Memoirs of a TV Junkie

If Love is the Answer, Could You Rephrase the Question

2012-02-14T00:09:00.000Z

My feelings on this, most vomit inducing of days, have been mentioned in previous years so I will just add this:

Baby, It's Cold Outside

2012-02-03T16:56:00.000Z

It's minus ridiculous outside, with a side of skin cracking wind chill, always pleasant.

So just because, here's a couple of pictures guaranteed to warm you up a bit:

Right then, as you were.

Lets Get Physical

2012-01-26T17:55:00.000Z

News Flash...Exercise is good for you...apparently. I tend to disagree, usually soon after I have slogged my way through a 2 hour session at the gym. I feel neither healthy nor particularly fit looking, as the sweat runs down my face and back, plastering my fringe to my face with a constant need to sort out a wedgie and pulling some super unattractive faces as I try to keep up with my routine. The girl next to me is running faster, puffing far less, glowing instead of sweating and doesn't have a hair out of place. More than once I have imagined her tripping on a shoelace and being flung halfway across the gym, does that make me an evil person?

I push on like the trooper that I am though, as I'm aware of the many benefits and, in my particular case, keeping me borderline sane for a few times a week from a chemical high (though I've heard a similar thing can be achieved from gratuitous consumption of chocolate, something I'm not objecting too per-se, but am not keen on the other side affects of this)

I have seen a change since I started this form of torture...dropped two dress sizes, lost over 2 and a half stone, can once again sit on my haunches when kneeling (a skill not to be sniffed at and is alas neglected to be appreciated after the age of 10) much better balance, calves that have a shape which much less resemble a tree trunk and am regularly amused by my fellow patrons some of which seem to think they are on display at Venice Beach rather than Bognor Regis....still waiting for someone to be slung across the room from being overly ambitious on the running machine, which is most disappointing as according to You've Been Framed it is an extremely regular occurance.

I do struggle though, it's tough to continue to at pace when you're inner moppet is desperately encouraging you to belt out tunes from Glee as they come on my iPod and then there's the tunes which are a regular staple at conventions...do I diligently carry on with the cross trainer or be the only person in the gym cracking on with a flawless Swamp Thing routine? it's a conundrum.

Today I nearly incurred a nasty injury on the Pectoral machine, there I was halfway through my reps, desperately trying to not to pull too many strange faces, when a chap started doing weights opposite me. Not an uncommon occurrence, except for the fact that this chap was the spitting image of actor/stuntman and convention favourite Dan Payne. I was puzzling over his uncanny resemblance when the fella started doing some stretches, lunges and lots of.....bending, during one very flexible maneuver I nearly popped my shoulder!

For those not in the know, this is Dan Payne doing what he does best:

Ack, well at least there's one more reason to keep up with this gym gumpf...I'm still waiting for my six pack to come through, it's currently more of a large one pack, my buns are yet to feel like anything remotely like steel and I'm pretty sure one day I will expire on the rowing machine, though if that happens mayhap 'looks like Dan Payne' will be able to assist ;-)

Eyes Hurt, Skin Hurts, Tongue to Big for Mouth

2012-01-18T15:18:00.000Z

The moment I realised I was about to come down with some kind of plague wasn't when my sister-in-law lost her voice over Christmas, it wasn't when father became more woolly minded than usual around two weeks later, it wasn't even when mother virtually hacked up and lung whilst we were catching up with the exploits of Sherlock...no, the moment I realised my future was the joys of every piece of food tasting like cardboard, a continuous swarm of mosquitoes in my head, both shivering and sweating at the same time and the mucus...for the love of God, the mucus...yes that moment was when the various folk sharing the same carriage as I last week seemed intent on superfluously spreading every infected molecule across the train in a world where obviously the humble tissue had never been invented. Why use such devices when you can sneeze spittle half the length of the carriage, cough phlegm onto the back of the seat in front or even wipe mucus onto seat coverings...obviously more absorbent than a man size Kleenex...and then touch the 'open door' button the stop before mine. And so I shall wrap myself in my duvet as my nose turns a lovely shade of raw red and my lungs test whether a cough or sneeze works as well as regular breathing techniques....And I may or may not watch my entire collection of Harry Potter films in a hallucinogenic haze.

S**t my dad does

2012-01-07T16:16:00.000Z

For many years now I have known that my dad is different from other dads. At around 10 years old I came to the conclusion that I had reached the point in time which I had matured beyond the realms that my father ever would. It doesn't make him a bad guy, it's just that at times we as a family have to cringe when out in public with the chap.

This week was no exception. We visited the cineplex to finally catch some of those movies which have been floating around, but which we had been avoiding over the Christmas period due to the high percentage of kids who throw popcorn anywhere but in their mouths which are constantly in use though out the film, which is apparently so complex to their brains a exposition track should be included as standard (the 12a certification is an abomination which should be disposed of immediately). Sherlock Holmes was the choice and was pleasing in concept, tone, action and witty dialogue (only outdone by Sherlock presently on the beeb).

We left the cinema having our post movie chatter as we walked back to the car, a couple a few yards in front of our little group. As we approached the car the chap in front pressed the button to unlock his car and, in a show of perfectly timed Jedi hi-jinx, the lights of our own car flashed as it unlocked right next to the fella. The chap did one of those highly comical Acme double-takes and for a full 30 seconds thought he had somehow unlocked our car with his key fob. He was subsequently laughed out of the car park. Dad maintained the look of a chap very pleased with himself for the next 8-12 hours, every so often chuckling to himself in a Dr. Evil kind of manner...I nearly sprained my eyes due to constant rollage.

Hello...is it me you're looking for...

2012-01-01T22:54:00.000Z

*Blows dust of Blog*....Ahem....*room echoes* If there is indeed anyone still in the vicinity, this Blog is now officially functional again. I would like to say I have been immensely busy and super popular, to the point that spending anytime processing and writing down events was deemed impossible for the human form...I'd like to say that, but it would be a big fat indulgent lie.

It's not that I haven't done anything, in fact there are a few new ventures in which I am partaking, and some very memorable events which have occurred...I intend to fill in these gaps in my existence soon, in glorious tecnicolor even, but for now, just because...here is a picture of a gingerbread house.

An Irishman, Scotsman and a Czech Walk into a Bar....

2011-05-04T20:12:00.001+01:00

A long time ago (January) in a Galaxy far, far away (Heathrow) I and a select group of rebels attended a conference of high culture and discussed the future of life, the Universe and everything...yeah right! Gateway to Sanctuary rocked muchly and I've yet to do it justice in full on this 'ere piece of the web. Consider that put to rights...since the Force demanded it.

So, I pretty much covered all things Robin Dunne (and some of Dunne's bum even) which can be caught up with here But, apparently, Robin Dunne wasn't the only guest, though my pages of notes dedicated to the chap would suggest otherwise, what can I say...the guy's a charmer.

David Nykl was in fact partaking in a convention in Ireland on the Saturday and apparently he and Paul had a conversation which went something like:

Paul "What are you doing this weekend?"
David "I'm at a convention in Ireland"
Paul "I'm doing a convention in London"
David "You should come over to Ireland for one of the days"
Paul "I'm at a Cooney con, and when you're at a Cooney con...you stay at a Conney con, so get you butt over here"

And that is how we ended up with an extra guest.

David seemed to be having a jolly good time indeed and was hilarious. He's also been a busy fella since the end of Stargate Atlantis, talking about roles in Fringe and Human Target as well as a version of Mortal Kombat (which I believe is now airing online) He plays Johnny Cage's agent....which led to a wave of chuckles int he audience...and apparently he get's his "ass kicked".

Multi talented David did a brief tap dance for us and made fun of the way Carson was killed off in season 3 "exploding tumours....really Paul" and I think many of us would agree it wasn't Atlantis' finest plot bunny.

Not looking too unlike Stan Laurel in this pic

We talked about Zelenka's use of Czech when annoyed at McKay and how in Czechoslovakia it's dubbed over, even though it's in the same language...okay then.

I'll let you try to decipher what he was saying here...and no points for the last word.....

Here David enlightens us to some of the problems with costumes

One of the strangest auditions David had to do was playing a one sided poker game which went something like....places card, long pause, picks up card, long pause, makes bet, long pause...really Hollywood? not sure whether he got the part or not.

David also does quite the good impression of Jason Mamoa, which...unsurprisingly...mainly involves grunting.

I chatted to David at the autographs about the first time I had met him, which was at Wolf Pegasus 2, and what a great time he had been having checking out the Justice League with Chuck Campbell. David was also very sociable coming to the parties and hanging out at (or onto...it was difficult to tell) the bar.

And if Robin is the charmer and David is the joker, then Paul McGillion is the absolute sweetheart. Every time I meet the fella, and to be honest he is fast becoming a permanant fixture to the Wolf event, I come away with a warm and fuzzy feeling inside, which is far to schmaltzy for this Brit but then you really have to go with the flow at a convention.

So, what did he have to say for himself....He actually didn't arrive until the Saturday, literally walking off the plane and rocking up to the event. He had got a part in a pilot about Alcatraz which JJ Abrams is involved with (obviously remembering Paul's talent from his 15 second part in Star Trek then). Unfortunately he couldn't say much about it, but he had high hopes for it to be picked up and anything with JJ attached these days is well worth looking into I say.

Paul either doing his Sean Connery or, more likely Joe Flannigan impression

Still a bit bleary eyed from catching a red eye just to be with us fans, Paul mentioned how he loves coming to this particular con because it's a little like visiting a large extended family, pointing out that many faces were the same (including the rather dubious lot in the front row) and he brought up to the front a brother and sister who's whole family were from Germany. As the lad towered above Paul he mentioned that when he first met the youngsters his height barely reached his chest. Dedicated us Sci-Fi fans and best to start the rug rats off early or else they may just get into sports of something...or even worse....reality TV *shudders*

For many years poor Paul has been the butt of many jokes from his fellow cast mates due to him being the only single fella left, Kavan Smith in particular teasing the guy with much mirth about his single status and possible reasons as to the cause. This time however Paul was proudly showing off his wedding ring...much like the Royal wedding I'm guessing my invite was lost in the post...and very smitten he appears to be too. He mentioned the honeymoon was spent in Hawaii where they took a tour of the islands by helicopter the pilot apparently asking if the pair were afraid of heights before carrying out some rather acrobatic flying and leaving the new bride and groom with white knuckles...McGillion not so much with the action hero it would appear.

One of his latest project is playing a Witch Slayer in a Sci-Fi version of Hansel and Gretel with Shannon Dorherty.....yeah....and from his following description of one of the scenes he was involved with it certainly sounds like the usual 'high quality' entertainment we have come to expect from the Sy Fy channel.

Since the introduction of the pet turtles for Carson, poor Paul has been inundated with every type of turtle product you can think of including cuddly ones, chocolate ones and even a tea cozy...and after this con he went home with an inflatable beachy one, signed by the gutter crowd.

He would have liked to seen more of the Atlantis team behind the scenes, much like the episode Sunday...but with a little less exploding tumours I'd imagine.... and commented that Sheppard would be talking to the mirror ala DeNiro in Taxi "You talkin' to me?" and gelling his hair and that Mckay would be knitting.

He talked about how the series panned out for him

Did a bit of audience participation with a scene from the very first episode, mate Tina starring as Dr Weir

Chatted about how it's never a good idea to go out to lunch with Jason Mamoa

Later in the day it was autograph time and the atmosphere was very relaxed and unrushed since it was such a small con. I thanked Paul for coming over, as he had been working and jumped straight on a plane just to see us and he gave me a huge hug and some very kind words. As it had been Paul's birthday a little while before a cake had been organized and the gutter gang rocked up during Paul's final photo shoot. We even sang a song (I should've had the foresight to get someone to record it) but basically the gang crowded round Paul and sang "Thiiiiiis iiiiiis your birthday song, it is not very long..." cut off the singing abruptly and walked off in different directions, much to all the guests amusement. Then there was a group photo with the cake (we opted to not push Paul's face in the confection at the last second, as had been suggested) and then there was eating of cake...nom, nom,nom.

Now the parties at conventions differ greatly depending on which organiser you go with, but the Wolf con parties are legendary and this event was no exception. We has previously organised that the Saturday night party was to be themed as a beachy event as the weather earlier in the month had been absolutely shocking and some light relief was definitely needed. So there were lifeguards, beach bums and surfer dudes a plenty, with various inflatables, mini drinks umbrellas and a limbo thingy which quickly turned into a volleyball net. What really made my night was when Paul arrived and joined our 'team' for some indoor beach volleyball kookiness...I mean where really can you not only play a bit of beach volley ball inside in January but have an actor join in the fun too.

On Sunday night, many folk had already left the con and us hardcore lot ventured over to the nearby pub (which had also been a regular feature of the con)...inviting the guests along. An indication to the utter niceness of these chaps they came along and I managed to get a seat opposite the three of them. They were facing the TV and watching/ making fun of Dancing on Ice, if I recall, but I managed to chat away with Paul, Robin and David while I enjoy my scampi and chips.

Some pics from the auction...the fellas making sure they keep the vocal chord lubricated

I fear there has been some kind of gutter remark which Robin has decided was my fault *whistles innocently*

My Photo shoots and Autographs

Not only did I have to 'endure' mutiple pictures with Robin due to the flash on the lens of me glasses but my 'friend' Wend shouted "get your hands off his bum" making me turn beetroot red as Robin reacted as if I'd pinched his bum (if I had known it was an option....)

Robin had also pretended to fall asleep while giving me a hug, leading to the highly chucklesome moment of him...sliding to the floor.

Then we eventually got it right.

I didn't have the funds for individual shots but I did splurge on a group pic...getting a bear hug from Robin

This was the gutter crowds prize after winning the TV theme tune quiz (I laughed in the face of the quiz and we had quite the group bonding session belting out the there from Fraggle Rock)...the poor guy in the centre is organiser and 'chief' Brian Cooney.

L-R Sam, Vicky Random Scot, Tina, Random Czech, Wend, Random Irishman, Christina, Angie and your truly

And how could I not mention the epic toilets of the hotel...yes I can see your excitement at the prospect is barely containable, but it's not everyday you have a piddle with James Dean....

