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SQ and BB

Post 641

SashaQ - happysad

I see you've started the Hollywood Bowl album Entry smiley - ok

I've started the Hadlow Entry smiley - ok (I see you got the word from Hadfield + Bleaklow, but I still like the coincidence of it).

Do you know what this means, "the train had through coaches for London Euston"? Does it mean that you could get on the train and go to London Euston without changing trains?

A bit of a mixed weekend for me - it was a family get-together that was quite enjoyable, but it took place in hospital as we visited mum while she needed emergency antibiotics. She's back home now, though, so that's good.

That is impressive about your children's shoe sizes, but not so good that it meant much expense on footwear...

I still haven't seen any more Lost World episodes as I keep missing them in the TV schedules, but I certainly enjoyed reading your Entry and will sub it next smiley - ok


SQ and BB

Post 642

Bluebottle

I took a break from photo sorting to finish off the first draft of the Hollywood Bowl entry last night – the idea of writing a review of an album before it is actually released appealed to me. I'm sure I'll tweak the entry after I've heard the album a few times, but I think it's a good start.smiley - smiley

Ah - that explains Hadlow, but I'll look forward to reading about it. I would have thought that 'the train had through coaches for London Euston' would mean that you could get to London Euston without changing – but as they've said 'through coach' rather than 'you could get a train to London Euston', it makes me wonder whether they mean that a locomotive would pull one or more carriages to a main or junction station, where it/they would be detached from the original train and be joined to a separate train heading to London Euston? Do we know what era these trains are running in?

Sorry to hear about your mum being in hospital, but I'm glad she's back at home now. My dad's now visiting this weekend, so at the moment I think next weekend is freesmiley - smiley, and the Winchester Half Marathon is the weekend after that.smiley - yikes

<BB<


SQ and BB

Post 643

SashaQ - happysad

smiley - ok I've bookmarked your review to look at as well

I see the London Euston train was running in 1932 http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/h/hadlow_road/index.shtml

That's good that it sounds like you're going to have some free time next weekend, as it will be most fun if we can meet Charlotte for more photos, rather than me having to rope someone else in smiley - laugh I studied the statue some more and see that fiberglass Charlotte appears to have one arm longer than the other, so re-creating her pose totally will be impossible, but I look forward to having a go at approximating it!


SQ and BB

Post 644

Bluebottle

'Charlotte appears to have one arm longer than the other, so re-creating her pose totally will be impossible'
Ah. Oh well, I'll just have to cancel my appointment at the barber's (I was going to see if I can get my hair done in the same style as Charlotte's). To be honest it is a bit of a relief as I couldn't find a matching dress in my size anywhere smiley - winkeye

Ah, so 1930s would be after the Grouping (when all the small railway companies became 4 large ones) so that would make sense as you would be travelling on the same railway company's lines all the way. With one through coach service to London a day then yes, I'd expect it to be a carriage that is detached from the original train to be attached at a larger junction station to a train heading onto London. They get the advantages of being able to advertise a direct service to London with little hassle even if they do not have the numbers for a more regular service.

<BB<


SQ and BB

Post 645

SashaQ - happysad

Ah, that's a shame about the dress. smiley - laugh Are you in your long-hair phase at the moment, then? I did try to get my hair cut in a 19th Century gentleman's style that Charlotte would have approved of, ready for our next meeting, but strangely it turned into more of a pudding bowl than an undercut so I had to get my hair cut again this week into a more modern style - nearly made me swoon at the price of getting a haircut twice in two months, but anyway the cut should last a few more months this time.

Thanks for the info about the through carriages - I had a go at writing it up into my Entry, but I need to look at it again...

The new version of The Lost World is A87877101 - please subscribe.

I enjoyed reading it smiley - ok I've subbed it and had no questions, so I hope it is still OK for you.

smiley - teasmiley - biggrin


SQ and BB

Post 646

Bluebottle

I've read through 'The Lost World' and it looks good to me, so press the button!

