More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)

[Ozzyjack]

These tickled me - I hope they stick.

Hi Pen,

I loved them.

The other book I was reading last week was Give Unto Others (Book 31 in the Guido Brunetti series) by Donna Leon.  I have been a big fan of the Brunetti series but I didn’t rate this one as highly as some of the previous ones.

Brunetti is forced to confront the price of loyalty, to his past and in his work, as a seemingly innocent request leads him into troubling waters. What role can or should loyalty play in the life of a police inspector? It’s a question Commissario Guido Brunetti must face and ultimately answer.

Brunetti is approached for a favor by Elisabetta Foscarini, a woman he knows casually, but her mother was good to Brunetti’s mother, so he feels obliged to at least look into the matter privately, and not as official police business. Foscarini’s son-in-law, Enrico Fenzo, has alarmed his wife (her daughter) by confessing their family might be in danger because of something he’s involved with. Since Fenzo is an accountant, Brunetti logically suspects the cause of danger is related to a client's finances. Yet his clients seem benign: an optician, a restaurateur, a charity established by his father-in-law. However, when his friend’s daughter’s place of work is vandalised, Brunetti asks his own favours—that his colleagues Claudia Griffoni, Lorenzo Vianello, and Signorina Elettra Zorzi assist his private investigation, which soon enough turns official as they uncover the dark and Janus-faced nature of a venerable Italian institution. Exploring the wobbly line between the criminal and non-criminal, revealing previously untold elements of Brunetti’s past, Give Unto Others shows that the price of reciprocity can be steep.

[2dognight]

Hi Jack

I have just finished reading 'Give unto Others' by Donna Leon and
I agree with your assessment of the book.

Carol

[Hobbit]

I loved them.

Hi Jack

Glad you enjoyed them - the dog waiting for the ice cream man really made me smile

I'm enjoying a very lazy Sunday.  It was lovely & sunny this morning & I walked into town.  I've only lived here for 19 years & I always forget it's uphill coming home!  I'd broken into a proper sweat by the time I got back  

I was struggling to find something to find something decent to watch last night & wasted about three-quarters of an hour before ending up with the second in the series of Signora Volpe.  I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before.
A disillusioned British spy-turned-detective starts a new life in the beautiful heart of Italy, but soon finds out trouble follows her wherever she goes.
The scenery is stunning & it's written by two ladies who previously worked on Midsomer Murders.  It's a win/win for me

I have a rebus for you.  It's a film from 2004 that I probably wouldn't watch in a month of Sundays!

3 3 5 8 (#3 + #2 + #3)

THE
The positioning of the pictures is important. 

       

A four-year-old girl was learning to say the Lord's Prayer. She was reciting it all by herself without help from her mother.
She said, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us some e-mail."

Leave you with this

[Ozzyjack]

Hi Pen,
I'm a bit slow getting started this morning. The weather is miserable but we are lucky that it is not causing the floods that are besetting NSW for the fourth time in 18 months. It is the school holidays and the Coorparoo mob are having a break, so we are looking after Dusty this week.   Keeping the dogs happy is a full-time job until they work off some energy and are ready to settle quietly.

I looked up your Signora Volpe.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be available here at the moment.  It looks quite interesting. 

I said I would tell you about the shows Andrew had us watching when he was here.

Slow Horses is a spy thriller television series based on the 2010 novel of the same name by Mick Herron. After a botched and publicly embarrassing training mission, British MI5 officer River Cartwright is exiled to Slough House, an administrative purgatory for service rejects. Known as "Slow Horses", Cartwright and his colleagues must endure dull, paper pushing tasks and their miserable boss, Jackson Lamb, who expects them to quit out of boredom and frustration. Life in Slough House is defined by drudgery, until the Slow Horses become entangled in a dangerous gambit by Regent's Park.

June had read and enjoyed the book and was able to follow the story line from the start.  I was a bit slow to get on a wavelength with the action but by the end of series one I was a convert and can’t wait to watch series 2 when, and if, it gets here.

