At the risk of turning this blog into a poor person's Wicked Whispers....which well known Radio 4 voice confessed to me this morning that they had pinched several chocolate Euro coins from one of our office festive displays? And get this: THEY PLAN TO GIVE THEM TO A CHILD AT CHRISTMAS!!!
Window On Your Worlders will note that Richard has kindly put links to the first batch in the right hand column. More will follow, as soon as we can.
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Mr Humphrys ... and I bet it's his own child those coins are destined for.
Bah!
I'd vote for John Humphreys myself.
Go on, Eddie, spill the beans! Am I right or wrong?
Sequin? hehe. No, it must be male.
John Humphrys, it has to be.
How could you. It was only a couple of chocolate Euros. And anyway it wasn't me, it was Rory!Pales into insignificance when you remember the "workmen" who wheeled a Grand Piano out from B16 in old BH, took it up to reception and then out under the indifferent noses of the Commissionaires. Would you like to search my handbag before I go home? xx
Surely not Charlotte?????
Eddie,
That'll be Kate Adie. Her autobiography The Kindness of Strangers was on the best-sellers list for much of 2003 you know.
Eddie and the PM team
Congratulations on "Window on your World", it's been great fun viewing everyones contributions and taking part (I agree with several others that Bob the Rabbit is a real star!).
Best wishes
Otter
Got an idea! In the run-up to Christmas, Bloggers could each propose a famous Radio voice's name who might be the guilty party.
The Blogger who guessed correctly wins a prize - a mugful of chocolate Euro coins.
I'll get the ball rolling by nominating, ooh, who shall I go for? Ok, I'll say 'Charlotte Green'.
I want to know about the theft of minutes out of the lives of the Today presenters. Without fail they blatantly run out of time at the end of the programme, and yet on The World At One and PM it never seems to happen. Any theories, Eddie?
FAO Big Sister:
Please see my (incredibly) belatedly appearing post 15 under the 鈥6th December鈥 blog entry. Thanks.
My money is on Fig Lover. If she'll nick the office stationery (see past posts by the Ed-meister) then she isn't going to worry about a few choccy coins. And she had a kid earlier this year.
Coincidence?
Si.
Without wishing to appear to be a grump, and I admit that I have only looked through WoYW 7, but there are a pile of repeats in there. there are a pile of repeats in there. there are a pile of repeats in there. there are a !?*//*! OW!
I realise that the aim of this whole exercise is world domination by the PM team, but you won't gain supreme power by cheating! It's just not good enough. Come on, admit it, you only received 150 WoYWs and you're just putting them up at random.
Is it me or do they, as a group, throw a bleak and dismal light on our society? So much drabness and lack of creativity. And then there's Christmas soon too! Ooh dear.
SB 1 ?
"THEY PLAN TO GIVE THEM TO A CHILD AT CHRISTMAS!!! "
Obviously not a woman then, or They'd have been eaten straightaway.
h e l l o h e l l o .... i s t h e r e a n y b o d y o u t t h e r e ???
I'm clinging onto a piece of jetsammed bloggage and hoping the problems will be fixed before we all drown .......
Bound to have been one of the 'Today' team, probably Sarah ?
Belinda - I suggested Humph at least two hours ago, but my postings don't seem to be getting through today.
Was my picture really that awful, Eddie? Or are you punishing me today because I had a dream (totally innocent, I hasten to add) in which you featured last night? Incidentally, you don't collect antique scottish chairs do you? (that came up in the dream ...)
Ebeneezer Scrooge. And I know enough about the Today team to know who is famously 'close', 'tight', 'careful'.
Mrs. Naughtie,
I can't believe you could say such a sexist thing. But since you have, it may be of interest (ref. comments on another thread) that I do the wrapping in our household; my wife refuses to attempt it.
Am repeating this from the previous thread as the fun seems to have moved this way ...
Book Club alert:
(1) Don't forget to post any comments on Eddie's first posting on Monday, 11th December. Books currently being read are:
(Nostalgia) The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
(Grown up stuff) My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.
If you want to add to the fun by not revealing which book you are commenting on, I'm sure there will be no objection
(2) FYI - Unfortunately, I'm out of circulation over the weekend and into next week. I'm sure there'll be lots for me to catch up on when I get back to base a week today (I'm still around today and much of tomorrow). But I know I don't need to be here for it all to happen.
(3) But I realise some of you will want to get started on another read. No clear consensus has come through on the suggestions made to date, so may I put forward the following:
(Nostalgia) Down with Skool - or any other Molesworth book, if you can't get hold of that one. And there's a great link if you're not familiar with the lad
which will give you a flavour of the books.
