Phelps facts
He was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder when he was nine
He used to be scared of putting his face in the water
His Mum's a teacher
He's 6'4, with a wingspan of 6'7
He has size 14 feet
He spends 2-5 hours in the water every day
His middle name is Fred
His nickname is Gomer
He likes rap music
He has a pet bulldog called Herman
Mr Lion Tamer and Miss House Dust Particle
Following my witterings about eccentric Finnish surnames, thank you to Lea from Lincoln for informing me that Latvian surnames are equally colourful.
The photograph above features her Latvian partner, whose surname translates as Mr Lion Tamer, and a relative whose maiden name translates as Miss House Dust Particle. Mr Lion Tamer's father was a Mr Holly Bush.
They also know a Mr Lightbulb, a Mr Woodland Scenery and a Mr Long Table.
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Binx - who recently found a new home thanks to The Scratching Post
Thank you to Deb for telling me about The Scratching Post - a fantastic cat rescue shelter near Cheshunt. If you live in Hertfordshire and would like to give a cat a loving home, The Scratching Post is the place to visit.
Thank you to Tammy from Massachusetts for informing me that the gorgeous cat and guinea pig featured in a previous Peacockshock pin-up are in fact her pets Armand (cat) and Titania (guinea pig). Sadly, Titania passed away a few months ago from old age.
Tammy runs a brilliant guinea pig portal, called cavymadness which has some great stuff on it, including snaps of various 'pignics'.
She's also a top pet photographer. Check out her site for some very cute pix.
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My favourite silly season story of 2008 has to be the tale of Nick Boing - a 22 stone ram who lives in his own bungalow in a Cardiff suburb.
He was adopted by the Palmer family when he was a stray lamb and he's lived with them ever since. He used to sleep on the bed, but now he's too big. Nick enjoys sitting on the sofa watching television and eating biscuits and often goes for walks on a lead and trips in the car.
Nick when he was a lamb
You may (or may not) recall my sighting of a man taking what appeared to be a pet reindeer for a walk in Crews Hill near Hertford. I seriously thought I'd lost it and doubted my sanity for several days until a friend said he'd also seen them out for a stroll.
Well - I've done some research now and it turns out the reindeer is definitely real and is called Dobbey.
His owner is Gordon Elliott, 65, from Enfield. Not exactly conventional reindeer country. As far as I'm aware, there aren't any Lapps or Innuits in Middlesex.
Dobbey's apparently very tame and enjoys travelling on the train and going down the pub.
Boll, posing for a birthday portrait today
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