All Clued Up

We saw ISIHAC being recorded last night at the Peterborough Broadway Theatre.



We saw two shows recorded, each one took about an hour, an hour 10. A lot of material to edit down to 28 minutes. Humphrey Lyttleton seemed to be still suffering from a sore throat as he had in this Monday's recording (3/12/07) although he strode on stage with a vigour that belies his years. Andy Hamilton liberally made teddy bear jokes through out the recordings, I wonder how many of those will survive to the final broadcast? We got a round of all the main games over the two recordings, Mornington Crescent, One Tune to the Name of Another, Swanee Kazoo and Pick Up Sticks. Hamish and Dougal made an appearance but Tim Brook Taylor was on his way to the Galapagos Islands for a holiday so Jack Dee (or was it Andy Hamilton) stood in for him. The Laser Display Board was as amazing as I had imagined and the money spent on it was obvious.

Several persons have expressed jealousy that we were able to get tickets, I'll let you into a little secret it's because we are on the I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue mailing list and if you want to join it sent an email stating that you would like to join the list to imsorryihaventaclue "at" bbc "dot" co "dot" uk

Laser Display Board

We are going to see I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue recorded tomorrow in Peterborough, I've been looking forward to this moment ever since I realised you could get tickets to see BBC comedies recorded. A very long time.

We are both enthusiastic fans of the 'Clue perhaps not to Magpie's lengths: we haven't knowingly stalked any members of the team yet.

Simon can't wait to see "the lovely Samantha," and I'm really looking forward to the high tech wonder that is the Laser Display Board, I've heard so many good things about it.

The Presents Have Landed

This morning the gift lift stuff arrived, well most of it did there is still some on order; being made as you read this by underpaid Vietnamese boat people in the heart of darkest Derbyshire no doubt*. We actually didn't have too much difficulty fitting the new stuff into our wee house, there is a home for just about everything but the bread maker which will get opened when we are both a little thinner. The paella dish posed a bit of problem, I'm certain it wasn't that big in the shop, I'm not sure whether I'm supposed to cook rice in it or sail down the Ouse in it so that I can catch the ingredients. Our new plates and bowls are lovely it's the first time either of us have owned proper expensive crockery and there is a real difference in feel, heft and quality of finish.

We've tried out the coffee machine and the coffee bean grinder: several times in the case of some people. Simon was gently shaking his way down the length of one of the sofas earlier on but the elephant tranquilliser dart* has helped put a stop to that.

Must go now I think the effects of the dart are wearing off.

*Possibly, I may have exaggerated a little bit.

Spreading Some Podcast Love

On a bad day I can be stuck in a car for 3 hours a day and the East Anglian landscape isn't that interesting, especially when it is shrouded in darkness. This is where the iPod and fm broadcaster have proved themselves invaluable. With 22 Gigs of music in my iTunes I'm not going to be stuck for something to listen to but really what I've been stuffing the pod with have been podcasts.

I've been listening to Astronomy Cast since its inception, probably the best one in its field, half hour programmes that explain the cosmos about us in an entertainingly rigorous manner but with non of the brain hurting maths.

I owe a vote of thanks to Stephanie as it was she that put me on to the Skeptic's Circle and through that I discovered "The Skeptic's Guide To The Universe" by the New England Skeptical Society. Possibly the best of the sceptical podcasts available, I'm slowly working my way through their back catalogue. It is often very funny although very USA focused as you would expect, but leaving aside the debates over ID which fortunately hasn't made too much of an impact on science here, most of what they talk about has an universal application.

And lastly, but not leastly of my big three podcasts; it has to be the Mark Kermode Film Review on Radio 5 Live. Wittertainment at it's best. I don't go to see that many films at the cinema but I've found that is no impediment to enjoying Mark's and Simon Mayo's bickering as or guessing when Mark will manage to make some reference to The Exorcist.

Podcasts on iTunes

Astronomy Cast
Skeptic's Guide To The Universe
Radio 5 Live: Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's Film Reviews

One Month In

We've been married for a month! yay and general rejoicing at Envérité acres but it is amazing how life does settle back down to something tending to normal. The gift list presents arrive on Saturday and we have the fun of trying to fit 1 and 1/2 pints of stuff into a 1 pint storage area. We've taken down the cards and posted our thank yous apart from to the very kind person/people who got us the fondue set but neglected to put their name to the present so if you know who it is please let me know.

We haven't printed out the best of the photos yet as we are waiting on a CD that my brother is putting together of his photos. The cake has been eaten (top layer will be kept until we crack, probably about March 08) It all feels a bit normal now, which is good I suppose....

if we were still at a high level of excitement we wouldn't be able to enjoy Christmas, and we got the most fabby Christmas decoration the other day, when I get a chance to see the house in daylight I shall take a picture to show you all.

The One Where We Go Christmas Shopping

We did our bit for Norwich's economy again today, we broke the back of the Christmas shopping and hopefully got a few ideas for the rest of it We then went to see Beowulf which Becky liked but I really didn't enjoy it. The computer animation was competent but still not quite good enough if you are going for the naturalistic look, too many of the characters looked dead eyed but I don't like blood and gore being a bit of a squeamish type which set me against the film and made it too difficult for me to forgive the bits which were just inexcusably bad or unintentionally funny. Grendel's mother materialising with integral 4in heels probably says more about the fantasies of the animators than anything else and Ray Winstone's accent just made me think of dodgy east end gangster films even though I've never seen any. But Becky enjoyed herself and we had a satisfying dinner at Nando's which was nice.

We Is Watching The Football

Lampard has just scored off a penalty and yes it was a penalty Simunic did tug on Defoe's shirt. I'll give that Defoe fell down artistically, a bit like a maiden aunt at her first Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition but it was still a penalty.

My team, Scotland, failed to qualify over the weekend, Norn Iron and Wales are out too. We, Scotland can take heart in that we are a team from a small country who performed well above expectations in a tough group, but *sob* we still dinnae qualify.

If England go out then..... The last thing the Russians did well was poison the sushi and that's not a recognised move in any sport.

21:22 Peter Couch has just become our second favourite lanky Englishman.

Ohhhh it's all exciting.

Update - but ultimately England were crap.