeletons have to be affected by all that hard training on growing bodies.

Kara, I think you can get an application form at the Post Office. Or is that stamps? Anyway, they’ve got Queenie on ‘em.

Debra, I read about that. It’s hard to admire gymnastic excellence in a country when it comes at such a high price. Apparantly the family got a house for life if she stayed with the program. Sounds a bit like a form of slavery to me.

Conan, ha! I couldn’t say for sure, toots – only that I’ll now be in the active, and no longer the passive voice.

Sniffs, you tell me the sweetest whoppers, you great daftie. It;s not Phelps, I’m suspicious of, it’s more the track and field lot. I heard Phelps described today as a human osprey with a wingspan two inches longer than his body is long.

Eolai, they’re not a bad old bunch are they, these Murkins? Few bad bananas at the top but, on the whole, not a bad bunch at all.

Pat, oh yes, what was it about her? i’ll have to have a Google.

Mary, I am looking forward to it. The toughest question they asked me was who is the chief Justice on the Supreme Court and I had to think for a few seconds before I said John Roberts. Apparently, after October, the test is going to get longer and more difficult, plus it will be written. I’m not sure whether that will help ESL applicants.

fmc, you often hear cries of “Infarc me!” at all you can eat buffets, as one more diner’s heart gives way with a mighty infarction, protesting at that last unwise sausage.

Medbh, they’re back to school again. First graders off to school with backpacks half their own body-weight just like tiny pigtailed marines. First grade – aagh! Far too quick, far, far too quick.

KSV, I feel a bit sorry for the Queen. Society has changed rapidly since she came to the throne. She herself has managed to weather it pretty well though. Most Britons like her and want to keep her. It’s all the hangers on, the cousins and whatnot that the public isn’t so keen on supporting.

My wife’s Grandma is an old subject herself. Apparently she gets a pension of around $40/month in the ‘post’

Renunciation is a delicate matter. I tried it at a restaurant and the wait-staff still expected gratuity.

Now I’m going to actually READ the rest of the comments, and say now that if anyone pointed that out before I wasn’t DELIBERATELY being repetitive. I just have another drink to mix and wanted to get this in before I forgot what I wanted to say.

Blogging is a total time suck, so don’t feel guilty about doing more important stuff such as watching your wee girls grow up.