Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

One last thing stemming from how disappointing the TV coverage of the golf was last week Tony. As a TV man you must have skills and techniques for setting things up you want to talk about/scene setting and then letting those things develop. The TV shows last week spent load of time on the former and then didn't provide the later to a good standard.

It reminds me of something that to my untrained eye was an almost perfect execution of setting up whats about to happen, even just a small scowl in the crowd and a snarl and stilted laugh adds to what unfolds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jca_p_3FcWA

Whoa, hold up, you want ME to watch 7 minutes of SUSAN BOYLE?

[bobby1]

One last thing stemming from how disappointing the TV coverage of the golf was last week Tony. As a TV man you must have skills and techniques for setting things up you want to talk about/scene setting and then letting those things develop. The TV shows last week spent load of time on the former and then didn't provide the later to a good standard.

It reminds me of something that to my untrained eye was an almost perfect execution of setting up whats about to happen, even just a small scowl in the crowd and a snarl and stilted laugh adds to what unfolds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jca_p_3FcWA

Whoa, hold up, you want ME to watch 7 minutes of SUSAN BOYLE?

;o). You won't be disappointed mate.

[AlunB]

The greatest train journeys on the planet?

http://www.theguardian.com/world/guardianwitness-blog/2014/oct/01/leaving-on-a-night-train-the-best-long-distance-rail-journeys

Can confirm there is something amazing about travelling across the USA on an Amtrak

Now there's a thing.

I recently came across an Amtrak Train called the Pacific Surfliner, runs down the West Coast. Can confirm the LA to San Diego section has already been added to the Bucket List.

Looks wonderful.






The train from Nice to Monaco is pretty special, too, runs right along the coast, as is the recently restored section of the GWR from Dawlish Warren to Dawlish, & along the Devon coast.

This GWR route is probably my favourite, as it has such memories for me. My dad used to drive steam locos along it, & I'd be on the sea wall with my Grandad Angell. Dad would blow the whistle especially for me, & wave at me as he steamed past. I was the proudest kid ever ever ever. Grandad Angell was by then retired, but he had been a steam loco driver too, & his first fireman was....my Dad. Grandad Angell took his new fireman home for tea one day, Grandad's daughter (Elsie) made the tea, & generally made a fuss of my Dad. They were married shortly after.     

Also on the bucket list are two "sleeper trains", one from Paddington to Penzance which I may be doing next month, & from Euston to Fort William.

The Pacific train is still on my to-do list. One of the ones I did do was LA to Chicago. Really helps you appreciate the scale of the USA. Although you may tire of endless fields of corn.

[TightEnd]

Lynsey De Paul, the first woman ever to win an Ivor Novello

I would never have guessed the song

[redarmi]

The greatest train journeys on the planet?

http://www.theguardian.com/world/guardianwitness-blog/2014/oct/01/leaving-on-a-night-train-the-best-long-distance-rail-journeys

Can confirm there is something amazing about travelling across the USA on an Amtrak

Now there's a thing.

I recently came across an Amtrak Train called the Pacific Surfliner, runs down the West Coast. Can confirm the LA to San Diego section has already been added to the Bucket List.

Looks wonderful.






The train from Nice to Monaco is pretty special, too, runs right along the coast, as is the recently restored section of the GWR from Dawlish Warren to Dawlish, & along the Devon coast.

This GWR route is probably my favourite, as it has such memories for me. My dad used to drive steam locos along it, & I'd be on the sea wall with my Grandad Angell. Dad would blow the whistle especially for me, & wave at me as he steamed past. I was the proudest kid ever ever ever. Grandad Angell was by then retired, but he had been a steam loco driver too, & his first fireman was....my Dad. Grandad Angell took his new fireman home for tea one day, Grandad's daughter (Elsie) made the tea, & generally made a fuss of my Dad. They were married shortly after.     

Also on the bucket list are two "sleeper trains", one from Paddington to Penzance which I may be doing next month, & from Euston to Fort William.

I really want to do the sleeper from Euston to Fort William.  Used to often get late niht trains back from London when I lived in Birmingham and you would see them ready and it looked so much exciting than getting the train back to Brum!!!!  Maybe I will try it this time when I am back.

[TightEnd]

Big day in the US stock market yesterday

Ford and GM would be worth more in the market if they gave the cars away and just sold the data about their drivers.

(based on market caps of Experian and the like compared to the Automotive manufacturers)

[tikay]

The last of the Mitford Sisters was laid to rest yesterday, when Deborah was buried.

The Mitford Sisters were quite famous I believe, arty writey stuff I think, but I only knew of Deborah as she sort of run the magnificent Chatsworth House, first with her bubbie, the late Duke of Devonshire, & later, after he died, one of her sons, the interestingly named Peregrine Cavendish.

Peregrine is said to be worth £800,000,000 (count them zeros), & you might just see him on the telly tomorrow, as he is Chairman of Ascot Racecourse who have a televised meeting. 

Wiki tells us that Deborah had 7 children, 4 of which died the same day they were born.

Anyway, the point is, the funeral yesterday was a proper grand affair, with Charles & Camilla paying their respects, & 600 (SIX HUNDRED) of the Chatsworth House staff, all dolled up in their uniforms, lining the route.

