Hi Folks!
Welcome to our blog. It's lovely to see you. As quite a few of you are dropping in for a cuppa and a chat, we'd decided to post weekly from now on. It can become difficult to follow conversations when new posts appear daily. However, if you send us a lot of material we may have to post mid-week too.
Luv Murphy xx and Dora xx
36 comments:
Hi All,
I recognise the meditation garden at Birkheads, Murphy and Dora. So glad that you made it to the Macmillan coffee morning, did you have a good time?
Inga, my partner is Dutch and can't come up with a connection to 'faffing' either, although it is included in the Oxford dictionary as fuss or dither, I must admit that I am quite a faffer myself, especially when I'm due somewhere else!
Hello Maureen,
Yes, Dora and I were enjoying our meditation, and as you can see, I was enjoying a black coffee too! I hope your sister raised lots of money for the MacMillan nurses.
Luv Murphy xx and Dora xx
Mornin All,
Inga, did you hear Ian mention that he'd received your cotton plants that you'd sent him? He was thrilled to bits and said that he would save your letter until Wednesday when he was having a peoples nightshift again ... still puzzled about that. I've kind of given up on sending things in now, like jokes, trivia, maybe it's my turn to have a rummage ....
Good morning,
Yes I heard Ian too, and hope you did Inga, as he was truly delighted with your gift.
I've come across another Oxford Dictionary, not the double set hidden behind a stack of boxes, but larger than the Concise version and more recent. It sounds similar to your definition, Maureen. 'Faff' (colloq.) fuss, dither.
Loz is going to talk to Ian about the Truckshunters blog on Tuesday. He thinks he'll say to continue using it!
Sorry Inga, this must be confusing for you. Maureen, Sid and I moved onto Murphy and Dora's blog as we can post material here and the blog is 'live.' Ian's been promising to provide a new post on his Truckshunters blog for weeks and weeks. In the meantime we've been working backwards through his posts to network with each other. This is confusing for newcomers like yourself, and time consuming for we 'oldies.'
Hi All,
Hope you are all having a nap in preparation for the 'Peoples' Nightshift tomorrow morning! Inga, we usually let each other know if we hear one of our contributions read out in case we've fallen asleep and missed it. Now I've realised that we have you on guard we can have a little snooze now and again! We must be either dedicated or mad, I strongly suspect the latter!
Hi - I've found you :-)
Hi Loz,
Welcome aboard! Looking forward to your next, 'On Your Doorstep.'
Top of the mornin' to everyone,
We are thrilled that Ian gave our blog a mention on the Nightshift, and we wish to welcome all new listeners. Thank you Ian. We look forward to your visits and 'Awesome' comments.
Luv Murphy xx and Dora xx
Hi All,
I'd like to second that, Murphy and Dora. I hope that there are a lot of new readers today, please leave a little comment to let us know that you've been! I'm sure that you'll recognise our names and we're hoping to meet some of you who regularly listen to Ian and also those characters whose names WE know so well.
Great Nightshift last night Ian, I'm sure you've set us all off on more investigations. Like inhabitants' names and why WAS that nitro glycerine under the pub? Thats' your fault Loz, looking forward to the next 'doorstep'
Hello everyone, Well that trip to the caravan didn't last long. The wet weather and cold nights were to blame. Perhaps the next visit I make will be to close it down for the winter.
Nice to see folks getting settled on here. One thing though, I see we have had a couple of posts removed by a blog administrator, I just wondered why.
Hi everyone,
Sid, don't worry I removed my own comments. Maureen and I had been reminiscing about Jarrow and I'd mentioned some people's names. Although it was unlikely that they would be recognised, and some were deceased, I thought I'd better remove my comments to be on the safe side. I'm sorry that the weather changed and you had such a short stay in your caravan, although it's good to know you weren't shipwrecked, and great to have you back onboard. Now that we have our sailing orders from Ian we're no longer on the pirate ship!
I very much enjoyed the People's Nightshift last night, Ian, and thank you so much for promoting Murphy & Dora's blog. Please will you keep giving it a mention so that other Truckshunters will find us? We'd love you to leave us a message here too.