Or Elvis

Or Errol Flynn

And for the boys (yes, I did sneek in just to take photos)

Audrey Hepburn

Veronica Lake (I think)

And of course Marilyn Monroe

Happy Wills & Kate Day

2011-04-29T20:56:00.000+01:00

Well that was pretty darned fabulous. I caved at all the hype and stayed at my sisters for a understated and exclusive party. Watching footage of the big day thoughout the morning and most of the afternoon. Highlights for me...wondering if the DVLA realised none of the wedding cars appeared to have a tax disc, the Queen with a blue blanket keeping her legs warm in the car just like my mum does on a nippy car journey, Kate's dress, what a delisciously heavenly dress, Harry's comment to Wills of 'Wait until you see her dress' as Kate approached the alter, Will's sly and cheeky wink during the service to his new bride, Kate's 'Oh, Wow!' comment as she stepped out onto the balcony and saw the thousands of people in the Mall, the kiss(es), Kate's little look back over her shoulder as she stepped back into the Palace and the Austin Martin 'JU5T WED' indeed. In all a fabulous day and not a drop of rain in sight...In your face British weather!

Ready for the off

What an amazing dress, Kate looked absolutely magical

Loved the cheeky looks Wills and Kate shared throughout the service

The carriage was gorgeous

Just one or two folks in the Mall then

Gotta love a fly by

Though the little bridesmaid in the front left obviously not as keen

When close to a million people are chanting 'Kiss her' then I guess you oblige

What a sweet couple they are too

The Sea King fly by as Wills and Kate left Buckingham Palace

And the newlyweds leave in style...I think Harry may know something about the balloons and decorations...classy ;-)

It was a really nice, elegant and enchanting ceremony. It's easy to see why Wills and Kate are a favourite amongst us peasants. Two very impressed thumbs up!

How to Blow Off the Gym With Style

2011-04-26T20:48:00.000+01:00

Have I mentioned recently the exceptionally sunny sunshine we've been having during the last month. Largely I can become very stationary when the weather follows the usual pattern of general dull and suckyness and apart from the gym there has been little to get my juices going and my arse off the comfort of my bed.

So I decided to make the most of the fashionable early summer. Never one with much inclination to get involved with the chores of the garden I have actually had fun helping out the parentals. Digging out bushes with massive routes, digging and leveling soil, trimming shrubs and painting the wood framed greenhouse and trellis (nearly without getting any on me clothes, hands, glasses and the street sign I was using to lean the trellis against)

I cleaned up my bike, which has spent the last year living in the garage, and went out over the busy Easter weekend to have a gander at a car boot sale a few miles away. It was largely old tat but I did savour the fact that on my return journey I passed a queue of traffic several miles long (all attempting to get away for the weekend) while I happily chuffed on by on my bicycle....suckers!

And of course what would a spell on fabulous weather be without some kind of jaunt into the luscious South Down countryside.

Cocking Down is one of the easiest parts of the South Downs to get to on my own, I just have to go all round the houses on a bus for an hour and 20 mins. It is however very worth it

Traditions upheld, this kind of fencing has been used on the Downs for decades

You can tell it's still early in the season as the trees in the distance have yet to find their leaves

Aww, ickle cattle

And this is where I stopped for lunch, the Trig marker useful for checking I'm not lost (yet)

Since the South Downs have become a National Park there has been quite a bit of work down, clearing areas surrounding the ancient tumuli and maintaining paths

The protected Graffham Down

And I guess a less protected...er...whatever this once was (sheep?) the skull left in the middle of the track in a not at all creepy fashion

This is actually looking back upon the hill I just descended and climbing back up the other side (one of 3 hills in this walk)

I had to keep reminding myself in the 27 degree heat that it was in fact still Spring, the trees are still sporting the fresh greens of the time of year.

Keeping an eye out for Hobbits and other such fantastical creatures....

What an epically fantastic place for a rope swing

And finally after 7.5 miles I reach Selhurst Park and this is the view from the much appreciated bench while I waited for my lift home.

Just visible on the top of the hill, Halnaker Windmill

And this stuff will be recognized by any hay-fever suffers out there, Mustard seed looks fantastic in the fields but by-crikey it pen and inks

So there you have Cocking Down to Selhurst Park on the South Downs Way, looking fabulous in the sunshine if I do say so myself....easy to see why I'd rather be up here than down on the beach with only chavs for company.

Hot Cross Buns and other Stories

2011-04-25T20:05:00.000+01:00

Blimey, doesn't time fly when you're not looking. The last month has been amazingly sunny, ridiculously in fact and very unseasonal. A couple of years ago much of the country had been covered in snow during April...this year much of the country has been basking in temperatures hotter than parts of the Med, L.A. and at one point Rio...whoop!

So then what does one do when Easter is hot enough to turn your eggs into puddles of molten Chocolate....turns out quite a lot actually. Just so happens that the Easter weekend fell on my fathers birthday this year and because of the the dandy weather the traditional roast was ousted in favour of the BBQ. My sister and her fiancee were cordially invited the garden based do and much merriment was had...my father in particular had several pints of merriment and spent the latter part of the afternoon thoroughly examining the backs of his eyelids.

My sister takes charge of the BBQ while Emma stands at a safe distance after singeing the hairs off her arm

"Cheese"....and hot dogs, salad, chicken, tatties and cheesecake

The Birthday boy enjoys his pint (or 4)

Mmmmmm

After all our bellies were filled to acceptable levels Emma and I wandered up to offer the neighbourhood Donkeys some Easter munchies in the form of sliced apple.

Awww, cute, fluffy Donkeys

And after all that snacking on apple....

And in case you missed it

1st Walk of Spring

2011-03-24T21:16:00.000Z

Oops...here we go again, apologies for being absent once again, I have for once been busy-ish. Exercise and getting some Vitamin D into my very depleted system has been key...and then having to shop for jeans as mine had become too big, a rather satisfying feeling indeed.

I've visited friends and will once again be looking after dumb and dumber (aka Oscar and Archie) this weekend and...since Spring has put in a welcome early appearance....I even went for my first proper walk of the season.

I decided that to break myself in I comfortable walk along the coast was in order for the particularly lovely sunny and warm Spring day and so the Witterings was my starting point.

Spring blossoms lined some of the route

I passed by many a fabulously expensive looking house, the Witterings/Itchenor area obviously very attractive to the well off of Sussex

I was hoping the harbour tours or at least the ferry were operating since it was such a lovely day...alas too early in the season...In the summer I will be back for a mini cruise.

Wouldn't be Spring without Daffies

Some of the epic looking yachts at Chichester Marina. When I win the lottery I'm gonna get me one of these

As with many of my walks I ended up going further than intended ending up along the old canal which leads into nearby Chichester

Rusty, Chichester Marinas resident Swan

And a couple of visitors

So my little, easy, wander of around 5 miles along the coast ended up being a much longer walk which turned inland...and by the time I caught the bus for home I had walked over 9 1/2 miles...needless to say I got a very good nights sleep last night.

Itermission

2011-02-19T21:49:00.000Z

While I'll will get back to the convention report soon I thought I'd share a few pics and video.

First up the wonderful Kim off of Florida sent forth a package of goodies which arrived today...I'm going to be good and not scoff them all at once, and may even share a few with my nearest and dearest....

There was a Snickers included also, alas it was not long enough in this world to make it into the picture.

And last weekend I was kitten sitting...although these days the boys are more cat sized than kitten sized...doesn't mean, however their brains have compensated for the change.

Oscar finds himself a new perch

And then does the cute and innocent thing......

Until.....

Whilst his brother Archie just decides he may prefer life as a dog....

Yeah, so dumb and dumber strike again, but then they keep me amused.

Gateway to Sanctuary Innit!

2011-02-14T19:29:00.000Z

Yeah, it's been too long yet again, especially since I promised an entry about my shenanigans in Londontown a few weeks ago....bad me.

The hardest thing I find about these Convention reports is the darned first line, sometimes there's so much to convey one doesn't really know where to start. This year I wasn't even sure I'd be able to make it to a con, money is always an issue and illness has also been a factor over the last 12 months. Still I kept an eye on my favourite organisers of the intimate, friendly an ultimately most value for money...Wolf. Fortunately soon an event was announced and with three fellas as guests who made the trip 100% worth while.

But enough of my prattle...on with the event......Wolf's Gateway to Sanctuary

Due to some unforeseen circumstances Robin was on his own for the first half of the con...poor fella may have been a little 'deer in the headlights' in a room containing over 40 slightly excited and sugar filled women (plus a couple of token blokes) but the incredibly laid back atmosphere of the con made for a very fun filled opening night and weekend. Due to Robin being on his tod he took his time going round all the tables on the meet and greet and while my little group waited ever so patiently (hehe, yeah right) we munched on a little too much sugary food stuffs and amused ourselves with a project of recreating scenes for the Stargate verse...all inspired by a lone mini mars bar...by the time we had finished we had jelly baby versions of half the cast a Goa'uld mothership, Stargate with DHD and Robin's name spelt out in the the toffee sweets off of Quality street no one ever eats. To his credit Robin gave us kudos for being the most creative table he'd been to that evening.

The was much chat about the latest series of Sanctuary and also much mickey taking of Robin's Bollywood dancing and when questioned as to the possibility of a musical episode one lass at the table made us all chuckle with her inability to keep a poker face as Robin talked singing, she also followed this with a blunt 'I never seen Sanctuary' when Robin asked the table about their favourite or least favourite episodes...prompting a mocked 'spit the dummy and storm off' from Robin.

Robin sat with us for much longer than at a usual con and when organiser Brian did try to move the chap on we growled at him to leave as we were having quite a deep conversation about SGU and it's failures at the time...Brian backed away from the rabid fangirls. Soon though it was time for the party so Robin's release was negotiated and we instead rocked the night away.

Robin Dunne Guest talk

Due to the more intimate nature of the con, this was a lot less a guest talk and much more a amusing and fun filled conversation amongst a group of mates who've been separated a little too long. To convey to tone of the entire weekend I refer you to exhibit A of when Robin was asked about what it's like working on Sanctuary

Apparently Robin is quite the prankster on set and it's probably not a good idea to ever give the fella a jar of peanut butter when in the vicinity of toilets...just saying. As for what he did to poor Damian Kindler, well if Robin wasn't using his excess energy in acting I'm thinking a career in 'evil genius' awaits.

As mentioned the tone of the convention was established very early on and my con buddies and I did nothing to draw things back to a more PG level of entertainment turning the most innocuous of words into full blown innuendo bingo (Frankie Howerd had nothin' on the 7 of us) and Robin had no problem picking us lot out as the gutter row, which lead to much banter.

'Not in that way'

Robin describes his interview technique & life on set

There was even, on occasion, some actual questions to Robin about Sanctuary and what's coming up. In traditional actor keeping it schtum style he would only mention that there's an episode called 'Normandy' which was great to make (and quite self explanatory in story) and one episode which is seen from Will's point of view...yes they actually let Robin loose with a camera on set...wondering if any of the outtakes will make it on the DVD extras.

Robin maintains a high sense of professionalism when representing team Sanctuary abroad and in no way becomes a 7 year old by making fart noises in a lift filled with Japanese business types.

How Japanese people stand in a lift followed by Robin making fart noises

Okay maybe his does, but he most definitely does not become so bored in meetings that he moves all the furniture of an office into different positions thus thoroughly confusing the rep sent in to retrieve him to said meeting. Oh dear, Oh dear, Robin...you little scamp you.

Unbeknownst to me at the last convention I was at with Robin, he is actually quite the multi talented type...not in that way, sheesh...gutter! and a few years back he was involved in writing a series of family movies, the Roxy Hunter series. I'd managed to acquire them to watchfangirl.

As with any convention conversation between attendees veers between several different shows and actors and while Tina and I were mid conversation about one of our other favs, Murdoch Mysteries, Brain mentioned that Robin had in fact turned down the title role. Obviously this needed further investigation so I immediately questioned Robin on it. He was indeed offered the role of Murdoch and it was at a time when Sanctuary was just an experiment. I guessing it was one of those times as an actor that the final decision could have gone terribly wrong. I think I'd now struggle to see Robin as Murdoch, only because I'm a.) so used to Robin as Will and b.) so captivated by the chocolately goodness of Yannick Bisson's eyes. If you've never seen it...away with you now, and seek out the CSI Toronto off of the olden days.

Robin had us in stitches as he likened acting with life as a small child 'There's your socks, they go on your feet, there's tape on the floor to show you where to walk, eat now, you haven't learned your lines...don't worry here they are on a little piece of paper for the scene,' and my personal favourite was his ultra heighten glee, complete with little squeal and patronising clap, from a director as Robin gets a line right....tough job my arse! ;-)

Robin commented of the supporting cast of Sanctuary and how those characters and actors really help to make the show what it is. Personally part of the reason I love this series is the use of original material and established or well known characters from fiction/history and then the new mythology which is created. It really works well and is a refreshing series in amongst the hash of reality shows and crime dramas. It was when Robin was talking about Jonathon Young and his portrayal of Tesla, the banter and relationship with Magnus in the series, that friend Angie's bottle of coke decided to take the crown of the gutter filled weekender. With an almighty 'pop' the lid flew off prompting a quick 'I never get that kind of reaction when I'm talking about Will' from Robin. Naturally us lot in the front row were in bits for the next several minutes. Poor Angie turned a rather attractive shade of ruby red with a hint of magenta...not sure if she ever actually managed to complete the drinking process.

Now, one thing which is usually a big 'no,no' at conventions is the mention of fan fiction to the guests directly. Fan Fiction, by definition, is considered just for the fans and when some rather more excitable fans do bring up this side of the fandom it always leads to a rather awkward few moments...especially when the slash variety has to be explained. (anyone not in the knowledge of fan fiction or slash can find out more here but be warned once in the know brain bleach may be needed). So imagine our surprise when young Robin did just that, he seem truly fascinated be the concept, so much so that a Sanctuary story was found for him to read and ....well....led to this following situation.....

