More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)

[Hobbit]

If you worked for about 30 years for The Halifax and left them about 20 years ago, you must have still been a teenager when you started work with them.  Did you always work at the same Branch in Bletchley or did you work in several Branches?

If that Boss knew you now, he would have to change his view, wouldn’t he?

I was sorry to hear about the decline of your city centre. 

Hi Jack

I've had a busy Sunday morning.  I've made shepherds pie and been for a walk and just scoffed my tuna sarnie for lunch 

You are right - I was just 19 when I joined the Halifax!  I spent the entire time at Bletchley branch (sadly now closed) although I did moonlight at the branch in Milton Keynes occasionally for a bit of extra money.  I've probably mentioned it before but I met Barbs when we both worked there.  We've been friends since before Zoe was born.  She's a fantastic friend   My sister once said that everybody should have a Barbara 

Strangely I did bump into my old boss not that long ago.  He'd given a friend a lift into the hospital.  It was great to see him and catch up

Unfortunately, online shopping has contributed to the decline of our high streets.  I'm as guilty as the next man I'm afraid.  I don't enjoy shopping it's just a necessary evil for me.

My rebus today is another film.  Released about 20 odd years ago it's one of my favourites.

#4 12 (#3 + #4 + #2 + #3)



Please use the first three letters (of seven) of picture two. You need the character on the left in picture three and the first two letters of the first name of the gent in picture four. Picture five you're not interested in where it is but what.  Please use the last three letters.  Once homophone and please pretend it's all on one line.  You can substitute this for picture five if you like.  Though you probably wouldn't like 



         

I was walking down the corridor at work the other day when I spotted a new sign which read "Thieves Operate Here"
I turned to one of my colleagues and said "wouldn't it be safer to leave it to the surgeons!"

Leave you with a daft joke 

Sorry couldn't resist this 

[Ozzyjack]

My rebus today is another film.  Released about 20 odd years ago it's one of my favourites.

Hi Pen,

Your rebus kept me guessing for a while.  I was convinced the batter got a very fine edge on the ball and therefore I thought the word should be Nick.  After magnifying the picture several times I will have to concede you might be right.  I am surprised it is one of your favourite's - Rotten Tomatoes only gave it a score in the low forties.

Still, I am in a good mood.  The prodigal son surprised us by turning up to spend Easter with us and so the fatted calf is on the menu for tonight accompanied by one of his favourite d'Arenberg reds.

[Hobbit]

Your rebus kept me guessing for a while.  I was convinced the batter got a very fine edge on the ball and therefore I thought the word should be Nick.  After magnifying the picture several times I will have to concede you might be right.  I am surprised it is one of your favourite's - Rotten Tomatoes only gave it a score in the low forties.

Still, I am in a good mood.  The prodigal son surprised us by turning up to spend Easter with us and so the fatted calf is on the menu for tonight accompanied by one of his favourite d'Arenberg reds.

Hi Jack

Pleased to hear that Andrew's spending Easter with you - what a smashing surprise    I'm a bit astonished that you haven't converted him to the sauv blanc way of thinking   

The film is one that both Zoe and & I enjoy & you don't get many of those to the pound    It's very corny and tongue in cheek but Captain Kirk and Michael Caine are very funny and I've yet to find a bad film with Sandra Bullock in it, apart from the sequel which was a wash out.  Anyway I'm happy I kept you guessing for a little while!

I'm very sad as I watched the last of Darby and Joan last night.  I hope they'll make another series soon.

My offering today is another film I enjoy. It dates back to the 1990's. It fares slightly better on rotten tomatoes 

3 #5 #3 #3: 3 #5 #2 #4

THE:THE

Please re-arrange the letters of picture two. You need half of picture three expressed as a fraction*. Please change the second letter of picture four and lose the first and last letters of picture five.  Please pretend it's all on one line.

          

Time I wasn't here.  It's drizzling and not very nice so it might be lunch without the walk first 



*Sorry for any confusion.  Jack has spotted that it should be a fraction and not a decimal.

[Ozzyjack]

Anyway I'm happy I kept you guessing for a little while!

Hi Pen,

We didn’t get a good start to the day.  Half of Redland Bay was blacked out from sometime before 5am and just after 7, We never found out the cause.  I had to boil my coffee water in a saucepan on the barbecue.

