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Post by Patrick on Apr 19, 2009 9:07:50 GMT
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Post by housesparrow on Apr 19, 2009 9:22:21 GMT
An elderly vicar whom I meet on dog walks was grumbling that his tiny dog (an unasked-for bequest from a deceased parishioner) is badly behaved. But he added: "He is very good in bed, which makes up for all that."
For a moment I wondered if C of E clergymen had plumbed new depths. Then I remembered that on an earlier occaion, he told me his dog visited elderly and terminal patients in hospitals and nursing homes.
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Post by Patrick on Apr 19, 2009 9:39:41 GMT
An elderly vicar whom I meet on dog walks was grumbling that his tiny dog (an unasked-for bequest from a deceased parishioner) is badly behaved. But he added: "He is very good in bed, which makes up for all that." For a moment I wondered if C of E clergymen had plumbed new depths. Then I remembered that on an earlier occaion, he told me his dog visited elderly and terminal patients in hospitals and nursing homes.  Now there's a classic scene for a Carry On Film!  |
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Post by everso on Apr 19, 2009 18:05:03 GMT
I'm glad to see Lauren Child is one of them. She's the author of the "Charlie and Lola" series. Oh, you haven't heard of Charlie and Lola? Well, you're probably not a parent or grandparent of small children then. These characters are the nicest, sweetest ones and the books are a real tonic to read to kids. I love them! The t.v. programmes on Cbeebees are lovely.
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Post by Patrick on Apr 19, 2009 22:11:11 GMT
I'm glad to see Lauren Child is one of them. She's the author of the "Charlie and Lola" series. Oh, you haven't heard of Charlie and Lola? Well, you're probably not a parent or grandparent of small children then. These characters are the nicest, sweetest ones and the books are a real tonic to read to kids. I love them! The t.v. programmes on Cbeebees are lovely. You disappoint me Mrs E - posting that clip! I thought you could do it off by heart by now! ;D |
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Post by everso on Apr 19, 2009 23:01:33 GMT
I'm glad to see Lauren Child is one of them. She's the author of the "Charlie and Lola" series. Oh, you haven't heard of Charlie and Lola? Well, you're probably not a parent or grandparent of small children then. These characters are the nicest, sweetest ones and the books are a real tonic to read to kids. I love them! The t.v. programmes on Cbeebees are lovely. You disappoint me Mrs E - posting that clip! I thought you could do it off by heart by now! ;D Oh believe me I can. The kids have had those stories read to them so many times that they finish the sentences now. They're only two! |
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Post by Patrick on Apr 19, 2009 23:55:45 GMT
Oh believe me I can. The kids have had those stories read to them so many times that they finish the sentences now. They're only two! ................ Nope! I won't say it.  |
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Post by trubble on Apr 20, 2009 11:35:25 GMT
I know Charlie and Lola  I find them a bit too sweet on TV but the books are perfect. I have treated the kids to some over the years. Good to see Quentin Blake included too. Quentin Blake
Illustrator
Blake ignites a childish spark in adults and is beloved of generations of kids. He understands the brilliant and naughty sides of children which he captures in his idiosyncratic, erratic style. He has exhibited at Somerset House; curated shows at the National Gallery and the British Library; and has founded an illustration project for hospitals in which his work can be seen in some wards. |
His illustrations are wonderful - full of animation and fun and I just can't imagine not knowing them. They are an incentive to read the text.  Mini-Trub had this book by him when she was little:  It was the first I saw of its kind - pages full of half drawings for you to finish and tips and tricks and inspiration. The pencils and pen included were high quality so your drawings looked good immediately, not the usual sub-standard crayon that kids often get given - no one can make art with a horrible pencil. |
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Post by trubble on Apr 20, 2009 11:42:16 GMT
I was surprised to see Chris Morris on a 2009 list - I love his work but what he has done lately? Chris Morris
Satirist
Dark and irreverent, Morris has been sending up social mores, pack mentality and collective hysteria since the highly original and quite brilliant television spoof, Brass Eye, in 1997. Since then, he has sent up gun-loving rappers, suicide, columnists, Martin Amis, and, shortly, will give Islamic terrorists what he has described as the same treatment that 'Dad's Army' gave the Nazis. |
 What does this mean what does this mean what DOES this mean? |
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Post by trubble on Apr 20, 2009 11:43:36 GMT
Thomas the Tank Engine
Train
Created more than 60 years ago by Birmingham vicar, the Reverend W V Awdry, to entertain his son, Christopher, while he was bedbound with the measles. The little train with a face first appeared in 1946 and has given pleasure to generations of children around the world. The tank engine is a steam locomotive with large rectangular tanks to carry water. Thomas is now a true British icon.