(Grown up stuff) Morse has been nominated by two people, and as Christmas is coming - and people's time therefore perhaps limited, etc. etc. - it would seem a good idea to have something 'light' like that, if you're happy with it. I suggest The Way through the Woods, chosen at random.
I suggest reporting back on these on the first posting for/after 31st December?
Alternatively, might I throw up an idea for consideration? How about A Christmas Carol by Dickens - I traditionally read this for many years in the run up to Christmas and found it very thought provoking as well and entertaining.
Perhaps I could get some responses from you guys by midday tommorrow (Friday) and I'll post up here and on Jonnie's website.
Thanks
Big Sis x
Did someone complain? It seems that most of my postings here are going into a holding cell for an indeterminate period of time, then being sneaked out in their original position when everyone else has moved on. Please read back for anything with my name on.
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Where does Saddam Hussein keep his CD's?... in Iraq
Oh no -- you are DREAMING about Eddie,
That's seriously worrying
Re: Dr Hackenbush,
It's not just you, it happened to me yesterday and probably will today.
It now appears that I've been really whingeing on about the lack of descriptions on the MMS WOYW postings when I only intended to make one tiny point -- very peculiar.
Eddie
Give us a really cryptic clue
Rory, corrie? (4)
Quis est 'Rory'?
Is he perhaps one half of a famous Scottish comedy act, Rory the Greasepaint & Smelly the Crowd?
;o)
Freaky F. C. (was 22)
My Dear Furry Friend, can you tell me what it is about felines (you and your cousin, Stainless) that produces puns?
Is it the literary equivalent of toying with a mouse?
Here, Kitty, Kitty.
Fifi
I have emailed you a request re Beach discussions last night.
I was just in the process of shooting a video of the high winds down here as the Kensal Rise Tornado news came through.
I think we will have enough pics to look at now!
I think Patrick Moore had a tornado visit him recently -- which reminds me of another bit of Classic Radio 4
What was that again Patrick ?
I think it was Mr. Humphreys
Sparkly Helen (are you there?)
Or was it Mad Mary?
Anyway, due to bloggage, a post of mine suggesting we might be twins, based upon our moral compasses (as calculated by whoever's link it was)
I turned out a wee bit more anarchic than Ghandi, of which I feel unembarrassed.
Anyone else want to contribute their results? I recall Aperitif scorned such playthings, but it's no more pointless than our other amphibian frolics, surely?
ed
RobbieJohnDo ... I look forward to receiving your email. Hasn't arrived yet.
Will be briefly abandoning desk to get brand shiny new MoT certificate correctly dated. Garage neglected to allow for nearly 2 weeks remaining on old one!
Why am I talking like someone out of Thunderbirds?
Anyway, I am happy to act as the Clearing House for any froggers whose email addresses have been trustingly entrusted to me.
Fifi (other clearing houses are available)
Our dear Mrs Naughtie (27)
You may well be right, I am sure SSC would agree too.
Did you know that this is a wonderful time of year when the humans decorate the home
for us cats in anticipation of the visit from "Santa Claws."? The tree went up yesterday, and so did we! Whee! Made it to the fourth branch within the first five minutes before the Big Owner chased us out of the tree.
So, as we do every year, we waited and watched the humans decorate the Cat-mas tree with all sorts of these things humans call "ornaments." We call them "cat toys." Ornaments are invitations to a cat, bright and shiny spheres just
daring us to knock them off. And we're pretty good at it, considering all the trees they've decorated.
Every year humans hang the ornaments a little higher out of our range, forcing us to elevate our game to knock them off. Humans "ohhh and ahhh" as they decorate the Cat-mas tree. Us? We salivate in anticipation of the night's activities.
The humans retire to bed, as is custom during Cat-mas season, leaving us to play with our tree.
Last night was a challenge, the ornaments were at an all-time high. We crept under the tree and began to scale branches.
This is great! We exclaimed. A tree in our own home, why don't they do this all year-round? Five,six, seven branches, we climbed like pros. Ten, twelve, we are halfway to the top, and there is the first ornament! This is easy as Cat-mas fruitcake.
We make our way down the branch approaching the first ornament. It lightly jiggles as our weight causes the bough to bend.
Almost there! One paw away and we feel a shudder. Hey, something is not right here, we began to lose our balance. Woops!
The room is tilting! No, the room is not tilting ... the Cat-mas tree is falling! ME-OW!!
It seemed like forever as the tree leaned, then pitched, and finally crashed to the floor in a resounding bang of exploding bulbs, ornaments, and broken limbs.
We quickly extricated ourselves from the splintered tree just as the Big Owner came bursting in snapping on the lights and talking excitedly.
There we were, sitting next to the tree, as innocent a look on our faces as any other in the household.
