On The Sofa (5)

[ScaryB @scaryb]

Just popping in to say I hope everyone really enjoys the finale tonight (or whenever). I believe we’re getting a full hour show as well 😀

This season has gone fast though, can’t believe it’s nearly over already.

@janetteb

because Moffat is evil and would enjoy tortouring us by keeping us in suspense for two months..

I completely agree with that, haha (been saying it all series).  I think Orson will feature tonight (he’s Rupert’s alternate timeline, created when Clara dabbled in his childhood!! Rupert should have become timetraveller Orson but became Danny instead – oops paradox time 😉 The gunless soldier will be back.) And Clara may have to make a sacrifice to save Danny.  Cyber Danny? 🙁

Can’t wait.

@juniperfish Thanks for the extra sparkles. It’s a bit odd in coffee… but it looks great 🙂 (I won’t tell @fatmaninabox tho – he might not notice. And he’ll never guess it was us, haha!!!)

*leaves big box of tissues, jelly babies and a bottle of TARDIS Red* on the table*

*Bigger on the inside bottle – it never runs out 😉

[Arbutus @arbutus]

Ah. So we’re putting our money down, are we? Okay, then, here goes. Being the happy-ending-girl that I am, I am going with: afterlife a con, Danny brought back, Missy survives to torment the Doctor another day, and Clara also survives. This last one is mainly because I like @janetteb’s idea about a return to Coal Hill School for Christmas, and an appearance by Ian. A Christmas Special would actually be the perfect time for that. I don’t think that this specific storyline will carry over into the special (although we might be given some kind of a cliffhanger in the same way that Name of the Doctor wrapped up the Impossible Girl but left us with John Hurt to think about!)

Off to watch some fine young men play soccer now, and by the time I get back, the show will be airing in the UK, so enjoy, and see you all on Sunday for drinks and the exchanging of “I told you so”. Or not, as the case might be!    🙂

[Arbutus @arbutus]

Oh, and I forgot one: I think Missy definitely has a TARDIS, and it is involved somehow in the mausoleum.

[nerys @nerys]

Just popping in to say hello. I read over the posts in the Dark Water thread and greatly enjoyed them (much better than most of what I see on IMDb), so that convinced me to join up. I’m new to the group and am anxiously awaiting tonight’s finale, Death in Heaven!

[Juniperfish @juniperfish]

@nerys Welcome! Is that nerys after the wonderful character in Deep Space Nine?

@janetteb I suspect I might join you with the tissues

@scaryb A big swig of TARDIS red seems in order 🙂

Cybermen ahoy! Good luck everyone!

[fuzeelogic @fuzeelogic]

Hi new here, old Who fan, Pertwee being my first introduction to the Doctor but I’m more a Tom Baker fan. So nice to meet fellow ‘whovians’ and please bear with me whilst I fumble my way about.

[PhaseShift @phaseshift Time Lord]

@juniperfish @janetteb @and well- just about everyone.

THE END IS NEAR….

(Sob) I shall whip my slaves until they agree to play those minature violins I purchased for them. We have a number of weeks between now and Christmas, and Doctor 12 re-appears.

Yes – it seems so short, and if parting is such sweet sorrow

BUT IT HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR.

Time for the first Scottish Doctor, and his companion, Ace. A time to dwell on growing up, the meaning of belief and faith (@lisa) and the unseen potential at the close of the BG Years. Did Andrew Cartmel have the answers decades before RTD? Only you can tell us.

The Curse of Fenric approaches. Our choice for the Seventh Doctor – Replayed over four weeks, and make the wait for a Christmas special much more bearable.

JOIN US.

[The Krynoid Man @thekrynoidman]

@phaseshift Is “join us” a reference to The Evil Dead?

[Spider @spider]

Welcome @nerys and @fuzeelogic  🙂

How can it be the finale already!?, this series has really flown by

Wine: Check

Tissues: Check

Come on come on tic toc! 10mins! 😮  I’m climbing the walls here!

(\(\;;/)/)

[fuzeelogic @fuzeelogic]

thank you @spider, yes it does seem like the nanoseconds are dragging by.