Just in case you missed it ;-)

And to make matters rather embarrassing for me, I was asked to read through the story to just check is wasn't too OTT or at least legible before it got to Robin. He read several little snippets, causing a mixture of guffawing and cringing amongst the audience, and I whispered to Angie something along the lines of 'wait till he gets to page six', of course I thought I'd whispered but hawk eared Robin picked up on our little conversation and asked us what we were giggling about. He started to flick onward to page 6 but then stopped, looked puzzled and asked me to be honest, that we were among friends and that had I written the story. I conveyed my most serious 'no' to which Robin merely pointed out that he had seen Lie To Me! cheeky bugger.

Jackanory Robin Dunne style

So here I shall leave proceedings for now...mainly just because...well...how does one follow Robin in his kegs reading and acting out fan fiction!

Life & Other Stuff...

2011-02-06T01:46:00.000Z

Ahem, So it's been a while *blows dust off blog* My world went a little into the mundane and uninteresting with a dash of ick and blues. Suffice to say when such things occur I tend to have very little to contribute to the world.

Christmas came and went, it was a small and low key affair, with various traditions observed and continued, though this year came with added kitten sitting. This led to the rather amusing scenarios of the troublesome duo exploring new surroundings, learning the limitations of my mothers patience (fyi not at all long) concluding the plastic tree is not for consumption and that H2O from the running tap is vastly more exciting than that in the bowl....All this before the wrapping paper fiasco.

And so some cute piccies....Archie finds himself a comfortable spot

As does Oscar

Archie begins to plot shenanigans

The lure of Christmas wrapping proves to enticing for a couple of kittens

Archie pulls his best 'I didn't do it' face

Oscar is busted

And at the end of the day it just proves all a little too much

The blizzard and snowy conditions abated just prior to Christmas day, much to my disappointment....another year without a white Christmas, and the more familiar dull, grey and generally depressing murk and rain returned. The all time worst kind of weather for me and therefore my mood was in danger of plummeting to a depressingly low standard....save for a few things:

My family, in their wisdom, had treated me to a wii with a few games included...one in particular a rather addictive case of animated fun, and after barely a month I can consider myself to be fairly masterful of all things Mario Kart...to the point where whipping the arse of my sister, her partner and my father is starting to get a little boring ;-)

On a particularly cold, murky and down right icky day mother produced an extra pressie in the form of a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle...a few hours later it was complete and I raided the spare cupboard for more...then moved on to e-bay...like some kind of rabid puzzle fiend I continue to seek out and solve jigsaws, slapping away any hand who dares interfere with my task of finding just the right piece and then destroying it again before anyone barely gets a glance of the finished picture to move onto the next....I'm even starting to dream in 'puzzle'....is that weird?

Before my jigsaw obsession takes complete hold, there is one more thing which has been keeping me in check...focusing my inner moppet to all things geek. A long time coming I decided to go to London for, what has become an annual, Wolf Gateway to Sanctuary Convention. There had been talk of this particular convention coming to an end...recession, series ending, general lack of interest...you can take your pick of the reason. So when this was announced with three guest I've met before but thoroughly enjoy being around and listening too, I could hardly turn down the chance....especially if this was going to be a farewell event. And to be quite honest I missed my cuddies (con-buddies, for those not yet ofey with my nonsensical witterings)

It was to be a kind of test for me after recent months and to be honest could've gone either way, but thankfully I had most excellent time and for a whole weekend got to be...me! But more on that another time.

Random X-mas Tuneage

2010-12-22T15:29:00.001Z

Have been waiting a couple of months to post this little gem....How did I not know about this album

Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful.....

2010-12-02T15:06:00.000Z

Yeah. So. Bit nippy. I've been at my sisters place kitten sitting and all was going swimmingly....until it suddenly went all winter. The rest of the country has been languishing under harsh blizzard and icy conditions for the past week, but so far the very south has been immune...much to my disappointment.

Then last night the disgusting freezing murk, which had been the weather condition of choice for the last few days, was happily replaced by perfectly formed crystals of H2O falling....and most importantly settling...we all got a little excited, apart from the kittens that is who were utterly confused.

Like a small child at Christmas I was up at the crack of dawn...after politely declining the request to go out the night before to build a snowman in my pyjamas at 11pm, as suggested by a certain Floridian...*coughs* Kim *coughs*...up and out shortly after 8am I wandered through Old Portchester Village to the Castle.

How about this for some stereotypical winter scenes

Unfortunately the gates to Castle were shut, but I managed to walk all the way round the outer wall.

And the snow was virtually untouched since it was so early...after I'd wandered around...not so much...meh

Stopped by this lamp post to see if Mr. Tumnus was about, alas no

I did manage to get a pic of the church through the gate, that sky looks a little ominus

I found a little wooded glen which had yet to be explored in the snow which was frightfully festive indeed.

Yet still no characters from Narnia....starting to think that it's not a real place y'know ;-)

And then there was the village itself, ancient thatched cottages with rickety roofs and fences...how very 'Ye Olde England'

Unfortunately the snow was too powdery to attempt a decent snowman, but I did find enough to thrash my sister in a snowball fight, her partner's sudden disappearance as the snowballs started flying shows what a big wimp she is. I did however end up, rather suspiciously I might add, with a self imploding snowball which covered my face and most of my upper body with snow....and that stuff gets everywhere, including the underside of my glasses, in my mouth and up my nose....good times!

Shortly after we retreated back into the flat to thaw out and I'm currently relaxing under a warm blanket with A Muppets Christmas Carol on the telly....even contemplating cracking open the hot chocolate, on the whole a un-sucky snow day.

Let Me Hear Your Body Talk

2010-11-23T20:02:00.000Z

Today I observed a complete poser attempt a set of push-ups at the gym, he puffed his way through the first five and decided what his workout needed was a big finish...the next push-up attempted was similar to those where beefed up chaps clap their hands at the apex of the 'up', landing comfortably on the palms of their hands....this particular chap seemed to forget the nature of defying gravity would involve a particularly high 'up' and barely managed a golf clap before face planting the floor. Shaking off the incident he continued with two more regular push-ups before moving on to a less ego deflating exercise...I chuckled to myself as my quads burned during my own workout and wondered if this bozo had perhaps mistaken the Arun Leisure Center for Muscle Beach.....minus the sun, sand and beautiful people....pleb!

And the Rain, Rain, Rain, Came Down, Down, Down.....

2010-11-09T19:17:00.000Z

Too bloody right it did, a months worth fell in just 24 hours...most of it, apparently, in West Sussex (80mm was recorded locally in the Petworth area). Torrential rain in fact, along with blocked drains from all the autumn leaves being on the ground, and fairly gusty winds have meant for a miserable time for most commuters and Bognor for the first time in over ten years almost becoming completely cut off, as main routes were over run. Flooded roads and diverted drivers caused folks to break down and were rescued by the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution)....working in the middle of a public highway is not exactly where one would usually expect a sea based rescue service.

Also out of the book of ood was the local duck pond which also flooded big time last night and the carp dad and I witnessed swimming around, what used to be, the pavement.

And now some piccies

To give you an idea of the depth of the water those bollards peeking through the top of the water are around 3ft and a bit

The ducks seemed a little puzzled as to the sudden expansion of their abode, the fish however were having a decent explore.

Interestingly this used to be the main road past the duck pond...yeah, good luck with that

Perhaps not the best day to rest on a bench to contemplate life the universe and everything.

And, as always, I suffered for my art and slightly misjudged the edge of the waterline, walking home with a lovely squelching feeling in my right trainer.

And the weather people have said there's more of the wet stuff on the way....joy

Tried to Shift It, Couldn't Even Lift it, We Was Gettin' Nowhere, And so we Had a Cup of Tea....

2010-11-06T17:11:00.001Z

And then we went home.

Ah, those gloriously dull and dismal winter months. Nothing to look forward to except cold, windy, cloudy and wet until at least next April. And so how to attempt to trick my body into believing all is not completely un-summery....do a bedroom make-over and bring a little of the tropical snugness into my little corner of the northern hemisphere...of course.

And so here's a little before and after, pictorial edition.

I usually like to go for bold colours, I'm not a pastel person

This does however lead to a slightly darker room, not helped by the fact that I have a north facing room and a roof overhang above my window.

I have a love for old fashion tin toys and had a shelf around much of my room to display them, as well as vintage metal signs....leading to a retro Americana feel...or a themed pub, meh

And so a real change was in order. time to lighten and brighten and encourage a more tranquil environment....

There are way too many versions of 'cream', eventually I opted for Timeless...which I guess is a little ironic considering the amount of time it took to choose

Out with the purple and blue and in with....

Dad built the two units for my vast, and ever expanding, DVD collection.

I still wanted a bit of colour and in keeping with the tropical theme a sea type green fitted quite well...not that the sea round here is EVER this colour. (and yes I still have cuddly toys on my bed...I'm a girl, it's part of my genetic make-up to have lots of cuddly fluffiness in my life...even a couple of original Care Bears and a Figment off of Disney in there somewhere)

And the thing I wanted the most, for a change, was some amazing tropical/beach type canvas pictures...to at last try to imagine I'm somewhere a little less bleak than Bognor Regis in the middle of winter....where it's dark by 4pm.

It was at this point that we discovered that when the house was built in the 70s the builders were perhaps a little loose with the whole concept of straight and level walls. Dad and I went virtually cross-eyed trying to match the pictures to the ceiling and floor...chucking away the spirit level and eventually hanging the pictures at an angle to make them look straight.

And I won't repeat was my dear father said when trying to make this particular picture match with not only the floor and ceiling, but also the image itself...there are many, many holes in the wall behind the canvas ;-)

Overall it looks pretty darn lush!

The Ghouls All Came from Their Humble Abodes....

2010-11-01T17:02:00.001Z

Hope all is well for those on a post sugar rush crash and that there were more treats than tricks, unless of course you prefer tricks...but then that would make you a little bit weird ;-)

Halloween has become more popular over the last ten years or so in the UK, though when I was a kid trick 'n' treating was something which just appeared on TV shows and films from across the pond. I have always been partial to the odd scary flick (scary not gory as that in my mind is not really the crux of Halloween) and this year my sister invited me over to her flat for an evening of appropriately themed flicks and munchies...who was I to turn that down.

A merry ol' time was had by all....

Guess the movie?

Next up Ghostwatch and when this aired in the UK way back in 1992 the docu-style approach caused such a kerfuffle that it has never been shown on British TV again...it still manages to send a shiver down the spine of those who saw it at the time.

A few witches fingers for munching on in the evening

Appropriately themed atmosphere

A table of fully unhealthy snackage and fried stuffs...yum

My sisters first ever attempt at carving a pumpkin...pretty darn cool I would say

Archie, however, not quite as sure

Then the sneaky little bugger decided to half inch my drink while I was partaking in a rather sweat inducing coupla rounds of 'let's dance' on the Wii with my sister-in-law-to-be...fortunately it was just water and not gin.

So that was my weekend...gigglesome and non-sensical and only scary when my sister insisted on watching X-Factor ...oh, the humanity!

"Hi, I'm Chucky. Wanna play? "

2010-10-26T20:54:00.001+01:00

Found this on that special interweb place called You Tube and thought I'd share since Hallowe'en is near...the perfect gift for little kiddies to have as a bedtime buddy....if you forever want them in therapy!

Warning: Those who are ultra sensitive to creepy-ass looking dolls look away now

Seriously though what kinda of facial expressions are they suppose to represent...sloshed, poked in the eye and stroke?

Occasional October Outings

2010-10-23T16:48:00.000+01:00

A couple of weeks ago the weather was fine, the sun was shining and a stroll along the prom with a stop for a picnic lunch and getting lost in my latest Clive Cussler beckoned. A glorious weekend was had by many who took in the, very, late summer weather, shorts and ice cream popular choices on a day which mostly looked like this.

Less than two weeks later, a rather different story...a comfortable 23 degrees was replaced with a teeth chattering 5 degrees plus wind chill. I, rather foolishly, had been clinging to my summer duvet...gradually adding blankets/sleeping under laundry...in an attempt to convince myself that winter isn't on the way....mayhap it could skip Bognor altogether this year, we did after all get our fair share of 'brass monkeys' weather last winter. Alas suddenly it's all -5 at night, dark in the a.m...and getting darker in the p.m. also. The only thing to keep me warm now is my fluffy slippers, my Ti-double 'g'-er hot water bottle and weekly dose of various hunky and adorkable chaps on Merlin.

Though along with the despicable weather there is, every so often, a clear spell in which to enjoy some of the aspects of Autumn. And last Wednesday we did just that

Welcome to Sheffield Park Garden

And for those interested it looks like this in the summer

And as a bonus there's a pub a few miles down the road which does great homemade food with a cracking view to-boot

Oh, the Humanity.....

2010-10-14T01:47:00.000+01:00

I do have some stuff to write about soon, but am currently waiting for dad to embrace technology and download some pictures for me....until then here's a traumatized cat in a bee suit deciding to end it all...

Last Splutter of Summer

2010-09-24T18:27:00.000+01:00

Various things have interrupted my blogging in recent weeks....bad weather has meant countryside walks are a little difficult, keeping up with gym sessions and a couple of redecoration projects (which I will cover in more detail at a later date). The summer however did splutter back to life this last week and for one day only the shorts were unburied from the cupboard for a walk and some relaxation (for me not the shorts) at my favourite spot on the local downland.

As I've been to this particular spot several times and so took fewer photos than normal, but the thing I love about Kingley Vale is that you often find things you've never seen before and the view is always stunning...see here and here for further examples.

And here's the newest batch:

Found this chap on the path, called a slow-worm he was living up to his name since he was being so slow I thought it was a twig and nearly stepped on the little fella....Is it me or does the look on his face indicate that I have just ruined his day?

Even though I've done this walk dozens of times the steep climb to the top on the vale is still fairly puff-worthy...and I take the slightly longer but not as heart attack steep route.

This 'hidden' pond is usually complete devoid of water by this time in the year

Loads of berrys about at this time of year...I wouldn't advise snacking on these ones but I did munch though one or two blackberries which were conveniently lining my route.

Found the following tucked off the main path overlooking a small glade with a man made pond, for bird and deer watching I would assume.

