Hospital Visiting.......

Yup, with Aginoth back in hospital and Mrs A juggling visiting, three boisterous kids and a household to run, I am hospital visiting again :-)

I confess: I am a bad visitor - although I remembered Aggie's newspaper, I forgot to smuggle in various chocolatey items.........[bad cq] This, I hasten to add will be remedied next time I visit.

Aginoth is currently on steroids and petroleum jelly to ease his inflamed psoriasis before he gets 'The Treatment', and he is looking a lot better. His patches (as seen in those shocking pictures on his blog) are not so 'angry' as they were and he is a lot more comfortable (relatively, of course!). His face gets special creams and has cleared up lovely - I went in today and saw my sweet good-looking friend smiling at me :-)
But the itching is still driving him bonkers.......

Mind you, with RCA there as well we made lots of plans for October!

Wouldn't be surprised if he gets a reputation in that ward - I think all his visitors are female at the moment; Mrs A, me, RCA and Nanny A. I think he needs some Men to visit to balance things out! Mind you, it means he gets lots of hugs :-) Always a good thing when you are poorly, hugs!
And when you're 'young' a reputation for having lots of females at your beck and call doesn't hurt :-)

Oh, that reminds me, I promised to blog this gem!

While chatting, I caught sight of his hospital tag and it reminded me he has a big birthday this year. This year my young friend is going to be 36 [waits for laughter to subside]
Which means he is now in the '36-45' age bracket on questionnaires.
It also means he is no longer in the Britney Spears age bracket, but has been promoted to the Denzel Washington age bracket (I tried to say the Dick Van Dyke bracket - but I got THAT look! [chuckle])

Anyone get the idea I am glad he is feeling a little better in himself? :-)

cq

OOPS

Trying to change the layout of the Story Store, I managed to change the wrong blog!

bear with me while I sort this out........

cq

How Boyish or Girlish are you?

You Are 40% Boyish and 60% Girlish

You are pretty evenly split down the middle - a total eunuch. Okay, kidding about the eunuch part. But you do get along with both sexes. You reject traditional gender roles. However, you don't actively fight them. You're just you. You don't try to be what people expect you to be.

How Boyish or Girlish Are You?

cq

My first BlogWalk

No Thursday Thirteen this week - and this is why!

My first blogwalk was done without a camera - how clever is that!
Never mind.......

I was visiting Aginoth in the Infirmary (built 1735 and desperately in need of a facelift!) In fact, there ARE no pictures on the internet of this intensely miserable building.

I turned left and strolled down Upper Maudlin Street, and the Bristol Eye Hospital caught my attention - never having been down that road.
Built into the wall is brickwork sculptures - incredibly beautiful.

This panel is 'Madonna' - and if you look carefully you can see the brickwork!

This panel is 'Birds'.

These are just two of the five panels, each 5' 7" x 12' which represent:
1. The origins of the earth
2. Seeds and flowers
3. Fish and birds
4. Animal life
5. Humanity

Sculptor Walter Ritchie took the theme for the panels from the Romanes Lecture given by the 1st Viscount Samuel in around 1947, part of which is incorporated in the final panel.
"Disaster and crisis were always advertised, settlement and tranquillity seldom. Only in retrospect could we see things in their relations. When we passed from the years to the centuries, and from the centuries to the whole expanse of man's story - out of chaos into life, from animal life into humanity, and on into civilization; when we saw man in his cosmic setting, the latest child of the universe wedded to an eternity, his thoughts transcending matter and seeking deity - there was no room for ignoble despair: rather would our minds be filled with wonder and our hearts with thankfulness."

I LOVE that excerpt!

So, off down Maudlin Street, through some pretty grotty bits of Bristol (car hire garages and stuff) and then to the Christmas Steps - what a pretty name!

'Its medieval title was Queene Street, then it became known as Knyfesmyth Street, after those who traded there. This name may gradually have been corrupted into the ‘Christmas’ of today.
Others suggest that the name may be derived from the nativity scene found in a stained glass window of The Chapel of the Three Kings of Cologne, which lies at the top of the steps.'

At the top of the steps is a plaque recording "This streete was steppered done in 1669," with details of the event. The street is lined both sides by interesting little shops and cafes

At the very bottom of the steps lies a building thought to date back to the 13th Century, which has housed a fish and chip shop for well over 100 years which is one of the first ever ‘chippies’ to open in England:

Never liking to tread on tradition, I purchased a serving of Christmas Steps Chips :-) and walked and munched.