You might be right in that my hair isn't quite long enough at the moment (about down to my eyebrows at the front). Oh well – I might have to give up my dream of being a professional Charlotte Yonge impersonator, though I'm not sure it would have paid as well as being a member of, say, a Beatles tribute band in any case…

I'll look forward to seeing your new hairstyle – are you still coming down this weekend? If you get a chance to wonder around Southampton, there's only a week or two left of the Zebra trail there, although I'm not sure how many unvandalised zebras are left.

Hope you had a good weekend! Saturday was frustrating as there was an Open Heritage Day all around Southampton but the weather was so terrible there was no point in taking the children as they wouldn't have enjoyed it at all. My Dad and step-mum visited yesterday, and that was good.

<BB<


SQ and BB

Post 647

SashaQ - happysad

Yes, a Beatles tribute band hairstyle is easier, and would pay better than a Charlotte Yonge impersonator indeed smiley - laugh

I am indeed visiting Charlotte this weekend and going to the zoo to see the zebras. Sorry to hear about the vandalisation... The superlambananas seemed to escape the worst of it in Liverpool, so that is a bit of a surprise that the zebras were a target... Do you have a preferred day for meeting me and Charlotte yet?

Sorry you didn't have the best weather. We had good weather - breezy but sunny - so I did have a good time as we had another family get together but in a restaurant this time, which was good.

smiley - ok


SQ and BB

Post 648

Bluebottle

I've spent the weekend enjoying music, as not only has there been a new Beatles album, but there's a new MeatLoaf album out too (which if you get from Tescos contains an extra 3 tracks, plus you get Clubcard points towards Legoland). So what is the difference between Beatles and MeatLoaf? Well, BES & MOAF (they both have eatl in the middle)…

It looks like both stolen zebras have been found and returned, and four of the vandalised zebras have been repaired and are back on display, only inside the Marlands Shopping Centre rather than where they were originally located: http://zanyzebras.org.uk/marwells-zany-zebras-update-stolen-damaged-sculptures/
I still hope to visit them all if I can, but that would involve being in Southampton on the Saturday as the library is closed on Sundays, though I don't know if my wife has plans for the weekend yet. So I still can't say anything for certain yet, I'm afraid. She's out tonight, too…

I'm very glad that the family get-together was in a restaurant rather than a ward this time round.

<BB<


SQ and BB

Post 649

SashaQ - happysad

smiley - ok

"BES & MOAF (they both have eatl in the middle)…"

smiley - laughsmiley - ok

It was great to meet you again, and the timing was good that we fitted it in before it was my turn to start falling asleep - the zoo trip was rather strenuous, so I was grateful to not be out too late in the evening.

Good to see you managed to photograph a pleasing number of Zebras too smiley - ok (sorry if I said something weird during our conversation smiley - flustered as I didn't realise until the next day that you had also been in the Marlands at some point when we may or may not have been there at the same time...).

I've still got more photos to add to FB, but last night I finished building a photo book about my Solent travels and my next task is to make complaints about some of the service I received, and then I will have chance to look at photos again. I'm well chuffed with my Charlotte photos, though smiley - tasmiley - biggrinsmiley - biggrinsmiley - biggrin

Thank you for the DVD too - I look forward to watching that, as I don't think I've seen Jose in action before, but he is one of the characters I particularly take note of in the Disney Trivial Pursuit smiley - ok

I arrived back at work to find a smiley - mammoth on my desk - I was a bit worried it might be a velociraptor in a woolly coat, but if it is, it hasn't bitten me yet, so we're doing OK... I hope all's going as well as can be expected for you.

I see I did take the Terminator Entry to sub (I picked two quickly in case of needing them urgently) so I look forward to reading that shortly smiley - ok

smiley - tea


SQ and BB

Post 650

SashaQ - happysad

Hello Redbottle

What did you make of it, then? I found the new episode to be one of the complicated ones, as I missed a bit and lost the plot in the end, but it was entertaining enough and good to see the team in action again... I do now understand that the Green Bug is the shuttle of the Red Dwarf, so much becomes clear in relation to the episodes I watched previously!

