What is funny about numb?

Someone told me that comedy is only comedy if it has meaning.
I think Simon Amstell hits the nail on the head with underlying messages and dark humour.
I really enjoyed 'Numb' and 'Do Nothing', the first which is on iPlayer at the moment and the second which is on Youtube.
Very very funny.
Though I do wonder about what I find funny. Often the quite wacky (Family Guy), the resigned, brutally honest and hilarious (Peep Show), the 'making-fun-of-public-figures' Have I Got News For You, then silly things like an infectious laugh or sharing old jokes with friends.

It used to be more the blatant and exaggerated (Big Bang Theory) and the silly (The Simpsons) and the mundane made funny (Michael Mcintyre). However they rarely make me crack a smile any more. I guess tastes change as life happens and certain things become much more comic, especially when you've experienced them yourself.

I also think that the atmosphere at a comedy gig might make certain jokes more funny. Isn't it true that laughter is 'infectious'?

I enjoy all kinds of stand up comedy, and particularly like finding new comics that I can relate to, though if it's done badly then it really does make you cringe. I think you'd have to be very self assured to make a living as a comic but I suppose your audience gets used to your humour and knows what to expect!

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Banana buns

The great thing about banana buns is that they can be eaten at any time of the day.

I'm not really a wannabe Mary Berry, but I do love to create things, and they will come out with the 'home-made look' and not the polished look.
These aren't too sweet for a breakfast treat, especially if you don't add icing.

I was really excited how these turned out because they had exactly the right texture so I think the ratios in this recipe are just right.

Several friends found the topping quite hilarious in my photo - will say no more.

WARNING: Very addictive

Ingredients

200g self raising flour
3 large, ripe bananas mashed
150g caster sugar
1 egg
75g butter

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180C. Place 12 baking cases in muffin tin.
Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and mashed bananas and combine.
Fold in flour and mix until smooth.
Spoon into muffin cases. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown on top.

Optional

Combine icing sugar and water and drizzle over cooled muffins.
Leave to set.

Enduring Love - Ian McEwan

I MUST admit, this book was a slow starter for me. Though it plunged you straight into the story at the start, I found I didn’t fully relate to the characters until I got about halfway through, by which time I was hooked on the storyline and couldn’t stop reading.

With beautiful prose being a key asset of McEwan’s writing,  this is a short novel for light readers to get their teeth into, offering quality writing over quantity.

The synopsis describes the book as a story of relationships, and this is definitely the key theme, as well as death and mental illness. The main storyline follows Joe Rose and his ‘stalker’ Jed Parry, who we eventually find suffers from de Clerambault’s syndrome, and the effect this has on Joe’s life with his other half Clarissa.

Following a traumatic event, the book keeps you guessing until the end whether Jed is a figment of Joe’s imagination or whether he is the sane one.

An original storyline and a compelling read, this is one to add to your summer reading list.