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Good afternoon, Elle!
Great day here, but chilly!
I hope you enjoy your Hallowe'en outing!
Crossword was tricky, I found, including a new word for me.
The Parliamentary enquiry into British Cycling/Team Sky "doping" shenanigans will be held before Christmas.
I expect to hear how the enquiry into the Sutton/Varnish episode in the next day or two.
Jess has not Tweeted for a couple of days, and then it usually is a photo of some lovely meal she has created.
A great cook, is our Jess, apparently!
WADA not happy about Rio dope testing.
Around 50% of tests were aborted for various reasons.
Have you came across John Smith in your book, yet?
He was a cracker!
I wonder how historically accurate his portrayal is?

Hi, Rusty!
We have just arrived home, having collected the dog en route.
She was very excited to see us, although I am sure she has had a great time with my friend.
The Hallowe'en "do" was very good!
It was held at a small farm, local to my daughter, and it was very well organised .
All the children dressed up appropriately as some Hallowe'en character be it person, animal or insect.
There was a Hunt to find a ghost, a spider, a bat, a black cat etc., etc.
These were not literal but pictures to be compared on a chart which the child stamped off when found.
On return of the chart to "base", the children were awarded a lollipop!
Good , clean, fun!
(Well, maybe not all that "clean"..... it was on a farm after all!.... but everyone was instructed to wash their hands afterwards!)
Yes, I've met John Smith in the previous chapter - Voyage Two.
But you have confused me?
You wonder how historically accurately he is portrayed?
I thought all the characters were fictitious?
Have I misunderstood that?
Or is it only some people who are "not real"?
I think I need a little clarification here, please?
I haven't looked at the crossword yet!

Hello, Elle,
Statement from British Cycling.
They have upheld the allegations made by Jess Varnish against Shane Sutton, that he used inappropriate and discrimatory language.
They sincerely regret this has happened.
The findings will be passed to Annamarie Phelps who is leading a review into British Cycling's World Class Programme, which has been commissioned by British Cycling and UK Sport.
So, vindication for Jess!
I am pleased!
Wonder what will happen now?

Hello, Elle,
Glad you all had a good day.
John Smith was a real person.
Have a look at Wikipedia and you can read about him.
john Smith "explorer" should find him.
Tells of his exploration along the Eastern Shore, and his "suspect" writings!

Good evening, Rusty!
Right, firstly, I am very pleased indeed, for Jess especially, that Shane Sutton was found "guilty as charged".
This has surely kicked the door open for further allegations to be followed up, which should well be viewed more favourably now?
Shades of "Where there's smoke....."?
Now......I have looked up John Smith in Wikipedia - yes, there is reams and reams to read about him!
I have had a quick skim, but will settle down to read further after I have had something to eat!
But I am completely thrown by his being "real"?
In the frontispiece of "Chesapeake", it says (and I quote relevant fragments)
"This book is a novel, ........
The characters are imaginary; the Steeds, Turlocks, Paxmores, Caters and Caveneys were invented by the author and were based on no real persons."
It goes on to say that the places likewise are imaginary.
but does add
"Details of the Choptank river are , however , correct.......and there has been no invention here".
It doesn't mention Captain John Smith, but I obviously - not knowing any different because I had never heard of him previously - assumed him to be fictitional, too?
I'm much puzzled - one genuine real character in the middle of all these fictitious ones....?
I'm obviously not following the "plot"!
Help me out here?
Please can you explain?

Hello, Elle,
Sutton "allegedly" called the Paralympian cyclists "gimps" and "wobblies".
That may be part of the other enquiry taking place.
I know highly respected riders like Victoria Pendleton and Nicole Cooke have spoken out against him.
Yes, Chesapeake is a novel, and it appears Michener created a character based on John Smith, and called him....John Smith!
You will find other folk like that in the book.
Senator John Calhoun, of South Carolina, for one.
Not sure about Richard Nixon, but the book takes in Watergate.
I am slightly surprised you had not heard of John Smith.
One of his men, John Rolfe, married Pocahontas.
She is buried in or around London somewhere.
Have you heard of Pocahontas?
Nancy Reagan is descended from her.
You are following the plot, but real people have to appear in the tale too.
For instance, in Michener's "Texas", Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, Sam Huston, and General Santa Anna, all appear in the book.

Hi, Rusty!
Yes, I remember Victoria having a lot of trouble with Shane Sutton.
Surely now that Jess' allegations have been taken seriously, more credence will be put on what Victoria and others have said?
Pocahontas? yes, of course I know of her......now a vague bell is ringing......didn't she save the life of an Englishman - or so the story goes....was that John Smith?
I shall have to read up about her, as well as John Smith himself!
(I shall be very informed by the time I have finished this book!)
But it isn't apparent in the storyline that Captain John Smith is a real life character - or not so far anyway?
(Maybe just because it is a common name?)
I take your point about "real " people popping up in Michener's books - there were references to such in "Centennial" - but they were obviously genuine historical figures.
And, as you say, it happens in "Texas".
But I should have appreciated a reference to Captain Smith at the front of the book? when Michener talks of the made -up people.
Or should I have "known" that he was "genuine"?
Maybe I should.......
Sorry, this is getting convoluted!
Am I making sense?

Hello, Elle!
I think we are probably meant to know of John Smith!
Problem being that he had a common name.
He appears to have been a notorious liar, anyway.
It was him who said Pocahontas saved his life.
I do not think anyone else did.
And Peter the Great was in "Alaska" book.
So there are real folk in the novels, too.
Jess Varnish has made a statement.
She shone a light on the goings on in British Cycling and hopes it will be better for future riders.
I read British Cycling's statement and I can not see the word "sorry" anywhere.
Victoria P said she had hoped to race on until Rio but the terrible atmosphere at British Cycling drove her away.
I think she is very glad to be out of it.

Hi, Rusty!
I suppose in a way Victoria can thank the bad ways of Shane Sutton and British Cycling for her new career in horse-racing?
Do you think that she would ever have become involving in training as a jockey were it not for being driven out of cycling?
I am now reading of Edmund Steed's purchase of a wife!
I am beginning to "get into" the book now, and to see the "links" that are developing between characters.
I am not sure though that I like it as much as I did "Centennial" ?
There were some great characters though in "Centennial" and I felt really involved.
Although maybe it is still too early for me to judge?
There was a clue about WWI in the Times QC.......I thought it quite good?
Problem getting scene of WWI battle in order (7)

Hello, Elle,
I preferred Centennial, I think.
But give it another chapter or two.
The dreadful Timothy Turlock has to come into it yet.
And the saintly Ruth Brinton.
I do not know the answer, but would the battle be Mons?