I remembered why I didn't watch very much of the older series, though - all the characters are really strong and great to watch, but the storylines are so desperately sad smiley - cry Especially the last of the three episode they showed last night, from III, when Rimmer had to sacrifice everything for Lister smiley - cry

I see a new series of Taskmaster is coming soon on Dave, so I look forward to that, as I always find that funny and fascinating smiley - biggrinsmiley - evilgrin


SQ and BB

Post 651

Bluebottle

Ah – perhaps it is too relaxing to meet somewhere that is both quiet and sells ice-cream, maybe next time we should go somewhere noisy and uncomfortable to help keep us awake? Or on second thoughts, maybe notsmiley - winkeye

Glad you're pleased with the Charlotte pictures, and it is quite amusing to think that we were both zebra-hunting at roughly the same time but didn't see each other. Today at nammet time I went to the Marlands to look in CEX, the second-hand DVD shop (I got 3 DVDs: 'Howard the Duck', 'Hook' and 'Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story' which is a fictional rock biopic that is supposed to have a cameo scene featuring the Beatles) when what did I see outside the shop but Zycling Zebra? I thought to myself, 'What is that zebra doing there', went to the Zebra shop and saw that they've now put Ticket To Ride where Zycling Zebra was. I finally got to see 'Ticket To Ride' - and I didn't have my camera with mesmiley - wah I tried taking a photo with what my phone erroneously calls a camera, so at least I have a vague, blurry image and can say I saw all the zebras outside Marwell.

Hope you enjoy the DVD, let me know what you think once you've watched it. Have a good weekend! (I've signed up to do a hilly half Marathon in Winchester, which I hope I survive as I don't feel fit enough yet…)

<BB<


SQ and BB

Post 652

Bluebottle

Yes – Red Dwarf is the large spaceship and it has a number of shuttles, including the small 2/3-man Blue Midgets (only regularly appeared in Red Dwarf II, before Kryten became a main character) and the larger Starbugs. Good to see that within 5 minutes of the start of the show, Starbug had crashed. I'd quite like to see Holly and Kochanski back too, not sure if they'll return, though.

You're right that the storylines do tend to be a bit sad, as the original concept of the show had been about a group of losers as a deliberate decision to be opposite to 'Star Trek' where everything is new and shiny and everyone is highly skilled. I've not seen 'Taskmaster' before, but it did look quite intriguing.

<BB<


SQ and BB

Post 653

SashaQ - happysad

Yeah, I guessed the characters are supposed to be unsympathetic so it is more laughing at them rather than with them, but it's sad when you are a loser too and it seems like the audience is laughing at you... smiley - blue

It would be good to see Holly in the new series - I had forgotten about hir, but ze is another strong character. Not sure I've seen much of Kochanski, but I certainly know of her from what little I've seen.

I like Taskmaster, as it is about problem solving, and the problems they are given to solve are impressively surreal, like making a block of ice disappear as quickly as possible, or making a dinner out of things beginning with every letter of the alphabet. Fascinating to see the different strategies people think of.

Good luck with the run smiley - goodluck


SQ and BB

Post 654

SashaQ - happysad

Yes, somewhere quiet that sells icecream is definitely preferable to somewhere noisy and uncomfortable, even when we're tired smiley - laugh

I'm impressed by the variety of shops in the Marland - I didn't see CEX, sadly, but I did find the Solent uni shop, which was fascinating. My local shopping centre is full of chains and the boutique shops tend to be in inaccessible back street locations, which isn't helpful...

Well done on finding Ticket to Ride! Glad you got a good photo too. I know what you mean about phone 'cameras' - mine was top of the range 15 years ago, but it only has about 144 pixels to its name so the images are rather vague! Congratulations on finding all the Zebras outside Marwell smiley - magic

I've today discovered free e-books of public domain works like wot Charlotte's books are these days smiley - evilgrinsmiley - biggrin


SQ and BB

Post 655

Bluebottle

Kochanski appeared occasionally in early episodes, and then became a main character in series VII & VIII, whereas Holly was a main character up to the end of V, returned in VIII and like Kochanski hasn't been seen since. I'm not really sure why they've gone, although series VII had a lot of criticism for not being so funny and some of that was directed at how it was perceived that Kochanski wasn't as funny a character as Rimmer (Chris Barrie being busy with 'The Britas Empire' at the time).