"What happened?" he growled. Not a peep from us, we turned and looked at the tree.
"I guess we hung too many ornaments on one side of the tree," we heard him say later as he hoisted the mangled Cat-mas tree back into place.
"Goo-ood answer," we thought. Oh yes! very goo-ood answer. (for a human).
The Big Owner staggered off to bed, and we retreated to the living room.
Maybe we'll tear down those stockings that they hang by the chimney on Christmas Eve. They do it "with such care".
All in all it was a good night.
And a good night to you too Mrs Naughtie - wherever you are.
(purrrrrr)
It has to be a Europhile person. As a dyed-in-the-wool Euro-sceptic I would never risk insulting anyone by giving them chocolate Euros.
Lots of rain on the Isle of Skye. I asked an old native for directions to Dunvegan Castle and he said it was ten miles as the crow floats.
Dr Muir, this thread constitutes gossip
Well done.....
Big Sister (19)
It was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge.
May that be truly said of us, and all of us!
And so, as Tiny Tim observed, "God Bless Us, Every One!
--Charles Dickens--
Fifi
I emailed again just in case.
btw - I meant to ask earlier about your website - on your "What We Do" page you have a photograph taken on Penrith railway platform. Is that a genuine notice or a spoof one? There is no way that they have allowed that to stay!
Dr H (10) I'll check mine now and post within the next hour on this thread.
Silver fox: Do I take that as a 'yes' for a Christimas Carol? Or a comment about J. Humphrys?
Eddie,
THREE and a half years after the fall of Baghdad, it is clear that the well-intentioned campaign to bring democracy to Iraq and remake the political landscape of the Middle East is hopelessly stalled. Violence, whether committed by anti-Western insurgents or sectarian militia members, has become such a feature of daily life in Iraq - specifically in and around Baghdad - that it would be hard to escape the conclusion that the presence of foreign troops might well be causing more problems than it solves.
Even those Iraqis who are not directly affected by the violence are forced to live in a country whose Government is unable to provide basic services and infrastructure. Certainly, getting the troops home has been the object of the US campaign from day one. From the start, this was not a war of occupation but of liberation.
Today, foreign troops raise rather than lower the political temperature in the country, provoking violence merely by their presence. And in being the main avenue for security in Iraq, they prevent the Iraqi security forces from doing their job - namely, ensuring the safety and sovereignty of the new Iraqi Government.
What is the difference between a cat and a comma?
One has the paws before the claws and the other has the clause before the pause.
Do they have Euro chocs in sushi restaurants?
Q: Hear about the new sushi bar that caters exclusively to lawyers?
A: It's called, Sosumi.
Corrie Corfield is dobbing in Rory Cellan-Jones methinks?
Hi Ed, I wasn't troubled by aperitif's rubbishing of compass either :-) madmary and I were separated at birth, so you must be either our missing triplet or my twin & her sibling!
Dr. H (as promised): They're all from the third series (somehow I missed out on the first two)
I've definitely got Flywheel at Christmas, the Laughing Hyena, Coney Island Fair, Tour Bus, Chicago Clarion, and another involving the Shakespearean Rep Co. (don't know how it fits into the naming thingey). I may have the other one from the series somewhere or it may be that it was missed out.
Let me know via the Book Club comment box on Jonnie's site, if you want to discuss.
BigX from Big Sis
Corrie (4)- DON'T let him look in your handbag - he'll only photograph it & put in on the WoYW gallery.
Robbie (39): Still no sign of your email, not even in my spam folder. :o(
If you've been trying to email me via the website, the problem could be the webmeister, who's working double shifts and practically on his knees with exhaustion! In that case he'll forward your message as soon as he can.
Are you in touch directly with any of the lilypad froggers? They all have my email address, so we could kick-start things that way...?
As for Penrith Station ... I have no idea. I will ask the webmeister, who is a keen trainspotter but also very hot on copyright and permission and stuff, normally.
Ah. Nearly time to stop and have something to eat. Hope we can get around this RobbieJD!
Well done, Rosalind, for the Mass Ob suggestion, which clearly has a lot of mileage in it. When I spotted in on the Blog earlier, I was struck by it - an obvious home for such a 'document' of a moment in time .....
But Eddie didn't mention his Scottish antique chair collection. I wonder why?
Well, if it was Rory Morrison, I'd like to know if the euros were really for a child or for his 'two smelly dogs'
/radio4/today/about/meet/news.shtml?morrison
Eddie, you'll just have to tell us or you'll end up being off every Christmas list in Television Centre.
Dr. H
I don't think the comments box is working. Fifi may be another way of making contact.
As I'm off line from some time tomorrow for a few days, do try to make contact soonest.
