SPOILER, SPOILER, SPOILER...

@winston, Yes indeed. the Doctor has had many male companions from Ian Chesterton to Ryan. I would also include K.9 as a companion so it is a very generic term.

@pedant Thank you for the link. When I was researching through 19c newspapers I often found the woman, (I was studying) referred to as Mr because it was assumed that only a male would so…[Read more]

@miapatrick yes now i understand, did not know that bit of linguistic history, sorry, and yes, it would have been better to either not drop the male prefix or drop both male and female prefixes.

Yes “male” is also the default in design for just about everything too, which is why I need extra cushions when driving the car and cannot reach top…[Read more]

@miapatrick It sounds interesting and I hope it will be available internationally. I would be tempted as I love old British TV, though I do have a good collection already. I wish there was a similiar site for old ABC shows as well. I did see that at least one Australian series was going to be on Britbox, possibly because most of them had some…[Read more]

@miapatrick good point. In the 19th C housekeepers were referred to as Mrs because it was considered to denote a higher status, which meant that unmarried women in general were considered lesser in status. The same is evident in the “order” in which people were presented. In Pride and Prejudice Lydia takes precedence over her older sisters when…[Read more]

@pedant and @thane 16 I had a school cook book that covered the basics. When I got a job as a cook it was my lifeline as I had never cooked before and had no idea at all of how to do so. Sadly I once loaned it to a friend and never got it back. I still miss that book, and am useless when it comes to boiling eggs. Luckily now however we have the…[Read more]

@pedant I was not complaining about saying “camera person”. Just remarking that I fell into the error of not doing so and corrected myself. The family were amused because I am a bit dogmatic about not using gender specific terms so was breaking my own rule. (forgive me if I misread your response but I feel you are making the same point I made and…[Read more]

@thane16 good luck with the cooking. Our dog found her way to the meat counter at Coles once so I am sure you will be fine. learning to cook is a good plan, something we need to force our sons to do as well.

Agree re’ the limo. Horrible things that use far more fuel than is good for the planet. Busses are the way to go..

cheers

Janette

@miapatrick perhaps it was growing up in a fairly sexist household but everytime I heard the word man, I wondered why I was being left out of the conversation. I find the term sexist because we associate the word with a gender and when many people use the word, men especially, they are forgetting women are part of the story. Using the word…[Read more]

@pedant I must confess, I have not actually watched it but that may be about to change.. Just as long as there is no Elmo..

Cheers

Janette

@blenkinsopthebrave Hopefully it will be better than the trailer. I am looking forward to it (despite the trailer) especially with Andy Serkis playing a ghost… I love A Christmas Carol and now seems like a good time for a remake. Sad that the message never goes out of date. I usually watch at least one version of it, (strictly no Muppets) before…[Read more]

Congrats to @thane16 for completing yr 12. Quite and achievement and congrats to you “Thane’s Mum” for guiding him though. It is just as hard on parents. Modern history is a fascinating subject, always one of my favourites, but then there were not many history topics that did not interest me, unfortunately those just happened to be the ones on…[Read more]

@thane16 and mods. Same thing happening to me. I think our sofa is worn out, springs broken, fabric tearing, and that creaking is positively alarming..

Cheers

Janette

@Missy if you heard the word Mayor in our town you would not think of a man, but a brilliant dynamic woman who is the best mayor this town has ever had.

I have considered your point re’ opting for the male title but I think when it comes to position titles like “mayor” that is not “male” just non gender specific. I do think there is at times a…[Read more]

@blenkinsopthebrave it sounds wonderful and I am envious. Any excuse for people to congregate in a inclusive social atmosphere is great and dressing up is so much fun. It breaks down social barriers, something I observed back in my working days, though of course it is not for everyone. Oddly enough it was the more extroverted people who disliked…[Read more]

As @thane16 says, the clip of J.W. singing was “beaut”. I am very envious though. To be able to act and sing..

cheers

Janette

@winston I wish we did do more for Halloween here  as it sounds like fun and our culture lacks fun. I blame it on the Methodist/Presbyterian colonists. I appreciate that for them life was tough, trying to impose their western expectations on an arid land, but really did they have to reject all forms of celebration?? Well clearly they thought so.…[Read more]

@pedant thanks for that trailer. I had not seen it and  I have been regularly checking up on news about WotW as I am really looking forward to it.

@winston, it is the first adaptation to be set in the U.K. There is also another version in the works which is set in present day. The book passed out of copyright just over a year ago, hence the rush…[Read more]

@bluesqueakpip I was not even aware that Getting of Wisdom was filmed there until I read the IMDB page though I was familiar with the house that had been the school described in the book. The fine Victorian architecture was, at least in part, spoiled by my father who oversaw the removal of the shop verandah posts in the 70s loosing so much of the…[Read more]

I am sure that someone else has already pointed this out but I can’t find the reference but interesting trivia, Hilary Ryan, (Rodan)’s first role was in the Australian film “The Getting of Wisdom” which was filmed in Ballarat, back when I still lived there. I might have passed her in the street.

Cheers

Janette