From there I turned into Colston Avenue:

Edward Colston (1636-1721), who was a well-known benefactor (whispers: and slavetrader!) of the city, founded schools and almshouses and established other charities. The bronze statue by John Cassidy was erected in Colston Avenue and unveiled on November 13th 1895. Subscriptions for the statue were not sufficient and the remaining balance was contributed by an "anonymous gentleman".

My chips lasted until I got to the pub - yep, this imposing edifice is a pub!!

The Commercial Rooms were built in 1810 (three years after the end of the slave trade) as a new centre for Bristol's businessmen. The site was formerly occupied by another of Bristol's famous coffee houses, Foster's Coffee House. The exterior of the building has statues representing Bristol, Commerce and Navigation, which are sometimes referred to as the three commercial graces. One carving shows Britannia checking the monies due to her from the rest of the world.

Then it was a case of meeting up with my colleagues and off we went to Jongleurs Comedy Club - more on that tomorrow!!

cq

Wordless Wednesdays

cq

Who's the Best?

Brian Dennehy has won the 2006 Best Actor Laurence Olivier Award for his portrayal of Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s Death Of A Salesman. This completes an impressive treble for Dennehy, who also won a Tony Award (Broadway’s equivalent of the Laurence Olivier Awards) and a Golden Globe for exactly the same role when the production was originally staged on Broadway and subsequently filmed.
Dennehy, a dramatic arts graduate of Yale, utilised his imposing frame to great effect in Death Of A Salesman as aging salesman Willy Loman. The broad shoulders and barrel chest of the American Dream’s greatest follower were transformed during the performance into the most fragile of shells, as Dennehy played out the life of a travelling salesman whose entire working life may have been a feat of imagination.
Dennehy was making his West End debut in Arthur Miller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play. He is probably best known for his film roles which include Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo And Juliet, Presumed Innocent, F/X, Legal Eagles, Cocoon, Gorky Park and First Blood. His Broadway stage work includes Long Day’s Journey Into Night, for which he won a second Tony Award for Best Actor in 2003, and Peter Brook’s production of The Cherry Orchard.

What is it that makes me go weak at the knees for Mr Dennehy after all these years? I mean, even when I was young he was no spring chicken..Is it his bright blue eyes, full of mischief, is it his 'engaging grin' (wonderful description!), or is it his imposing presence?
And what a prolific and successful stage actor too :-)
Congratulations, Brian, wherever you are :-)

I have removed the music temporarily as people seemed to have problems accessing my blog with it on here (including, of all people, Aginoth!)

and dave - the stunning voice is Katie Melua - I can seriously recommend the cd 'Piece by Piece'.

The 2006 Crazie Holiday is booked........Aginoth, Mrs A, the Aginothlings, cyberkitten, sleepypete, rca, rca's SO, bionicdwarf and I are heading to sunny (we hope!) Cornwall in October for a week of R&R :-)
jeez - look at all those bloggers!! :-)
Should be a blast - usually is.....

cq

Brother

You know........[thinks]

yeah, it's ok, come closer..........that's better.........

You know, I was mulling over a few blogging ideas for today, bits of this, bits of that, perhaps a couple of Monday Memories.

Then, while cruising my blogroll, I made my usual first stop at Aginoth's blog (warning, he has disturbing photos on there today).

Let me tell you a little bit about Aginoth. He's a few years younger than me and we met at nursery school; him with Agi Jnr (then a baby) and me with Boo doing one of my taxi days for silentmum.
We chatted for a while, as parents/godparents do and I wandered off thinking, what a very nice young man.

Soon after we started emailing at work and home and he was made a Crazie (it's a painless ceremony, honest!). I met his lovely wife and they welcomed me into their already huge family. I was away when LMB was born, but was one of the first of the Crazies to see her. I was among the first to see LMD only days after her birth too.

I look after their children whenever they ask. It started as a vague offer and as time went on and the children grew to trust me I made the open-ended offer of free babysitting to help out - baby-sitters can cost a fortune just for a night out!
Actually, it's not free. It costs a bag of Flying Saucers (sherbert filled rice paper) for an evening. Two if it's a late one :-)

We holiday together, we play together, we cry together, we torment together. Aginoth and his family have been the family I lost at an early age to pride and prejudice.

One of the first things Aginoth did for me, which I rarely permitted in those days, was he gave me a 'Huggy Hug'. A big, enveloping hug. A hug which scared away all my demons of depression and self-loathing. Mrs A does a mean line in hugging too :-)

And now, my Aginoth, my brother in all but blood, is suffering and there is nothing I can do to help. I can email, I can blog and I can text. I can visit, but I know how he feels about how he looks. There is no magic wand I can wave to make him feel better. I can't even hug away his demons.

