Whose friend am I?
Is that what Charles Clarke thought to himself as he woke up this morning? Did he have a bad night? Did the meaning of life and the value of friendship wash over him as he lay contemplating the day? Who knows. But whatever has provoked him, he has now laid into the man whom many considered to be his new best buddy, Gordon Brown.
I'm watching the Chancellor making a speech in Edinburgh at this very minute. What do you mean, my mind is wandering? Am just trying to decide how to describe the colour of shirt and tie he's wearing. Lilac? Purple? Yvonne opposite me suggests rose? Rose pink? Rupert chips in with "cerise".
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I think Clarke is just jealous because both TB and GB can get away with wearing various shades of pink (irony intended) whereas he always just looks a bit grey, doesn't he?
Maybe GB did that "What's all this ear?" joke once too often.
Politicians and friendship. Nope can't reconcile those two concepts in one sentence. Friendship involves respect, trust and honesty, among other things. You can see how that would be a problem for a politician.
Lilac, rose pink, cerise (Rupert we need a word here, mate). Surely GB should be looking to the Fuchsia.
Damn, that seemed so much cleverer before I typed it.
Re 2
No, no Tangent Wings, I thought it was pretty good :)
Maybe that's what he's doing but just hasn't quite got it right? (Ah, yes, that's it).
Good afternoon Carolyn,
I think all this Blair/Brown business is just a classic case of alectryomachy. Don't you.
I've seen the Chancellor's shirt as well. I would say it's a pale Bourbon colour? Real men can wear pink you know.
Clarke looks like a London cab with the doors open.
Re #5 Yes we can Freda, but we feel more comfortable with it if we scowl simultaneously.
Well, I haven't seen Gordon's shirt, but mine is a slightly faded navy, short-sleeved cotton shirt from that temple to haute couteur, BHS.
"To complete the casual work look, the Stainless Steel Cat is wearing off-the-shoulder black denims, trendily pre-scuffed black safety boots and a slightly bemused expression."
"Real man" - god, not some other damn part of the RealPlayer network i'm gonna have to download is it..?
No, you couldn't... mean.... slip of the typing I'm sure.
the only people who can't wear pink are fair-to-ginger people. I mean it. Really. "takes all the colour away from your face" and all that.
Blair, Brown, Clarke - ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ.
Eerie.
What have we started?!?!? Given the discussion Aperitif, Frances, and I were having on "Confused?..." this blog seems to be turning into a fashion column! Help! I'm a red-blooded male, I'm not supposed to talk about shirt colours...
(wanders away to the coffee machine, muttering under his breath....)
Refresh yourself withj an irony supplement
xx
ed
Are you sure they're not blood-stains?
Madge, I think the word you are looking for is:
Wingnut
Mr. Blair, take Mr. Bush with you. Please. Thanks.
Tangent Wings
RE #2 - Made me smile.
Judging by the timings as described in today’s newsletter (see below), PM will go on the air at 5:54 this afternoon. Six minutes is quite a short time to fit all the mentioned stories into. And who has the airwaves up until that point?
· Sep 08 2006, 01:53 PM
· Stand by... only four hours and one minute until tx
I myself can't imagine Eddie Mair wearing a pink shirt. No way! Eddie Mair is a man's man, the kind of man you read about in the bible.
A man who comes from a time when beating your woman was not only socially acceptable, but encouraged (not that I'm saying spousal abuse is right, I'm just saying sometimes she deserves it).
He has the charisma of Frank Sinatra and the rugged manliness of a lumber jack. Even his name is manly; "Mair", it's a simple, almost primitive sound like a grunt, straight and to the point without fancy extra syllables and gratuitus punctuation.
His default expression is a determined scowl, like he's prepared to introduce you to the the business end of his shoe, if you looked at him wrong or failed to answer a question. All I'm saying is that you just would'nt find Eddie Mair wearing a pink shirt. Or would you??
He is a manly man, true.
But Sequin must be pretty damn formidable herself to step into his stout brogues (he'd wear brogues AND carry a stout stick, just in case someone needed correction) and tweeds.
Tangent Wings: Now you've given me an image of Sequin as Miss Marple, when of course we know she's more the Nancy Drew type, or possibly even Sabrina Duncan from Charlie's Angels.
re 18
Don't be ridiculous Zoltan - Eddie doesn't scowl. His smile can be heard in every word he utters! He does raise an ironic eyebrow rather more often than is polite, but because we love him that's OK.