[nerys @nerys]

@nerys Welcome! Is that nerys after the wonderful character in Deep Space Nine?

No, I’m not nearly that creative. Nerys was Donna’s oft-lamented “friend” from her pre- and post-Doctor Who life. I was trying to think of a name that hadn’t been taken, and Nerys certainly seemed like a likely candidate, LOL! I can just hear Donna yelling that in that fishwife voice of hers.

[idiotsavon @idiotsavon]

Just a quick hello and I hope all is well!

I’ve been out of the loop (away from home with next to no internet) so have 3 episodes to watch, and 3 episodes’ worth of comments to read.

I feel a bit like a child on Christmas Eve 🙂

See you all on the other side…

x

[Taffy @taffy]

Hi all

Just wanted to pop in and say hello and a new member.  Been watch Dr who from the late 70s ( a lot from behind the couch)

Having taken the time to read a few posts, I must say it is refreshing to see a form where people can discuss opposing ideas with out getting person.  Cudos to you all

Cheers

Taffy

[IAmNotAFishIAmAFreeMan @pedant]

I don’t know how many different types of awesome there are, but this is all of them

Capaldi goes the extra mile.

[Rassilon @mrpe]

Just wanted to get a feeling from the punters on the prospect of the Doc becoming a woman, and no I don’t mean cross dressing or via an operation. Seeing as how they magically re-introduced a character who had most definitely been obliterated (which is in no way explained) AKA the Master/ Mistress/Missy, as a gender altered character,  this OBVIOUSLY opens the door to Ms Doctor Who. Are we all happy with gender bending the Doc or do we believe that not everything on the planet has to be split 50/50 in case someone feels sad and left out?

[fuzeelogic @fuzeelogic]

@rassilon, as we know Time Lords have an ability to transfer their life energy to objects in extreme cases. It is something the Master has used in the past so it is possible he/she has become more adept at that particular ability. It is also part of Time Lord capability to change gender, first mentioned with Romana if memory serves me correctly. There is an old spoof clip on Youtube where the Doctor becomes female so the precedent is already there albeit in a comic way to raise funds for charity. Female population slightly exceeds male population figures at 52% on Earth. Personally I am intrigued by the idea of a feminine Doctor, as it raises the question of possible husbands lost in the time lines as well as lost wives. Time paradoxes are my favorite conundrums of the sci-fi genre, and Dr Who is riddled with them if you apply close analysis. Paul McGann’s Dr claims a human mother in the spin off movie, we certainly know that the Doctor has a particular soft spot for humans and rescues and protects at all costs including genocide of another species if required. It surprised me greatly to see Rassilon himself resurrected and leading the council when it was made abundantly clear in the old Who’s that it would be a cold day in hell before the Time Lords ever let Rassilon loose from his bonds. Some story lines even raised the speculation that the Doctor was Rassilon, escaped under the alias of the Doctor. In the new series there was some indication that a Time Lord is made through a process, not necessarily born a Time Lord so it is conceivable that a Time Lord is an amalgam of personalities which would include females in a balanced society. The new series has already cleverly side stepped the 12 generation limit through the use of River Song’s regeneration energies, and she is most definitely female. I love Dr Who but I do have to suspend my known understanding of sciences in order to enjoy it, so ‘gender-bending’ is not such a huge leap in the general scheme of things.

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

@rassilon

Seeing as how they magically re-introduced a character who had most definitely been obliterated (which is in no way explained) AKA the Master/ Mistress/Missy

Returning after definite, absolute, no-holds-barred obliteration is a feature of the Master. So I don’t see why Missy should miss out. (Sorry) Equally, the Master’s Before Gap explanation usually consisted of ‘I escaped!’, so there’s really no need for her to explain anything. She escaped. Again. 😉

How do I feel about the Doctor becoming a woman? I feel that the casting process for the Doctor will now probably become an open call for both male and female actors. I feel that – at some point – a woman actor is going to walk in and do a Matt Smith. That is, she will so obviously nail the role, the minor point that she wasn’t the casting type they were thinking of won’t matter.