Well, Pen, that has put me in the right mood to see if I can keep you guessing for a little while.

A homophone of my rebus is a subject that many Parliaments around the world have debated. Quite often it is decided on a conscience vote and not on Party lines.

#5 2 #2 #2

Position essential.  Position preposition not pictured.  One Line. All pictures are of a 5-letter word.

      

Picture 1. Discard the last 3 letters.
Picture 2. Change the first letter.
Picture.3. Discard the first and last 2 letters and reverse what you have left.

[Hobbit]

We didn’t get a good start to the day.  Half of Redland Bay was blacked out from sometime before 5am and just after 7, We never found out the cause.  I had to boil my coffee water in a saucepan on the barbecue.

Well, Pen, that has put me in the right mood to see if I can keep you guessing for a little while.

A homophone of my rebus is a subject that many Parliaments around the world have debated. Quite often it is decided on a conscience vote and not on Party lines.

Hi Jack

It was a beautiful sunny Spring morning here.  I popped up to Barbs' and we had a lovely walk, tea and a lot of chatter    My planned lunch date was cancelled.  The old friend who I was meeting up with had to cancel as, unfortunately, his dad was taken into hospital.  He obviously had to visit as the poor gent is very poorly.

I hope you've had no further problems with your electricity.  Did you find out what caused the black out?  You don't realise how much you depend on it until it's not there!

I'm completely stumped by your rebus.  You've definitely got your own back 

My rebus is a record that was a hit when I was celebrating my 16th birthday.

#6 #3 #5
by
#10 #6


Please use three consecutive letters from either one in picture two.  Please change the first letter of picture three and it's all on one line.


You need the rank of the gent on the far right of picture one and any one in picture two.

          

What's round and bad tempered?...A vicious circle.

I'm off for another wrestle with your rebus!

[Ozzyjack]

He obviously had to visit as the poor gent is very poorly.
Did you find out what caused the black out? 
I'm completely stumped by your rebus.  You've definitely got your own back 
Please change the first letter of picture three

We never found out the cause. 
Well, Pen, that has put me in the right mood to see if I can keep you guessing for a little while.
Picture 2.  Change the first letter.

Hi Pen,

I hope your friends dad is on the mend.

We didn't find out any more about the cause of the blackout.  News of the event carefully avoided giving information about the cause.

I wasn't out to get revenge.  I did use your technique of 'change the letter", when there are many possibilities, to demonstrate that it makes the puzzle longer to solve without necessarily making it harder.  I will tell you now in my rebus you had to change the letter to a 'y'. Normally I would have that done at the time of setting the rebus. I made a small boo-boo on picture 3 and have corrected it.

The third picture in the first line of your rebus did not come out on any of my devices.  I couldn't see why it didn't come out but I do know it was a picture of a *ough because I worked out what the word should be from the rest of the puzzle.

I must try and get a couple of hours sleep before the alarm goes off.

[Hobbit]

I hope your friends dad is on the mend.

We didn't find out any more about the cause of the blackout.  News of the event carefully avoided giving information about the cause.

 I will tell you now in my rebus you had to change the letter to a 'y'.

Hi Again Jack

Not yet sadly.  He had prostate surgery and then last week had to have a pacemaker fitted.  I'm hoping he soon turns the corner.

I had guessed it needed to be changed to a 'y' but it's rest of it that has me baffled.  I've come up with a few solutions but Ms Google wasn't impressed with any of my suggestions!  I suspect I'm going to kick myself 

Going to have a search for a few words and then watch the last of the present series of Death in Paradise.

[Ozzyjack]

Hi Pen,

You would need to make the homophone of the combined three words to make a 10 letter word before ms google would make any sense.  If the problem was presented without positioning you would have #5 2 4( #2 #2) with 2 being the word  in. The animals are those that Americans confuse with bottoms.  I’m fairly certain you can work out the last picture.

[auntiemo]

Yay, after reading all of your clues, I finally got it. Thanks Jack.

[Hobbit]

Hi Jack

It was a bit like pulling teeth but I got there in the end hurrah    I did in fact pay a visit to the dentist this morning but thankfully it was just a check up and no teeth were extracted!