And obviously I just had to climb it to have a proper look...during which I was stung by a nettle, got a splinter stuck in my finger and put my hand in bird poo...all in the name of exploration

Bosham, a Ferry Cross the River and Where Not to Park....

2010-09-02T22:09:00.000+01:00

In the grand tradition of the odd British weather the dull, glum, gloomy and wet weather of the last month has finally cleared off and been replaced with pleasant, sunny and dry weather...whoop. This spell of Vitamin D inducing goodiness will last approximately until the nasty low pressure looming out in the Atlantic decides to, quite literally, rain on my parade...grrr.

Anyhoo, Dad and I observed the sudden display of sunshine and decided a little walk was in order so to Bosham and Itchenor we did went.

Herein lies the picture postcard village of Bosham

Surrounded on three sides by water, this particular view is from the far side of the harbour which at low tide can be crossed on foot

And at high tide is mainly used for sailing

Also at high tide, this tends to happen to the harbour road, thus not a good place to park your car if you want to visit the village

Also not a great plan to try and drive through, like the following driver wisely decided against.

To reach Itchenor from Bosham on foot the best thing to do is catch the little ferry a form of which has been operating in the channel since the 17th Century.

The ferry is also used to transport folk to and from their moored boats and if you're lucky enough you can have a little ride up and down the stretch of water taking in the scenery and all the yachts you will never be able to afford....and on a sunny day like yesterday the extra 10 minutes out of the ferry was bliss.

We also walked part the way down the Itchenor path which heads to the Witterings, a walk I did a couple of months back, pictures from which can be found here . This walk ended up being a little further than intended the estimate of 4 miles actually worked out at 7.5 miles...but what a perfect view and a prefect day.

The Portchester Piss Artists

2010-08-24T23:31:00.001+01:00

Visiting relatives is not usually top of my list of favourite things to do, that is unless of course it's my Dad's cousin Ron and his wife Pat. Dad and Ron grew up almost as brothers and so when we do have a chance to catch up it means I get to hear all the shenanigans the pair got up to back in the day involving various tales of petty theft and the day they almost shot a farmer after mistaking him for a fox. Also stories of my Grandad, as he died when I was very young, such as his time in Egypt during WWII and his surviving being on board 6 bombed ships during the retreat from Dunkirk.

Yep, Ron is a larger than life character in every sense of the word

And a little adverse weather will not interrupt the pair and their beer.

Axis of Awesome

2010-08-21T22:01:00.000+01:00

These guys had me chuckling muchly, I always knew there was a conspiracy in the music industry

Fluffy Friday

2010-08-20T17:33:00.001+01:00

Here's some fluffy cuteness from a Friday afternoon, brought to you by Oscar 'n' Archie

Two handsome kitties (L Oscar, R Archie)

When they first arrived at my sisters flat the pair decided the safest place to be in the new surroundings was under the couch...takes some coaching to get the little buggers out from under there too.

Archie will fall asleep anywhere.

And Oscar goes for total relaxation.

They may look like butter wouldn't melt....

Oscar finds gouging a chunk out of my leg is hard work.

Archie falls asleep halfway through the YMCA

And here's some uber cute and fun live action kittens

Tales of Portchester

2010-08-16T19:26:00.001+01:00

Ack, I appear to have post kitten sitting blues. Yeah I know that they did drive me slightly crazy, ignored my every command and left my legs in a dismal shape from all the scratching...though I could always make up a slightly cooler version of events to explain the scars 'The scar? Oh I just got that from a fighting off wild boar while trekking in the rain forests of Australia'. Anyhoo, those balls of fluff are just so cute and I kinda miss having the mischievous little critters about.

While I was staying in Portchester, and before the weather turned to total kack, I did venture around the local area and to the nearby remains of the 3rd Century Castle. Not much is left, the outer wall, the keep and the church are the main attractions, but it's right on the waterfront and the view from the top of the keep, up a ridiculously tight and twisty spiral staircase, is certainly worth a visit. The ruins themselves also enable some playtime with my camera to create some atmospheric/ arty farty piccies:

The Castle is a leisurely 1 mile from my sisters flat and is popular with families and pinickers.

The surrounding moat a popular place for local kids to have a go at catching crabs (get your mind out of the gutter...sheesh)

The arty farty portion of my post.

Various folk have left their mark around the site over the years...found these two older scribbles towards the top of the keep.

The view from the top looking towards the ancient church and across the water to Portsmouth.

Down over the site of the ruins

Looking north toward Portsdown Hill and the South Downs

Chloe searches for treasure down the well...apparently all that was sighted was a few coppers, a dime and a chewing gum wrapper.

The local village, the oldest part of Portchester, is full of some wonderful rustic cottages and a pretty good pub.

Unlucky for Some

2010-08-13T20:23:00.001+01:00

August has seemed to have taken on it's usual rubbishness in terms of weather, the distinct lack of H2O falling on our region is well and truly over...as is the summer in general it appears. And today is Friday the 13th, so I was expecting a rather pants day...especially when the doorbell rang at stupid o'clock in the morning. I had to drag my arse out of bed in my PJ's, sporting an ever-so-stylish bed-head hairdo and pillow crease on my cheek, mumbling some derogatory comments about parents never telling me of possible deliveries in the tone of yawny and opened the door to find an abandoned box on the doorstep....addressed to yours truly!

Oh yes...My awesome Bloddie from across the pond....aka FireflyMom...aka Carri-Ann very kindly sent me a box of edible and non-edible goodies:

A-MA-ZING!

And all this rich stuff came expertly packed in a titchy box...when I go on holiday I'm sending Carri-Ann my suitcase to pack ;-)

Oscar & Archie

2010-07-29T16:28:00.000+01:00

I'm on holiday for the next week and a bit...well, I'm flat sitting for my sister down the road in Portchester while she goes on a cruise to the Med, but still it's a change of scenery anyway. As a bonus the flat comes complete with two bundles of cuteness in the shape of 9 week old kittens Oscar & Archie. Slightly short on brains these two spend most of their time charging/skidding round the (mock) hardwood floor, chasing their own and each others tails and biting fingers and toes of those silly enough to leave an appendage within 4 feet of them.

Standby for some vomit inducing overly cute pictures

One of the few moments these two settle for a kip (L Archie, R Oscar)

Then just when you get them off to sleep the doorbell rings....I failed to capture the image of the pair disappearing under the couch at light speed, brave little kittens they are not

Archie spying something interesting.....

Apparently fingers with pizza residue are indeed very tasty

Your Programme Will Contiune After This Short Break

2010-07-27T19:50:00.000+01:00

So, it's been a little while and I'd love to say I've been ridiculously busy, alas it's much the same old stuff occuring in my little world at the moment. New stuff includes a recent foray into the world of keeping fit via torturous devices contained in a mirrored room which smells every so slightly of musty old socks...yes, I've joined a gym. From the advice of my doctor, because apparently exercise is good for you...who knew ;-)

Other bits of stuff include the continuing dry spell, indeed parts of the country are under a hose pipe bans and others have had flash floods. My little town seems to be avoiding both currently, although it's now turned muggy as hell, a few steps outside leaves you sweating like a Sumo wrestler after injesting a packet of red hot chillis...great for burning off the calories I guess...less so for the amount of times you have to change your shirt in a day.

My is mostly a mixture of brain teasers, reading and writing these days, though I have been out locally a couple of times. A visit to a nearby seafront gardens to see the impressive and very colourful blooms and a exploration of some nearby footpaths...of which I was sure to take a few pics to add some visual stimulus for this otherwise bland blog post.

First up Marine Park Gardens which is a 15 minute walk away and a mere stones throw (pardon the pun) from the beach. I know I've shown pictures of this garden before but this year those involved with the garden have put together a very impressive and colourful display...Even after a group of chavvy vandals pulled up a bunch of plants and chucked them into the fountain the day after they had been planted...grr arg!

A floral nod to the anniversay of the Battle of Britain during WWII, I don't think Bognor was much of a target during the war, but saw more than a few stray bombs as Germans lightened the load. A Junkers 88 and a Messerschmitt 109 both ended up in the waters off Bognor during the Battle of Britain, as did a Spitfire...which I believe is still out there.

A bunch of local junior school kids put together this mosaic sun dial for the sensory aspect of the gardens, though when I tried it out it seemed to be 15 minutes slow ;-)

The next walk I did was a short 4 miles round trip and is only 10 minutes away. I stopped by to feed the (rabid) donkeys on the way then on to a footpath leading across corn fields

The whole area was once an airfield used during WWII, so I dread to think what may be hidden under the earth round here.

And if TPTB had their way this whole area would become a new housing development...a couple of thousand pointless houses or argricultural land with these views...huh, it's a ponderer right?

It started off dry and very hot as I wandered along the dusty tracks, then as I turned to make my way home I spotted this ominous sky creeping up over the downs.

Found a pleasant little corner of the field filled with vivid blue corn flowers, which unfortunately don't look quite as vivid or blue in the photo.

Yup, there's that arty farty button on the camera again

I did like the way the tractor marks and large cracks gave the impression of the Mid West and found myself whistling a touch of Ennio Morricone as I decided to get a shift on back to the homested.....

....Before this decided to dump it's load.

Even though day turned to night, as I walked back home, not a drop of rain fell once again in Bognor, so dads two 40 gallon water butts will just have to remain empty and the grass remain brown for now. That evening was subsequently really comfortable for sleeping...if you like it muggy, sticky and hot as Hades!

Strange Boat Advert

2010-07-06T00:12:00.000+01:00

Someone thought this was a great idea....really?

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Cruising the Coast...Well as Much as You Can Cruise by Foot Anyhoo

2010-07-05T16:03:00.001+01:00

Apparently it's been the driest 6 months in the country since 1929 and the recent spectacularly consistent hot and sunny summer weather has been the best since 1995...which I can attest to since I took my G.C.S.E's that year and consequently spent more time down the beach than studying!

The cloud cover today may be welcome for some, I however find it most disagreeable even if is is only for the one day. Though it does provide ample opportunity to catch up with some overdue blogging. On a recent, and earlier blogged, excursion to West Wettering and the sand dune spit of East Head I realised there was actually a fairly decent walk to be had in the area. So, at the next opportunity...ie when I could procure a lift...Me, my carefully made sarnies and cybershot camera made a beeline for some coastal sights.

Starting at the little village of Itchenor which boast some great views of the South downs to the north and the motley craft moored nearby

The walk is flat and the very dusty path meanders close to the shoreline with some welcome breaks into small patches of woodland

Part of the walk leads into the conservation area wetlands and salt marshes (granted they weren't looking awfully wet as I passed through) a haven for much wildlife.

More of the rather dries up wetland, though it is also partly tidal...the grass surrounding the area is also testament to just how dry it has been around these parts lately as it was more like kindling (parts of our region have had brush fires from discarded ciggies or poorly put out bbq's...grrr arg)

Ah, a bit of British spirit, a welcome addition to a country walk (at the time England were even still in the World Cup, but the less said about that the better...*hangs head and wanders off muttering of rubbish linesmen and even worse footie players*)

I found a particular picturesque little cove for my lunch complete with optional rope swing...did I have a go? well it'd be rude not too...30 years old my arse!

At this point I may have underestimated the gentle lapping of the sea and got my feet a tad damp taking the following.

Ooo, lookie, I found the 'make it look artie fartie' button on my camera!

One of the things I love the most about these country walks are the wild flowers...not a Scooby as to what any of them are but the look pretty

And at the end of one of those dusty tracks a quintessential proper English cottage, with thatch 'n' everything, wouldn't want to speculate the coast though...somewhere in the region of a mint!

Then I found myself back at East Head where I hung out in the sunshine for a spell before heading off to catch the bus(es) home.

Oh, and near East Head I came across a pool in which you can catch crabs *juvenile snigger*...apparently they're quite the fan of bacon.

Schmaltzy Cute Stuff to Look At

2010-07-02T16:16:00.000+01:00

The summer just keeps on producing wonderful weather, sunshine and blues skies a plenty over the last three or so weeks which has been a welcome boost....I'm sure the gardeners would disagree however as we're experiencing the driest start to the year since 1929 and flowers and grasses are looking a bit yellowed, shriveled and weary...wouldn't be at all surprised if the hosepipe bans, common in the 80's and 90's returned with a vengeance. Both Wimbledon and the Glastonbury music festival, know notoriously for the wet weather, have been baking.

I have been out an about a few times, though not so much with the long walks yet, other stuff has been taking a priority. I'm still sorting through some pictures taken on a recent coastal walk but until then how about some cute fluffy things to 'Oooo' and 'Ahhh' at.

The Donkeys up the road have been at it again and produced the cutest little foal, this time in brown

It's mother was being very protective and wouldn't bring the littl'un that close, thank god for the zoom lens

And what kind of visitor would I be if I didn't bring some slices of apple for this rabid bunch of asses.

Then on the walk back past the duck pond I spotted this large family of mum and 12 ducklings

Now this looks like one harassed mama, as all 12 babies decided to huddle under her feathers

Doing the Tourist Thing

2010-06-17T22:10:00.000+01:00

The utterly perfect summer weather today permitted some touristy behaviour at a local hot spot, which I have often gazed upon on bus and train journeys but never actually visited due to the extortionate entry fee. Arundel Castle is a few miles away and situated in the rolling Sussex hills and the gardens are vastly cheaper than the entry for the actual Castle (which to be honest when you've seen one antique table and a bunch of tapestries you've seen 'em all) so this is where I spent the morning exploring:

I have been to Arundel many times over the years, it is a very scenic place to visit but trying to find a quiet, secluded spot in the town is a little problematic during the summer months.

This part was by far my favourite part of the gardens and, until 2008, was a car park!

And of course a Castle's grounds wouldn't be complete without a Chapel, though I did have a creeped out/Doctor Who moment at the marble monuments...mum and dad were fascinated by the intricate detail in the carvings...I was arming myself with a sonic screwdriver and a banana!