And if they cast a woman because she has obviously nailed the role, five minutes after she goes on screen as the Doctor – the audience won’t care that the new Doctor is a woman. Just as they didn’t care that that Matt Smith bloke seemed to be about twelve.

You pick someone who nails the role. Do that, and we’ll all end up wondering what the fuss was about.

🙂

[Whisht @whisht]

@bluesqueakpip – ha! Hiding behind that “they just need to give the role to the best person in the audition” rubbish.

We all know the truth – and that is that the Doctor will NEVER be ginger.

Fandom will never accept it.
I mean – imagine Amy with a ginger Doctor – you can’t. And that’s because it would be unnatural and wrong.
How could we have two gingers on screen interacting – if the actors are within ten yards of each other, the static electricity interferes with the studio equipment.

And that would mean no ginger companions! No Amy, no Mel! No Donna (admittedly dyed).
We’d have to tear up tradition after tradition for no good reason just because someone’s “ginger quota” hadn’t been met by the European Court!

They’ve tried testing the waters with 10’s “no, still not ginger” and fandom was in uproar, howling in protest. FACT.

Viewing figures fell year on year that season just because viewers had heard the Doctor might be ginger. FACT.

So no – we all know what the real agenda is here and fandom will never accept it.

[Apopheniac @apopheniac]

@whisht – hah hah hah.  Spoken like a true ginger!

How could we have two gingers on screen interacting – if the actors are within ten yards of each other, the static electricity interferes with the studio equipment.

Well, you and I are here sequentially on the same thread, and the DWF servers haven’t blown …. yet …. 😀

[Whisht @whisht]

@apopheniac – yes, but that’s because I shave my head.

Otherwise – sparks!

zzzzztttc-htst!zzzzzttttttt!tttzzztzttch!!chchttzttzsttattzttttz!!

😉

[DrBen @drben]

Everyone knows that the only true ginger in Moffat’s life is this one:

 

[SandShoes @sandshoes]

Funnily enough I was doing a football bet earlier on and noticed the site had betting on the next Doctor after Peter. The bookies favourite?  Rupert Grint aka Ron Weasley from Harry Potter. Not just a Ginger but a Ginger with a wand, his first act as the Doctor could be to turn the Tardis orange….

[Ozitenor @ozitenor]

Hello all. Introducing myself….

I began watching Doctor Who when I was very young … my earliest memories are watching Pertwee on the couch with my mother (who, incidentally, has no recollection of this when I asked her recently about it!). I remember being scared of the opening credits and music more than the actual show itself! … but I would just love to watch the show almost like a test to myself – I knew I would get scared but wanted to see if I could make it through — I always did. Now, when I watch the old episodes I wonder what was so scary, and I watch with my 6 year old son (who loves Tom Baker, of course!) and he doesn’t get scared at all and I feel like Cyber-Danny dropping his head in sadness that my 6 year old is braver than I am!

I watched classic Who right through Colin Baker but I don’t have memories of watching again until the reboot. In recent years (thanks to filesharing websites which shall remain nameless) I have been able to download and watch every episode of the classic show, including reconstructions of the missing episodes using pictures and audio. It has been a wonderful experience. To have my 6 year old love both Tom Baker and Matt Smith is simply delicious to me!

I work in the arts world as a musician, singer, writer, and creature of the stage, so I have a sympathetic eye and ear for great writing and acting and the synergy between characters on the screen and the fabric of the narrative. So, naturally, I adore this universe and especially the recent seasons which I think are much-maligned by some but it truth are simply fabulous storytelling, acting, and directing. I care less about little discrepancies in the universe or the internal science – and more for the general overall narratives and cleverness of the writing. I forgive a lot, and I am happier for it!

So that is me. I have read this forum for a few months now, and happily I jump in now to share my thoughts. This is a wonderful community and has given me much pleasure in reading the erudite and insightful commentary.

– Ben.