I love you Aginoth.

And I love Mrs Aginoth.

And I adore your children.

Here's to that phone ringing - even if it does lead to the windowless yellow room....and as before I will be there every day I can, boring the shirt off your back! I will bring you treats and sweets, books and dvds, sit with you and admire the nurses and dream of when we will have our next Huggy Hug.

craziequeen

POEMS

FEMALE POEM

I want a man who's handsome, smart and strong.
One who loves to listen all day long,
One who thinks before he speaks,
One who'll call, not wait for weeks.
I want him to be gainfully employed,
And when I spend his cash, not be annoyed.
Pulls out my chair and opens my door,
Massages my back and begs to do more.
Oh! For a man who makes love to my mind,
and knows what to answer to "how big is my behind?"
I want this man to love me to no end,
And forever be my very best friend.


MALE POEM

I want a deaf-mute nymphomaniac with huge boobs
who owns a liquor store, a Chocolate Shop and a fishing boat.
I know this doesn't rhyme, but I don't care.

cq

And a huge thankyou to Mah Sweet Georgia Rose for telling me how to get music on my blog - hope you enjoy my choices :-)

Stuff n Stuff

Well, well, well...........[looks pleased] so far so good.

Three BlogOlympic Training Camps completed and your Queen has managed to net three respectable medals!

I got Gold in the training camp hosted by cybervassals. 57 people came to my blogparty! [flexes fingers] Hope you all had a good time.

I managed Silver in Training Camp 1 - the comparison test with blog experts Uisce or Running2Ks to see what a champion blog is made of.

And again, Silver in BlogOlympic HQ Training Camp 2 where we discovered how long it takes to load our blogs.

Quote for today heard on the radio:

Nicolas Cage (talking about being civil to fans) 'If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be where I am today' - you go, Nic!! (ConAir and The Rock are two of my fave movies!)

Tired now...........going to bed, it's been a long week for Queenie.

cq

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things Things I love and hate about blogs 1. LOVE that, whatever time I log on, my blog is always there. 2. LOVE that, whenever I open my blog, there are lots of comments from blogbuddies. 3. LOVE that today I am Michele's Site of the Day [preens] 4. LOVE music on blogs. Gonna put some on mine - I see Nina Simone crooning at the Palace in the near future! 5. LOVE colour (well, d'uh!). Killired's blog is a riot of pink - I adore visiting! 6. LOVE a relaxed atmosphere on a blog. Those blogs where people just chunter on about whatever they like! 7. LOVE the blogosphere. All those people I never knew six months ago, all coming to chat with little old me! 8. LOVE my identity. Some of you know the Real Me, but as I don't like Me, craziequeen lets me be everything Me isn't! 9. LOVE Michele and Wendy. What with Michele's M&G (responsible for most of my blogroll!) and Wendy's Audition Calls, I am meeting lots of new people. 10. LOVE animal blogs. Being a pet owner, I cruise a lot of 'petblogs' and there are some VERY witty people out there. 11. HATE blogs that are written in text-speak. Type properly, damn you, I haven't got time to decode l8er, m8s and other such gobbledegook! 12. HATE blogs that are singularly specific in subject. It makes it harder for visitors to comment. 13. HATE bloggers with no sense of humour! Thursday Thirteen Notables All Thursday Thirteen participants can be seen on the Thursday Thirteen blogroll to your right and down a bit - go on...have a wee surf! Special notice - Sleepypete has done his first Thursday Thirteen, and guess what? Yours Truly gets a special mention! [blows kiss to Sweet Sleepy. rashbre hasn't been seen around the palace in a while - his TT is up :-) New pal Scouser is formulating plans for World Domination - obviously blog parties weren't enough for our Liverpudlian Lad!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Phew - just made it in time.....2354! :-)

Rushed back from the cinema to post this :-)

cq

Blog Party to end all Blog Parties at the Palace

Cybervassals has set an Olympic Blogging Challenge: Host a blog party based on your blogroll and include as many guests as you can before your fingers collapse in exhaustion. The Top 10% (those with the most links) participating in this assignment will win a Gold Medal! Results will be posted at the IOBC Headquarters.So here goes: Welcome to the first blog party at the Palace!

