@blenkinsopthebrave  I was raised by a brilliant father who believed in facts and science and taught me to be the same. He also taught a young bookworm not to believe everything you read and only half of what you see without checking facts and verifying sources, in other words a healthy skepticism. A good education in the sciences helps also.

I…[Read more]

@nerys Sorry to hear about the situation in Nova Scotia. We have visited NS three times. All were wonderful. All three were in Halifax, but one of them also included a few days staying in a friend’s cottage on the coast south of Halifax, with long drives down the east coast. We both loved Nova Scotia. As for the anti-vaxers, I throw up my hands i…[Read more]

@nerys You have my sympathy, I just hope your mini-lockdown works. And your vaccination programme. Here, we might be getting out first jab in a month – NZ has slipped down the list a bit for vaccine deliveries, but that’s okay because our quarantine is holding (so far) and I don’t think we (as a country) want to be seen as grasping.
I’m not…[Read more]

@winston I am thinking of you and hoping that soon the situation in Ontario will improve. As @blenkinsopthebrave says we have been very fortunate in Australia, mostly due to being an island and also to the quick response of our State governments and heath departments. Unfortunately lockdowns are the only way it seems of dealing with Covid, at…[Read more]

@winston so great to hear that you are surviving (albeit with crazy neighbours). I was just corresponding with a friend back in Australia who did not realise we were still in lockdown in Canada. Happily, Australia has coped quite well (in part because of their policy of absolutely rigorous lockdowns when needed). I had to explain to her that,…[Read more]

@blenkinsopthebrave  and @janetteb  I am still here in lock down in Ontario. We have had our first jab but it will be 4 months before the 2nd shot. I keep busy gardening and puttering around the place. Spring also means so many birds are back and there have even been 6 little goslings (of the Canada variety) in the yard so the binoculars, bird g…[Read more]

@oochillyo   Declan – OK, I’ve got Vampires of Venice and Amy’s Choice to work through, but when I get to The Hungry Earth I’ll drop a note.   Actually from the title and the spooky atmosphere of the start of Hungry Earth I was expecting something more metaphysical.   It reminded me of Conan Doyle’s ‘The Day the Earth Screamed’ which also featu…[Read more]

@dentarthurdent Victory of the Daleks is not an episode I have ever re watched. It only had one thing to recommend it, the Dalek in Camos. I loathe “Kill the Moon” for many reasons not just the sheer absurdity of the concept, which lost viewers unsurprisingly, but also the proposal that the earth should be sacrificed to save the moon creature.…[Read more]

@winston: Yes, me too. At my great age you would think I would have got over it? Not at all.🙄 Yes, thank you, I am bearing up. As I tell my children I still have a pulse!😄 What about you?

@dentarthurdent:  When I am alone – which is all the time – in the house, sudden noises, bangs etc make me jump,

Usually, it’s just the water…[Read more]

@nerys   My mother took us to see The Night of the Living Dead at the drive-in way back in the 60s.They used to play a family movie than a not so family movie that us kids were supposed to sleep through. I did not!   What were they thinking? Anyway when I wanted my granddaughter to watch Doctor Who I was worried it might scare her but it did…[Read more]

@nerys   It is surprising how scary and shocking that horse head in the bed was. I remember the movie making me feel stressed and anxious for days even though I was a young adult when I saw it. I have a low tolerance for scary movies to this day and rarely watch things that make me feel that way. Even some episodes of  Doctor Who ,like Midnight ,…[Read more]

@nerys that is a beautiful photo. Thank you for sharing the link. Snow is so photogenic. Much more photogenic than dust. I also love the effects of mist. The first time we visited Avebury it was early morning in January and very misty. I love the images of the stones looming out of the mist. Next time we visited it was sunny and they did not have…[Read more]

@nerys

the extra tardis was from the destroyed Gallifrey the Doctor sent the fam and co to Earths 21st century towards the end of the season finale being a fully functional Tardis it has the functioning Chameleon Circuit hence its masquerading as a suburban house . I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be a Battle Tardis and hence the Doc’s abili…[Read more]

@nerys

If as I suspect the original pre-COVID plan was for the next series was to start on the back of the special like last season, they possibly felt a two parter was not necessarily needed. Now given the gap being forced on them due to suspension in production due to the COVID lockdowns in retrospective hindsight a two parter would have been…[Read more]

@nerys I’m in the general age range when the death of me is expected. 🙂 Or at least, wouldn’t be unusual. It’s a bit disconcerting when acquaintances I’ve known for years, die. I just find it convenient to ignore the statistics.

I wouldn’t even try to plan my own funeral. The one thing I might demand is that they play Dire Straits’ ‘Wild…[Read more]

our dearest @nerys

Condolences and love from the other Aussies, the Puro fam. I’m so, so sorry to hear about your dad. It seemed like he had a life, well lived, which is fortunate.

And I’m sure he was very proud of you  -as well. And that matters too.

Quick visit this one, but hope for a longer one after I’ve watched the Who special & to wish…[Read more]

@nerys Can I offer my condolences? Still, it should be some consolation that your father ‘had a good run’, as they say. From your account, I think he was maybe more fortunate than most in the manner of his going.

My father died at 96. He was fine, living in his own flat, very active, till the last six months when he went downhill and could no…[Read more]

@nerys  Your Father sounds like he lived quite a life and danced to his own drummer. To honour him in the way he wanted is a blessing.I hope you and your family are doing OK.

Take care.

@janetteb  I really like the books and can’t wait for the third in this new bunch. Exploring this world with an adult Lyra and Pan is quite different and even d…[Read more]

@nerys it is good to know what someone wants in such circumstances. When my Mother in Law died as a result of a road accident we had no idea what she would want and made decisions that I regret still. I felt as though she would not have liked her funeral at all and that we let her down. It is important to “say farewell and honour a person’s life…[Read more]

@nerys So sorry to hear about your Dad. It is always hard to loose a loved one, life is never quite the same and moving on, adjusting to the new reality takes time. Hope you can at least talk to family and share the memories even if it by digital means.

Regards

Janette