Detectorists is a British television comedy series. It is written and directed by Mackenzie Crook, who also stars alongside Toby Jones. The series is set in the fictional small town of Danebury in northern Essex; the plot revolves around the lives, loves, and metal detecting ambitions of Andy and Lance, members of the Danebury Metal Detecting Club. The two friends go searching for their heart's desire with a couple of metal detectors. Determined to dig up their very own Saxon ship-burial, a chance encounter puts Lance and Andy on the road towards the discovery of a lifetime.
In May 2019, it was voted 19th in a Radio Times list of Britain's 20 favourite sitcoms by a panel that included sitcom writers and actors.

This was another one I was slow to warm to.  Its pace of development is slow but as you get to bond with the characters, it becomes compulsive viewing (much like Last of the Summer Wine).

Bosch is an American police procedural streaming television series produced by Amazon Studios and Fabrik Entertainment starring Titus Welliver as Los Angeles Police detective Harry Bosch. The show was developed for Amazon by Eric Overmyer, and the first season takes its inspiration from the Michael Connelly novels City of Bones (2002), Echo Park (2006), and The Concrete Blonde (1994). It was one of two drama pilots that Amazon streamed online in early 2014 (together with The After), and viewers offered their opinions on it before the studio decided whether to place a series order. The seventh and final season was released on June 25, 2021.

We only got to watch series one with Andrew.  Each episode ends with a cliffhanger that makes you want to binge-watch.  I find it a bit like the curate’s egg.  I like the police element of the show but the personal life and loves of Bosch are not my cup of tea.  It can be quite violent which may turn some people off.

I was convinced enough to acquire series 2 which we are halfway through.  The pace is not as driving as in series 1.  I will make an assessment of whether I want to acquire and watch the next series at the end of each series.

[Hobbit]

I'm a bit slow getting started this morning. The weather is miserable but we are lucky that it is not causing the floods that are besetting NSW for the fourth time in 18 months.

I looked up your Signora Volpe.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be available here at the moment.  It looks quite interesting. 

I said I would tell you about the shows Andrew had us watching when he was here.

Hi Jack

I'm back at work today which is a bit of a shock to the system!  I had a quick look at your weather forecast & it looks like it's cheering up & warming up towards the end of the week.  I'm pleased to hear you're not suffering any flooding.  Our weather is also getting much warmer as we head into the weekend. 

It's a pity about Signora Volpe - hopefully it might turn up at some point.  I like the sound of Slow Horses but I don't think Bosch is my cup of tea. As you know I'm not very good at anything that includes much violence.  I tried to watch Detectorists some while ago but only lasted about 10/15 minutes.  I loved Last of the Summer Wine (especially Compo, Foggy & Clegg ) so I think I'll give it another chance.  I'm a bit of an old stick in the mud   I haven't found any of the newer sitcoms that make me laugh - I tend to watch old stuff.  I'm re-watching Dinnerladies at the moment for the umpteenth time. 

      

A man walked into a pub on a slow night and sat down. After a few minutes, the barman asked him if he wanted a drink.
He replied, "No thanks. I don't drink. I tried it once, but I didn't like it."
So the barman said, "Well, would you like a cigarette?"
But the man said, "No thanks. I don't smoke. I tried it once, but I didn't like it."
The barman asked him if he'd like to have a game of darts, and again the man said, "No thanks. I don't like darts. I tried it once, but I didn't like it.
As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be here at all, but I'm waiting for my son."
The barman said, "Your only child, I'm guessing."

Just over an hour & I can go home for a cuppa
   

[cmh]

Hi Penny
we tried Signora Volpe last night and will watch the other 2 episodes soon . We accessed it via You Tube , never having heard of Acorn Channel and unable to find it on our TV channel list.I was a bit distracted by it having Spanish sub titles as these obscured the English sub titles when there were bits in Italian.
Funnily enough we have just finished re watching Dinnerladies for the umpteenth time too!