After fruitlessly trying to upload a 'BlogOlympics Training Camp' photo to her blog [:-P] the Queen logged off and went downstairs. She pulled the silken curtains together, shutting out the cold and frosty night. She put on some gentle music to break the ice and ran a nervous hand through her hair. The tables were laid. Daisy, Wendy, Rosie and Dawn were busily putting the finishing touches to the candles and the glitter. Aginoth and Mrs Aginoth relaxed in the lounge with Cyberkitten and dave, discussing faith and science, while Cowboy swapped stories with Hoss - with the audience of a delighted OldOldLady and Ivoryfrog, the latter trying to work out the American accents!
The doorbell rang and there was Cat, bringing Shaggy, Scooby and Scout to play with Pandora and Charlie upstairs while the party was going on. With Cat was Thumper and SpouseThingy, armed with crates containing Max and Buddah - more feline playmates!
The party kicked off gently, with various conversations moving around, and the faint sounds of Buddah breaking china upstairs.
Amber was chatting to Vanessa and Courtney about children, with Dena chiming in now and then. Kdubs listened from a nearby comfy chair, her head resting on the arm.
Fluke, Eric and Jean-Luc occupied a small corner of the room discussing the merits of time travel ethics. Having been snubbed by Fluke Mr Sprok moodily chewed on carrot sticks and glared out of the window. Stephanie and Mother were telling Minerva and June all about the strength of crystals in one's existence with Mar-see-ah, Kitty and Judy listening intently. Then Stephanie offered to read Tarot and a queue quickly formed. Killired, Laquet, Cindy, Ribbiticus, Tabby and Michele waited eagerly for their readings.
Meanwhile, Kat and Deni extolled the virtues of New York to a fascinated group of Brits; Rashbre, SID and Spindleshanks were all throwing questions madly at the Big Apple Dwellers.
Margalit arrived a little late and out of breath (must be the teenage children) and brought some excellent music for us to listen to. MamaB, Mar, Blogfather, Scouser and Barbara bopped the night away in the corner, although there was some mention of the way Scouser never let Barbara out of his sight!
Over a few glasses of beer, Carmi, Uisce, Cin and Utenzi discussed photography in all its glory, recalling favourite shots in immense detail. Pete thought the idea of photography might help him create more realistic gaming characters, so he listened intently and asked questions of the three intrepid photographers.
Cybervassals made notes for the BlogOlympics and munched on chicken and thinly sliced beef.

The Palace Blog Party was well underway for another year. The Queen dropped gently into her favourite armchair and contemplated all her happy friends - and wondered if anyone else would be calling by..... :-)

ps - Wordless Wednesday will return next week.
cq

Brains, Brains

Picked up from Mah Sweet Georgia Rose - and seen on a bazillion blogs including our Lady Daisy, Uisce, Le Laquet and Dawnie..it MUST be the Queen's turn!

BLUE:

At work or in school: I like to be with people, sharing with them, inspiring them, and helping them. I work and learn best when I can take into consideration people and the human element. I flourish in an atmosphere of cooperation.

With friends: I always look for perfect love. I am very romantic, and I enjoy doing thoughtful things for others. I am affectionate, supportive and a good listener.

With family: I like to be happy and loving. I am very sensitive to rejection from my family and to family conflicts. I really like to be well thought of and need frequent reassurance. I love intimate talks and warm feelings.

Nice, but I sound a bit of a wuss.......

What Color is Your Brain?
brought to you by Quizilla

and like Joe from Joe Versus the Volcano, I also have a brain cloud - some interesting words in there........

Most recently seen on Mah Blogsistah's blog :-)

cq

Monday Memory - Mr Morecambe

Bring me Sunshine, in your smile,
Bring me Laughter, all the while,
In this world where we live, there should be more happiness,
So much joy you can give, to each brand new bright tomorrow,
Make me happy, through the years,
Never bring me, any tears,
Let your arms be as warm as the sun from up above,
Bring me fun, bring me sunshine, bring me love.

Bring me Sunshine, in your eyes,
Bring me rainbows, from the skies,
Life's too short to be spent having anything but fun,
We can be so content, if we gather little sunbeams,
Be light-hearted, all day long,
Keep me singing, happy songs,
Let your arms be as warm as the sun from up above,
Bring me fun, bring me sunshine, bring me love.

Words - Sylvia Dee, Music - Arthur Kent

I love the words of this song - so evocative.