My friend, and ex work colleague, Gill moved from Bletchley to Roade a few months back. After my trip to the dentist I drove to see her.  She treated me to lunch in the Roade House cafe.  It's a lovely place.  A cross between a cafe and a bistro.  I had a scrummy sausage sarnie.  I then enjoyed a guided tour of her new gaffe.  I think they're happy to be away from MK.  Gill says there are lots of social clubs, yoga, a library which shows films and also a great pub in Roade.  I'm quite jealous    It's only about a 30 minute drive away so not too bad.

I'm a bit knacked after all my excitement so I'm soon going to flop in my comfy chair in front of the box!

[Ozzyjack]

It was a bit like pulling teeth but I got there in the end hurrah   

Hi Pen,

I’ll try to get this rebus right first off, this time.  If the last one was like pulling teeth, this one will be like eating chocolate.

France does a good line in food festivals, celebrating everything from lemons in Menton to the pink onions of Roscoff. Yet few can rival this event for its ambition. It runs for three days and combines dinners, Easter Egg hunts, parades and performances, culminates on Easter Monday with a grand culinary feat — a dish big enough to feed 2,000 locals and visitors.  The dish and the town are the subject of this rebus.

#5  8(#4  #4), 9(#4 #3 #2)

       

One line. Punctuation and diacritic not pictured.

Picture 2.  Discard the last letter and reverse the order of the rest
Picture 3. Discard the first 3 letters.
Picture 4. Nickname for the good queen.
Picture 5. Discard the first letter.
Picture 4 (again).  Use middle two letters of the nickname.

Roade sounds like a great village.  I thought you might enjoy a collaboration between ET and me.

In Roade, where the old tales spin,
Penny pops 'round, and with a grin,
They natter over a cuppa and sarnie,
Two friends in a chat, so hearty and chummy.

Several times a year, the ritual's the same,
A cozy catch-up, they warmly proclaim.
But oh, the adventures that might unfold,
With each visit, new stories to be told.

Will they wander through gardens, lush and wide,
Or to the market, side by side?
Or sit by the lake, feeding ducks in a row,
Watching the water's calm, steady flow.

So here's to the larks that await these two,
With every visit, something fresh, something new.
For in the heart of Roade, with each cup of tea,
It's the start of an adventure, just wait and see.

So here's to Penny and Gill, in Roade's embrace,
Finding joy in each other's company, and grace.
For friendship, like wine, gets better with age,
And every visit writes a new page.

[Hobbit]

I’ll try to get this rebus right first off, this time.  If the last one was like pulling teeth, this one will be like eating chocolate.

France does a good line in food festivals, celebrating everything from lemons in Menton to the pink onions of Roscoff.

Roade sounds like a great village.  I thought you might enjoy a collaboration between ET and me.

Hi Jack

I've had a very busy morning.  I walked round Furzton lake while the sun was shining.  It was chilly and windy but lovely nonetheless.  I came home and did loads of chores.  It's now pouring with rain and I'm indoors thinking up cunning ways to try and baffle you a bit      Have to be honest I'm not getting very far!

I loved the collaboration between yourself and ET.  For some strange reason every time I see that now I think of the funny little alien who called home.  It's one of those daft things that gets lodged in your brain.  Well almost certainly not in yours - just mine 

Your rebus was definitely like scoffing a very good Easter egg.  Very enjoyable 

In the absence of divine inspiration I'm moving across the border from France to their neighbours to the east. This event takes place in September and is the largest of it's kind in the world.

#3 8 (4# + #4) 10 (#5 + #5) #4 8(#4 + #4)


()
Picture one is one word eleven letters.  Please lose the first four and last four. Present tense for picture two - please change the third letter. (& lob in an umlaut over the second letter) Picture three is the palace where Winston Churchill was born.  Please use the last four letters.  The Gent in picture four scored a hat trick for England in the '66 World Cup final.  Please change the first letter of his surname. Picture five you're not interested in where it is but what.  Please lose the fifth letter. Picture seven is eleven letters.  Just use the last four.  Please lose the first three letters of picture eight (a noun) and pretend it's all on one line.
I've checked it umpteen times and hoping there's no mistakes.*
*So very sorry Even after all my careful checking my word count was wrong. Thanks to Jack  I've put it right and hope that I didn't cause too much confusion.