[XAD4 @xad4]

Cannot quite decide where to post this – here or in “Fan Creativity”… 😀

http://tennantnews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/gracepoint-props-crossover-into.html

[Arbutus @arbutus]

Hi, @ozitenor! Welcome. I love that you watch both old and new DW with your son. My son (15) has never been interested in the show, despite (or perhaps because of) a massive interest in physics and technology. He has always been pretty literal-minded. But I have always watched old films with him as well as new, and it’s great when kids can grow up understanding that there’s more to good storytelling than modern production values. You made a nice tie in on the Death in Heaven conversation between Danny’s tears and the Cybermen’s tear-shaped eyes. Look forward to hearing more of your thoughts about this and other episodes.

@xad4    That is a fun bit of trivia. Gracepoint was actually filmed very near here, in Victoria, BC, and a good friend who is a camera operator worked on the series. He said David Tennant is as nice as could be, and very funny!

[DrBen @drben]

Welcome @ozitenor !  Another Ben who is a tenor?  Dangerous.  😉

[PhaseShift @phaseshift Time Lord]

Hi all,

Couple of things of interest. Tomorrow the BBC do their annual Children in Need appeal, and it’s become somewhat traditional for Doctor Who to do something. Sometimes its specially recorded, but sometimes it’s a preview clip, like this year. So Santa may be visiting the site early. 😀 These things tend to get put on YouTube pretty rapidly, so I was wondering if @craig could do his magic on a blog for those who don’t want to know the content.

Other thing is a nice little report into Steven Moffat at the RTS event talking about Series 8 of Doctor Who. Some interesting observations.

[ScaryB @scaryb]

*waves @ozitenor* Nice intro. Look forward to hearing more of your thoughts.

@phaseshift Nice link to the Moffat intereview at RTS. Den of Geek have a good report as well (slightly longer, with some other observations. And bigger print, haha. And more pics)

I love Moffat’s comments about filming false scenes and complaining that “no one steals scripts any more”!!

[ScaryB @scaryb]

And… YAY!! the countdown clock’s back (thanks @craig)

Only 41 days to go…

*sigh*

[PhaseShift @phaseshift Time Lord]

@scaryb

Thanks for that link. It is much more detailed (and wasn’t he on funny form). Very interesting to hear him confirm how they seed disinformation into the show.

“Whenever I arrange skulduggery, no bugger ever notices. I had [Michelle Gomez] say she was a Random Access Neural Interface – which spells Rani – and we thought ‘everyone’s bound to overhear that!’ deaf bunch of… In The Day Of The Doctor, we went to the trouble of having John Hurt’s character referred to as Omega throughout – is nobody stealing scripts these days?”

I really hope he does his own “A Writers Tale” once he finishes. I think it would be a cracking read.

[PhaseShift @phaseshift Time Lord]

@all

Our recent trollish friend accused me of being one of those people who replied to everyone’s posts. Now I’m painfully aware that really isn’t the case and I’ve missed an awful lot of callouts to me over the run of this series. A couple of people are aware from PM conversations the reasons which had something to do with work balance, but also the fact that my Brother has been seriously ill as well. A stressful time, but happily he is recovering very well.

I’d just like to apologise if you didn’t get a response, but I’d just like to assure you I do read everything, eventually and value the points (either if you agree or disagree with me). I just wish I’d had more time, and hopefully, with tomorrow out of the way that wish may be granted. It had to be when the series has just finished, didn’t it? Still, we have previews, retrospectives and bonkers speculation to consider.

Many thanks. See you at the weekend.

[Craig @craig Emperor]

@phaseshift I saw yesterday that Children In Need will include a clip from the Christmas episode. I had planned, as suggested, to set up a new Trailer blog for the episode to keep everything under wraps for those who don’t want to know. And I’ll be in tomorrow night (night out tonight instead) so will be on the case.

And don’t worry about not replying, I’ve hardly replied to anyone of late. Although my company’s half year results are next Tuesday so should hopefully have more time after that.

Is it Fenric at the weekend? I forget. I could look back but…, you know.