Long gone and still sorely missed.....Eric Morecambe 1926 - 1984

And why British comedy legend Eric Morecambe? I have a CD of oldies in the car and this one keeps on playing....... :-)

cq

Afternoon at the Aginoths

Cyberkitten and I are comfortably ensconced in the Aginoth household. Mr and Mrs A are off to a re-enctment fair and we are babysitting for the afternoon. Aginoth Jnr is playing his gameboy and we are treated to a stream of constant commentary at high volume as he's wearing his headphones! LMB is taking 'photos' of everyone and reading cool books with Cyberkitten. And I am off up the wooden hill to wake LMD from her afternoon nap [looks nervous]. Will she love me or hate me today?

2nd instalment: LMD is awake - and amazingly placid; a clean nappy will do that! We are all sitting watching Monsters Inc, LMD on the floor watching and playing, LMB snuggling with Cyberkitten transfixed by Sully, and Aginoth Jnr is torn between his gameboy and the film.....
Happiness is a Pixar film :-)

Dinner was a bit of a minefield - I didn't realise how big a lunch Mummy had done, but with all three refusing food, it soon became obvious they were all full. But they still got their Smarties, because they all ate something.

Then we all settled down to Ice Age (yup, more Pixar!) and snuggles while we waited for Mummy and Daddy to come home.

A successful afternoon all in all :-)

cq

Link Whore

Cruising my blogroll the other day, I found loads of cool stuff in the blogosphere. I wouldn't have time to take part in all the fun convos and quizzes, but there might be something here that you enjoy.

Le Laquet found a page on Wikipedia where you enter your birthdate and it generates a fantastic list of happenings, births, deaths etc that occurred on your big day! Mine has lots of cool stuff....like I share a birthday with Ralph Macchio and Matthew McConaughey (one older and one younger!) [dribble]

Cin has a blog on what colour your brain is! Nervous about doing this one, desperately want it to be purple, think it's gonna come out black!

Courtney has a cool post on sloganising your name! Mine came up as 'I'd Walk a Mile for a Craziequeen.' - how true!

dave is currently posting the most incredible pictures taken from the Hubble telescope - what would we have done without this miracle of modern technology?

Mah Blogsistah Dawn and her beloved fiance are currently making wedding plans, you can see their desired location on her blog - looks fantastic, and I think she should go 'Victorian'! :-)



Our Sweet OldOldLady is rushed off her little feet atm with all things STAGE. She has taken time out to blog even on her progress, with a little help from Mr Sweetie! And, of course, her 'Walks' are proving to be immensely popular.......

Jean-Luc's Weekend Question this week is what novel didn't you finish and why...so many unfinished novels in my life!

In her latest diary entry, June introduces us to the impressive Irma Brown (please note this is a satirical sketch, this blog does not condone beating children - much :-))

Killired has an interesting post on 'What's Your Life's Themesong? Apparently mine is '(There’s) Always Something There To Remind Me' by Sandie Shaw or 'Baby Love by the Supremes. Oh dear, neither one of my favourites.......... :-(

Kross-Eyed Kitty takes us on a tour of her neighbourhood in Toronto. This is a new thing, spawned by the previously mentioned and much adored OldOldLady. Unfortunately, my neighbourhood is not quite so photogenic...but I might try it sometime....

The Delightful Deni is taking part in the 'Best of Bad Art' competition.......go have a look - but don't have nightmares!

As for LazyDaisy, what is this busy woman NOT doing! Daisy is Rumour Central for the BlogOlympics and she does her job very well! Even I have had a mention or two!

Thumper is going full steam ahead, flogging books, t'shirts, all manner of things. [whisper] I have ordered her books in omnibus (and signed!) form :-)

WOW! I picked up a silver button in the BlogOlympic Training Camp! How'd I manage that, you ask? Well, here is where you will find all the answers, while we wait keenly for Barbara's return!

My old Blogmate Uisce is heading off on holiday (yes, again!), so thing's will be quiet from the whiskey tumbler for a while :-)

Poor Wendy is struggling with Blog Ethics - to link or not to link.....

And our Sweet Georgia YellowRose gets a mention for the simple reason that she's home after a stressful time with her dad being poorly. And she has the COOLEST blog music - I must ask her how she puts music on her blog....

So much more happening out there in blogland than this little glimpse and so little going on at the Palace - so, it's over to my faithful Crazie Court........

cq

Audience Participation Week

It's Audience Participation Week here at the palace! Wordless Wednesday will return next week........

OK, so someone in my office has been incredibly quick off the mark and asked me the $6M question - what am I doing for my leaving do?

Other than bowling or a meal, I have no idea.......that's where the audience participation comes in....

I need ideas! Come on all you Party Hearty Bloggers........I need ideas!

