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Hello, Elle!
It has turned into a fine day here.
Elle, you are quite right about BGT!
Would be a boring old world if our tastes were all the same!
Yes, it must be awful for those parents whose young ones went out and never came home and they know no reason why.
In a strange sort of way that was my favourite part of the programme and quite a few in tears, I noticed.
Yes, be nice to think some may get in touch, if only.
BGT is quite a popular show and many watch it, so, who knows?

elle and rusty

I've always been interested in magic, and my sons used to do a magic show for children's parties, sending some of the proceeds to Sightsavers. Minds cannot be read as such, though of course body language can be. All mind reading acts are a fix, though not necessarily or even usually by having a stooge.
The boys only did birthday parties up to age 6 for boys. They had different methods for dealing with heckling, one of which was to ask the lad to come and show the others how to do it, as he said he could. If someone yelled "You cheated", the answer is "Of course, but I do it rather well". The great thing about Paul Daniels and Seigfried and Roy was that, even though I knew how the tricks they did were usually done, they often showed they were not doing them that way.

Hello, Rosalind!
Yes, the "mindreaders" do their homework beforehand, on the person they "choose".
However they do it, what was done on BGT last night impressed me and was entertaining, I thought!
Yes, it is a "trick", but how is it done?
That is the beauty of it!

Hi, Rusty!
Update on the Missing People choir.........
I have been reading that Kate McCann, mother of missing Madeleine, is an ambassador for this choir......and that if the choir gets to the live performances , she may perform with it.
I have strong feelings about the McCanns........I feel that they showed negligence in leaving their children whilst they went out to dinner - no matter how near or far away they proved to be ...they were not THERE!
And had they not been apparently well -educated and well- moneyed people with "influence", then they would probably have been prosecuted for neglect!
Just imagine a similar scenario had the mother been a single parent? with possibly a racial element thrown in?
Social Services would have been quick to be on their tail!
How they got away with their behaviour beats me!
I should have liked to see the book thrown at them!
Ok, rant over........


Hello, Ros!
Do you not suspect that Amanda and Simon were conspirators with the mind-readers?
It wouldn't be the first time this has happened......

Hi elle

I'm sorry I don't watch BGT or any of that kind of show. If Amanda and Simon are hosts and they were the ones chosen to have their minds read, maybe they were in cahoots.
I agree about the McCanns. They (and their remaining children) must have suffered most terribly, but that was serious neglect. There is no way I would have left my children like that. Imagine they wake up and you aren't there? But I don't think prosecution would serve any useful purpose, they have to live with themselves.

Hello, Elle!
What does a choir "ambassador" do?
I was very sympathetic to the McCanns originally, but I do not think the whole story has came out.
I would have been interested in Goncalo Amaral's book, "The Truth of the Lie", but it is not on sale here.
I have mixed feelings about the case.
But, if what the McCanns say is true about leaving the young ones to go to a bar/restaurant, then that is wrong.
They should not have done it.
And being intelligent people, would know that leaving the children was wrong, and potentially perilous.
But is that the truth?
I am not so sure.
I am just off for a walk.
It is a lovely evening now.

Hey, Rusty!
I was about to tell you that it was very dark here and looked as though rain was threatening....but suddenly the black clouds have disappeared and the sun is shining........
We have a beautiful evening!
I am not proposing to do any more walking though!
Where did you get to on your outing?
No, you are right....we may never know the truth behind the McCann story....but whilst I am so very sorry for whatever happened to Madeleine, I cannot exempt her parents from blame, however this came about.
It is totally wrong that they came out of it all "officially" unscathed.
They may be feeling anguish and hurt....it all depends on the truth of their story....but they still merit blame, from whatever angle this is viewed.
And I still think that here is one rule for the rich and another for the poorer and lesser educated...........
All wrong!
My cousin is out this evening...so she will ring me late on , if she returns home in time!

Hello, Elle!
I just had a wee tour around the locality.
All quiet!
Yes, poor Madeleine.
She was utterly blameless in whatever happened, anyway.
Poor wee soul!
Is the house quiet without Mr Jingles?
He was there for quite a while.
Maybe you should get another wee mouse to replace him?

Hi, Rusty!
I have been talking to my cousin.
She phoned me about 8.45 on her return home - much earlier than I had been expecting!
All is well with the Northern branch of the family - although it has been raining there today.
They haven't had our sunshine!
I do not want another mouse, thank you very much!!!
If you find one.............you may keep him!
I regret Mr J's demise - I should have preferred to return him to the wild......
But I do not want a mouse having the run of the house!
The cat is on mouse alert though..... he is hoping it works like buses........
We have another Bank holiday here tomorrow.....although my calendar firmly states that this is not so in Scotland!
Why is this, I wonder?

Hello, Elle!
Good to hear your cousin and Northern family are to the fore!
Bank holidays?
We do have them up here, but our most popular holidays in Dundee are called "fasts".
Spring fast, October fast etc.
Now why "fast" I am not sure. Possibly meaning "fixed" or a corruption of "feast"?
I'd go for "fixed".
And different towns have different Trades holidays.
For instance, Glasgow holidays are not at the same time as Edinburgh holidays, Dundee summer holidays start a week after Glasgow comes off, etc.
Not so much nowadays, but certainly it was that way a few years ago.
Is it this way with you?
My Collins diary for tomorrow has, "Easter Monday. Holiday, UK & Republic of Ireland".
No mention of "bank".