Acting 101 from Captain Tight Pants

2010-06-09T23:32:00.001+01:00

Found this on Youtube and had to share, number 3 is my personal favourite

All Change

2010-05-30T20:12:00.002+01:00

Unfortunately my laptop chose a very inappropriate time to go bugger up. Fortunately it was only the screen and not the hard drive. Unfortunately laptops are rather pricey, Fortunately it happened to go bugger up at a Bank Holiday weekend and there were offers a plenty. Unfortunately it was a Bank Holiday weekend and going to crowded shopping centres is not my idea of fun. Fortunately a spanking new and outrageously large Best Buy had just opened nearby and in a under an hour of checking out brands and avoiding dodgy salesmen, a shiny new Widescreen HD Dell Inspiron 1564 i3 250GB processor with windows 7 was mine...all mine. And thus my old laptop of the last five years...with around 50 years worth of use...after being picked for usable parts, is on it's way to the dump.

And now for something cute and informative:

Wandering the Witterings

2010-05-24T18:13:00.000+01:00

All of a sudden it's hotter than Cairo, so the beach has been a prominent feature of my weekend. I, unlike many, chose not to venture into the water as the temperature is somewhere in the 12 degrees region and I prefer life without hypothermia ta very much.

The Witterings west of Bognor is a haven for sun worshippers, beach lovers and wildlife twitchers and is home to East Head, a sand dune spit which covers 10 hectares of land. Today it looked pretty much like paradise in the sun.

Not the kind of beach normally associated with these parts....

Alas not my handiwork but pretty apt considering our neck of the wood has been hotter than most of the tourist hotspots

Something Cute to Start off the Week

2010-05-17T17:07:00.003+01:00

As it says on the tin & I'm sleepy just watching these guys:

Meet the sloths from Amphibian Avenger on Vimeo.

More Bluebells

2010-05-14T17:53:00.000+01:00

Just adding a few further piccies of the bluebell wood, which looked rather picturesque yesterday.

On Hiatus....Funny Video on standby

2010-05-12T02:05:00.001+01:00

Bluebells at Slindon

2010-04-28T14:48:00.000+01:00

A bank holiday is imminent, which means an inevitable end to the very pleasant spring weather we've recently been enjoying. A little jaunt to some local woodland provided a nice little walk and prudee scenery.

"Don't Move! You're Surrounded by Armed Bastards!"

2010-04-19T20:44:00.000+01:00

Actually quite giddy, as I just met one of the best talents on British TV. He attended a talk at a local University and, as non students were allowed to go, I grabbed up a couple of tickets.

Charming, hilarious and with a potty mouth his alter ego would be proud of, Philip Glenister, aka Gene Hunt, talked about his acting career thus far and some of the hijinx behind the scenes of Life on Mars & Ashes to Ashes (Anyone who hasn't seen either series should go and purchase the boxsets forthwith....Josh) one story of a scene involving the cast, a bunch of naked blokes and, shall we say, one rather over excited extra and a bucket of awkward had the crowd in fits of giggles.

Something in the Air

2010-04-19T15:04:00.000+01:00

In news somewhat difficult to escape there is an ash cloud sitting over the UK causing various amounts of disruption to air travel, as in there ain't any...great if you happen to live next to Heathrow or under a flight path, not so much if you had a wedding planned in St. Lucia, were planning to return to the UK after an Easter holiday in the sun or, in the case of some of my con buddies, were in attendence at a Stargate convention in Vancouver and are now stuck there...can someone give McKay a bell?

Anyhoo, want to see the ominous ash cloud which has pilots shaking in their fashionable loafers:

Oooo, scary

The only thing invading my airspace yesterday was the dozens of BBQ's lining the seafront area. It does however make for quite the spectuacular sunset:

A Touch of Doctor Who Vampire Slayer?

2010-03-28T02:42:00.001+01:00

Okay, so Matt Smith, aka the new Doctor, put in an appearance on Jonathan Ross Friday night. He talked about the new series, without really talking about the new series....as they do, tight lipped kill joys that they are. But they did show a clip from episode 6..looks like a certain trend is catching on:

Things That Make You Go...Grrrr Arg!

2010-03-26T15:56:00.000Z

Do you know, I'm all for a bit of change, evolution and progression can be a good thing for example; taking excessively large shoulder pads out of jumpers...good thing, Shell suits relegated to the fashion trends of the Chav...good thing, the return of Doctor Who....genius thing, but also there's the enevitable bad stuff; shrinking chocolate bars...bad thing, the 'Y' generation (see Kim's Post for explanation)...definitely bad thing, text speak...annoying thing and the continuing trend for self destructing television....ludicrous thing

Now, I've been patient, I've put up with (begrudingly) the Big Brother's, Wife Swap's, I'm a Celebrity's, X-Factor's and all the other 'loosely based on' reality series, hoping the fad would soon run it's course and once again quailty drama and entertainment shows, which actually entertain, would reign. Alas it seems this detestable fad has bred a reality grabbing, celebrity (and I used that word in it's loosest possible form) infatuated, mind numbed, 'Ooo look shiny' generation of viewers who, I fear, wouldn't know decent drama o quaility writing if it showed up on their doorstep, slapped them upside the head and said 'hello, I'm Being Human'.

It seems nothing remains safe from the current culling of drama on one of the British flagship channels, ITV, unless of course it's associated with that ego iflated man, with the highest waistline on television. Who I've also learned is to get an award for services to the music and television industry over the last decade. If it were possible for me to spit fire right now...I mean really? cheap, talentless, vomit inducing, power trip shows which use the public fasination with car crash telly to wring out every last quid from their wallets, whilst occasionally setting off fireworks to give to appearence of expense....* walks away shaking head and making disgruntled muttley like noises of contempt*...yet another nail in the coffin of British Television!

Spring Clean

2010-03-22T01:39:00.000Z

I spent the entire day washing, cleaning, dusting and generally having a proper spruce up session, long overdue I might add, of my bedroom....I even hoovered my bed and all of my pillows and can once again see that fabled thing called 'the floor'. Then in the evening I tripped over the one item I'd left on my floor and twisted my ankle, yes the same ankle...I know I suck.

On another note guess what's returning too the Beeb very soon indeed....quite excited

Springtime Quiz

2010-03-14T23:32:00.000Z

Crikey time does fly, it's nearly spring..yay, at least that's what the weathermen keep telling me. Looking out of my window proves otherwise...and what does springtime bring? who knows, but I hoping for either something positive career wise, a rather healthy lottery win or Jensen Ackles stopping by for a cuppa.

I will get round to the Wolf SG Worlds convention report, I've had other things on my mind recently, until then, how about a little quiz to keep people amused....If you're like me and watch lashings of TV, this should be a breeze and, due to my less than fruitful money tree, it's purely for fun....answers in the comment section please....

TV Intro Quiz

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

Chevron 7.4: The Final Part...Promise

2010-02-17T19:08:00.002Z

It was my parent's wedding anniversary yesterday...they've been married for...um...well, as long as I've known them, so ages. They went out for the day...a very cold and wet day I might add, but then that's what you get for getting married in Febuary...and stopped for dinner at a pub in Southampton. They both went for Game pie, a concoction of various meaty delights...though in this case, after enjoying their meal...dad enquired as to the content...the young waiter listed off Rabbit, Venison, Pheasant and.....Ferret....They skipped dessert.

And on that delightful note I shall continue with the last of my Chevron 7.4 convention report...

I mentioned before that I was new to this particular convention, it cost a little more and was a bit more of a cattle experience when you took part in photo sessions and queued for autographs, it lacked a little in the whole party atmosphere of the Wolf con, but on a whole it was a great experience. One thing different was that they 'auctioned' guest encounters with each guest on both Saturday and Sunday. There were two ways to enter: simply write your top bid, ala ebay style, on a piece of paper under the guests name and just before the talk 10 people were chosen from the list or buy raffle tickets for the two remaining places. Already on a very tight budget (I was even surviving on Pop Tarts, crisps and hot cross buns as my food source for the weekend) I ummmed and ahhhed for quite some time until finally deciding on taking a punt on the latter option for two of the guests I most wanted a more intimate experience with....no not like that....jeez!

Clutching my ticket I went to check the board between guest talks and squeezing through the melee of people, elbows may have been used a little, I glanced at the winning raffle numbers, then at my ticket...then back at the winning numbers, then once again at my ticket. On the third time of reading the three digit number on the scrap of paper in my hand which excactly matched the one on the board I let out a sound which can only be described as 'squee'.....A coveted place at the table with one Mr David Hewlett was mine.

As the twelve disciples sat the messiah entered the room...okay, so I may be exageratting somewhat, but there was an energized and excited atmosphere in the room.....and then, as he sat (in the chair next to mine I might add) David belched 'Never drink a can of coke on stage' he excused himself.

One lady in the room had a McKay voice message which she played and David said how originally the message had just been a advert for Stagate Atlantis but they changed the script, he also commented that it had been tiresome to do as there had been tons of names to read out to personalise the message.

David is a total film buff and had mentioned 'Brick' in his talk he had been really impressed with the style and young actors, although he was having a bit of a senior moment when it came to their names at which point I helpfully jumped in (it was Lucas Haas and Joseph Gordon Levitt). I suggested he try and catch 44 Inch Chest if he wanted to see a group of truly talented British actors just doing their thing, he seemed enthused. He also mentioned a film he loved which involved getting a steamer through a jungle (though in my own senior moment I can't remember the name....Edit it was called Fitzcarraldo by Werner Hertzog...from David on Twitter) logistically he was impressed since the filmmakers had to actually get a streamer through a Jungle, something I get the impression David would quite like to have a go at.

We talked about the books he liked to read, I had asked about The Shining, which he had read recently, and he was suprised that so many people had read it when they were teenagers (or in my case 11) as it scared the crap out of him. He particularly liked the moving hedges and thinks that's where the idea of Doctor Who's Blink came from. He rattled off a few titles of other favourites and had a few more senior moments about some of the titles of others, though he has since put up a recommended reading list here and here , huh...I feel some frequent visits to the library coming on.

He chatted about Baz and how 'I didn't do anything for the first year', subtley alluding to the fact that babies don't do an awful lot (eat, sleep, crap...that kind of thing) and apparently he happily observed as the sprog 'peed in his own face.' He then told a story about a time when Baz was younger and he was holding him. Babies are floppy when they're little and his head was lolling all over the place, suddenly Baz held his head up and slowly turned to face David...which David demonstrated for his audience...at which point the kid apparently just stared at his father, prompting David to hold out the child to Jane 'Take it back, take it back' prompting a 'Please don't call our son it' from poor Jane as David checked for three sixes on Baz's head. There is a scene in ADB where Mars gives David a similar 'devil' stare and is apparently a comment on what happened with Baz.

I asked if he managed to swipe anything from the Atlantis set. He had his eye on a ZPM, but when he had tried to get one they had all disappeared, David has a theory that Flanigan has them since he was sighted on a few occasions hanging out nearby the ZPM's. He also would've liked one of the banner's of McKay from the Game which he would've hung in his bathroom at home, now that wouldn't have been at all creepy for those using the bathroom, no, not at all. He did manage to get one of the control panels for the gate, but as the cast were told the props were needed for the movie they weren't allowed to take anything. (which of course is now unlikely to happen and MGM seem to have been selling off all the props anyhoo...grr)

And too soon it was all over, I'm sure there was much more, I know David mentioned that picking scripts is sometimes more about location and money than quality...case in point 2004's Boa vs. Python...He likes Jellybeans and is a fan of Alan Rickman. Unfortunately I didn't have my notebook (not sure I would've been allowed to take notes anyway) and so these are just the part's I can actually recall.

David seemed to enjoy himself, he always seems to have plenty to say, keeps your interest, is very funny and is great at interacting with his fans...not too shabby at acting/directing/writing either.

After the talk I was heading back to my seat in the hall ready for Ryan Robbin's final guest talk and to make some notes from the David encounter, when I found the results for the other guest encouter I'd bought a ticket for were up. Seems like my luck was well and truly in as my ticket matched the winner once again...this time Brian J Smith was going to have to put up with my inssessant babbling for the best part of an hour.

Hmmm, Brian J Smith, I mentioned he's had a close encounter with a non-ugly stick right. So once again I was fairly excited...in a very British way of course...to be in this talk, also since I'd just been in David Hewlett's I'd missed all of Brian's talk on stage. Again no notebook, I hadn't even made it as far as my seat in the main hall, so this is once again this is made up of memories and surreal flashbacks.

When Brian sat down and asked if anyone had any questions there was a silence followed by nervous laughter, so I stepped up with a general 'what's your favourite movie?' to kick things off. He answered with Glory (Matthew Broderick) and said it was a great film about hardship and had a fantastic score, by James Horner if I remember. He likes listening to film scores and is a fan of classical music aswell as bands like James and King of Leon.

He talked quite a bit about SGU and that he likes the way the characters are 'real people' reacting to the hardships and extreme situations they have been thrust into. It's not always clear as to who are the heroes and villans and their actions to events have an air of 'how would you deal'. He did say that he would 'airlock the stones' as he likes the idea of being more cut off from Earth. I think everyone would agree there, as the stones do appear to be used a fair bit. I asked what would happen if he wrote an episode and Brain said he's not really creative that way, but he create a desperate situation such as a fire so everyone would have to move to a different part of the ship, since there's much which hasn't been explored, and 'away from the IKEA beds' which got quite a laugh...He admitted that thing appear quite conviently out of those boxes which were brough through the gate 'We need thermal gloves...go check one of the boxes...Oh yeah, there they are'.

He talked about the 'sand' aliens from Air Part 3 and that he was intrigued when the 'dust' took on the appearence of Scott's face, he wondered if there was a significance to that and if there's a skill or sense which his character has which may be explored in the future, that would certainly give things a more interesting dimension in SGU. Someone asked about alien's in the series and if there was going to be any which Brian said yes. He talked about a new alien which is going to be scary and is, if I recall correctly, a creation from the FX team from District 9.

I asked about any pranks which had occured on set and Brian regaled a tale involving Robert Carlyle and Louis Ferreira. Ferreira had set up a mini camera in Carlyle's trailer, it wasn't connected but had the appearence of a working camera. It took a while for him to find it but when he did poor Robert was a little freaked out wondering who could be filming him. Those in the know kept quiet and naughty Ferreira set up another camera in the make-up van for Robert to find also, making him believe it was the make-up girls secretly filming him. I assume at some point the jig was up and can only wonder how Robert Carlyle exacted his revenge.