Don't all of you find it a little frustrating that we cannot get the NightShift program via the "Listen Again" feature? Upon Ian's recommendation I sent a message to the Radio Newcastle Station Editor a few weeks ago with a request that the NightShift be added to this feature. I sent it via snail mail as well as email but did not receive a response. If any of you would like to have Ian's show added to the BBC's "Listen Again", it might help if we started bombarding this Station Editor with any kind of mail, calls, texts etc. requesting this for NightShift program. There are probably people out there who have never heard the NightShift and are therefore deprived of this unique and wonderful program - codemned to a life without Ian - unimaginable :-) !
MAUREEN - go ahead and have a little snooze now and then, I'll gladly let you know about your contributions - by the way, that goes for all you guys! I usually listen for the first three hours.
Hi Inga,
I've been trying to find the email I received after I wrote to Radio Newcastle about the Nightshift being put on Listen Again. I think it must be stored on my old laptop. However, I was told that they don't have the funding to do it at the present time, but will consider again in future months if funding becomes available.
Love, Vivienne xxx
Hi Loz,
I actually managed to hear all your broadcast this morning! After staying awake for most of the People's Nightshift I was worried that I wouldn't be awake to hear your broadcast today. I enjoyed it very much and Ian's banter too. After Hexham I wonder where you'll take us next time?
Vivienne xxx
Evening everyone, I heard Ian on about a 'mooning festival' on his show this morning. I thought he was going to start laughing but he held it together quite well. I have sent him some more info about it, which is bound to set him off.
Another great story Loz, I shall never look at Hexham in the same light. The way you described the massacre was indeed chilling.
Paddy McDee told this one the other night, thought it worth passing on...
A young boy was in the bath, putting his hands in the water he shouts "Mam, are these my brains" his mother pops her head around the door, then smiles. "No son, not yet anyway".
Hi Everyone - Just want to make sure that you know IT WAS NOT ME WHO COMPLAINED ABOUT IAN MOSTLY FEATURING THE CRAZY AMERICANS IN HIS NEWS REEL FEATURE ! As a matter of fact, after he read the cotton story, I sent him an email containing the following comment: "Bet all the truckshunters are now ready to hear more about those other Americans - the crazy ones in Texas or wherever - and so am I. :-) !!!"
Morning everyone,
Inga don't worry so much, you're amongst friends on here. I hadn't heard about the complaint till you mentioned it. I would never have thought it would be you, not in a million years.
We have lots of crazy folk here in the UK as well, its strange how most of them are politicians.
Bye for now, Sid.
Hi everyone,
Well said Sid!
Hello Friends :-) !
There's nothing better than being among friends, thanks Sid and Maureen. Or should that be "amongst"? It's not "between", that much I understood from Ian's lesson!
Crazy politicians may be almost tolerable, it's the plain ignorant ones I can't stand! No need to expand on that. You know who I am talking about.
Does anyone know the exact day of Ian's birthday? I think it's in October but I don't know the day.
Maureen, just caught the punch line of the smelly house joke, wished I had heard it all but someone called who I could not put on hold.
Good Evening Folks,
Inga, I have problems too with among & amongst. I couldn't remember which principal/ principle to use recently, and I usually know the correct one to use. I was thinking of Ian yesterday when I saw a sign above a shop displaying, 'Mini Mart - Off Lisense' and above the door was another sign, 'Off Licence.' Should that full stop (I think you call it a period) have been placed after the quotation marks? I never know.
Well, here's a quiz for the weekend:
Subject: Questions for the know it alls
(These are not trick questions.)
1. Name the one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends.
2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?
3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables?
4. What fruit has its seeds on the outside?
5. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle?
6. Only three words in Standard English begin with the letters 'dw' and they are all common words. Name two of them.
7. There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name at least half of them?
8. Name the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form except fresh.
9. Name 6 or more things that you can wear on your feet beginning with the letter 'S'.
Answers later.............
Oooh, Vivienne, I just popped on to add a comment and now I've got a full quiz to wade through! Can I try later? they look hard!
Inga, I'm afraid I took your offer of a snooze to heart and slept through your 'cotton' letter and Loz, I'm afraid I also missed your 'doorstep' I hope Ian will repeat them both over the weekend so that I can catch them now that I've caught up with my sleep!