[ScaryB @scaryb]

@phaseshift I love Den of Geek! They tend to do more detail, and they love Dr Who! (and lots of other stuff I like)

Sorry to hear about your brother but glad that the news is better now. Hope that continues. Been missing your ascerbic hunour 😉 (Ah, there’s one on every forum!! hahaha – there’s only one Phaseshift 😈 )

[ScaryB @scaryb]

Re the Graun blog…

@blenkinsopthebrave Ah, you’re just a cynical old Whovian. Has the Doctor taught you nothing??? Nothing is beyond redemption!! Even Dr Who blogs.  This Forum started over there, not just as a reaction to the trolling, but also because we wanted somewhere to continue the discussions when it was “off air”. And because a number of us had got to know each other, albeit virtually, and liked interacting.

It seems to be picking up again toward the end of this week. A fair number of recent posts are calling out the trolls, but politely!  There are a lot  more “reasonable” posts, pointing out why calling for Moffat’s head skewered on a plate is maybe just a tad out of order, and suggesting that a bit of respect for opposing views is a good thing.  And some more positive comments about the show itself. Niceness will out!

@janetteb @cathannabel @bluesqueakpip @jimthefish and everyone else who has recently expressed an opinion – it’s good to keep posting there if you can, even just to “like” the positively-expressed comments. The ethos we’ve developed over here can set a a great example if we apply it there as well. Set an example and don’t let the trolls get under your skin! And there are a few familiar avatars who swam over to this side for a while.

@danmartinuk Keep the faith and keep on blogging 🙂 Missing the promised track of the week though!

[Anonymous @]

@scaryb  I would like to read the Graun blog/comments. So, Dan Martin is the author of these weekly blogs?  Why (forgive me and my total idiocy) is the Guardian called the Graun here?  Sorry! Also, is there a link somewhere here (or thereabouts) so I can find this and do my ‘positive’ bit -in the old soldier way?

Kindest, puro (thank you Scary -you’re quite right about niceness will out. Eventually! Even if it takes us the long way ’round).

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

@purofilion

The Guardian has a long and proud history of typographical errors. So long, and so proud, that its UK nickname is The Grauniad, or Graun for short. 😈

[ScaryB @scaryb]

@Purofilion

Bless you! It’s not for the fainthearted, mind!!  I tend to look at the first and last pages and then search for people I know who usually do the interesting posts. It’s not like here (being a public forum) 😉 Put yourself on an automatic pull-out – 15 mins max, or your eyes will fall out and your brain will melt, LOL. 😯

The most recent one is here, but do a search for “Dr Who” and you’ll find others. They like Dr Who articles. Dunno if it’s limited geographically.

Oh yes, the Graun (short for Grauniad) is so called because the Guardian is notorious for its typos 😉

[Anonymous @]

@phaseshift I’d like to add to others’ comments in expressing relief that your brother is getting better again. I’m sorry to hear it was a stressful time. Such times are worse when the trolls need feeding (apparently) but at least this little place (way bigger on the inside) is really that home away from home and sincerity and genuine care are the flags that fly highest. In no small part to you @craig @jimthefish and @fatmaninabox who —-has been missing of late? I hope all is going incredibly well with the Landscaping occupation.

@scaryb and PhaseS thanks for the link to all those wonderful comments made by Moffat..well, I’ll let others read what is a truly Moffitarian response and very funny indeed.

@ozitenor I wanted to welcome you  -and when you wrote your post about Pertwee,  it reminded me of my own first post here (nearly a year ago) where I commented about how Pertwee, the long corridors and the suspense and nail biting fear were really tangible back then -a dark room, a B&W Tele, drawn curtains on an early Winter afternoon, rain outside drumming against the slate patio and Mum cooking something delicious in the kitchen -but that was on the other side of the house! I had only the sofa and a small bag of smarties to distract me from the truly scary moments in the Doctor’s history. You will have such fun here -and so much to learn from the truly intelligent minds on this amazing place I discovered last November.

When I see smarties, I think “Who”  -like the smarties are little pills that helped me to cope with the fear that followed me to bed after a particularly terrifying episode. In reality, the sugar probably kept the fear going and the heart pumping.

It’s amazing that your 6 old is so brave. Well done to him! You’ve taught him well. If I was Missy I’d say “you’ve seeded him well”. Uuh, no, that could be read wrong. Mmm. Well, I’ll leave it in as ‘an adult comment’.