Update: in the true tradition of the office leaving do, each person normally pays their own way. It is normally not held in an individual's home, and usually involves lots of alcohol. Oh, and there will be about 50 people.......!

Our office have had, recently; pub crawls, sports afternoon on the local common with picnic, golfing afternoon and the next one scheduled is an evening at a comedy club. I threatened to take them horseback riding!!

I have since been asked by another colleague about the 'do' and she sounded quite keen about tenpin bowling (still reasonably new here in England).

I have also submitted this as a Question from a Blogger to Michele (her of the lovely legs).

This post will remain at the top for a couple of days while you all think of fun things for my leaving party. Read on down for new posts.

cq

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Authors I Love

1. Nelson DeMille - General's Daughter/Lion's Game/Nightfall and many others. An excellent thriller writer, well researched, some based on his own experiences. If you want a really thrilling ride, read Up Country, his own cartharsis!

2. Clive Cussler - too many to mention and Sahara! An experienced diver and adventure seeker, Clive runs the real life NUMA. His books are a thrill a minute rollercoaster rides with, amongst others, a definitive 'Hero' (Dirk Pitt), sidekick (Al Giordino) and crusty boss (Admiral Sandecker). And Mr Cussler turns up in all his books too with small cameos!

3. Jung Chang - Unusually at the top of the list on the strength of one book. Her second book, Mao, is out in paperback shortly, but so far, she only has Wild Swans to her credit. What a book! Three generations of Chinese history seen through the eyes of her grandmother, mother and self! Read it - I dare you not to cry.....and laugh....and recoil in horror.

4. Dan Brown - yep, him of Da Vinci Code fame. Don't just read that, read Angels and Demons, Digital Fortress and Deception Point too. Really well researched books, based on myth and science, playing with our deepest beliefs, questioning our faiths and entertaining us as well. And coming soon (I'm going blue from holding my breath!) Solomon Key!

5. Lee Child - An Englishman living in America and embracing the American Dream with his All American Hero, Jack Reacher. The film rights to the latest book have been sold. These are easy to read, exciting thrillers.

6. Matthew Reilly - more shoot-'em-ups. Action-packed (literally) books with, again, a definitive hero (actually he has two heroes ongoing). His first book was raw, Contest, but he is learning as he goes along. A cliffhanger episode King!

7. PJ Tracy - murder most foul. And written by a Mother/Daughter team thousands of miles apart. Excellent murder mysteries and a must for whodunnit fans. Red herrings and false trails abound in these books.

8. CJ Sansom - a new one! 'Dark Fire' and 'Dissolution' - whodunnit thrillers set in the reign of Henry VIII. Don't be put off, Sansom has the gift of putting his readers right in the era without long wordy descriptions.

9. Lincoln Child - another newbie; 'Utopia' and 'DeathMatch'. Oustanding mystery writer with a flair for the unusual.

10. Mo Hayder - started with gruesome murder mysteries 'Birdman' and 'The Treatment', covering necrophilia and paedophilia, then blew her readers out of the water with Tokyo, an exceptionally strong, well written mystery story wrapped around the Rape of Nanking.

11. Alexander McCall Smith - Adorable books, of which my favourite are the No1 Ladies Detective Agency (run by Mma Ramotswe) series. This is a man with his finger on the pulse of his story, whether it be in Africa or Scotland. Wonderful books to 'run away' with :-)

12. Maeve Binchy - an enchanting Irish writer who can convey the sweetest stories to paper, making her characters well-rounded and loveable.

13. Finally, my weakness, my family saga author. Mary Jane Staples, creator of the Adams family of Walworth. We have followed this family through over fifty years, two wars and numerous births, deaths and marriages. I'm not now a big fan of family sagas, but the Adams family has caught my heart and I eagerly buy each new book.

So there you are, my favourite authors. Some mysterious, some grisly, some entertaining and some challenging.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. kdubs

2. wendy

3. Daisy

4. Uisce

5. Mrs Aginoth

6. SleepyPete

7. YellowRose

8. Ivoryfrog

9. Killired

10. MamaB

11. Mar

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

That 'Gay Cowboy Movie' SCOOPED........

The BAFTAs

[and my reactions]

ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP
Lord David Puttnam
[long overdue!]


BEST FILM

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN - Diana Ossana/James Schamus
CAPOTE - Caroline Baron/William Vince/Michael Ohoven
THE CONSTANT GARDENER - Simon Channing Williams
CRASH - Cathy Schulman/Don Cheadle/Bob Yari
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK. - Grant Heslov
[woo hoo! This got me out of my chair yelling!]