BS
Whoever stole the chocolates I think you should have a word with me! I don't think the "giving it to the children" is much of a defence. My advice is to go "no comment" and put Eddie to proof!
Mary
I adore the Mass Observation idea. I eagerly read all the published/available MO diaries from the 1930s-1940s, particularly in war-time. They are all excellent, in the same way as these photos.
I recently read a diary from a woman in war-time Norfolk who worked at the Food Office nearby. Her work colleague and close friend was killed in a bombing raid and her Food Office boss very kindly said that she could take the time off to attend her colleague's funeral...while losing a day's pay of course.
Seems like management hasn't changed much!
re Steve (12)
It's me...it's my fault. I was zip-filing loads of photos in batches of 20. I'd been at it for 5 hours. We'll try and go through and weed out the double matches but it's like playing that children's game of pairs in mini-thumbnail format. It's the season of goodwill. Be patient.
Rosie's been doing it with much more care today.
47 - Big Sister
Thanks. I鈥檓 late back here, but will go over and start a discussion there.
Okay, Doc, reply sent to your contact.
Big Sis
To anyone who thinks I was "rubbishing" the political compass thing: Goodness me! I only said I'd rather rely on my own judgement than someone else's: it is, after all, down to its author's view of where people lie politically. I didn't say don't do it! If that's your idea of fun, carry on - Honestly, I just couldn't be bothered, but "rubbishing" is a bit strong...
Good morning everyone. I was terribly pleased to hear my contribution read out, albeit in a very breathy voice. Maybe I should moderate the way i write if I seem to sound like that!! I went to Sussex University in the very early years which is partly why I thought of it.
I thought to express my pleasure on the latest thread but I couldn't break in on the seriosity.
Forgot to say, Val P, love the strapline.
RobbieJohnDo, if you're still here --
Please pop back to the website, one last time.
Don't do the 'email us' thing. That depends on action by the webmeister and as you know he's out of contact at the moment.
Instead, do what Jonnie did: click on the Guestbook and post a message there. Put your email address in the line that asks for it, and I will then be able to click on you to reply.
Best of all, it's instant. Don't know why I didn't think of it first time around.
Fifi xx
Hi Rosalind, Fellow Sussex grad. Nice to meet you on the same wavelength. (btw, what years?)
Appy,
I only said you 'scorned' it. Not as value-laden as 'rubbished', and accurate, I believe.
xx
ed
Fifi - I've done that
Robbie -- hurraaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!
Message intercepted and batted along to LadySnorkPen.
Let the collaboration begin.
(Other deceased Middle East politicians are available.)
I always think of rubbish as a scrumpled up piece of paper heading for the bin, which is perhaps why I said 鈥渞ubbished鈥 Aperitif (58). It was less value laden than it would have been for Ed if he had used it, but I was perhaps careless with my language; I only meant you didn't feel like doing it really.
Ed,
Yes, but somebody definitely used the term "rubbished" - I didn't say it was you!
A, x.
Aperitif (67) IT WAS ME, please forgive me, no slight was intended, t'was just carelessness on my part.
Ed, Sparkles,
I was indeed a bit dismissive of it, but was worried that I'd come across as aggressively so and I really didn't mean to be. I don't want to pick on anyone's fun.
I'm very sorry I over-reacted to the word "rubbish(ing)". I was having an awful week and, by Friday, feeling very sorry for myself and moping about at home. This is an explanation and not an excuse. Sorry, sorry, sorry.
If you have forgiven me you may be interested in knowing that I have cheered up a bit today by:
a) doing a modicum of gift shopping;
b) drinking wine with an old friend all afternoon;
c) finally getting to see the Bond movie this evening.
I imagine I will return to utterly fed-up tomorrow but that is my problem and I shouldn't let it make me jumpy.
Normal service will be resumed at some point. (I hope!)
A, x.
Oh, Oh, Oh, the first full day since August that I haven't checked in and apparently my strapline was up! Darn it - what was it??????? Does any one remember?
Aperitif,
I have never doubted you, even when we are poles apart on matters of opinion. I am difficult to offend, being somewhat pachydermal.
xxx
ed
Thank you Ed.
Is it only your skin that is has elephantine qualities or are there other elements you would wish to share with fellow froggers?...
Oh dear. How naughty of me. Given the aforementioned skin I'm sure you won't mind...
Appy,
As I have noted elsewhere, I am a foreigner, and thus a bit thick in the head as well as dermally. Otherwise everything in proper proportion.
May I take the opportunity, yet again, to thank my host culture for all the allowances for my foreign-ness y'all have made over the years, and to encourage us all to make similar allowances for everyone else, since in many ways we all inhabit single-occupancy planets.
ed