@ps1l0v3y0u Now, if you want to see Turnstones in April, try the end of Southend Pier.

First time I ever saw ruddy turnstones was along beaches in our neck of the woods (southwestern Nova Scotia) in summer and fall. They are the calico cats of the bird world. Very distinctive!

@dentarthurdent Thanks for clarifying the species. Wow, 100 of them! The most I’ve seen here is three at a time. Do yours migrate or stay put for the winter? The ones we see here migrate to this area in the spring to breed, then they leave for the winter.

@dentarthurdent On our local beach at the moment, we get flocks of oystercatchers, which I think look slightly absurd with their long red beaks.

I envy you your close proximity to oystercatchers. Would these be Eurasian oystercatchers? I saw them when we visited Denmark in 2007 … though I didn’t know it at the time. Not living near the ocean…[Read more]

@whohar Thanks for that clarification!

So, refresh my memory: Was “New Earth” the first episode in David Tennant’s first season as Doctor Who? As I recall, after Christopher Eccleston’s regeneration, Tennant made his first full-length appearance in the Christmas special, and then onward and upward.

@janetteb, I’m with you. I was not overly…[Read more]

@whohar Are you referring to these (“The Nightmare Begins” and “Devil’s Planet”), or to two additional lost episodes that have been found?

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/doctor-who-lost-episodes-9.7131796

@winston That’s a lot of snow! I would have preferred to visit at a more springlike time, but it reminded me how much I enjoy spring. Yesterday morning, we awoke to a thin layer of snow. As the sun rose, the dripping snow glittered like gems. Eventually the snow melted, turning into a spectacular spring day by mid-afternoon.

Hello, all! Good to see the updates from everyone. We just got back from a trip to Ontario to visit family. We thought we were sick of winter here in Nova Scotia. Well, there the snowbanks are still heaped so high that the street signs barely peek out over them. And this is the slowly melting version. I can’t imagine what they were at their peak…[Read more]

I just spotted this story, from CBC Radio’s As It Happens program, about two recently discovered Doctor Who episodes (“The Nightmare Begins” and “Devil’s Planet” from Hartnell’s third season), which were previously thought to be lost forever:

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/doctor-who-lost-episodes-9.7131796

@winston So happy to read your update on your little fellow. You’re right, those sleepy times will become farther and fewer between, so hopefully his parents are banking their own sleep time now. They’ll need it!

We too have a lot of snow, but we’re getting a nice warmup now, so it will be gone by the end of the week. Fortunately we’re seeing a…[Read more]

@winston Congratulations! Oh, this is happy news, and most welcome today. You’re right, it’s the young ones we need to fight for. Hugs to you and your family.

@janetteb He really pioneered the story arc in U.S. television. It just wasn’t done before the 90s especially in si fi.

My husband has made that observation, and certainly it was not in widespread use at this time. Babylon 5 did a stellar job with its story arcs, and the extent to which they were carried through was groundbreaking. But there w…[Read more]

@janetteb Initially I was like your son’s girlfriend. When my husband pulled out his prized DVDs and started watching them, I rolled my eyes and doom-scrolled on my phone, somehow seeing that as a better alternative. Especially when he saw fit to explain the whole backstory of a character or scene.

But, over time, the series has grown on me, and…[Read more]

@janetteb A few years ago now, J.M.S. tried to do a re-imagining of Babylon 5. ( B.5 was originally inspired in part by Blake’s 7 incidentally.) It did not get off the ground. He recognised however that any attempt to ‘re do” the series needed new characters for new actors and a fresh take on the story. He wasn’t going far enough with that however…

[Read more]

@thane16 Sadly, I’m not familiar with any South African music. After university, I drifted away from classical music, for the most part. My only connection with it now is through band, and also through film orchestral scores. But, living where I do, I would have to travel for concerts beyond the local singer/songwriter realm … and I just don’t…[Read more]

@thane16 Aaron Copland owes much to Charles Ives. It’s the whole “standing on the shoulders of giants” foundation and progression that is art. Copland’s music (the more programmatic pieces, anyway … not so much the avant garde ones from later in his career) do give a sweeping sense of Americana. Maybe it’s that sense of nostalgia that appeals to…[Read more]

@thane16 Love Fanfare for the Common Man! I think part of the reason I love Copland’s music is because of his use of open fifths. Such resonant chords. In high school my wind ensemble played El Salon Mexico. Quite a challenge for a small-town Indiana band, but we loved it.

And I love it that as a young’un, you thought ELP composed that music.…[Read more]

@ps1l0v3y0u Aaron Copland is my favorite composer. He kept his private life very quiet, while composing gorgeous music across a spectrum that ranged from the programmatic style he’s best known for, to a more avant garde style. Appalachian Spring moved me to tears the first time I heard it, and still does.

@mudlark I’m sorry about the death of…[Read more]

@thane16 Wow, what an experience! Did you continue playing oboe after that?

I had something similar happen last April, when my five-piece local band was still rehearsing together. We were about a third of the way into our first piece when I fainted. I was only out for a few seconds. Fortunately we were seated in chairs on a thick rug in the home…[Read more]

@thane16 Oboe is a gorgeous instrument! Also very difficult to play. IMO, oboe is the most challenging woodwind instrument, and french horn is the most challenging brass instrument. Both make a gorgeous sound … when played well. Mastering the technique to create that beautiful sound is what’s so difficult. I admire the players who do it!

@thane16 Congratulations on your upcoming conducting job! Brahms is challenging, but mastering those pieces gives us such a thrill of achievement.

My father taught music in public schools until he switched gears to teach counseling and teacher education at the university level. He was primarily a high school band director, but early in his career…[Read more]