May I recommend. . .

[Stanley]

I found this fascinating.....

[Tripps]

Reminds me of one of Bernard Manning's gags - abbreviated here

Man walks into a pub with an octopus which he says can play any musical instrument, and proceeds to do so until handed the bagpipes, at which it hesitates.

► Show Spoiler

"Wait till it finds it can't make love to it - then it'll play it all right" . . .

[Stanley]

I saw that one coming David.....
But what did you make of the octopus?

[Tripps]

But what did you make of the octopus?

Remarkable creatures. Not something I've ever fancied eating though. Have you seen the chap who has a pet lobster, which he'rescued' from the fish monger?

Now this has been recommended from another website which I frequent. Grammar school in 1948, and yes that really is Alison Steadman.
Ah - now I see it's written by the late Jack Rosenthal - I should have guessed.

P'tang yang Kipperbang

[PanBiker]

and yes that really is Alison Steadman.

I am afraid you are wrong there David, the girl is Abigail Cruttenden playing Ann Lawton. Alison Steadman plays Miss Land.

[Tripps]

I'm aware of that. Sloppy writing from me.

I meant to convey that - the person in the film that you thought might be Alison Steadman, (she looks a lot younger ) is Alison Steadman - not that the person in the opening shot is Alison Steadman. For me though she'll always be Candice Marie.

I'll try to do better, and write more clearly, and unambiguously in future.

PS - just read this in the original site comments - the fact that it doesn't, is probably its appeal.

"Obviously, if Channel 4 made P’tang yang Kipperbang today, it would feature Quack Quack's gay love story, and Tommy would be played by Idris Elba"

[Stanley]

All that was a bit above me. I'm afraid these names mean nothing to me. I think that in the days when I could have been absorbing this knowledge I was out up the road doing all the hours god sent and a few more on the tramp.....

[Tripps]

There's still time to catch up. The interweb thingy is your friend.

Here's the plot Keith and Candice Marie

Here's part one of Nuts in May with Keith Pratt and Candice Marie. Nuts in May

Enjoy. . . .

[Wendyf]

I loved it but was it really so long ago!

[Stanley]

David. The burning question is, Do I really want to catch up? I am so busy these days just surviving.
(In case you haven't realised yet, that gets harder the older you get.)

[Stanley]

[Tripps]

You don't see this very often - a politician with a moral compass. Did he achieve anything? Probably not.
Gets angrier and angrier, then "Thank you and goodbye" - Slams note book closed and strides purposefully out of the House of Lords chamber.

[Stanley]

"Arrogance, Indolence and Ignorance"
Well done that man! Those three words seem to sum up what he was fighting very well.
To answer the question, no David, such integrity and honesty is rare today. Politicians seem to be more diligent in clinging to power rather than exercising it.

[Tripps]

PS Worth mentioning.

Epic flounce - but he only quit his ministerial position- he still gets his £350 per day (tax free I assume) for his bus fares and dinner money on days he attends. .

PS - I didn't know the dining room was open to MOP's House of Lords Dining Room

Not for me but I might send a couple of proxy diners. That would be memorable for them Currently 'booked up' of course - only available during recess. Fair enough.

[Stanley]

What has the £350 daily allowance got to do with his resignation? I agree that's a cushy number for anyone who lives near to Parliament and can catch a bus but that's a separate matter.
As for the Lords Dining Room. £54 for a meal is way out of my budget range!

[Tripps]

Compare and contrast These are Army recruiting TV adverts from 1978 and 2017. Just the links - so watching is optional.

1978 2017

[Stanley]

A very telling comparison David.... The difference being that the second one was after recruitment was farmed out to the professionals who we were informed would do a far better job. The result was disaster as we now know, recruitment rates slumped and we are now in a position where, just to give one example, the Royal Navy is retiring ships before their time is due because they have no personnel to man them.
If you want a hollow laugh see THIS Capita website dated 2021.

[Tripps]

I like a good procession me . . .

This is the brief version Whittlesey Straw Bear parade revived in the 1980's and was held on Plough Monday. It's near Peterborough.
British eccentricity at its finest.

For a longer version see Straw Bear procession. Painting your face green or red doesn't seem to have offended anyone (yet) but give it time.

[Stanley]

There are strange pockets of eccentricity in England. I suppose I am one of them but in a slightly different and less public way....

[Tripps]

Andre Rieu is a class act, and there is a big back story behind this young lady. . . .

See the effect she has on the Dutch audience. Memorable.

[Stanley]

A brave girl, thanks for that David.....

[Stanley]

[Tripps]

Worth a watch. I enjoyed spotting the audience. I find him a bit "rich" like eating too much cake, and he can become tedious, but in small doses he's brilliant. I liked "Topkapi".

His father, Jona Freiherr von Ustinov, was of Russian, German, Polish, Ethiopian and Jewish descent.
Ustinov's mother, Nadezhda Leontievna Benois, known as Nadia, was a painter and ballet designer of French, German, Italian, and Russian descent.
He spoke English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Russian fluently, as well as some Turkish and modern Greek. He was proficient in accents and dialects in all his languages.



Quite 'diverse ' then.

They say he was a spy - his father certainly was - it would have been a shame to waste him.

[Stanley]

I saw him do an 'Audience' live at Bradford. I loved the story about Tito, the old partisan and the knife......

[Tripps]

This site can't be described as being a branch of the James Dyson fan club - but with an open mind look at this.

A big plus is the fact that I don't thnk he mentions the word 'digital' throughout.