Ah, you saw Re:So, the Uni's award-winning boutique shop. It's been there almost 4 years now and seems to be doing quite well. They should have zebras in there more often.smiley - smiley

Ah – if you've discovered unlimited e-books of public domain works, does this mean you'll rapidly find your free time vanishing?

I got another medal yesterday after doing the Winchester Half Marathon, which was very hilly. Today all my limbs still feel like they’re made out of painful jelly – but knowing I can do a difficult Half Marathon is a stop closer to feeling brave enough to sign up for a full Marathon. One Day. Possibly. Maybe.

<BB<


SQ and BB

Post 656

SashaQ - happysad

That is somewhat telling, I think, that "Kochanski wasn't as funny as Rimmer" - he has definitely been set up as easy to laugh at, whereas I can imagine she wasn't such an easy target...

That is impressive that Re:So has been there for 4 years. It is a great idea to develop student skills and uni reputation smiley - ok

I'm reading my free e-book (Charlotte's Spinster one) in time that was otherwise engaged in being shipwrecked on the sofa (in theory, but as the e-book reader is connected to the internet, I'm looking at h2g2 instead at the moment smiley - flustered) so that's ok - good bedtime reading smiley - sleepy

Many congratulations on winning another medal smiley - magic I'm very impressed and in awe smiley - applausesmiley - biggrinsmiley - bubbly


SQ and BB

Post 657

Bluebottle

I think Rimmer was designed to be mainly unlikeable as he is predominantly self-centred and largely uninterested in the thoughts and feelings of those around him. Kochanski, though, was initially conceived as Lister's ideal woman. In 'Red Dwarf VII' she was played by a different actress and often came across as a bit of a snob (to be the polar opposite of Lister) although this was toned down for series VIII. As her character was intelligent and would know what was going on, she perhaps didn't quite fit into the ethos of the series in which the crew generally blunder about incompetently.

Thanks for the congratulationssmiley - wow It's still essentially a participation award and so not as impressive as winning awards in an horticultural show. You put Petal to the Medalsmiley - winkeye

<BB<


SQ and BB

Post 658

SashaQ - happysad

Yeah, I kind of see it with Rimmer that he is unsympathetic for reasons that most of the audience wouldn't share, but I guess it was just unfortunate that the episode they showed the other night was one where he had redemption, sacrificed his things for Lister, and was laughed at for it... smiley - cry When I had to sacrifice a box of things, I wasn't laughed at, though...

There would be potential for some sort of comedy dynamic, I think, having an intelligent woman trying to get things done while surrounded by bumbling crew, but it would be a different ethos, yes.

"You put Petal to the Medalsmiley - winkeye"

smiley - laughsmiley - ok

I presume you have to finish to get the medal, so that is impressive! I agree the horticultural medal is not a participation medal, though, so it is much rarer - there is only one per show - so I'm still very proud of that achievement smiley - biggrin

I hope your jellied legs have solidified a bit more today smiley - ok


SQ and BB

Post 659

Bluebottle

Yes, there are a few episodes in which Rimmer is more than a 2-dimensional character and rises above his typical behaviour – and Chris Barrie is too good an actor to be wasted on only doing one thing – but on the whole he is there to be the target of a lot of the jokes.

You're right, it is a medal for finishing the whole course rather than just taking part in a bit of it – but it still doesn't equate to a win. Symbolises a lot of hard work and training, though.

I was quite pleased with 'Petal to the Medal' – do you think it'll catch on as a Cat Phrase for 'Pedal to the Metal'smiley - winkeye

<BB<


SQ and BB

Post 660

SashaQ - happysad

Yes, that's true that Chris Barrie isn't a 2-dimensional actor smiley - ok I'll watch the next episode tonight, and see what I think.

smiley - laugh I like 'Petal to the Medal' as a catphrase! It is certainly easy to say both phrases, so it could catch on... We could talk about it each time we mention Bitter Melon Soup, and that will help smiley - ok

Reminds me I saw an advert for a child's mobile phone on TV the other day, and it had a digital clock on it, set to the 'happy time' of 10:48!

I see Dave Gorman is on Taskmaster this series, which should be good. I think Alex Horne and he look very alike, so it will be funny to see them on the same stage!


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