Apologies if you have had problems accessing the site. There is a torrent of comment spam posting going on and it is hitting my server heavily at the moment. None of it gets through, as I use Askimet for Wordpress, but each attempted spam comment means a server hit and they are coming in batches of 100 in a couple of seconds. I can’t stop it by blocking IP addresses as each comes from a different IP, so it is a botnet at work.
Please, people, if you must use Windows, make sure it is as secure as it can be. Otherwise someone is likely using your PC and has paid about 3 pence to do so.
I am playing with solutions, including a Captcha to be completed. This may mean that commenting is intermittently messed up over the next few days. Sorry.
[Update 7 Jan. I think I've found a temporary sticking plaster so that I don't have to use a Captcha yet. Please let me know of any problems.]
I’m currently using “Bad Behavior” in Strict format with good results. Just thought I’d let you know!