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Noooo. No. No no no. I really hate that little engine.  Jacqueline Wilson
Children's books writer
Former Children's Laureate, the most "borrowed" writer in British libraries has written more than 90 books including Tracy Beaker, now CBBC's highest ratings show. Tackling topics teachers and parents avoid, her popularity – she has sold 20 million books in Britain alone – is based to a non-patronising style that liberates kids in a world they're part of but often excluded from. |
No again. I think Ms Wilson kind of spoiled books for me. If I ever catch a glimpse of the BBC Tracy Beaker programme I feel cross. |
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Post by Patrick on Apr 20, 2009 11:45:51 GMT
My first experience of Mr Blake;  "Mr Leakey is a practical magician. He can become invisible when he wants to, has a useful magic carpet for travelling and a small dragon who can grill fish by spitting fire. He's also very good at bewitching things!"Had the book kicking around for years - the illustrations having a lovely "read me!" appeal. |
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Post by motorist on Apr 20, 2009 11:48:14 GMT
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Post by Patrick on Apr 20, 2009 11:50:28 GMT
Thomas the Tank? Nah! Personally I was brought up on his Trippy Hippy cousin!  |
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Post by trubble on Apr 20, 2009 11:56:30 GMT
"the read-me appeal" - a perfect description. The Twits was funny. Proper, proper kid's humour funny. It's used as a reader in schools and who wouldn't want to read this if you were learning to read?  The Wormy Spaghetti
The next day, to pay Mr Twit back for the frog trick, Mrs Twit sneaked out into the garden and dug up some worms. She chose big long ones and put them in a tin and carried the tin back to the house under her apron.
At one o'clock, she cooked spaghetti for lunch and she mixed the worms in with the spaghetti, but only on her husband's plate. The worms didn't show because everything was covered with tomato sauce and sprinkled with cheese.
'Hey, my spaghetti's moving!' cried Mr Twit, poking around in it with his fork.
'It's a new kind,' Mrs Twit said, taking a mouthful from her own plate which of course had no worms. 'It's called Squiggly Spaghetti. It's delicious. Eat it up while it's nice and hot.'
Mr Twit started eating, twisting the long tomato-covered strings around his fork and shovelling them into his mouth. Soon there was tomato sauce all over his hairy chin.
'It's not as good as the ordinary kind,' he said, talking with his mouth full. 'It's too squishy.'
'I find it very tasty,' Mrs Twit said. She was watching him from the other end of the table. It gave her great pleasure to watch him eating worms.
'I find it rather bitter,' Mr Twit said. 'It's got a distinctly bitter flavour. Buy the other kind next time.'
Mrs Twit waited until Mr Twit had eaten the whole plateful. Then she said, 'You want to know why your spaghetti was squishy?'
Mr Twit wiped the tomato sauce from his beard with a corner of the tablecloth. 'Why?' he said.
'And why it had a nasty bitter taste?'
'Why?' he said.
'Because it was worms!' cried Mrs Twit, clapping her hands and stamping her feet on the floor and rocking with horrible laughter. |
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Post by trubble on Apr 20, 2009 12:02:40 GMT
Extract from The Twits reprinted here especially for Everso.  Mr Twit
Mr Twit was one of these very hairy-faced men. The whole of his face except for his forehead, his eyes and his nose, was covered with thick hair. The stuff even sprouted in revolting tufts out of his nostrils and ear-holes.
Mr Twit felt that this hairiness made him look terrifically wise and grand. But in truth he was neither of these things. Mr Twit was a twit. He was born a twit. And now at the age of sixty, he was a bigger twit than ever.
The hair on Mr Twit's face didn't grow smooth and matted as it does on most hairy-faced men. It grew in spikes that stuck out straight like the bristles of a nailbrush.
And how often did Mr Twit wash this bristly nailbrushy face of his?
The answer is NEVER, not even on Sundays.
He hadn't washed it for years.
Dirty Beards
As you know, an ordinary unhairy face like yours or mine simply gets a bit smudgy if it is not washed often enough, and there's nothing so awful about that.
But a hairy face is a very different matter. Things cling to hairs, especially food. Things like gravy go right in among the hairs and stay there. You and I can wipe our smooth faces with a flannel and we quickly look more or less all right again, but the hairy man cannot do that.
We can also, if we are careful, eat our meals without spreading food all over our faces. But not so the hairy man. Watch carefully next time you see a hairy man eating his lunch and you will notice that even if he opens his mouth very wide, it is impossible for him to get a spoonful of beef-stew or ice-cream and chocolate sauce into it without leaving some of it on the hairs.