He filmed Poirot during the hiatus from SGU, and originally wasn't going to get up to much during this period, he had a lot of fun filming it. I asked what else he was doing with his spare time and Brian said 'hitting the gym' since he needed to be fit for filming...that'll be for all those sex scenes I guess ;-)

Some bloke in the room started prattling on about the religious conotations of Stargate which got a bit heavy and he also started on about the probability of alien life using actual statistics of planets in the universe and beyond...I just attempted to bring the conversation back to something more Brian related (I wasn't there to hear some bloke's uber geek after all) and asked about what TV he likes to watch....Battlestar Galactica was the answer and that he likes to watch things in box sets rather than in TV so you can cut out adverts....I hear that...Anyway, that's about as much as my brain retained....I thoroughly enjoyed the two guest encounters, both Brian and David were very chatty and seemed comfortable in the small group.....And there it was all done, conventions are a rather intensive experience and expensive too but, bloody hell it's worth every penny.

And for your enjoyment an assortment of pretty pics and con party shinanegans:

Tina & Philippa

Brian, Sharon & Ryan get their party on

Random Jaffa and Ryan on the inflatable bungey

The gang: Sah, David, Tina, Christina and Philippa...and Tina's 'Eye of the Tiger' ala Supernatural

Chevron 7.4: Group Talks

2010-02-14T20:38:00.000Z

Group guest talks are always good for a laugh, mainly due to the fact that they usually desecend into a certain amount of chaos, such are the larger than life personalities on the stage. It's a chance for the more unusual, fun and sometimes down right bizarre questions to be asked. It's a little tough keeping up with the spontaneous waffle which followed, but I tried my best to make notes of the highlights

A fairly regular question of the guests previous job gained quite the ecclectic mix of answers: circus performer from Ryan, bar tender from Brian, putting lipstick on large lipped, post op, women from Suanne (huh?), computer programmer from, none other than, David....now I just wrote the word 'sausage' for Sharon which had a little more to do with her working in a factory and a little less with..well, whatever you're thinking...and Bam Bam, well he 'bought a hair salon at 19' and then 'became a corrections officer' prompting several 'whaaat?' reactions from fellow guests as well as much laughter from the audience 'So, you were done with cutting peoples hair and decided to be a correctional officer?' Ryan said in some confuzzlement. David, having trouble processing the new information from Bam Bam's past, just turned to him and said 'you cut people's hair?...you...cut people's hair'...hehe...cos you know...it's Bam Bam.

In being asked a question about which emotions are difficult to portray Ryan quipped 'Joy, when Bam Bam is hurt', though I'm guessing that was one not so difficult to portray (awwws, for Bam Bam) followed by 'random laughter' as it's apparently tough to laugh on queue....especially after the double digitied take I shouldn't wonder. Sharon said 'Acting drunk' prompting a surprised 'really?' from Suanne...I'm guessing a rather method approach is adopted by some people in the room. David said he only has 'four looks' (he didn't give further detail, so I'll leave that for you to figure out the four....I suggest one is panic) he followed his answer with 'being quiet' as the most difficult thing to do. Brain said generally 'intense scenes were easier than the lighter scenes' and Suanne answered that 'being serious with a bad script' was a tad on the tough side.

Fears was next up and understandably Ryan went with 'death....because your dead', Sharon had a different approach saying that she 'doesn't like standing near the edge of a cliff' at which point I'm guessing most people thought she was going with a fear of heights...there you would be wrong my friend, the reason young Sharon doesn't like the cliff's edge is that she finds it hard to fight the urge to push people off. At this point in proceedings the rest of the guest shared a slight look of incredulous-ness and Brain, who'd been in the seat next to Sharon, made a bolt for the door.

Bringing things back on track and after returning to his chair, Brain said he's not so keen on flying...suddenly Sharon piped up with a story about their flight to the UK and particularly the pilot, before she could complete the tale Bam Bam cut in and a sort of verbal tet-a-tet erupted between the two, much like when small children are desperate to be the first to tell a parent something exciting...'Our pilot was called Captain Kirk' they eventually blurted simulatneously....which is actually pretty darn cool.

David has a fear of spiders and is in the process of teaching his son not to be scared of spiders, the flaw in his plan is that he finds himself balking at the first sign of movement from the arachnids. Sharon is not so fond of birds which she described as 'big, flappy....urgh'...Ryan kindly interjected with ' Pigeons are flying rats' earning an eyeroll from Bam Bam 'Yeah, they're terribly dangerous'....and Bam Bam's greatest fear 'me, disappearing'...natch.

Onto weird auditions, since it's a right of passage for actors to have some kind of cringeworthy experience (Kavan Smith has a doozy, which he kindly shared at Pegasus 4)...Ryan's was while audtioning for a car advert at he was encourage to 'make love to the car', Sharon took part in an audition for a jean commercial where each person was asked to put on the jeans and bend over...Bam Bam quipped 'that's how Joe Flanigan got cast'...hahahaha....ahem, moving on, Suanne Braun was at an audition with Steven Segal and mentally made the connection that he 'looked like my cat....big body...itty bitty head' and had to fight off a fit of giggles which, acting guru, Segal mistook for intensity. And, while David was at an audition for CSI he was mid flow when a mobile started to ring, he got a little grumpy (David? grumpy?...surely not) with the folk in the room, before realising it was actually his phone that was ringing. In an attempt to switch it off, in a panic, he instead answered the call and put it on speaker. Jane's voice asked 'Hello darling, how's it going?'....'Um...not very well' ...and no, he didn't get the part.

If they had to pick a reality TV show to appear on it would be: I'm a Celebrity for Brian so he could 'hang out with Lou', Bam Bam thinks all reality TV 'is garbage' which gained a mighty cheer from much of the audience. Sharon Taylor would go on the Bachelor to 'talk some sense in those women'. Ryan likes the idea of appearing on Celebrity Boxing while David would go on Survivor Man but would do it really badly 'How to survive freezing water...oh, he didn't'.

Brain nearly let out a spoiler for SG:U when asked about which Stargate planet they would like to be stranded on saying that they 'go to paradise' in a future episode and turned to Bam Bam asking if he could tell 'has it aired yet?' Bam Bam queried 'no' Brain answered 'then you can't tell' spoil sport, Bam Bam. Bam Bam had a think, started to answer then realized he was confused with Star Trek. Sharon Taylor 'One with a Medieval village...oh, wait that's all of them' demonstrating that Sharon had figured out the Stargate writers cunning plan. David would go to the puppet planet as he liked the idea of a 'puppet McKay'. Now Ryan said something along the lines of going to a 'warm planet, with all of you' (meaning the audience) and I can't remember what then led to the guy getting out of his chair, crossing the stage and trying to go through the Stargate on the Chevron poster behind him...it was however very funny indeed.

There were a couple of questions which were your typical pappy convention question...something like 'what three foods would you have at a party?' and 'who would you invite to a party?'...and a few others which sounded like dating agency questions at which David quipped 'are these the Twilight convention questions'....very probably David. I was beginning to suspect that the question's I had taken the time to e-mail pre the con, as per requested by the organisers, had disappeared into Stargate limbo and also there must've been many 'Sarah's' and 'Dan's' in the audience, as most of the questions appeared to be coming from them....Hmmmm.

Anyhoo, I managed to have a word with the guy in control of the mike and just before the talk wrapped up he headed over. So, with all ears and eyes pointed in my direction I asked the final question of the event, the one which I'd been waiting the whole convention to ask:

'How would you survive a Zombie attack?'

It's fair to say there was a certain amount of laughter and an expression of 'Huh?' on the faces of the guests, but they dutifully answered anyway. Ryan was first to respond wth 'Hide behind Bam Bam' leading into a 'Who would I hide behind?' from the man himself. David decided he would become the 'Zombie King' and Sharon added that 'if you can't eat 'em join 'em'...If I recall correctly Brain stated he would sing 'Don't Stop Believing' at them, 'badly' and then Bam Bam started to rattle of the rules of surviving a Zombie attack (off of Zombieland the movie) including 'Cardio, travel in a group, check the back seat, double tap....' and 'seatbelts' which was an assist shouted by Tina and Philippa in the crowd as Bam Bam stalled...Now while all this is going on I was still making blog notes, which was seen by Bam Bam. 'Are you writing this down?' he asked, somewhat incredulously, before as quick as you like David said 'Do you have a Zombie problem in your town?'....close David, very close....visit Bognor some time and see for yourself. I just nodded and laughed as Bam Bam thanked me for the 'great and very relevant question'...And yes there was a tone which I believe may have been sarcasm attached to the statement.

And there wrapped the final guest talk and indeed the convention...but wait...there's more....To Be Concluded...

We Interrupt This Transmission For the Following Message

2010-02-14T02:10:00.001Z

Hearts and roses and kisses galore,
What the hell is all that shit for?
People get mushy and start acting queer,
It is definitely the most annoying day of the year.
This day needs to get the hell over with and pass,
Before I shove something up Cupid's ass.
I'll spend the day so drunk I can't speak
And wear black for the rest of the week.
Guys act all sweet, but soon it will fade,
For all they are doing is trying to get laid.
The arrow Cupid shot at me must not have hit,
Cause I think this love thing is a crock of shit.
So, here's my story... what else can I say?
Love bites my ass... Fuck Valentines Day!

I'm single, I like being single, I can buy usless crap whenever I want at half the price at any other time of the year. No, I don't want a piece of tree shaped like a heart, with some overly sappy, sentimental bollocks written inside and keep the public show of emotion out of my face before I tie your tounges to the exaust of a Robin Reliant on route to John-o-Groats , Cupid can quite frankly kiss my arse!

Chevron 7.4 - In the Mind of a Hewlett

2010-02-11T17:00:00.000Z

And so arrives the last individual guest talk in this recollection of events of one awesome weekend. A fella who has gained noterity depicting an acid tongued, grumpy genius with the action hero style of an arthretic Orangutan...some say he can nuteralize the acidity of a lemon at twenty paces...he is...
David Hewlett

As previously mentioned, it was a rather slim-lined version of the man who appeared on stage. Life after Stargate Atlantis is obviously working for the guy, huh maybe it was a part of the contract that McKay had to have a certain rotund physique...couldn't upstage Sheppard or Ronan now could he ;-)

Anyhoo, as David sat he introduced himself saying that he 'used to be on a little show called Stargate: Atlantis', quick as you like fellow geek Philippa's voice chirped 'never heard of it' from the crowd to much chuckles. David returned as quickly with 'Oh, is this the Twilight convention?' He spiked and ruffled his hair before adding 'But I don't freakin' sparkle'

Note the slight spikey haired look...

Always a favourite talking point A Dog's Breakfast came up (the film Daivd had written, directed and acted in, just in case you've being living on the moon). Originally David had pitched several different ideas, one of which was a Zombie flick if I recall correctly, and ADB came out as the cheapest to make since he had a dog and sister and Paul McGillion on standby and he wanted to have fun with his first picture. Mainly though it was just an 'excuse to put McGillion in a dress'...Ha! I knew it!

I asked about any comedic influences in the development of ADB. He said that there was nothing in particular, John Cleese and Charlie Chaplin were mentioned along with a theme of physical comedy, and he was really making a 'non-violent film which dad could watch' and that 'some people play funny well and some people look funny...that's me' David also said that ADB was a film he wanted the Stargate fans to like 'coz I love you guys'....Awww, but enough with this sentimental sh...ow of emotion ...

Asked whether he and McKay would've been friends in real life David gave a resounding negative 'I'd hate his guts' apparently David was the kid at school who hung out at the back of the class getting up to all sorts of no good, whereas Mckay would've been the know-it-all swot at the front...come to think of it that's where I used to sit, but then I'm using short-sightedness as my defence. He did say there was a little bit of McKay in everyone adding that 'he's a jerk, but you get it' and that for him it wasn't all that hard to 'find McKay'. He would often take McKay home from work however and poor Jane (wife, mother, producer and all round lovely lass) would give him a ten minute leeway of his mannerisms and general McKay-ness, namely the finger clicking and pointing, before pulling rank.

I asked him if he'd ever been mistaken for anyone else (I know, get me and my assertive, speaking in front of large crowds to famous person...ness). David immediately came back with 'Mel Gibson' to much laughter and then after a pause 'someone people don't like in their family' Then he recounted a tale of a guy coming up to him in L.A and saying 'I'm a huge fan, I've seen every one of your movies....Mr Tarantino' *snort* To be fair to the L.A. bloke there is a resemblance when David sports his slightly wild-haired crazy scientist look.

The idea of having his own sister Kate on SGA was 'the last thing I would've done' David said in typical sibling syle. The story is that while filming an earlier episode the script had included a line where McKay mentions a brother. David, growing up with several sisters, had asked if he could change the line to sister instead gaining a 'whatever works for you...idiot' Then Martin Gero had seen Kate in a Fringe play and noted the Hewlettisms, Kate auditioned and thus TV history was made. 'I thought she did an okay job' was David's brotherly review of Kate's performance and he continued to say that initally he tried to disuade her from taking up acting as a career...first due to the hardships and cut-throat nature of the business then, after seeing that she actually didn't suck, 'acting doesn't work for me...be a fireman'. In a rare moment of the gushy David did say that Kate is the 'funniest person he's ever met'. The non sentimental nature of their relationship did cause a few problems on set as Martin Gero halted filming for the following directional tip 'I'm not getting the love....I need you to remember you're related'

David went on to recount a couple of tales of life in the Hewlett household with typical brotherly dastardly-ness and shenanigans. whilst playing hide & seek with his sister, Jenny, he would fail to actually partake in the seeking part of the game, choosing to watch television instead. Also, once left in charge of making a glass of lemonade he added vinegar into the mix. Though instead of sister Jenny (again) it was his father who ended up drinking the concoction...'And he drank the whole glass'..urgh, presumably his poor father then indulged in some porcelain worshiping and technicolour yawning.