THE ALEXANDER KORDA AWARD for the Outstanding British Film of the Year

A COCK & BULL STORY - Andrew Eaton/Michael Winterbottom/Martin Hardy
THE CONSTANT GARDENER - Simon Channing Williams/Fernando Meirelles/Jeffrey Caine
FESTIVAL - Christopher Young/Annie Griffin
PRIDE & PREJUDICE - Tim Bevan/Eric Fellner/Paul Webster/Joe Wright/Deborah Moggach
WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT - Claire Jennings/David Sproxton/Nick Park/Steve Box/Mark Burton/Bob Baker
[at the risk of being non-patriotic - this was a no-brainer!]

THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer in their First Feature Film

DAVID BELTON (Producer) - Shooting Dogs
PETER FUDAKOWSKI (Producer) - Tsotsi
ANNIE GRIFFIN (Director/Writer) - Festival
RICHARD HAWKINS (Director) - Everything
JOE WRIGHT (Director) - Pride & Prejudice
[did Chandler/Snoopy dance at this point - exellent job by young Joe!]

THE DAVID LEAN AWARD for Achievement in Direction

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN - Ang Lee
CAPOTE - Bennett Miller
THE CONSTANT GARDENER - Fernando Meirelles
CRASH - Paul Haggis
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK. - George Clooney
[no surprises here - yippee-do-dah!]

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

CINDERELLA MAN - Cliff Hollingsworth/Akiva Goldsman
CRASH - Paul Haggis/Bobby Moresco
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK. - George Clooney/Grant Heslov
HOTEL RWANDA - Keir Pearson/Terry George
MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS - Martin Sherman
[Hard for me to call, as I haven't seen any of them {sheepish look}]

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN - Larry McMurtry/Diana Ossana
CAPOTE - Dan Futterman
THE CONSTANT GARDENER - Jeffrey Caine
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE - Josh Olson
PRIDE & PREJUDICE - Deborah Moggach
[didjer know (cos I didn't til much later) that this was a SHORT story by Annie Proulx??]

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

DAVID STRATHAIRN - Good Night, And Good Luck.
HEATH LEDGER - Brokeback Mountain
JOAQUIN PHOENIX - Walk the Line
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN - Capote
RALPH FIENNES - The Constant Gardener
[SO wanted Heath to get this - he earned it! Meh, maybe at the Oscars!]

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

CHARLIZE THERON - North Country
JUDI DENCH - Mrs. Henderson Presents
RACHEL WEISZ - The Constant Gardener
REESE WITHERSPOON - Walk the Line
ZIYI ZHANG - Memoirs of a Geisha
[shoulda been Ziyi Zhang - that girl was magical!]

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

DON CHEADLE - Crash
GEORGE CLOONEY - Good Night, And Good Luck.
GEORGE CLOONEY - Syriana
JAKE GYLLENHAAL - Brokeback Mountain
MATT DILLON - Crash
[yells, screams and cries - FABULOUSO!]

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

BRENDA BLETHYN - Pride & Prejudice
CATHERINE KEENER - Capote
FRANCES McDORMAND - North Country
MICHELLE WILLIAMS - Brokeback Mountain
THANDIE NEWTON - Crash
[sorry Thandie, but it shoulda been Brenda!]

THE ANTHONY ASQUITH AWARD for Achievement in Film Music

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN - Gustavo Santaolalla
THE CONSTANT GARDENER - Alberto Iglesias
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA - John Williams
MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS - George Fenton
WALK THE LINE - T Bone Burnett
[perfect - the score underlined and accentuated the film beautifully]

CINEMATOGRAPHY

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN - Rodrigo Prieto
THE CONSTANT GARDENER - César Charlone
CRASH - J Michael Muro
MARCH OF THE PENGUINS - Laurent Chalet/Jerôme Maison
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA - Dion Beebe
[again, perfect choice - wonderful cinematography........you were really THERE!]

EDITING

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN - Geraldine Peroni/Dylan Tichenor
THE CONSTANT GARDENER - Claire Simpson
CRASH - Hughes Winborne
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK. - Stephen Mirrione
MARCH OF THE PENGUINS - Sabine Emiliani
[huh? What? I meanter say - what?? Over the penguins??]