I did hear Ian speaking about correct grammar although I only remember infer and imply and didn't really understand his explanation of when to use them. I might understand it the second time around. As we've said before, Ian's programme and this blog is an education!
I also caught a bit of Ian's comments about the time checks, he said that he wouldn't be giving them any more as there hadn't been any intention to deceive people into thinking it was live and he repeated the times that it did go out live. Did I hear it correctly and what sparked that off? It wasn't Hildie and I discussing it on the blog was it? I would hate to think that we caused any trouble for him.
Have a good weekend all!
Hi everyone, just a quick note, Ians birthday this month, I have Paddy MacDee on the case, and he is going to find out for me. I shall post it as soon as I find out.
Now get some sleep.
Hi Everyone'
promise I will catch up with you all soon, have had a hectic old week. Ian's birthday is 4th. December. The quiz looks good!
Have just waved off my Friday night visitors, am really tired so am off to my bed. Night, night, take care all of you.
Good Morning Folks!
Hildie, I'm glad you've called in. I was beginning to think you'd been left behind on the farm, or have been spending the past few days searching for a missing child. I hope your school outing was a success.
I agree with you that Ian's birthday is 4th December. It's the same day as my nephew's.
I can't take credit for the quiz. It was forwared to me by a friend, and I think it was written a few years ago, judging by the answer to the first question. I could see who was winning in that sport, when I was watching British competitors in the Olympics.
Also, take care with no.8 as I thought I'd found the correct answer, but subsequently learned I'd selected a fruit! I'm not talking about tomatoes. We tend to think of them as vegetables but they are fruit too.
Morning everyone, autumn is fast approaching, the wind has an icy feel to it today.
Thanks for Ians birthday information Hildie, I should have guessed you would have known.
Although Inga posed the question, I too was curious. I'm sure Ian said in one of his shows this week that he was 60 "later this month". He sounded just a bit jaded, as though not looking forward to the event. I have e-mailed him and explained that 60 is the new 40.
Vivienne, I shall have a stroll through my allotment to try and find the answer to question (3). Number (4) is okay, the rest are real stinkers.
Hi Sid,
Re No.3 - You may find one type in your allotment, and if so it was possibly there before you acquired your allotment. (Think puddings) I've never seen the other growing, I've seen it in the shops and cooked with meals.
Maureen and Sid, do you remember that Highland Cow we used to have?
We saw some just like it at Hall Hill Farm. It was a really good day out for the children ... we saw ponies ( one of them had bad feet, we weren't allowed to feed him because, if he eats too much, his feet get worse), we saw sheep, deer, pigs, goats, Al Pacas (how beautiful they were and how intelligent they looked), we saw ducks, peacocks, geese. turkeys, and those gorgeous Highland Cows ( I learned that if you look at one and can't see udders then it hasn't had a baby!). We went for a ride an a tractor and trailer, the trailer had proper little seats in. We had our packed lunches sitting on hay bales in a barn then went off to see some chicks (to be honest they were nearly hens, I reckon) and each of the children was given a chick, in his/her lap, to look at and stroke. After that we went to see rabbits and Guinea Pigs and they too were plonked on each child's lap. It was lovely to see. It was a day full of varied and wonderful experiences for the children. But it was rather chilly!
Vivienne, I have left some answers to your quiz on Ian's blog for you. Thought I'd leave them there so's not to disturb other people's train of thought! I'm not sure about the one with the 'puddings' clue. I have been missing out on The Nightshift lately, mainly due to abject tiredness. I'm not a naturally nocturnal creature and it becomes a tussle sometimes between staying up to listen to Ian (which is what I want to do) and common sense (which tells me to go to bed!).
Inga, hello! What I'm wondering most of all is ... How did you stumble upon Ian's programme? What made you listen to Radio Newcastle? Have you, perhaps, some connection with the North East? I'm afraid you will get used to this .... I am forever wondering about things!
Hello Hildie,
Never stop wondering - too many wonders out there to wonder about and once you have read the following you can go on to the next one! I have tried to shorten it but this is the best I can do.