And he can wear pink without sullying his masculinity.
re 11
Welcome back from the pub Fearless. Harking back to "Confused..." I'm not sure about the socks - I'd have to see them in context. What a guy wears on his feet says an awful lot about him. Definitely don't wear those socks with a pink shirt (are you still upset and muttering?)
Does anyone else think Valery P. has gone off for a quick fumble this afternoon, given her earlier posts?
Dr H,
Sequin's timings on my newsletter were correct - 12:58:55 - maybe I got the first edition, rather than the West End Final.
okay, Stainless Steel Cat, remind me again which one was Sabrina?
Zoltan #18
I think you've nailed it. Leave em' laughing that's what I always say.
#20 TSSC, take your point slippery Jim.
I see her more as Mrs Peel - but in the Lad Himself's tweeds and brogues. It takes some effort but it's surprisingly rewarding.
Dr Hackenbush (17), the problem with emails is that they are slow. If you look at the sent time, you will see that Sequin sent it at 12.58, timed for entry into the studio at 16.59.
But that reminds me, I must make an appointment to see my GP soon.
Hi Aperitif,
It's okay, I've finished muttering now:)
A scowling Eric? Never! You can hear it's a wry smile, sometimes even edging into a smirk, but never a scowl...
Trust me, they sort of blend nicely between theblue of the jeans and the black of the shoes. It's tasteful, honest!
As for what Valery is getting up to this afternoon, I'm not going to comment! As long as she's having fun, that's fine by me
Fearless Fred: Sabrina was played by Kate Jackson, one of the ones not married to the Six Million Dollar Man.
I would say she was the reddish-brunette of the gang, except I can't remember what Jacklyn Smith looked like, so I don't know if that's specific...
From Zoltan @18 onwards, be warned.
I have it from a reliable source that, in medieval days, a man who beat a woman with his stick was liable to get her pregnant.
Tangent Wings: I think you've nailed it...
Sequin as Mrs Peel and Eddie as Steed. Does that make Lissa Tara King and Peter Rippon "Mother"?
That gives us a new tagline...
PM: Climbing on the vintage Bentley of news, to defeat the Cybernauts of analysis.
Having a snipe at the technology supporting this blog, and/or the little elves whose job it is to randomly hold up or pull comments as and when they choose, is perhaps not the best way of ensuring that a comments appears swiflty. But what on earth is going on? It's just before half four and a whole load of entries on "Confused" have just disappeared. A similar thing happened yesterday - the list just seems to go in a world of its own and the comments go for a stroll along the wooded, winding lanes of never-never land. No doubt they will all return, refreshed, at some point in the indeterminate future, along with a load of newbies complaining about their, then incorrect, disappearance.
Where is Eddie? He does'nt email me, he does'nt fax, there's no phone calls, no blogs he's not even on the radio - where is he?
Ah, I think I know the one you mean, SSC. Was she the "brainy" one, while the other two were the ones who would do the "undercover" job of being a cheerleader/rollerskater/etc....?
I'm a bit confused by no 10 because it's attributred to Anne. It wasn't me - can't have been I was at work miles away so do we have an Anne no 2 now? If so, wlecome. If not, what is going on? Having said all that I thought it was a clever comment, and wish it had been me. But it wasn't.
Metal Cat (out of interest, why?) & Fearless,
Sorry to butt in on a boy-thing but I was addicted to Charlie's Angels as a very small child - I wanted to be Kelly Garrett (the character played by Jacklyn Smith - she was the utterly beautiful brunette btw).
Sabrina Duncan was indeed played by Kate Jackson (tall, bobbed brunette hair, ever so slightly dippy expression - although, yes, she was meant to be the smart one).
Farah Fawcett Majors (teeth and hair) was Jill Munroe. She was replaced after a couple of series by her sister Chris Munroe (Cheryl Ladd), but continued to make the odd guest appearance.
Later Sabrina was repleced by Tiffany (played by Shelley Hack) who didn't last long and was herself replaced by Julie (no kind of name for an angel) played by Tanya Roberts (later a Bond Girl) and my loyalties were a bit divided because I would've liked to have been her too. Kelly was the only one (along with Charlie and Bosley) who stayed the distance though, and had some lovely clothes (back to that again) so I'll always be an admirer. And my Dad thought she looked like my mother so there's pride at stake.