Now I get to see my son -particularly when he was about 7 or 8, truly terrified by The Waters of Mars, The clockwork monsters in Girl in a Fireplace and even a year or more ago, The Crimson Horror which stalks him still! The episode where a small boy is frightened of the cupboard monsters and dolls that later become real, still scares him nutless!  He’s 13 in 2 weeks!  So, Moffat is still doing the job superbly: scaring the pants off kidlets everywhere (that’s one season of recent Who, btw, I don’t have on DVD or DVR).

Kindest all, puro.

 

[Anonymous @]

@bluesqueakpip @scaryb  thank you both for the quick timey whimey response!! Surely, it must be very very late there -or, very early??  I had no idea about the typos on The Guardian. I actually thought that it was some special ‘code’ so that upon googling Guardian, people wouldn’t end up here simply by mischance as Guardian wasn’t actually mentioned. That was my bonkers response to ‘Graun’. I liked that theory….

[DanMartinUK @danmartinuk]

Hello @scaryb and everyone else!

 

I did have a bit of a wobble this year, as what was conceived as an enthusiastic van forum about a show we loved (and we were possibly the first in this new format) became such a nest for trolls. And a lot of you regulars over there didn’t show up this year, prob for the same reasons. So I seriously considered quitting mid-season.

 

Obv I never would, but it’s something I really do struggle to understand – this idea that the show is hideously worse than it was in the grand revival? If this kind of internet culture had existed back in 2005… well I don’t know! I just think negativity has gained to much traction and I enjoy enjoying a show I enjoy (and also love and care for)>

 

Any of you going to make the DVD fan event in London this coming Monday?

 

 

xx

[lisa @lisa]

@danmartinuk Hi- I’m a Who-ster from the states so cant make the event but please come back on this thread
and tell us all about it !

I imagine you already know this but any time you need some positive reinforcement in regards
to the Doctor Who show this IS really the place ! [But I bet you’ve been reading all the posts]

I’ma Who-ster form the States so I

can’t make it ro London on Monday but will you come back and talk to us about that in the

[lisa @lisa]

OOPs – I lost track of my typing in that previous post- don’t type and help your kid
do stuff at the same time is the lesson here lol !!

[Anonymous @]

@bluesqueakpip and @scaryb @lisa and @danmartinuk  as ScaryB said aptly: “not for the faint hearted”. Boy-oh, was that the truth! I just ‘went over there’ to read and sign up. Yes, the negativity and the general, frankly, nasty comments were, still, a shock! Some were dedicated to the director of the final episodes, Rachel Tallalay, who is one director I’ve admired from a-far for a long time. Still, I shall venture out and make my opinions known, kindly, succinctly and with diplomacy. Any temper: keep in check, puro. Keep in check and… under the bed spread (meaning like the monster in Listen!).

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

@danmartinuk

And a lot of you regulars over there didn’t show up this year, prob for the same reasons.

It was the same reasons. Or at least, I’m commenting a lot less over there because the negativity seems relentless; I watch a perfectly good episode (which later gets a ‘good’ or excellent AI rating, so it’s not just me) and log on over there to discover a stream of variations on ‘that was awful’. 🙁

And the same people come back every week to say how awful it is. Why, why are they watching?

Anyway, sorry you have to put up with it. Hope you have fun on Monday. 😉

[ScaryB @scaryb]

@danmartinuk

Nice to see you. Hang in there! We still love your blog, It’s great that it has your very personal touch, it’s one of the things that makes it stand out, and nestles into its own very special space in the Whoniverse!

There are still a lot of people there who swam over here for a while but prefer the G side.  The first 5 weeks were difficult cos of the leaked scripts; BTL looked like dangerous water! No faith in the mods to exterminate offending posts quickly. Understandably, as they have a lot of threads to patrol and probably not the same sensitivity to such things as us obsessives! Not to mention RL taking people away sometimes.

It’s not just you though. The internet in general sadly seems to encourage bad behaviour and disrespect with hyperbole.  BTL everywhere is notorious for grouchiness, and Whovians even more so, since the show started probably.

