Bondbug

Ah. So at 500 (posts not years old) you become a spectral mercenary! Does that carry any prestigious (?) rights ... free drinks in the bar ... free poutine once a week?

This thread almost makes me feel that the title refers to me. Perhaps I could work out a balut and clabby-doo special just for Gogo ..... Probably quite appropriate ... the fertilized egg and the female v*g*na ... "clabbydoo farci" Oh ***** why did I look at this again?

Thought I'd try it as the best part for me is learning how the game ticks, and running the lower levels to look at character building. But I picked a bad time. They seem to be shut down for overhauls yesterday and today, so although I downloaded the initial instal files (between 5 and 6 hours) and installed (only 2 hours + for extra updates) the installation wouldn't complete and there is now a new patch. Perhaps tomorrow. Some comments compare it as a WoW clone, but there appear to be some interesting ideas. I'll look see. I am still a Sacred Plus fanatic, but like a break from time to time. Thanks Furian - I'll let you know how it goes.

Does anyone know anything about this game? Is it worth looking at?

Sorry - I forgot to include the Official Sacred forum with Dark Matters. Much in common and some sympa folks who don't often appear here. I don't remember WoW as being bad either. Interesting that Dreeft moderates a baddun. Must be a strain on the patience. I can think of one forum where they keep popping up and closing threads (quite rightly) but also penalising folks for the least breath out of line - and the atmosphere is frightening. Yet some of these forums are for quite good games, and I never know what all the whingeing is about. I still think age group has a lot to do with it, but, as an old fogey, I might well be wronging the ... not younger ... not young ... but very young generation, who seem to blow-up if things don't go their way.

Could be the good range of age groups and experience here and perhaps support forums like the Creatrix. I agree with Tim. I can't play Sacred 2 but the forum has me hooked!

Yep, we know them. Will get on to it right away. Stick them in the post Monday, or Tuesday if the Post Office is closed Monday. I see it has coconut included, in which case the wife might eat half of them. Get a hammer ready to break them when they arrive. Dunking might do the trick. Wonder what we will have to put on the Custom's declaration - in French - ............. Perhaps, on second thoughts, some good samaritan Quebecois could deal with this for us? Didn't know you were into these "Healthy Recipes" Gogo! Don't think Jaggery can be treacle. If your treacle is the same as our treacle and syrup, 'grating' it could be a problem

I have been having a break from Oblivion, Morrowind, and even Sacred Plus. To fill in I have been looking at a few freebie games, largely German or far-Eastern. "Pretty" games. I have also been looking around in their forums! The majority seem to be for the lower end of the teenage market, though the avatars are fully grown! The forums are appalling! The language is foul; they are mainly bitching at each other, at the game, at the GMs - at everything. Even in the more mature games there is the same irritable atmosphere. It's like a haven of peace here. What experience have people had of other forums? Or is this a forbidden subject? If so I rely on some kindly person in authority to erase it

Yep. That is precisely what I understand by whetstone - I couldn't quite see how it applied here, but now I understand. Looks like a shape that would break easily if not carefully handled.

If we knew Gogo's favourite we could bake one. to the management team

Grindtimes post seems to show that the animlals have sensitivities that we humans lack. My wife tells my of a story about two animals who lived together (she can't remember whether it was 2 dogs or dog and cat) One night one of the animals licked its friend the dog all night, which was dead the next day. Odd how they can sense such things. I am relieved to say that our cat does NOT lick my skin. Or perhaps he knows I have skin cancer and doesn't care. Oh well.

One little question Chattius. Why cook the potatoes in their skin then peel it off, instead of peeling first? (I ask as someone who never peels his potatoes, even for mash. It seems purely aesthetic.) And I don't understand the "whetstone" shape. It sounds a bit like what I call "patties" (the Wiki link is too American for my taste ) or in the case of fish .. "cakes", that is flat and disk shaped ? And our "dumplings" are dropped into the stew (not wrapped) when it is nearly cooked. Not quite the same. Though I have seen "dumplings" much larger, made of a variety of ingredients, wrapped in a cloth and cooked in the stew. The Scots would call this "cloutie", a cloth being a "clout". These potato dumplings are very 'Irish' too. I find "dumplings" have a wide range of variations world-wide. You have to look for British examples to find my north of England dumplings in the Wiki notes here.

Less terrifying But I bet he has some nasty sneaky spells up his sleeve.