David does his 'I'm a little teapot' impression

Duet was mentioned, along with THAT scene. Apparently Paul was a little nervous before filming, David noting that he's 'a fragile flower I don't want to crush and destroy'. He spoke of how after the 'kiss' Paul didn't speak for an hour and during rehersals had developed a flinch as David drew near. David also made jest of subsequent restraining orders after receiving a trailer full of chocolates and flowers.

Holy crap, that's alotta flash....

On asked about working with his fellow SG:A cast mates David dead panned 'Joe was a problem, such good hair' but then added 'a natural hero' noting that Sheppard's solution to everything was 'just turn it off'. He spoke of Jason Mamoas first scenes, which happened to be the ones in which David was suspended upside down (after ingesting a fish and chip supper) in 'Runner' where Rainbow (Sun Francks aka Lt Ford) kept flubbing his lines. David cut Rainbow a new one and then looked over some bushes to see a panicked Mamoa frantically learning his lines. Jewel Staite had the right idea as she would routinely have food hidden about her person, so when David would begin to get his grump on during filming she would produce snacks prompting 'Ooo, Hersey bar' from David (done in the voice style of Yoda I might add)

It's a great shame that we have to talk about SG:A in the past tense, one of the first things asked were the chances of the promised movie..imdb still states that Stargate: Extinction is 'in production'... David sadly had to say that although everyone would love to do a movie, he thinks the chances are now very slim...that combined with the fact that a whole bunch of props, set pieces and costumes have recently been auctioned off.....that 'slim' is looking more like 'extinct' now aint it.

In terms of favorite episodes David enjoyed partaking in action scenes, even if the bumbling approach was the one most regularly adopted 'what do you need me to do wrong with a gun' (the moment a gung-ho McKay tried to take on a Wriath only to have his clip drop to the ground had me quite at a loss of the ability to breathe) David also mentioned the episodes The Shrine and Sunday as favourite episodes to film, due to poinient nature of certain scenes, saying 'you should die all the time' to Paul McGillion with regards to the latter. He's not fond of goodbyes and hated the last day of shooting, finishing McKay was 'like losing an old friend'.....that's not a tear in my eye by the way it's allergies...ahem...He doesn't know whether McKay will ever put in an appearence in SG:U as the show has a very different feel, it's more serious and he's not sure where McKay would fit. He wouldn't be against the idea but it would have to be 'true to McKay.'

On being in the UK 'heating would be nice' a reference to the fact that he and the family have been staying with Jane's dad who, in true British pensioner style, is a tad sparing with lumps of coal for the fire. He also stated that they had spent the winter in Toronto and summer in the UK so had 'the worst of both weather' But he loves spending time with his grandparents on their 'unoffcial farm' and watching Baz knock about with the animals much like he had done as a kid.

He was once mooned by Jason Mamoa, at the end of a particularly busy day, as their cars sat next to each other at traffic lights. Apparently it took David a while to figure out exactly what he was looking at pressed against the window (really David?) before realising and giving a somewhat mortified 'Oh, dear God!' reaction. Joe Flanigan, who was travelling in the car with Mamoa, was found to be somewhere on the floor of the car, killing himself laughing.....boys are weird.

Has just been working on a sci-fi (or Sy-Fy...whatever) movie with Robert Picardo which involved Morlocks...I'm guessing it's a kind of follow on from The Time Machine. David had seen The Howling recently and only just realised his co-star was in it 'little bald Bob Picardo used to be hairy evil guy...who knew'...well David, Bob Picardo has been in EVERYTHING, I still can't look at the guy without thinking of Cowboy...off of Innerspace.

So, what's next for everyone's favourite bumbling space scientist..well he's off to the Bulgarian Tundra to direct 'Evil Space Monkeys'....obviously.

And there I shall leave you for the moment...I'm aware of the novel like length of this post, this is mainly due to the fact that the man has the uncanny ability to spout forth large amounts in a very short space of time....that would be his inner McKay. Still to come group talks, party time pics and....more

Chevron 7.4: Suanne Braun aka Hathor

2010-02-10T16:27:00.000Z

Before I begin the next installment of Chevron 7.4: An Idiot's Guide, I will just recount an incident which unfortunately is becoming more common place in todays society, an eyesore which should be irradicated with immediate effect...While signing in at the computer center I had to wait in line, the young lass in front of me had a brief conversation with a member of staff who complimented her on an edgy new hairstyle and she then bent to sign the attendence register, at which point several of us folk in the queue stiffled giggles as the young ladies ill-fitting jeans (note: any trouser based garment designed for ladies appear to have a similar defect) failed to do their job of covering her plentiful derriaire, flashing a large portion of pale butt cheeks and crack...sigh, somethings are just meant not to be seen by others and the oblivious girl just carried on reguardless, you'd think she'd at least feel a draft....ie 'In the unlikely senario that someone is jet blasting icy cold air down my trousers I guess I'd better check whether I'm attired appropriately while in this half bent position....Oops'...alas not, seriously some kind of law should be passed against this kind of thing...and don't even get me started on teenage boys style choice of 'jeans hanging low, arse hanging out', one of these days I'm going to start wreching the damn things up when such a display walks passed me...and if they happen to incur a wedgie at the same time, so be it!

Ahem...moving on....

Guest Talk with Suanne Braun

Her character certainly has some staying power considering she was in only a handful of episodes, though it's impossible to forget Hathor, that episode was funny and a little creepy and apparently has remained in the top 5 of favourite episodes. But what has this lovely lady been up to since then....she's been in a stage production of Caberet playing a nasty piece of work and a touch of stand up in the US...very versitile. She loves the instant reaction of stage work

She was involved in a British, camp sci-fi comedy series called Starhyke where she played a robot. Also in the series Claudia Christian (Ivanova off of Babylon 5) Danny John Jules (Cat off of Red Dwarf) and Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett off of Star Wars). It's in the same kitsch vein as Krod Mandoon & the Flaming Sword of fire, admittedly an acquired taste, and seems to have disappeared off screen as quickly also.

The character of Hathor was origiannly offered to Sharon Stone, who chose a very different role on some movie called Basic Instinct....her loss.

She didn't know the sound of the Go'ald when she was filming the part and apparently several versions were tried with Suanne putting on various voices, of which she then put on a couple of gruff, grunty, frog in throat sounds...glad they went with sound effects, else SG:1 could also have gone the way of Krod Mandoon. Her mother watched the episode, back in South Africa, and went from proud mum to 'Here you are on the TV in the US....and you sound terrible'...hehe, trust mothers for an honest critique of your work.

Speaking of South Africa, Suanne started out working on TV in her homeland, presenting, doing a travel show called Bon Voyage (which she really enjoyed) and appearing in the SA version of Who's Line is it Anyway ( for those not in the know this was an improvisational comedy series...I used to watch the UK series all the time and grew strangely attracted to the bean-pole of a comedian Ryan Stiles...ahem....moving on)

Asked who her favourite person to work with on SG:1 was Suanne diplomatically said 'all were lovely' before adding that she got to 'smooch all the boys'...now that truely must've been a hard day at work...though apparently one actor playing a certain Jaffa had a habit of breaking wind during a take to make the other actors laugh...Yeah, Judge I'm lookin' at you ;-)

And on the subject of pranks the inverable 'boy toilet humour' seems to be a common trend in a day in the life on the SG:1 set. At one point poor Suanne was filming a take of sitting in the Go'ald birthing tank and found some prankster had poured in bubble bath (Outtakes...anyone).

Suanne wasn't too keen on the costume of Hathor...I'm guessing it would've been pretty uncomfortable...nor was she a big fan of sitting in the tank full of 'plastic shrimp' aka the technical term for baby Go'ald. After a while the heat from the lights would cause the...er...'shrimp' to melt and often left her smelling of melted plastic for the remainder of the day...cut to awkward looks from strangers in lifts.

She didn't realise when she took on the role, that Hathor was a real figure in Ancient Egyptian Mythology and was surprised when visiting the country exclaiming 'Oh, look...I'm everywhere'

In terms of her future career, Suanne would like to play Lady Macbeth on stage and would like a challenging or action role in TV/film. Currently she's working on a romantic comedy in Prague and has her own show back in South Africa...which led to some discussion about possible names 'Braunfree' and 'To the Manor Braun' were a couple of the suggestions....hmmm, I suggest to think on about that.

So, there's all the guest talks done, don't think I've fogotton anyone....*counts off guests in head*...yep, all done...moving on...Oh, wait....I supposed there was that Hewlett bloke, he said....stuff.

Chevron 7.4 Guest Talks: Bam Bam, Brian J Smith and a Stunt Demo

2010-02-08T17:40:00.000Z

First off I'm a grumpy Brit today, the murk outside my window has turned to sleet, the t-shirts I ordered have arrived after 3 weeks but I have to fork out £15 to collect them, there's nothing remotely exciting on my calender for the next...well..ever....and the monster munch I ate for lunch are giving me a case of roast beef burps. So, best that I go into nostalgic recollection mode and continue with my convention report:

Bam Bam & Brian J Smith

Once again another Stargate alumni was having his convention cherry popped, the lovely Brian J Smith wasn't sure what to expect from the whole convention experience, but this didn't stop him joining us fan girls on the dance floor the night before, rocking and belting out a medley of 80's and 90's rock tunes. By the time it came to the Q & A he seemed comfortable and relaxed, even with Bam Bam's occasional baiting of 'take your shirt off'...and no, unfortunately all of his togs stayed on. The chap does find the whole convention thing a tad surreal since a little over a year ago he was working as a bar tender.

Brian J Smith looking pretty

Bam Bam is another guest who I've met at a previous con, he is a chatty bloke and spends a lot of his time with the fans and trying to copy accents...best not to give up you day job Bam Bam ;-) He played Gambit in X-Men 2 and spent a day of shooting playing poker as well as fight scene and stunt work, but his scenes were deleted...boo, hiss.

Brian was asked about his fellow cast mates on SG:U and he mentioned having a lot of respect for Robert Carlyle referring to him as 'A sweet, cool guy' who has a lot of time for the cast and crew and is always there to assist with any acting queries Brian may have. (How much would I love to meet Robert Carlyle at a convention....*stretches arms until shoulders pop from sockets*....this much)

Talking about the stunt work Bam Bam said that he keeps the fight scenes looking 'sloppy' in keeping with the raw, realistic theme of SG:U. More of a pub brawl affair, which in turn leans towards the 'real people' feel and effects of their unplanned situation. Bam Bam is also giong 'bionic' since injury has led the poor chap to need a double hip replacement, hence why he is co-ordinator of stunts. From memory I think it was caused by repeatedly having to dive onto frozen ground.

Not entirely sure what Brian is saying to gain this reaction from Bam Bam...answers on a postcard...

He talked about the dangers of working with actors and them doing stunts...at this point I was sure David Hewlett would come up as apparently his compatability with even the most basic of stunt meet with some kind of injury...though he actually mentioned an incident on the set of The Eye/The Storm. The lovely Erin Chambers (Sora) had never done any fight training but was keen to have a go, Robert Davi (Koyla) was also keen to strut his stuff but unfortunately got a little gung-ho during the stick fight. Erin ended up with a fairly decent smack on the noggin and was a bit shocked and upset and retreated to her trailer. Bam Bam followed with words of support 'Suck it up'.....or something a tad more sympathetic....and the scene, which looks great btw, was completed.

Bam Bam recounts Davi-Gate...

Brain spoke about filming the episode Air Pt 3, the one on the desert planet, which presented a challenge as it was 'understandably hot and sandy'. 117 degrees with no cover and one air conditioned tent for the actors to cool off in, which then became a smoking tent...kind of defeating the objective there I guess. He said although it was a challenge it was his favourite to film.

I'm guessing Brian is aware of the conflicting reviews of SG:U, he genuinely wanted to hear our opinons when chatting and said that the next season will address many of the concerns. He said the show is best watched on DVD (due to being able to watch without annoying ad breaks)...at which point Bam Bam interjected with 'freeze frame for sex scenes' (something which Bam Bam was constantly ribbing Brain about during the weekend)

Bam Bam insists that his nickname was due to a foreign director's inability to get his name right on set which ended up sticking....and 'has nothing to do with porn'

He also once played Simon Cowell...yes you read that right...Simon Cowell in one of those abomination Scary Movies films...where someone machine guns the opinionated tosser down (possibly 3, but I won't be watching to find out, soz Bam Bam)

They both talked about Twitter and how it's a great way to keep in touch with fans and keep up to date with developments on the series. Although fellow cast mate David Blue (Eli) is apparently addicted and wanders round set asking how many followers Brain and Bam Bam have...'How long would you like to stay concious'...is generally Bam Bam's reply.

Brian has a, occasionally bossed eyed, King Charles dog called Cassie, who he was looking after for someone else, but missed her too much when it was time to let her go...aw, Brian you big sap you.

Brian's amazingly infectious smile...

Bam Bam was asked about which actors were easiest and hardest to work with when doing the stunts...now this time David did get a mention, though not that he was hard to work with, but during the scene where he was high on Wraith juice they bascially went with David's own flappy fighting style which 'keeps it real' as McKay. Rachel Luttrell was easy to work with, her background in dance apparently a beneift to stunt choreogrphy and Jason 'Frickin' Conan' Mamoa who apparently 'brings his own energy...and forehead'. Apparently his de-dreading during the hiatus of one season led to some trouble (slapped wrist for Mamoa) as the wig he subsequently had to wear would routinely fall off during fight scenes (outtakes please). Ben Browder is a natural at beating himself up 'Whumping I think you call it.....And he likes it' (okay then). Joe Flanigan was apparently the person least likely to reherse, he's 'a great athelete' but preferred to play golf, surf or play guitar than reherse a fight scene (slapped wrist for Flanigan). Bam Bam did a impression of how a day would go with the stunt guys kicking ass...think multiple cartoon ninjas 'hiiii-ya' and other such fighty noises, then as Joe Flanigan stepping in, karate chop 'wah-pah' wipes brow 'we got him'.