Right, I've had a very lazy day and I must prepare for a meeting now, but thanks for taking me back to the 70s. The sun always shone then you know?...
515 pm
Good to hear the women sorting it out, at last.
Can we have some real news next week please?
515 pm
Good to hear the women sorting it out, at last.
Can we have some real news next week please?
Aperitif:
Metal Cat (out of interest, why?)
*Such* a long story!
(And yet almost entirely tedious ;o)
Had I been female, I would have wanted to be Sabrina.
...
Does that statement disturb anyone else, or just me?
Wow, Aperitif! A complete explanation and it certainly helped me to picture the Angels in my mind. I was right in the Angel I was thinking of, and it sort of ties in with my post 81 on "Confused?" in that I always thought she was the prettiest of the angels, followed by Chris then Kelly in that order. (No, I never thought FFM was that attractive, to be honest, so she doesn't rate in this)....
By the way, SSC, yes it is a bit disturbing!!
PM is ending... if I nip in quickly, sb 39.
What about Boris Johnson, eh? Bet he'd eat human if it were on the member at a West End club...
Heya FF and Aperitif - well you'll just never know will you, but thanks a lot for missing me!
I was working honest, I told you earlier - Out of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ for a change. Unfortunately it went to my head and I've had far too many coffees, so now it's off to the pub for a proper drink. If I'm in fit state to post on return, then rest assured, I shall.
SB29 - a bientot (someone can tell me on return how to put the accents on that - in fact I insist)
FF, what were you doing in Islington?
oh, and byw, I always thought Sabrina was a teenage witch.
Hmm, must stay in more
Why with 28 comments posted and readable does the initial count still say 0 comments?
In theory this should be post 29, unless someone has got in first.
Hey, Frances! How was the pub?
As for Islington, I haven't beeen there in ages, honest! Not since I saw the Angel who lives there in Neverwhere about 10 years back. Now that's a TV show that's crying out to be re-shown, issued on DVD and have a sequel made....
Well, if you associate Sabrina with Teenage Witch, I think you've been staying in enough already!
SB44
The post count does appear to have been fluctuating particularly wildly here today. I know I answered a question of Valery’s somewhere on yesterday’s entry, but can’t remember what I said and nor can I look it up...
Re 35 &c.
I know someone, not called Dr Hackenbush, who can add some details on the television series in question. It ran for five seasons. Jill was replaced after the first by Kris, but made a handful of guest appearances in seasons two, three and four. Sabrina, Kelly and Kris were together for two years, then Tiffany Welles was introduced after Kate Jackson left. Shelley Hack was scapegoated when ratings fell in season four, with the Julie Rogers character replacing her for the final run, apparently to up the glamour factor. Julie was a model, rather than an ex-copper, for goodness sake...
Series four was the best, it says here. Tiffany was my favourite, and severely under-rated. Kris was the most aesthetically pleasing.
Oh, and Kate Jackson did actually appear once in Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
sb44
Rosalind @43, a good question but by no means unique.
My personal opinion is that the "comment" counter has a "worthiness filter". Therefore, after this posting it will show "1".
Won't it?
Well look at that, I came in at a wild 41, and I thought it would be 29 - that gives me many a penalty point I'm sure (if I could remember the rules.)
Dr H, If I could remember the question, then I'd ask it again, but.....I'm off now to see what was happening with yesterday's, maybe it's sorted itself out in that way things do after enough Pinot Grigio? Give that blog a glass!
Any offers on how to do the accents on a bientot - it looks dead silly without them!
SB47
And another thing - I just know I posted somewhere recently about using the one key to the right code as suggested by someone (sorry don't mean to be cavalier, just having a senior moment), something about the Famous Five & Secret Seven, I put. Where did that go then? Did anyone see it? Did I imagine the whole idea? Nope I can see me typing it sometime today. Oh dear - I'm sure it wasn't bad.
SB47
And at 7.35 the next morning the counter STILL says 0 comments. At the time of writing there are 48.
FF (44), it wasn't me who went to the pub, it was Valery. Mind you, my typing 'member' for 'menu' (40) was a bit dodgy... so I understand your conclusion. LOL.
Memo (not menu or member) to self: use preview button
Morning all!
You know, I have a theory that the comments count is being deliberately kept at zero in order to introduce us all to another game. It's sort of a solo version of the Should Be game. What you do is guess how many comments there are before you click on the link. The closer you are, the better your score. The ideal score is zero, of course....
by the way I should have said SB50 for the last post and this is sb51
FF, they seem to have missed the last post??