Certainly did not disbelieve you Grindtime. There is a grave in Edinburgh of a dog called Greyfriars Bobby which shows outstanding commitment. But a dog this time. Here are some photos including the pub beside the cemetery, and pic of statue with traditional Edinburgh tenements behind As for our cat he is scared of his own shadow. He comes in (cat flap) to feed, he sleeps in his chair; he purrs on our laps. But any sudden moves and he is off. Any visitors and he is off, though there was one visitor (who hated cats) that he took to and climbed on his lap! Can't understand it. He has always been well treated and well but simply fed. Spends most of his time under bushes in the garden, or scratching up anything newly planted. Have to protect new plants with wire mesh. Oddly enough when we take him with us down to the Pyrenees, out in the wilds, apart from decimating the lizard population he does follow us when we go on walks - but only so far, then he stops and waits. P.S. I like the avatar Rusto. Less terrifying in battle perhaps. Looks not unlike me - handsome chap.

Good to see you havin fun - with that face on your avatar I had begun to wonder

You still alive there Rusto?

Aristocratic looking beast! Odd tale.

True. Standard pub storage in kegs can be a problem. Keg Mild went off the market probably because it keeps for a shorter period than 'Bitter' and was less popular. Odd that women would, given the chance, have preferred it to Bitter, but it was the lager (not a Real Ale) being brought into British pubs for the women that pushed out the Mild. Mild served in the now standard gas pumps would have been pretty nasty. On another subject, we had stew and dumplings today. I am sure other people have things similar to our suet dumplings which I think of as typically north of England fare. What was pleasing was that the boss woman was pleased that the dumplings were noticeably much better than if made with commercial packet "shredded suet", and that she has at last found a satisfactory method for producing good suet. Dumplings are basically balls about 2" diameter of a mix of flour and suet dropped into the stew 15-20 mins before the stew is ready. I have said so often that in France they do not condescend to use the dry fat wrapped round beef kidneys except to wrap it round beef joints to stop them from going dry in the roasting. So we get it free and the butchers cannot understand what possible use it can be. Viv has tried various ways of preparing it, all successful but none entirely satisfactory to her. Last lot we got was so copious that we split it into smaller lots and stuck them in the freezer. She now finds that if she takes it out of the freezer and mixes it with the flour while still frozen, then shreds it in the mixer it works out perfect. Probably only of interest to expat-Brits living in France. However I offer the info for what it is worth.

It occurred to me that my bottles of Real Ale (see link above) may well be establishing a record. Most people buy bottles and they are soon drunk up. My stock is a crate each of Brown Ale and Old Ale, which I brought home from Lewes (near Brighton if you don't know Sussex) not less than 11 years ago. I also have some home-made Mild. As there is plenty of reasonably drinkable wine here at ridiculously low prices, we don't drink much beer, evcept with curries. The usual fizzy stuff we call Eurofizz (if we are being polite) and which I dislike as having little taste (Alka Selzer or bicarb are just as good) is undrinkable after about a year in the fridge. I find it difficult to come to terms with the fact that the bottles of Real Ale are still excellent (so is the ale inside if you want to be pedantic) after all this time. . I am not sure if the brewers would be pleased to learn this. I know beer in Belgium is something special and is treated with the same respect as wine in France, but have any of you ever willingly and successfully kept bottled beer beyond a few weeks?

I forgot to mention that the Real Ale is at least 11 years old ... for more on this subject see here

Not sure what you mean by minions pal ... it's a castrated male. Unless you mean me and the missus are its minions. Yeh. Well ... you could be right. B....... cats.

Rescue operation completed. First attempt, mum on own, failed; second attempt, mum with food failed; third attempt, mum + food + supposedly-sick-dad + ladder, eventually succeeded ... but it needed both of us. He was up top in a large area of ceiling space that only went halfway across the top floor. Wouldn't come till I got up there with his food. Most timid cat I ever knew. Not easy to carry down a ladder. Hungry but neurotic and in perfectly good nick. Sleeping well, and no sore throat after all that miao-shouting. Somehow your cat don't seem natural Frosty! Not sufficiently pin-brained.

Odd sort of meal today - right old mix up. - Curry (Indian) which I learnt about when I shared a flat with 2 Sikhs in London, and also wife's sister married a bloke from Kashmir; - cooked in a Wok (Chinese); - with 'calabrese' (Italian) ... normally referred to as broccoli these days, which I refuse to accept as I was brought up with white and purple broccoli, not the green broccoli stuff. Today this was par-cooked then fried with mustard seeds, fennel seeds, garlic, turmeric and chili - and a bottle of Real Ale (English from Harveys of Lewes) - melon ... heaven only knows where that came from at this time of year - coffee (French) Plus new pills and nose-spray from quack this morning which is the professional response to the bunged up nose and throat for which my wife's treatment is ... curry. Wife's treatment is quicker but less enduring. P.S. Hey Podgie Bear - what happened to that Bubble and Squeak recipe you promised. Yes - promised. I am sure you did.

