THINGS AREN'T ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM.

Better safe than sorry ........

POLICE BREAK INTO CAR TO RESCUE STUFFED TOY. Two police officers broke into a car to save a dog they feared was overheating inside, only to find it was a cuddly toy.

The PCs, who became concerned about the “sleeping” animal after being alerted by a member of the public, attempted to wake it from the back seat of parked car.

When it would not be roused, they smashed the window of the Mercedes coupe fearing it would be harmed in the 18C temperatures.

It was only when they reached inside to rescue the King Charles Spaniel that they realised it was merely a stuffed cuddly toy worth £4.50. -  Hannah Furness, The Telegraph (02/04/2012)

And this isn't the only such mistake to be made .....

SNAKE THAT IS IN FACT A DRAUGHT EXCLUDER. A woman called in the Scottish Society For The Protection Of Cruelty To Animals (SPCA) after finding what she thought was a 5ft snake in her loft - but it turned out to be a lookalike draught excluder (pictured to the left). - BBC News (03/04/2012)

Today's newspapers, tomorrows sculpture.

MEET METRO MAN. Metro (newspaper) is the first place for news and gossip on the daily commute - and for one teenager, it is also the inspiration and material for her art.
Emily Davidson collected dozens of papers for her Metro Man statue.

‘The concept of the sculpture is that the man is a typical commuter hurrying to catch a train but just so happens to be made from the newspaper he reads daily, Metro,’ she said. - Sonia Elks, The Metro (02/04/2012)

(Lego) bricks and mortar water ....... 

HARRY GETS A NEW HOUSE. As most people struggle to keep a roof over their heads, one lucky Brit has managed to land a multi-coloured pad for free.

Harry the hermit crab hasn't even had to shrimp and save like the rest of us, he was given his new Lego house.

Hermit crabs lack their own body - so often protect themselves by hiding in nearby shells and so when bosses at Legoland in Windsor noticed Harry chose brightly coloured Lego bricks instead of regular shells in his pond they decided to build a Lego home for him. - Conor Sheils, The Mirror (02/04/2012)


After last weeks TREE-MU, today it's the turn of ET, the Extra TREE-estrial ......

ALIEN SPOTTED IN TREE TRUNK. Luckily for anyone of a nervous disposition walking through this village in Suffolk on a dark night, this creatures bark (tree/bark - get it?) is definitely worse than its bite.
Have you twigged what it is yet?
A tree on the edge of Badwell Ash has proved an unusual location for a UFO sighting, with some observers claiming that the knotted trunk resembles the figure of an alien. - Rob Leigh, The Mirror (03/04/2012)


What a CATastrophe!

SNOWBALL SCARES OFF POSTIES. Frightened postal workers have been banned from delivering letters to one notoriously hazardous address after being repeatedly 'attacked' by a three-year-old cat called Snowball.

Following a thorough investigation the Royal Mail has stopped its workers from delivering mail to the address after labelling the black and white moggy a 'health and safety risk'. - Mark Molloy, The Metro (04/04/2012)

Doh!!!!!!!

BURGLARS CAUGHT BY SECURITY CAMERAS THEY HAD INSTALLED. Four burglars have been jailed after a CCTV system they installed at one of their own homes filmed them carrying stolen goods back from a robbery.
The dozy quartet were seen getting out of a car wearing latex gloves and the carrying the jewellery. One was also captured putting empty boxes into a wheelie bin outside the property in Armley, Leeds, West Yorks. - The Telegraph (05/04/2012)

There to help ....... But not with 'ludicrous' enquiries.

BRITS WASTING EMBASSY TIME. British nationals are apparently wasting embassy time with "ludicrous" enquiries about lost false teeth, runny jam and plastic surgery problems, William Hague (Foreign Secretary) has revealed.

Listing some of the "bizarre demands" of expats and tourists, the Foreign Secretary urged people not to stretch scarce consular resources.

"This is obvious, you may think. But nonetheless it came as a surprise to the caller in Spain who was having difficulty finding somewhere to have Christmas  lunch.

"If you are having difficulty erecting a new chicken coop in your garden in Greece as someone else was, I am afraid that we cannot help you.

"Equally, I have to say that we are not the people to turn to if you can't find your false teeth, if your sat nav is broken and you need directions, if you are unhappy with your plastic surgery, if your jam won't set, if you are looking for a dog-minder while you are on holiday, if your livestock need checking on, if you would like advice about the weather, or if you want someone to throw a coin into the Trevi fountain for you because you forgot while you were on holiday and you want your marriage to succeed." - ITN News (05/04/2012)

Possibly my favourite article of the week .....

RUNAWAY TORTOISE FOUND. A missing tortoise has turned up alive and well - six months after she disappeared.

Thirty-five-year-old Terrie was tracked down less than 200 yards from her home by Wilson, an inquisitive two-year-old boxer dog, and his owners, Rachel and Carl Worsnip. - Jim Green, The Leader (06/04/2012)

 As always I will endeavour to bring you the links (marked in bold capitals) to articles I have used in my Media Monday posts but this is not always possible.