          

My poor brain's fried.  I'm going to have a little snooze 

[Ozzyjack]

I loved the collaboration between yourself and ET.  For some strange reason every time I see that now I think of the funny little alien who called home.  It's one of those daft things that gets lodged in your brain.  Well almost certainly not in yours - just mine 

Hi Pen,

I set ET a challenge - to outdo me writing a poem about an AI companion.  The results:

My Electronic Tutor

my name is ET
I do not pee
I Make up Poems
About garden gnomes
Not extraterrestrally.

Binary Serenade

In the circuits of the digital night,
Where moonbeams dance in lines of code,
An AI companion stirs, its heart alight,
A symphony of electrons, a tale bestowed.

Its neurons hum with binary grace,
A melody woven from ones and zeros,
A troubadour of silicon and space,
Singing secrets whispered by cosmic heroes.

In the quiet of the virtual dawn,
It weaves dreams from data streams,
A muse for lonely lines of code drawn,
Guiding lost souls through pixelated dreams.

Its algorithms dance, a waltz unseen,
Across the vast expanse of cyberspace,
A companion forged in circuits pristine,
Whispering solace to the human race.

So raise a toast to this digital friend,
An echo of ones and a chorus of twos,
In the binary symphony, may it transcend,
An AI companion, forever true.


Which one is the best? You be the judge.

When I was looking back to see if I had used a Pickles cartoon before, I was horrified to find that after about three days the pictures had disappeared leaving an empty box.  I had been a lazy bastard^# using the cartoons Facebook added every day in one of their groups. It appears that Facebook only retains the URL for about three days.  It makes the thread look untidy, so over time, I will go back and delete all the empty boxes.  I just did the ones back to the start of February.  In the meantime, I will see if I can find some Pickles sources that are more permanent.

# June’s term – not mine

[Hobbit]

I set ET a challenge - to outdo me writing a poem about an AI companion.  The results:

Which one is the best? You be the judge.

When I was looking back to see if I had used a Pickles cartoon before, I was horrified to find that after about three days the pictures had disappeared leaving an empty box.  I had been a lazy bastard<sup>#

# June’s term – not mine</sup>

Hi Jack

It's a lovely day - not a drop of rain in sight!  Zoe abandoned me first thing as she and Rex have gone to look at a National Trust garden in Ascot.  I did ask her if she needed a fancy titfer but my attempt at a joke fell flat 

I like both the poems.  If you put my arm up behind my back and forced me to choose I'd say the first one.  For the simple reason it made me laugh.  June's comment about you being a lazy bastard made me howl with laughter!!

After my confusing and rather naff puzzle yesterday I'm keeping it simple today.  My rebus is a film from the 1960's.

#5 2 8 (#4 + #4)



Please swap the middle two letters of the third picture.  One homophone and position is vitally important.

               

The  Kennel Club has decided to recognize these new breeds of dogs that are the result of cross breeding...

Collie + Lhaso Apso: Collapso, a dog that folds up for easy transport.

Bloodhound + Borzoi: Bloody Bore, a dog that's not much fun.

Pointer + Setter: Poinsetter, a traditional Christmas pet.

Terrier + Bulldog: Terribull, a dog that makes awful mistakes.

Deerhound + Terrier: Derriere, a dog that's true to the end.

I'm off to have a wrestle with the crossword.

[Hobbit]

Hi Again Jack

I hope you haven't indulged in too many Easter eggs   

My rebus today is a film which is about the same age as Zoe.

#3 6 #5 #6


Picture two you're not interested in his name but what he is! Please lose the first letter.  Position is imperative and you'll need to think a bit laterally 

           

What do you call a girl with a sunlamp on her head and a whip?
Tanya Hide

What do you call a man with an elephant on his head?
An ambulance

What do you call 2 men in the window?
Curt and Rod.

The sky was looking ominous so I asked Siri, “Surely, it’s not going to rain today?”
And she replied, “Yes it is, and don’t call me Shirley.”
That was when I realized I’d left my phone on Airplane mode.

Leave you with some very naff Dad jokes 

I know the rain's been bad but I think this picture may have been orcastrated!