SB 51
Hi V...
I noticed that, but now it's there! I think they're all having a lie-in today...
SB54
Re my 36 & 37:
Weird, I only posted it once - maybe Lissa subsitiute agreed with me and wanted to emphasise the point?
Re 38:
Yes, Stainless Steel Cat, very disturbing. And don't you get rusty when you pee? I'm still curious, btw.
Re 40 and 50: I was very confused by the 'member' reference Frances - was it a Freudian slip due to jealousy of Valery's wild day? or do you know something we don't about Boris?
re 45:
Dr Hackenbush, I bow to your superior knowledge and apologise profusely for my earlier inappropriate spelling of Kris. In my defence I would say that I was pre-school age when I first discovered the Angels and my post (35) was all done from memory - I've not looked them up since the series ended. I suppose it's pointless telling an expert like you that Charlie later became Blake Carrington?... Yeh, I've disappointed myself now.
Loads of stuff (mid 50s onwards) went missing from "Confused?..." yesterday and still hasn't reappeared. What the * is going on? Lissa! Come back!!
Er, sorry, I meant "Sequins & Showbiz", not "Confused?..."
sb55
Ms Green gets all the dirty jobsWhat with Satan's homosexual lover, crap and the recently mentioned "cross flannel cherry"
Last evening, repeated today, she coped magnificently with the closing headline which could well get moderated (not least for repetition) if I quoted it.
If you missed the show it's worth a listen:
/radio4/atoz/index.shtml
select "News Quiz, The"
If you don't approve of the foreigners, fast forward to the last 5 minutes or so.
sb58
re 55 Hey, you're right! I hadn't realised they'd taken off all the comments from "S&S". I think they aren't expecting so many of us to be lurking over the weekend, so thought we wouldn't notice...
Phew! glad to see my post 51 (sb50) has reappeared....
Whoops! Sorry to have confused my Frances's with my Valery's. I blame the second half of the bottle of Merlot I induldged myself in last night. Apologies all round
Aperitif (55), total Freudian slip of the fingers ("Re 40 and 50: I was very confused by the 'member' reference Frances - was it a Freudian slip due to jealousy of Valery's wild day? or do you know something we don't about Boris?").
It's just that the juxtaposition of Boris Johnson, eating human flesh, West End clubs and members seemed a bit bizarre, even to me, the poster...
And I wouldn't put anything past Boris.
Who knows, he might eat it.
Mind you, I'm extremely envious of Valery's wild day. Who wouldn't be?
sb60
You speak the truth Frances - I wouldn't put anything past Boris either.
Hmm, the Wild Day - should it be told? Did it have owt to do with Boris and his cannibals, or his other attachments?
Oh, I'm havering - blame the Sauvignon Blanc this time. Different/better/worse than the outcome of Pinot Grigio - discuss?
Glad you like the Purple poem, Aperry, meant to look it out today, but life got in the way.
Today's shoes are doozies btw, purple satin mules with lilac and turquoise sequins - hey maybe I do like purple after all? How was Carnival btw Frances, we never heard? Festival is done and dusted now and Embra creaking back to normality I believe - no time to get there recently, too busy being obsessed with blogs, according to S.O. Told him he didn't know what he was missing....
I think you could be right about them wishing we took the weekend off FF and we wouldn't notice them swiping posts. I just can't understand why they bother doing it though. When I did mine at 53 (significant?)only FF's 52 was there, and not his 51, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered would I? Frances' 50 wasn't there either. Does it depend on the length of the post perhaps? Never mind the quality, feel the width kind of thing?
Off on a mission tomorrow - an errand of delivery (No 1 son back to Uni)so don't miss me too much - it won't be wild. Promise you. Enjoy the first half of the Merlot on me FF.
SB60
sb61
I've just about given up trying to work out what's happening with the posts. All I wish is that it would sort itself out....
Ah, you're off on a road-trip, eh Val? I hope you manage to stop off for a pub lunch:D
Road Trip - Hah! Very Thelma and Louise.....
Pub lunch is optimistic since the reason for the trip is still in his bed as we speak - the dreaded student Fatal Inversion Theory strikes again. Looks like a Pub Supper might be on the cards though :o)
Off to Confused? now to see if the High Moderators allowed the poem.