How did I find NightShift ? Well, I never actually looked for this show in particular, but about 15 years ago I did start listening to the BBC World Service. At first, of course, on short-wave radios. After my mother died in 1993 I brought a lot of her possessions, including some furniture, back with me to the States including 2 short wave radios. One day it occured to me that when my parents visited here my dad always brought along his short wave radio and listened to anything he could find, especially football games. So then, one day I found the BBC. Since I was already a fan of British authors such as P.G. Wodehouse, Agatha Christie and others I was thrilled that now I could not only read but listen to English the way it should be spoken not the way I had unfortunately learned to speak it in Arkansas - with a heavy "Southern Accent" and all the grammatical errors that includes. I could not get enough of it. However, a few years ago BBC suddenly stopped broadcasting on short wave but they told the listeners that we could now listen on the internet which I have been doing ever since. Beside the World Service, I eventually found Radio 4, Radio 3, and Radio 7. Then, about 2 or 3 months ago, BBC introduced the IPlayer and surfing around that I found the local radio stations including R$adio Newcastle and NightShift. It comes on at 19:00 [our time] and there he was! The atrocious, baldy etc Ian. His adorable craziness was impossible not to notice and since he also played music I liked, I kept listening because he is just too much and so very entertaining. Also, I think it may be the only radio station which does not switch to the World Service or Radio 5 about midnight [your time] and I rather listen to music and Ian's comments than any news program. I actually listen to the BBC all day on my computer until I go to bed. Sometimes I think that I listen to the BBC more than anybody in the UK :-) :-) ! Beats anything we have over here.
Hello Sid, LOL re: grammar! It reminds me of one of the teacher - classroom jokes Vivienne sent in. If you heard it igonore the rest, if not, read on. Teacher: Make a sentence with "I". Student: "I" is . . . teacher: No, no, don't say that, it's "I am". Student: Ok. I am the 9th letter of the alphabet !
I left the same message on Ian's blog but at this point I don't really know who might read what, where or when :-). I am still amazed when I finally actually get to where I am directed to go. Thanks to all of you, particularly Vivienne, for helping me get to grips with this "BLOGGING". Is that a word yet one might now find in the Oxford dictionary?
Thanks, Inga, for satisfying my curiosity about how you came across Ian's programme. You found a veritable treasure, didn't you? He is a real gem!
By the way, thanks also for explaining 'Secret Auctions' to me the other week.
Talking about things beginning with 'S' (as we were) ....
Ian is going on holiday very soon - he is going to somewhere beginning with 'S', but I can't for the life of me remember exactly where he said he was going!
Mornin All,
Hildie, Ian is going to Seville in Spain. Knowing his appetite for food tasting, I wonder if he's going on the Tapas Tour? Apparently, there is a guided tour around most of the Tapas Bars in Seville and you keep going as long as your stomach can take it!
Inga, I was interested in your comments about the BBC. My son is visiting at the moment from New Zealand and is 'rediscovering' the BBC. He intends to listen online when he gets home. I often hear Chris and Jojo from Auckland, New Zealand contributing to both Paddy and Ians' programme so that kind of bears it out doesn't it? Sometimes we don't know how lucky we are, although they have the advantage of Ian during the day!
That's quite some advantage. I'd rather be in their shoes ... socks ... sandals ... sneakers ... slippers .... stilts even!
Hi everyone,
I suggest we move up onto the new posting. Don't forget to tick the email box when you add your comments.
Did everyone find the answers to the quiz on Truckshunters?
Well, d..., here I thought I had this blogging routine sorted and now I am supposed to "tick the email box" when I add a new comment! I haven't a clue what this is nor where to find it. Will I get shot if I don't? :-)
Maureen, I just caught Ian's mention of "geordie" expressions. I am not surprised that there is another whole language spoken where you live. The US may be the only country of its size where there are only different accents and a few words have different meanings but it is basically the same language whether you are up north, down south, out west or in the east.
Sid and Vivienne, thanks for telling me what the Great North Run is all about. It is amazing that this is going on apparently just for the fun of doing it.
Hildie, I enjoyed your description of the Hall Hill Farm excursion. If I ever come to the UK, I sincerely hope to find a farm such as you describe. I was, as you all know by now born and raised as a "big city" gal ["lass" as you might say] but as such we probably appreciate the country more than the country folk themselves.
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