PRODUCTION DESIGN

BATMAN BEGINS - Nathan Crowley
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY - Alex McDowell
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE - Stuart Craig
KING KONG - Grant Major
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA - John Myhre
[no comment :-)]

COSTUME DESIGN

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY - Gabriella Pescucci
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE - Isis Mussenden
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA - Colleen Atwood
MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS - Sandy Powell
PRIDE & PREJUDICE - Jacqueline Durran
[toughie, all excellent examples of the work of costume departments!]

SOUND

BATMAN BEGINS - David G Evans/Stefan Henrix/Peter Lindsay
THE CONSTANT GARDENER - Joakim Sundström/Stuart Wilson/Michael Prestwood Smith/Sven Taits
CRASH - Richard Van Dyke/Sandy Gendler/Adam Jenkins/Marc Fishman
KING KONG - Hammond Peek/Christopher Boyes/Mike Hopkins/ Ethan Van der Ryn
WALK THE LINE - Paul Massey/D M Hemphill/Peter F Kurland/Donald Sylvester
[can't go wrong with the Man's work, really]

ACHIEVEMENT IN SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

BATMAN BEGINS - Janek Sirrs/Dan Glass/Chris Corbould/Paul Franklin
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY - Nick Davis/Jon Thum/Chas Jarrett/Joss Williams
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE - Dean Wright/Bill Westenhofer/Jim Berney/Scott Farrar
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE - Jim Mitchell/John Richardson/Tim Webber/Tim Alexander
KING KONG - Joe Letteri/Christian Rivers/Brian Van't Hul/Richard Taylor
[I seriously debated changing channels when this was announced over NARNIA!]

MAKE UP & HAIR

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY - Peter Owen/Ivana Primorac
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE - Howard Berger/Gregory Nicotero/Nikki Gooley
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE - Nick Dudman/Amanda Knight/Eithne Fennell
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA - Noriko Watanabe/Kate Biscoe/Lyndell Quiyou/Kelvin R Trahan
PRIDE & PREJUDICE - Fae Hammond
[incredibly difficult to choose - all excellent - except for Hairy Potty (as it was accidentally dubbed on the night!)]

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD
James McAvoy
[the first award of the night, and the most touching one - as a normally reserved James made his stumbled speech]

© British Academy of Film and Television Arts 2005 Created by Souk Digital
All awards can be seen here.

cq

[waves]

yoo hoo! I'm back! Thanks to cyberkitten for posting my messages and keeping the Court informed! CK - I would suggest you keep my log-in for a bit, just in case!

Can't keep a good queen down. Basic service atm with a cobbled PC and joint account. Ah, I miss my very own account - and I can't seem to find all my files.

But MB worked hard and late last night trying to get us back online. He came home to a very depressed CQ yesterday who was missing her blogbuddies. Normally it wouldn't be SO bad 'cos I have internet at work, but being stuck at home meant no communication at all.

So - update:

Job: I am thrilled (and somewhat surprised!) that I got the job. I thought I was terrible in the interview. The job is Assistant Health and Safety Advisor for the site I currently work on (no more information on work - it's 18a secret! shh). I should be in my new job in about four weeks!

Sicknote: I'm still off for a week. I have cut back my painkillers as one of the side-effects was I was sleeping about 18 hours a day. So more pain, but less total fatigue. And now I can pinpoint the pain more accurately and also be more definite about what hurts and what doesn't. Sitting for long periods hurts, bending over hurts, picking up things really hurts and getting in and out of the car is very painful atm. Oh, and as I discovered yesterday - sitting at a table doing jigsaws is off the scale!

MRI finding: Ah, the wonders of the NHS. I have a gynae appointment to discuss the MRI results and findings on the 9 May. 10 weeks, not bad I guess. But at least I don't have to turn up with my cheque book in my hand and a spare coupla grand in the bank!

Boo: No, not the shout, but my precious goddaughter. Thousands of miles away with her mum (my absolute girlfriend, silentmum!) they rang me this weekend and Boo serenaded me with Lullaby of Broadway. She is attending a stageschool and I thought her seven-year old voice has great potential. She can find a note and hold it - without accompaniment! Needless to say, the rendition reduced me to floods of tears. I tried to explain to silentmum; when Boo was a baby, I used to dream of watching or listening to her doing this kind of stuff, then sweeping her into my arms to congratulate her and tell her how wonderful she is. Not so easy at 5,000 miles.......

Anyway, that's enough from me for now..

cq

Good news, Bad news

First the Good news - CQ told me this morning that the job interview went somewhat better than she thought. She got the job! Well Done CQ.

The Bad news - CQ is still off-line with computer difficulties, but should be back on air soon.

Don't touch that Web Browser.