Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

Tikay, did you ever watch the DVD?

Sure did, thanks Jim.

How are you, & yours?

[tikay]

Had a very full weekend, at the APAT Walsall Event. 200 runners, & there is an incredible APAT community now. Amazing, considering it's difficult "birth" 3 years back.

We finished at about 2am on Saturday night (began 2.45pm), & Sunday was about the same length, & I had In-Poker duties to attend to, which is fine.

I stayed both nights at the "Village" in Walsall, which must be one of the most improved Hotels in the UK, really excellent Customer-Care there.

Monday morning I headed South to Feltham from Walsall, for the Show. The Monday morning M6/M40 was spray & mist shrouded, a horrible drive, but I just took it steady.

Did two Shows last night, a Pre-Record, for tomorrow I think, & the Live Show.

I'm off to Pulborough, in Sussex, now, for some Sky stuff, & head back to Feltham on Wednesday morning to do an APAT Walsall review for "the Club", & thence across to meet Joe Beevers, who is trying to help blonde with a few things.

Am in the foulest of foul moods, as I was all day yesterday, & if anything, it's worse today. It's so rare for me to get a bag on, but when I do, I do it properly......

Tonight, I stay in a little country hotel ("The Roundabout") in Chiltington, very close to a RSPB Reserve, so I'm sure if I go visit the RSPB place, I'll feel very much better.

[gatso]

I'm still laughing at what you said to silo in starbucks on sunday morning. amused me no end it did

[tikay]

I'm still laughing at what you said to silo in starbucks on sunday morning. amused me no end it did

Remind me, please?

And don't make me smile, I'm not in the mood.

[gatso]

I'm still laughing at what you said to silo in starbucks on sunday morning. amused me no end it did

Remind me, please?

And don't make me smile, I'm not in the mood.

maybe someone can help with the exact wording as I can't remember. your comments on him being too tall to be an engraver

[tikay]

APAT tinkered with the Structure for Walsall. Basically, it's now identical to a GUKPT (though £950 cheaper), except that it was a 45 minute clock, not an hour.

Day One ran from 2.45pm until 1.20am.

Day Two started at 2.30 on Sunday, & we made the Final at about 8.30pm. There followed a delay due to the Finalists Meal taking longer than expected, we got going again about 10pm, & finished just after 2am I think.

It's APAT Policy to finish at a "sensible" time on Day Two, as our Members all have day jobs. It's also our Policy to give players the best possible structure consistent withg that time-window. Awkward!

The APAT Forum was about 50/50 on this yesterday, maybe 60/40, in favour of retaining the "better (longer) Structure. A tricky one.

But what a thrill to see so many APAT-ers having such a good time, & my thanks to them all. It was tiring &, sometimes, stressful, but on the whole, they are a marvellous bunch of recreational players.

We recorded In-Poker on Sunday, this was Edition 3 or 4, & slowly, we are finessing it. My own efforts in it are a bit better than Edition 1, but I'm not wholly comfy in it yet. I must have done 400 or 500 TV Shows now, amazingly, & I am just "myself" in them, but I struggled to find my "role" in In-poker the first few Editions. I believe I'm getting there now, though. Luckily, Compo is just so good in it, he carries the Show I think, plus we have a good Producer & the Editing Suite is a place of magic.

[tikay]

I'm still laughing at what you said to silo in starbucks on sunday morning. amused me no end it did

Remind me, please?

And don't make me smile, I'm not in the mood.

maybe someone can help with the exact wording as I can't remember. your comments on him being too tall to be an engraver

Oh, THAT!

Well, it's obvious really. Silo Graham claims to be a Trophy Retailer, & Engraver, but he's over 6' tall - which is quite ridiculous for that line of business. It really shocked me to see he was so tall.

He's exactly the right height for a carpet-fitter, though, or even a Chartered Accountant.

[tikay]

Me to Michelle Orpe last night, on the Show.....

Q: What famous Premiership Football Team are known as the "Gunners"?

A: "Err....(30 second pause), Arsenal?"

Q: What famous Premiership Football Team are known as the "Hammers"?

A: - "I know that one, too - HAMMERSMITH".

She's lovely really.

[TightEnd]

Know any good Professional Jousters tikay?

[tikay]

Know any good Professional Jousters tikay?

Behave. Anyway, I was told last night that Mr Jouster is a thing of the past, he's been binned.

Pro-Jouster, who ever heard such piffle.

[Geo the Sarge]

Here Sir,

Did I see you wearing a pink shirt during the bounty hunter 

Geo

[tikay]

Here Sir,

Did I see you wearing a pink shirt during the bounty hunter 

Geo

Nope. It was cerise.

[Kev B]

This should cheer you up. Taken late last year when I went to London with my son for my 50th birthday.

Click to see full-size image.

[jizzemm]

ghost train

[tikay]

This should cheer you up. Taken late last year when I went to London with my son for my 50th birthday.

Click to see full-size image.

It certainly is something special, in particular the Ironwork (made, I think, in 1896, in Butterley, Derbyshire), & the hundreds of thousands of beautiful hand-made bricks, all individually made to suit each individual quoin.

I preferred it pre-modernisation, to be honest. That blue-painted steel somehow seems not quite right, & I hate all those shops in the undercroft. It's supposed to be a Railway Station, not a shopping centre.

Externally, of course, it remains, quite possibly, the UK's finest Victorian structure, & I simply adore it. It's neighbour, Kings Cross, right next door, is like a warehouse in comparision.