On the Sunday Bam Bam did a stunt demo on stage. He brought on Sharon and they went through getting into the rhythm of using sticks, which I might add was awesome to watch. Bam Bam said that working with Sharon was great as she does everything he tells her to do, once while training he told her to take off her shirt...which she then nearly went on to do...bless her, and naughty Bam Bam. He also spoke about how important the practice is as while training Rachel once made an error in which one of the sticks wasn't protecting her face during a fast run though of a fight and he smacked her cheekbone, she was fine but the subsequent bruise led the make-up girl, his then girlfriend, to chew him out on set.

Mates Tina and Philippa were brought up on stage to assist Bam Bam while he was running through a fight routine with Sharon, his dodgy hips means he finds it difficult to kneel and the girls aided the 'old man' onto his knees and back up again....though luckily Tina didn't have to 'Turn left' (those puzzled should look up P4's stunt demo).

Bam Bam also did a routine with Sharon, Ryan and two stunt guys (James Embree, who's worked on Sherlock Holmes, Merlin and the new Robin Hood film and a guy who was Hugh Jackman's double in the X-Men movies) He set up two fight scenes which were to be performed simultaneously....'that means at the same time' to Sharon when she forgot to practice while watching Ryan's routine.

One thing Bam Bam loves to do is micking taking and joshing and there was alot of this during the demo....there was much messing with the 'floppy' knife, mentioning of protecting 'twig and berries' and bemoaning the 'actors'...before the final run through of the 'fight'...which I happened to capture on film.....Shhh.

This one one of my favourite parts of the convention and I hope if Bam Bam visits again this will become a recurring event. It certainly brings home the art of the stunt performer...two very enthusiatic thumbs up :D

Chevron 7.4 Guest Talks: The Circus Midget & The Black Belt

2010-02-07T19:37:00.000Z

Huh, so that title sounds like the beginnings of a particularly bad joke, turns out though that guest talks can really unearth a few tid-bits of information which don't always make it out there in regular interviews, whether the guests want to or not, us fans can weedle out allsorts by just being inquisative and a little on the cheeky side.
Ryan Robbins & Sharon Taylor:

I think I'm right in saying that this was Sharon's first such event and so she shared her first con talk with the adorable Ryan Robbins, whom I'd met before at P2. And kicking off the questions was one about the pairs' best memory of being on Stargate: Atlantis. Sharon was pleased when her passion for kick boxing and martial arts was written into her character, which meant she got to kick some ass on the show.

Ryan talked about The Eye/The Storm episode which not only was an intense couple of episodes, but also his first as Radim. Originally the character was to be killed off but for some reason Martin Wood decided Ryan didn't suck, pointed at some other random Genii extra and said 'kill that guy'. Ryan did an adorable impression of the 'extra' carrying off a quizzical 'huh?' expression (fans of Glee should note that Cory Monteith was a Genii extra in these episodes and should perhaps see whether he was the one who kicked the bucket).

The concept of green screen came up, issues of acting in front of and how it's used. Sanctuary is a prime example as it's only the actors on screen who haven't been computer generated on occasion...and sometimes even then you have to wonder. Ryan mentioned that Chris Heyerdahl likes to mess with the green screen once pushing Ryan so that he 'fell' 3 stories to his death, something he found immensely amusing.

Both actors are starring in the web series (and possibly new network series if the rumours turn out to be true) Riese. If you haven't checked it out yet it's a sort of Fantasy/Western...set in the woods near Vancouver natch. It's got independent film style in which the actors have more input into the series and from what I've seen so far a great dark/ lone traveller style.

Sharon had first played the part of a Replicator Technician in an earlier episode of SG:A which led to the poor lass struggling with how to describe what a humanoid replicator was with subsequent confuzzlement and ice cream headaches all round, until a member of the audience interjected with an explanation. In the episode the ship she was on blew up prompted the response 'Oh, well, I'm not coming back' from Sharon. Then she got the control room part of Amelia Banks and an eleatedly said 'people in the control room don't die'..hehe, tell that to some of the 'red shirted' extras who expired in the area. She was aware of her appearance having an effect on fans of a certain other technician with Ryan exclaiming 'What did you do to Chuck!'. They had shared the role during the latter seasons and Sharon thinks that 'Woolsey liked having a girl' Ryan commented that he'd 'never wants to see Charles in drag....he'd do it' Ryan then turned to the camera recording events 'Hi Chuck, love you Chuck'

Ryan had actually tried out for the part of Mckay when the casting had been for a very different character....'I didn't get it' deadpanned Ryan (anyone familiar will know that they were looking for a strapping black guy called Igram....oh, what a different series that would've been.) The part of Radim was actually the Genii equivalent of McKay and had lots of exposition and scientific gumpf to spout of which he'd asked David 'How do you say all that stuff'. And after getting a tad tongue tied with the technobabble during Sanctuary exclaimed 'You're killin' me' to which Amada Tapping pointed to herself and said '10 years Ryan...10 years' When Robert Davi, bad boy Kolya.(boo...hiss) couldn't appear in a future episode, Radim was brought as leader...allowing for much more Ryan Robbins onscreen goodiness...yay.

Sharon's character subsequently hooked up with Ronan and she wishes there had been a season 6 to develop the relationship. On the balcony screen she thinks it had been a case of 'Ronan needs a woman...quick give him a woman'..to which Ryan responded with 'I think Conan needs a woman' (referring to the recent news that Jason Mamoa has just scored the part of Conan in a new movie) someone suggested that Ryan could've been Conan, which lead to various envisagements including 'Conan the midget' and 'Conan the Librarian'

On what role they would like to play Sharon said she'd never played a cop, which would be cool and Ryan went with exploring music by doing the Jeff Buckley story or....a superhero.

Sheesh, that was a much longer post than intended, but I'll be back soon with more convention shenanigans...

Convention Pre-Amble

2010-02-06T18:01:00.000Z

At some point last year, undoubtably still on a high from the last one, I decided that booking two conventions one weekend after another was a fabulous idea. Meeting like-minded people, hanging out with the stars, danicing, laughing and generally having a hootnanny of a time. This of course is all true enough, although, as mentioned in my previous post, the down side is a variable mix of the tired and the post con glums. But then you start remembering all the most excellent stuff which occured and so I guess I should start to pass on the convention happies.

Now, I'm going to start with the latter of the two conventions I attended, mainly coz it's still fairly remember-some in my brain...so, are you sitting comfortably...well, hurry up and plump up that pillow....okay, you can get a drink if you're quick, but leave those cookies alone...ready now? good, now let the reportage of Chevron 7.4 begin:

Birmingham was the place to be at last weekend, never thought that sentence would grace these 'ere pages of cyberspace, but to Birmingham I travelled none-the-less. A different kettle of fish in terms of the kind of convention I'm used to, so to prevent any confuzzlement on my part I invested in a Gold Ticket to ensure the best fan girl experience, with extras including; reserved seating, autographs and photo sessions with all guests, a meet and greet wine party and a mug (no expense spared). And just who were the guests in attendance: Ryan Robbins (everyone's favourite Genii), Sharon Taylor (everyone's second favourite gate technician...what can I say Chuck gives the best hugs), Suanne Braun (everyone's favourite false God), James 'Bam Bam' Bamford (everyone's favourite stunt choreographer), Brian J Smith (everyone's favourite guy off of SG:U) and of course how could we forget the David Hewlett (everyone's favourite grumpy genius)...quite the assortment of Stargate stars...and other Canadain based television productions natch.

My normally placcid, reserved, shy and quiet nature takes on a life of its own at a convention and, the disire to wear underware over outerware aside, I know that to make the most of it to kick back and be assertive is key. The meet and greet was fun, my mates were arriving later so I was flying solo but fortunately you never run out of conversation in a room full of Stargate fans.

Ryan Robbins was at the table when I first arrived and was chatting about Sanctuary and the new web series Riese. As a recent fan of jPod (if you haven't seen it check it out it's dark, kitsch and Canadian) I asked what exactly it was his character was eating all the time, he was hooked on a orange powder substance which was apparently a mixture of tang, Gatorade and gelatin to make it stick to his fingers and Ryan found that when he got home from filming a detox was needed.

Suanne Braun, and for the record can I just say wow, what a pretty lady. She's from South Africa and has travelled loads, she was discussing places she'd been too and I joking said 'I bet you've never been to Bognor Regis' at which point she replied 'Actually I have...once, at a convention'...ah, yes the infamous Bognor Stargate convention at Butlins which apparently was a tad nippy. She also talked about her character Hathor and what would happen if she ever returned in a SG:1 movie (let's just ignore the fact that Hathor is supposedly dead...coz you know...sci-fi) she liked the idea that her and Ba'al would hook up and have lots of Go'ald together.

David Hewlett descended and he was looking very slim-line. Looks like fatherhood is working for him. And he talked about Baz (who was also at the convention with Jane), he likes the nursery the tot is at the moment...David and family have been spending some time in the UK recently...and that the kids get report cards for their daily activities '11.15 had a nap...12.00 ate lunch...12.30..took a poop' He takes immense pride in e-mailing these to friends and family...complete with extra notes on his sons ability to finger paint and the like...oh yeah, David's a total dad-nerd. He does feel that he's having a bit of an identity crisis what with all the moving 'British say you're American, Americans say you're Candian and the Canadian's say...you left' ...That's alright David just bombard Stephen Moffet with letters of The Doctor worthyness and come live here full time, sorted.

Now, I should really have issue with next guest Sharon Taylor...she did bump Chucknician from his post in the Gateroom after all and ended up at Ronan's side on the balcony in the finale, but dammit she's just so nice. We chatted a while about TV shows she likes...Lost and Secret Diary of a Call Girl and what show she would like to be in...C.S.I., but not as a victim. She can totally kick your arse too, being all into martial arts and having a black belt too as I recall. A really lovely lass and also in the Riese series (hey, it's a Canadian show so no doubt 90% of the folks in it will be recognisable as off of other sci-fi shows)

Bam Bam I have met before and is great fun to have at a con. He saw my Goonies tee and regaled us with a tale of working with Sean Astin on Jeremiah and when it came to an end he got gifts from the cast. The gift he got from Samwise was a signed picture of himself which Bam Bam subsequently 'hung up' in a closet.

I'm still not completely sold on SG: Universe, it's quite the adjustment from the previous Stargate series, but Brian J Smith is certainly a great advocate for the show. Slightly catching me off guard when arriving at our table Brian took one look at me and said 'Do I know you, I feel like I know you'...I just shrugged and shook my head replying 'I just have one of those faces' when I should've come up with something endearing and witty...darn. Anyways Brian is smart, funny, entertaining and very fan friendly he talked about the direction the writers have taken with the show. I asked him about his upcoming role in Agatha Christies Poirot, a remake of Murder on the Orient Express, and he was a little star struck with Eileen Atkins. Also did I mention that Brian is...Drop. Dead. Gorgeous.

In the evening it was party time, I finally met up with my mates who were hanging out in the bar with Bam Bam and other guests before the decision was made to inject some life into the empty dance floor. Brian, Sharon and Ryan had a go on the infaltable snow boarding thingy...kinda like those mechanical bull things you have to stay on for the longest time, but with a snow board. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera at this point so you'll just have to imagine said three wobbling and clinging to the board trying to beat each other's times...then being beaten with ease by a 12 year old kid. Ryan admitted that he was fighting the urge to 'push him off' as he got close to his own score.

Shortly after Swampthing and other con dances kicked in and, with Philippa and Tina taking the lead, we rocked the Birmingham Hilton Metropole until the wee hours.

Next time guest talks....

Bognor Girl Back from Birmingham

2010-02-02T12:29:00.000Z

Just checking in, I haven't disappeared into the ethers of cyberspace and have survived both of my recent journeys to London and Birmingham, although I have sore feet from all the queuing and sore ribs from all the laughing and I ache in places I never knew had muscles...damn those cardio work outs cunningly disguised as convention dances.

Then there's the P.C.C and P.C.L to take into account...what do you mean 'huh?'...the Post Con Crash and Post Con Lurgy of course, which usually involves feeling the need to sleep for a month, flashbacks which cause outbreaks of manical chuckles and a strange sense of dread when your bank statement arrives and is accompanied by the worse cold/flu symptoms which inable your ability to function as a proper human being for the next couple of weeks.

It'll be a little while for me to process the events into some kind of readable report with images and various added observations and sarcasm (Blog writers prerogative) and my trusty lap top has decided to start playing silly buggers...no doubt due to it being a.) over 4 years old and b.) in constant use throughout that period which is why it's decided to now spit the dummy. So, bare with me and I'll try to start sharing the happy this week...while I also start planning for the next Convention... 'Hello, my name is Emma and I'm a Con addict'

Today Will Be Mostly Cloudy With a Chance of Phwoar Developing in the Afternoon.

2010-01-21T20:48:00.000Z

Remember when weathermen wore corduroy trousers, were slightly balding, had terrible side burns and equally as terrible moustaches...Oh, how times have changed....

Meet Thomasz Schafernaker....

He can forecast my rampant showers whenever he likes...And he's not afraid to have a good old chuckle on air either:

Snow Day!...Again

2010-01-10T19:46:00.000Z

Most of the country is still snow bound, we really don't handle even a light dusting of the white stuff too well on these shores...Oh, how Canadians and Scadanavians must be chortling at our British uselessness. Schools are still closed, many roads are still impassable, pavements are a lawsuit waiting to happen and services are limited (we've had no post since last Tuesday, all rubbish collections are off kilter), salt for the roads are in desperate short supply in some areas, shops have little but sprouts to offer (which may lead to further disruptions....Greenhouse gas, weird weather, Arctic winter in UK, nothing but sprouts in shops....Greenhouse Gas etc) and still those pesky Arctic conditions refuse to loosen their grip.

Today I managed to leave the house and venture to one of my most favourite places, and one which I have never seen in such conditions...mainly because in my 30 years I have NEVER seen such conditions...so, to Kingley Vale where I ooh-ed and ahh-ed at the scenery, engaged in some snow realted activites and completely pummled dear 'ol dad with snowballs:

In the summer it looks like this...

And today...

Assortment of wintery scenes.....

Not my handywork, but this was a full size Igloo

My attempt at a snow Dalek....didn't really have the right utensils (ie a couple of plungers and a whisk)

Crikey...those drifts are deep....

Actually the snow was about 8-10 inches and my tomfoolary led to the following situation....