Can I second @lisa‘s request for a report back on the DVD fan event in London next week? (@Craig @whisht – do you know about this event?)

(Hmm…. “Who-ster”… I think I like that better than “Whovian” (never a favourite term 😉 )

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

@danmartinuk

Thanks so much for coming over here to say hello. I am one of the many who was attracted to your site because of the way you set it up as a place to discuss all things Who.

But then it attracted, well…trolls, and this site seemed like such a refuge. And, I confess, I haven’t gone back. It is just too awful.

But without you setting up your site and bringing together so many peopLe who really wanted to talk about the show in a way that was civilized and courteous, this site would never have existed. Thank you so much for that.

[ScaryB @scaryb]

@Purofilion

That was my bonkers response to ‘Graun’. I liked that theory….

Haha – I just rolled off the sofa. Love it – that’s brilliant 😀

And yes it’s ironic re the invective directed at Rachel Tallalay, given that the people that are doing it are generally the same ones who have been screaming about the perceived gender imbalance in the Who production team.  (There’s probably a jargon name for that kind of trolling (and it is a species of troll) – @pedant will know 😉 )

But the only way to deal with it is to be better than they are (as a certain Doctor says).

(And yes it’s also very late here, so I’m off to zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz G’night 🙂 )

[Anonymous @]

@scaryb  maybe they’re ‘persona trolls’. We get them where I work as there’s a lot of emailing and hacking into accounts etc producing some nasty species, or another. I guess that’s what it is – a species of a type; or a type of species?

Today we have a public holiday in parts of Brisbane:  airports are nuts, half the roads  closed and the Federal Police everywhere for the G20 causing complications for people in Brisbane suburbs. The roads leading out of Brisbane, either south -to the Gold Coast, or North -to the Sunshine Coast, are at a complete-stand still. Clever people are running away! Not us…

We’ve been catching up or reviewing old Who episodes (or the cricket’s T20) as well as hunting for the occasional brave little store to buy ice,  crates of soft drinks and ice blocks as we’re expecting 43 degrees Celsius by Sunday. Summer hasn’t officially started!

But what the heck? It’s already dawn (unofficially) at 4.15 am and soon it will lighten by 3.30 and not darken till  8.30 pm. The the dark hour is hardly a problem: in NSW and other southern states where Day Light Saving is operational, it’s not dark till after 9.30 pm but at least you’re not woken prematurely!!

But why would I be complaining? England at Christmas is cold, wet and ice-slicked (so people tell me when describing near-death experiences by car to buy groceries and saving themselves by clever manoeuvres a la Top Gear). We have @rob in gum boots and sticking to muddy ooze and wet weather garb -is it anoraks? I don’t think I’ve ever used the word. Here we say ‘singlet’ an awful lot. And it’s not just an under-garment. Eeeuw.

Fiery-hot (and perspiring) Puro.

[Rob @rob]

@danmartinuk I still visit your excellent blog every week but hardly ever comment especially if I disagree with you as the tone of negatively in the comments is wearisome. Please be assured that your work is appreciated and as my dad used to say to me ‘Don’t let the buggeers grind you down’

Respite always available here  😀

@Purofilion no anorak just incredibly bright hi-vis orange fleece or saturn yellow water proofs etc etc, I love working outside on real sites doing real engineering just like to have a moan every now and then 🙂

Waves at all and hellos to new members

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Oh, look at all that glitter and fur everywhere! Hmm, I wonder who’s done that? It couldn’t possibly be @juniperfish and @scaryb , they know better than that 😉

@purofilion – the course is going great thanks.

I’ve had lots of homework to do in the past few weeks which is why I’ve been a bit quiet. I’m currently designing (and planting) a Victorian style vegetable garden as well as revising pests & diseases for next weeks assessment (creepy crawlies – eek ! )

Funnily enough, I was thinking of you yesterday when I got locked in the greenhouse by one of my fellow students as a joke. The joke was on him though as it started persissing down with rain. He got soaked while I was all toasty and warm 😆

With any luck, I’ll be able to catch up on Series 8 re-watches over the weekend.

@phaseshift – Best wishes to your brother.

 

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