It is good to read your posts. It is good to know people still live like this. We have differences of vocabulary, but with all the links and pics you include there is no problem. You make my rusty brain work and bring back old times and good memories. Lang may your lum reek. I.e. long life to you. I have heard of the service tree but it is not native to Britain. My book calls it the "True service tree", and says it was used 'in ancient times' (!) to make an alcoholic drink ... fermented with grain, producing a cider-like beverage that is still made in continental Europe" So, as you say, good with apfelsaft. It also says the "Romans called this drink 'cerevisia' from which the name 'service' is derived" ... and possibly the Spanish word "cerveza" for beer, though I have no real evidence for this. A similar tree (same leaf), common in England is the Rowan , with redberries rather than the small pear-like fruit on the service tree. That should link in well with your Walpurgisnacht as rowan is connected with witchcraft and on May Day a bunch of rowan leaves was hung outside houses to keep the witches away.. It is also called mountain ash. We make rowan jelly with the berries. The medlar (mispeln) is little known in England though some still grow wild perhaps in the south-east. Popular in Shakespeare's day, it seems, imported from Caucasus. It says the fruit cannot be eaten till it is "bletted", which seems to mean over-ripe and starting to rot. But I don't suppose that applies if you are just taking the juice - or does it? I don't really drink beer either. My stomach does not like it. I think it must be the hops, as I am OK with the more malted beers. But as both of us come from areas known for beer drinking I thought I would put that first on my drink list when I talk to you. We have an occasional bottle of Real Ale when we have a curry as wine is not suitable and the water in the village is not very pleasant. Apple juice and cider - no problem, but not the fizzy cider as it blows me up! We have good cider here, being reasonably close to Brittany which is real cider country.

I am not a cat lover, let it be said. But a few years ago when we had, as happens in a village like this, an invasion of cat mum's and kittens (dad left for fresh pastures once the kits arrived - typical!) arrived in our bit of garden. They used to huddle on the kitchen window cill which is fairly high and at least 2 foot wide. We fed them for a while, but it became too much and we did not want it to grow into a cat menagerie. They were semi-wild. We managed by devious means and with a despicable betrayal of trust to semi-tame most of them, and take them to the local animal home. We hoped they had become friendly enough to be adopted. One of the mums, the least trusting, did manage to leap out of our badly secured carrying box at the centre and escape. I was pleased about that. To please my wife, who talks more to animals than she talks to me (I worry about that), we kept one kitten. After several years he is still semi- wild. The one thing that we rely on, however, is that any time we go out in the car he arrives from nowhere on the doorstep when we return - for food of course. Monday evening after choir in Tours we arrived home ... no cat. He did not show up at the cat flap before bedtime ... unusual. Tuesday ... no sign of cat. He usually lies under one of the bushes in the garden. In the evening my wife drew my attention to frantic cat-shouting which appeared to come from the house abutting the garden. Trapped cat ... in the house next door. They are away all day. Nobody at home. At 1030pm we gave up and went to bed. This morning, still frantic cat noises, appearing to come from upstairs or even the roof space next door. I found another neighbour who has a key, just on the point of leaving for a holiday near Cologne (Köln). His key was for the other half of the house, where the cat appeared to be. I should explain that next door there were two houses, one occupied by our neighbours , a young couple, who have recently purchased the second house and are in the process of making two into one, the second being semi-abandonned (or, if you prefer, interestingly in its original half-unused state). It was for this second part of the house that the neighbour has the key. Problem solved ... but no ... they had left the other key in the lock on the inside. Phone calls were made. It appears that the neighbours did return home late last night and heard these cat noises ... searched the house(s) and found nothing. He is, to be sure, very timid and would certainly stop shouting and hide for his life in the face of unknown people. So he is still shouting, somewhere up there behind the eaves. We have conversations through the slates. He is unhappy. I try to reassure him. He is abusive. I climb back down the ladder. Nothing to do but wait the neighbours who get home today at 5.30. Fortunately the cat seems to be in a part of the house which has no proper floor at present except the topside of the clay/straw ("torchis") upper side of the ground floor ceiling. Friendly neighbour says the smell will be no problem given the under-renovation state of this part of the house. If anyone cleans up it won't be me - IT WON'T BE ME. I don't like cats. I do however endure them if necessary.