Some setting for a funeral, that.

 

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[Tal]

Reminded me of an exchange on an early episode of QI, so I dug out the transcript:

Alan
They are posh biscuits!

Stephen
Posh biscuits are the ones that are cooked for you by your . . . by your pastry chef.

Actually, there's a true story about the Duke of, er . . . I think it was the Duke of Devonshire--

Alan
[through his laughter] Oh . . . I can't believe you.

Stephen
--I think it was, in the second World War, they would have people from the ministry of Labour going around checking on everybody, and . . . particularly on the big estates, to see if all these people could . . . if someone could be released for essential war work, and they went to . . . to Chatsworth, where the Duke of Devonshire's estate was, and they . . . you know, stopwatch and clipboard, and they checked everybody, and eventually, they had an interview with the . . . with the Duke, and they said, "Well, your Grace, we can understand that you need, er, 47 gardeners and 13 under-gardeners, and you need, er, erm, grooms, and you need chauffeurs, and you need, er, upstairs maids and downstairs maids and in-between maids and laundry room maids and stillroom maids and kitchen maids and nursemaids and housemaids and parlour maids, and we can understand that, er, you need the boy to scrape the knives and boots, and you need the butler and the four footmen, and the under-butler . . . but we wonder if a man economy might be made . . . Do you . . . Does your Grace necessarily need two pastry cooks?"

To which he apparently replied, "Oh, damn it. Can't a man have a biscuit?" 

[tikay]

My first interest in the Duke of Devonshire was via Horse Racing, as he owned the great mare "Park Top".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_Top

Park Top was a wonderful mare, won a lot of big races, & was much fancied to win the Arc.

Piggott rode one of his ill-judged races, left his effort way too late, & despite finishing full of running, failed to get up. 

The crown booed the beaten favourite, & The Duke, who raced horses under the name Andrew Devonshire, must have been really hurting inside, as he idolised his mare.

But he was hurt even more at the booing of Lester & his mare, rather than the defeat, so he marched onto the Longchamp Course & promptly gave the v-sign to the crowd.

He wrote a lovely book about Park Top, which I sill have. Typically, he gave his name as "Andrew Devonshire".

[tikay]

Reminded me of an exchange on an early episode of QI, so I dug out the transcript:

Alan
They are posh biscuits!

Stephen
Posh biscuits are the ones that are cooked for you by your . . . by your pastry chef.

Actually, there's a true story about the Duke of, er . . . I think it was the Duke of Devonshire--

Alan
[through his laughter] Oh . . . I can't believe you.

Stephen
--I think it was, in the second World War, they would have people from the ministry of Labour going around checking on everybody, and . . . particularly on the big estates, to see if all these people could . . . if someone could be released for essential war work, and they went to . . . to Chatsworth, where the Duke of Devonshire's estate was, and they . . . you know, stopwatch and clipboard, and they checked everybody, and eventually, they had an interview with the . . . with the Duke, and they said, "Well, your Grace, we can understand that you need, er, 47 gardeners and 13 under-gardeners, and you need, er, erm, grooms, and you need chauffeurs, and you need, er, upstairs maids and downstairs maids and in-between maids and laundry room maids and stillroom maids and kitchen maids and nursemaids and housemaids and parlour maids, and we can understand that, er, you need the boy to scrape the knives and boots, and you need the butler and the four footmen, and the under-butler . . . but we wonder if a man economy might be made . . . Do you . . . Does your Grace necessarily need two pastry cooks?"

To which he apparently replied, "Oh, damn it. Can't a man have a biscuit?"

Excellent.

Red-Dog had tea & bikkies with the Duke, as I recall. At Red's place, with Mrs Red fussing around, "more Tea Dukey?"

[Tal]

Dukes (I think) are supposed to sign their names as their estate. Prince Harry had his surname as Wales, as I think did Prince William, in their military manoeuvres. Archbishops are the same, too, although they might sign their surnames with the Latin equivalents.

Anyone got a Debrett's handy?

[tikay]

Intriguing stuff.

I looked up dear Peregrine, it seems his full name is Peregrine Andrew Morny Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire. Why is he not named "Duke of Chatsworth"?

His nickname seems to be "Stoker" for some reason.

He married a girl by the name of Amanda Carmen Heywood-Lonsdale. Essex girl, I imagine.

Here's Stoker, stood in his front garden.

[tikay]

Big day in the US stock market yesterday

Ford and GM would be worth more in the market if they gave the cars away and just sold the data about their drivers.

(based on market caps of Experian and the like compared to the Automotive manufacturers)

You'll need to explain that to me, Rich.

[Tal]

By estate, I mean Dukedom in this case.

As for his name, there are other Peregrines, but I've never known another person called Pelham, but PG Wodehouse. That's pretty posh.

[tikay]

By estate, I mean Dukedom in this case.

As for his name, there are other Peregrines, but I've never known another person called Pelham, but PG Wodehouse. That's pretty posh.

Well (Wiki tells me) he was named after his godfather, Pelham van Donop, who was, fascinatingly, in a most eclectic mix of pursuits, a footballer, soldier and railway inspector. Don't see many of them these days.

There was also an MP who was named Peregrine Pelham. He got the Dual Forecast & scoopio.