SB63
Glad Embra's back to normal, Valery. Now Autumn can happen. No more fliers shoved in your face morning, noon and night, and the Arts programmes can turn their jaded eyes back to the Great Wen.
Carnival was OK, thanks, mornings were fun - walking around watching everyone setting up their stalls, saying hello to one or two people, the 'spirit of the Blitz' grins and remarks (as I remember, that happens in Reekie, too).
Nights were the worst. Though the sound systems were switched off after 1900, the parties and the noise went on, and the streets were blocked so no-one in a car (ie my friend who has cancer) could get in or out. And the rubbish! Great cairns of it!
But it's only two days a year.
Yes Frances - Autumn calls indeed. Though the past few days have seen the Big City enjoying a fantastic Indian Summer. Once the schools go back, any good weather is a bonus, and Embra in September and October is just absolutelyfabulous. The light in the sky, the turning leaves. Trips to the Botanics are a must (which seems ridic since I live in the country, in the middle of a wood), I still like to make the pilgrimage though - memories of lunch hours past. These days every hour working from home can be a lunch hour. Not necessarily a Good Thing!
SB64
SB66
Testing one two...
sb67
Good Morning, Doctor.
Ninety nine.
Aaaahhhh.
I've done the strapline eye test.
Yes I'm still taking the tablets.
Thank you.
sb 68
Morning! I've just heard a 'Today' programme interview with a US 'Principal Assistant Deputy Secretary of State'.
Principal Assistant Deputy Secretary, eh?
!! and ?? and !! again
I wonder what his/her assistant is called?
Hmm, let's see... must be Assistant Principal Assistant Deputy Secretary of State.
I like this game.
Unless there are two assistants, in which case one would be the Principal Assistant Principal Assistant Deputy Secretary of State and the other, presumably, the Deputy Assistant Principal Assistant Deputy Secretary of State
Can Charlotte Green say the following please...
Fred fed Ted bread, and Ted fed Fred bread.
Or just Bob :p
Of course there's also the Junior Assistant Principal Assistant Deputy Secretary of State...
sb71
Oh, yes, so there is
Is it me, or is it just a little difficult to get going this morning at work?
Re 70
Frances, I think you are describing the 'best position Prescott can hope for when Gordon takes over' there.
re 75
Ap, I think he just wants to be a cowboy! All together now:
"Can I go to the ranch? Please can I go to the ranch?"
Got a bit left behnd, not checking the blog often enough, but if Susan (No4) is still around.. do you mean chance.. throw of the dice? I've looked up alectryomachy and I think that's what it is. Certainly raised the tone from Charlie's Angels and fashion though.
re 76
Sprout, you are thinking of "aleatoric".
sb77
Sprout, old thing,
"Certainly raised the tone "
Well, certainly a higher class of innuendo ...
Grr, several posts have disappeared from "Confused?..." now.
I suspect the fact that I've noticed this means I have spent far too much time on heer this morning instead of preparing for my big interview tomorrow!
I should go.
ooh, that's annoying - Sprout's was 76 when I posted my response, but now I see they've been rejigged.
btw, Alectromachy - clue: something only the boys engage in...
sb 81
Maybe it's a ploy to stop us posting on earlier threads...
Wait a minute! "Big interview"?!? What's this? Tell us more! Is this a job interview?
sb83
"Tell us more! Is this a job interview?"
Or are you going to meet Captain Sequin?
Fearless & Ian,
Thank you for your interest. On reflection, I suppose I was hinting for a "good luck" wish or two. Tacky and transparent or what?
It's not strictly a job interview: It's an interview to confirm (or otherwise, but let's not go there) that I am suitable to apply for a particular job at later date. This is the big thing to get through though.
Um, Do you mind if I say no more for now? I've come over all superstitious and feel like I might be jinxing it. As you were kind enough to show an interest I will let you know how it goes though.
There will be no drinkng of vino tonight!
Anyone know where AndyCragg's gone lately? Is he still illustraing earlier blogs?
Oo-er thanks for that Rufus - I've led a sheltered life...
Oo-er thanks for that Rufus - I've led a sheltered life...
Grr, this non-appearance/appearance then disappearance/constant rejigging of posts is VERY irritating!
hi i was searching for a tv show called neverwhere as i have read the book 4-5 times and recently found out that it had been a tv show i was wandering if it was possible to get a copy from the bbc and how much it would cost me or if it had been released out to dvd any information you could send me about this would be greatly appreciated
sincerly
Damian rees