[Hobbit]

Hi Christine
That must be a bit frustrating I got Acorn TV through Amazon Prime.  It's £4.99 a month.  Once I've watched the third Signora Volpe I will cancel it.  I've watched Agatha Raisin & Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries but there's not much else included to set my world on fire.
Dinnerladies is one of my all time favourite sitcoms.  So sad that Victoria Wood is no longer with us.
Have you watched McDonald & Dodds?  It's set in Bath & is quite entertaining.

[cmh]

I saw the trailer for Mc Donald and Dodds and we will probably give that a try too. Did you watch the final Montelbano last weekend? We watch those on a regular basis too. I love the buildings and scenery as I love Italy.

[Hobbit]

No I missed it but I'm sure I can find it on catch up. Like you I love Italy.

[Ozzyjack]

I had a quick look at your weather forecast & it looks like it's cheering up & warming up towards the end of the week. 

Hi Pen,

It does look like it is on the improve here but our old stomping ground is not so lucky.

.
Brisbane’s annual rainfall average is about 1150 mm.  This year we have had over 1700 mm but luckily we have only had 50 mm since last Friday.  The wet weather is moving north but I hope it runs out of puff before it gets to the Queensland border.  Currently, the Hunter Valley to Coffs Harbour is copping it.


We are celebrating 2YO birthdays today. 



Thanks to your info, I have found I can get Signora Volpe on Acorn through Apple TV+ so I will follow that up.

I have tried watching Agatha Raisin a couple of times but it didn’t grab me. The last time was this week, about a weird Christmas party.  I only lasted about 20 minutes.  Should I have persisted?

We enjoyed the Dinner Ladies a couple of years ago.  I’ll see if it is still around.

Christine reminded us of Montalbano.  I have read all the books I can get my hands on and watched quite a few TV episodes.  I had them on CD  but I no longer have a CD player as I rely solely on the internet.

It took me two episodes to get attracted to the Detectorists.  If you decide to persist let me know how you get on.

[lilys field]

Every day must be a celebration for the Adorable Ones.  The question is: what could their Humans do to make their birthday grander. Please tell.

[Ozzyjack]

Hi Paula,

We already get accused of spoiling them.  But they were given a few extra treats.

[Hobbit]

It does look like it is on the improve here but our old stomping ground is not so lucky.

We are celebrating 2YO birthdays today. 

I have tried watching Agatha Raisin a couple of times but it didn’t grab me. The last time was this week, about a weird Christmas party.  I only lasted about 20 minutes.  Should I have persisted?

It took me two episodes to get attracted to the Detectorists.  If you decide to persist let me know how you get on.

Hi Jack

I had to look up 733mm on Ms Google & it translates into more than 28 inches   That's a massive amount of rain in such a short period of time.  I feel so sorry for the poor sods    Another reason to be glad you moved.

That's a cracking picture of Bonnie & Dusty   How did you persuade them to sit still & side by side so you could take the picture?  Were there treats involved?

My honest opinion is that I probably wouldn't persevere with Agatha Raisin if I were you.  I really enjoyed the Quiche of Death & series one.  These were all about 45 minutes long.  The episodes in series two to four were an hour & a half each & I have to admit not a patch on the first ones.

I will have another bash at the Detectorists & report back

Here's an even easier rebus than my one from the other day! 7 2 8.  Say what you see




          

Nearly lunch time hurrah

[Ozzyjack]

Hi Pen,
I have an answer to your rebus provided the subject was a movie and position is important.

Here is an easy one from me.  It is a 1971 American revisionist western movie.

6(#3 #3)  #3   #3   #6

   
Conceptually one line.
Picture 1.  He may have been your favourite uncle, but you only need the first three letters of his surname
Picture 2.  He may have been your favourite President, but you can use his nickname.
Picture 3.  She may have been your favourite actor, but you only need the first 3 letters of her surname.
Picture 4.  She was the eponymous character of the movie.  You only need the first word.
Picture 5.  He was known as the Cheeky Chappie. You need his surname

[ridethetalk]

Hi Pen,
I have an answer to your rebus provided the subject was a movie and position is important.

I have an answer provided the above except the subject is a song...