Mr Twit didn't even bother to open his mouth wide when he ate. As a result (and because he never washed) there were always hundreds of bits of old breakfasts and lunches and suppers sticking to the hairs around his face. They weren't big bits, mind you, because he used to wipe those off with the back of his hand or on his sleeve while he was eating. But if you looked closely (not that you'd ever want to) you would see tiny little specks of dried-up scrambled eggs stuck to the hairs, and spinach and tomato ketchup and fish fingers and minced chicken livers and all the other disgusting things Mr Twit liked to eat.
If you looked closer still (hold your noses, ladies and gentlemen), if you peered deep into the moustachy bristles sticking out over his upper lip, you would probably see much larger objects that had escaped the wipe of his hand, things that had been there for months and months, like a piece of maggoty green cheese or a mouldy old cornflake or even the slimy tail of a tinned sardine.
Because of all this, Mr Twit never went really hungry. By sticking out his tongue and curling it sideways to explore the hairy jungle around his mouth, he was always able to find a tasty morsel here and there to nibble on.
What I am trying to tell you is that Mr Twit was a foul and smelly old man.
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Post by motorist on Apr 20, 2009 12:55:00 GMT
Another that springs to mind is the Big Friendly Giant. I didn't read the BFG when I was a kid, but I sat through the animation with my brother's stepkids and my niece (nephew wasn't about yet then) a few years ago. Moderately entertaining but not the best I've seen, no idea what the book was like  |
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Post by everso on Apr 20, 2009 15:30:00 GMT
Extract from The Twits reprinted here especially for Everso. Mr Twit
Mr Twit was one of these very hairy-faced men. The whole of his face except for his forehead, his eyes and his nose, was covered with thick hair. The stuff even sprouted in revolting tufts out of his nostrils and ear-holes.
Mr Twit felt that this hairiness made him look terrifically wise and grand. But in truth he was neither of these things. Mr Twit was a twit. He was born a twit. And now at the age of sixty, he was a bigger twit than ever.
The hair on Mr Twit's face didn't grow smooth and matted as it does on most hairy-faced men. It grew in spikes that stuck out straight like the bristles of a nailbrush.
And how often did Mr Twit wash this bristly nailbrushy face of his?
The answer is NEVER, not even on Sundays.
He hadn't washed it for years.
Dirty Beards
As you know, an ordinary unhairy face like yours or mine simply gets a bit smudgy if it is not washed often enough, and there's nothing so awful about that.
But a hairy face is a very different matter. Things cling to hairs, especially food. Things like gravy go right in among the hairs and stay there. You and I can wipe our smooth faces with a flannel and we quickly look more or less all right again, but the hairy man cannot do that.
We can also, if we are careful, eat our meals without spreading food all over our faces. But not so the hairy man. Watch carefully next time you see a hairy man eating his lunch and you will notice that even if he opens his mouth very wide, it is impossible for him to get a spoonful of beef-stew or ice-cream and chocolate sauce into it without leaving some of it on the hairs.
Mr Twit didn't even bother to open his mouth wide when he ate. As a result (and because he never washed) there were always hundreds of bits of old breakfasts and lunches and suppers sticking to the hairs around his face. They weren't big bits, mind you, because he used to wipe those off with the back of his hand or on his sleeve while he was eating. But if you looked closely (not that you'd ever want to) you would see tiny little specks of dried-up scrambled eggs stuck to the hairs, and spinach and tomato ketchup and fish fingers and minced chicken livers and all the other disgusting things Mr Twit liked to eat.
If you looked closer still (hold your noses, ladies and gentlemen), if you peered deep into the moustachy bristles sticking out over his upper lip, you would probably see much larger objects that had escaped the wipe of his hand, things that had been there for months and months, like a piece of maggoty green cheese or a mouldy old cornflake or even the slimy tail of a tinned sardine.
Because of all this, Mr Twit never went really hungry. By sticking out his tongue and curling it sideways to explore the hairy jungle around his mouth, he was always able to find a tasty morsel here and there to nibble on.
What I am trying to tell you is that Mr Twit was a foul and smelly old man.
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Yeeeeeeeeuck! |
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Post by riotgrrl on Apr 20, 2009 18:20:53 GMT
That Happy List has just really, really, pissed me off. Is that what it's meant to do?
If you click on the link it takes you to the article about the list, but not hte list itself, which is tantalisingly hyperlinked to the article, but it had me clicking round in circles for about 10 clicks there, as none of the alleged hyperlinks actually take you to the list itself.
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Post by Patrick on Apr 20, 2009 18:26:26 GMT
That Happy List has just really, really, pissed me off. Is that what it's meant to do? If you click on the link it takes you to the article about the list, but not hte list itself, which is tantalisingly hyperlinked to the article, but it had me clicking round in circles for about 10 clicks there, as none of the alleged hyperlinks actually take you to the list itself. How about that! It worked on Saturday/Sunday! You don't suppose they've got something diabolically wrong and have had to re do it - do you? Very suspect. This years latest voting scandal?? |
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