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Hello, Elle,
Why should not we speak of steak pies?
Nurse has her ideas and I have mine.
I speak to lots of folk that I meet, about all sorts of things.
Makes the world go round!
Shingles can be very painful. I've had them!
They have a photo of the smew on the blog.
Very bonnie bird!

Hello, Rosalind!
I thought smew sounded fishy, but I was completely wrong.
Not for the first time!
I would have got the Gaul question right, though.
I read about the 4th Cohort of Gauls being part of the Roman Legion at Vindolanda, near Hadrian's Wall.
It was very interesting indeed.

Good evening, Rusty!
I was but teasing you, Rusty!
It just sounded a funny combination........ wreaths and steak pies!
( For once, I was spot on about the "smew"!
I have just checked in Chambers.
My memory does work sometimes!)
I am now making progress with "Tales of the South Pacific".
I shall be very interested to read the story on which the musical was based.
I have to say though that I do much prefer the longer stories that Mr M writes.
I think his skill really lies in writing a "saga", don't you?
And, of course, he does have one great redeeming feature.........he created "Elly Zahn"!
Still my favourite character!

Rusty
Would your lad and his butcher have a copy of "Maw Broon's Cookbook" by any chance? Good choice if so.

Hello, Elle!
Well, wreaths and steak pies were as much as we could cover in the allotted time.
I was only in her room for a minute!
Next time I'll slip tyre pressures, and/or the benefits of whale oil, into the conversation.
Yes, sagas were Mr M's forte.
Certainly not Queen Salote's height, anyway!
Have you Alaska on order?
I thought you would want to know more about the Pribilofs?
Mr Rogan has a Twitter page as Times crossword editor.
I thought I would "follow" him, but he has not Tweeted since around September. A disappointment!


Hello, Ninian,
I am sure that someone in the family got "Maw Broon's Cookbook" one Christmas, and it got rave revues!
A fine lady, is Maw!
i am no cook, but they told me there were many great recipes in it!

Hello, Elle,
I have been going back through Mr Rogan's "timeline" on Twitter.
Some great clues from the past etc.
There is one Tweet letting folk know that he will be on a BBC TV programme with Gyles Brandreth, Alan Connor?, and Anne Bradford.
That was on March 9th.
I would have liked to have seen that, especially Anne Bradford!

Hey, Rusty!
Oh, that's right........yes, you mentioned the discrepancy over Queen Salote's height!
No, I haven't yet ordered "Alaska."
That was one of the very first books that I intended to buy, along with "Centennial."
But I was never able to find it at a good price.
( I had forgotten about the Pribilofs! )
I have about five books awaiting reading at the moment...and I have emptied my Amazon account!
So I might wait now till after Christmas before ordering any more books.
Santa may bring me some......
and/or I may get more Amazon vouchers......
Mr Rogan seems to be keeping a low profile on the crossword front?
I haven't heard either you or Malone complaining much recently?
But on Twitter?
I don't know how that works? (or even how to access it?)
What is a "timeline"? You say you have been going through Mr R's?
I wonder what Anne B looks like?
It would be nice to be able to put a face to the name.
Incidentally, I love Giles Brandreth's voice!

Hello, Elle!
Who is Alan Connor?
A "timeline" is a log of your posts on Twitter, most recent first.
I do not tweet, or almost never.
I tend to follow certain journalists, a couple of newspapers, Laura Muir and one or two cyclists, my local football team, skiers, golfers, Rose Wild, salmon fishing, one or two jockeys, Willie Mullins, Victoria P, anything that takes my interest, really.
Now, I have had a wee look on eBay and there are several copies of Alaska "good, and very good" from £2.69p inc p&p.
At least 6 copies between £2.69 and £2.75p.
That is cheaper than Amazon!
It would have been grand to see Anne Bradford, yes.
I am not too sure about Mr Brandreth's voice?
He was the lad with the dodgy jumpers, was he?

Good morning, Rusty!
A fine day, albeit with a low lying mist over the fields.
Mild. Very muddy though!
Google tells me that there is an Alan Connor who is a British writer, journalist and television presenter; and also another man of that name who is an Irish musician?
Yes, Gyles Brandreth was renowned for his colourful "dodgy" jumpers!
He used to be in Dictionary Corner on Countdown quite a lot in the days when I used to watch it.
Thank you for the info on "Alaska".
That does sound too good a price to turn down....I shall take a look shortly.
My daughter has gone to Berlin this morning for a work-related meeting.
She will be there until tomorrow evening.
She has just texted me to say that she has arrived safely.
Their dad is in charge of BB and YB!
What are you up to today?

Good morning, Elle.
I am just home.
Been to ASDA for flowers, then on to cemetery with the Christmas wreath.
Had the cemetery to myself, so no chatting today!
Fine morning here, and mild, too.
I would not recognise Gyles Brandreth but the name is familiar.
Never came across Alan Connor before.
But a pity we missed Anne Bradford, and, to be fair.... Richard Rogan!
Wonder if it could be on YouTube?
That is good about your daughter arriving safely in Berlin.
Great invention, the text service!
Yes, the eBay books are good value.
That is, if you still want to buy that terrible man's books!

Hi, Rusty!
You have done well!
We have yet to take our wreath and plant to the crematorium.
Possibly we may manage to do so on Friday.
Well, I have ordered "Alaska" for £2-75 through ebay.
I couldn't resist......
The book is said to be in very good condition and the postage is included, so hopefully a good deal.
I am telling myself that there are other authors whom I perhaps would not like, were I to learn more of their character and their private life!
( and Mr M did produce "Elly" - maybe his saving grace?)
I have been watching a video of BB in his school Nativity play, taken on my daughter's phone yesterday.
Oh dear, it was very funny! I couldn't stop laughing!
(Maybe not what the teacher intended?)