Bondbug

OMG this is beginning to read like an encyclopaedia (did I spell that right?) Chattius and Aegis - brilliant. Roman limes and the Scandinavian gods w-o-w-eeee. Hey Gogo, I am beginning to think that all of Chattius' posts should be collected together somewhere where we can print them out for leisurely reading. He gives us some great info, but it is all over the place, and I am afraid of missing some of it. Serious suggestion.

"I don't do much online gaming - ok.. I don't do online gaming. I like the ability to pause the game whenever I need to and not worry about getting killed while I do an update on the wiki while whatever I'm updating is there in front of me so I can do it accurately." (Wolfie - I cut the age off the front of the quote out of sheer bloody-minded politeness). I am with you on this. My all-time favourite is still Morrowind - I never did finish it, and never will - I got hooked on modding. Perhaps you could persuade some of these on-line games producers to sell a home version, for off-line play, where you were not constantly up-dating and patching to cure the updates; and with further episodes available only if you wanted them. Sacred 1 provided this option. I don't know about Sacred 2. I am thinking about 1 particular game, which is always producing new material (of no earthly interest to a bloke who rarely gets beyond about level 30), and always having a barrowload of problems each time. There are a couple of "free" on-line games that I would cheerfully buy if they would only sell Part 1 for play off-line at home, and sell extension bits separately. Or even (possibly preferably) have separate servers for newbies which remained on Part One, with an option to move to the wider game if required. They are always moving the goalposts so to speak. "I think that some old games are are better than newer ones despite the lack of graphics. I always loved 'Settlers' and 'Settlers2', but I can't play them on my new machine (Win7 64bit) and I still love 'Elite!' and my favourites 'Colonization' and 'Heroes of Might and Magic3' with the WoG upgrade." (Podgie). You should have kept the old machine laddie, for times when the web connection breaks down or someone else needs the PC (damn, I shouldn't make it so obvious that we only have one PC). You know, I preferred the graphics on Settlers 1 & 2 to the later over-size stuff, and with both Settlers 1 and Colonization you were offered almost unlimited 'random' (that's not the right word but I can't call up the right one) scenarios. Also I will widen my previous offer - if we ever meet on line YOU can call ME "grandad".

Double-posting, my apologies. Steve and Dragon should not have put my mind in cricket-reminiscences mode. Remembering great cricketers of the past started me thinking, of all things, of cricket in Scotland. Eh! What? You may well ask. But I lived in Scotland and played rugby and cricket first in The Dundee area, then in the Glasgow area. To my surprise I found in "Angus" and Perth an incredible enthousiasm for cricket. I recall the nets at Forthill (Dundee) being fully active the week before the last match of the season, something that I had never come across anywhere else. And there were some of the great players, mainly West Indian, taking their pre-retirement years as professionals to clubs in the region. Rohan Kanhai was at Aberdeen (pro for Aberdeenshire), a prodigious run maker. Pope, the old Derbyshire and England bowler, was pro for Perth, though he left just after I arrived up there and I never, to my regret, played against him. He would have been a joy to watch (safely from the pavilion) ... I was a bowler and a tail-end "howker" ... he would have made short work of me. West Indian Hazel, affectionately called "Chopper" because of his stocky build and aggressive batting, was pro at Forfar. A short-spell fast bowler, and renowned hitter. Fortunately his bowling had slowed down a bit, but he regularly hit the ball all over the ground. I was always a bit proud that he treated my bowling with respect and never hit me out of the ground, or into the lake beside the ground at Forfar. I believe that later he became President of West Indies Cricket. Stirling also had a high-level pro but I can't remember his name, and they were in a different league. A problem in Scotland was the weather. It once snowed during a match at Aberdeen ... we played on! We rarely had hard or fast pitches, except at County grounds. As a bowler I found it necessary to vary my style and tactics nearly every match. Not scintillating cricket but interesting. The only time I ever bowled in perfect conditions was my last game at, I believe, Prestwick, where nearly every ball cut away late off the pitch. I quite ruined the game, by taking all 10 wickets and the first 2 in the following "beer" match before the captain had the sense to take me off. I first came across 6 a-side cricket in the Perth area. Suited my style - great stuff. Can't guarantee that there is still the same enthousiasm now for cricket in Scotland. Sorry about that - I don't often look backwards. Tail between legs he slinks back to his basket in front of the Inglenook fire where he belongs.

You had me worried there Chattius. I thought you meant that you were turning out twins at the rate of three a week. My senile old brain, not your English I hasten to add. You mention the Amiga. My wife still uses it most days for Colonization. The update we waited over 10 years for was rubbish, so she has gone back to the Amiga. That and Settlers I ... subsequent versions of Settlers got worse aand worse. Far too much emphasis on larger and more detailed graphics and a severe loss of game quality. We would still use the old 500 for the golf simulations, but the disks have clogged up. As for "grandpa", Podgie, everyone gets a nickname. Some kids would call you "grandpa" if you were 25. You should be happy to be so well received. I suspect that they are very proud of you (and jealous?). Anyway,you only need to be in your late 30s to be a grandpa. Prime of life (I vaguely seem to remember). Start worrying when they call you great-grandpa and send you a walking frame. And what is this to do with the thread, you may ask ... well...er...put me down as 'over 50'

What the hell are you kids worrying about? I am nearing 82. I don't play Sacred anymore (Sacred 2 refused to play on my system) but I do play 2 other games on line. I have noticed that recently it takes me a few secs to sort out my reactions, so I play solo much of the time where I can develop at my own speed. I do help from outside if I see anyone needs help, but when I am more experienced at on-line games I will need to get down to a limited amount of group play. It would need to be a group that thinks first, not a "fools rush in" job. Tell you what Podgie, if ever I manage to get Sacred to work, and if ever you are in trouble, I will be the first to come to your aid, you poor decrepit old man.

I am not sure about Bradman. I think it was only on radio commentaries. I certainly saw Wally Hammond. Some of the Compton/ Edrich days. Bill Bowes, Freddie Trueman, Statham, Laker, Lock. I once saw Learie Constantine get out 5th ball having scored 16. It was during a brief period of about 3 years when I was in the London area. In those days we queued all night outside Lords (same for tennis at Wimbledon) and paid a simple inexpensive ticket for the ground. I saw the Aussie and West Indian greats of the late 40s early 50s. But lacking other people to discuss these with the memories have faded. I remember Willie Watson and Trevor Bailey batting all day to save a Test Match at Lords. Rivetting stuff for an Englishman. Dead silence and intense concentration in the crowd. Perhaps the Aussies should look at that performance as a guide for the next two days! In such an unpredictable game nothing is impossible given the right attitude. Perhaps tho it is not commercially viable to dig in and bat all day with no regard to the score, plain survival but rivetting. Cricket was still partially amateur in those days. To some extent, as with many other games that used to be sport, I lost interest when they all became fully professional. I still watch some rugby and the Tour de France, but that is all. Tennis, Olympics, Soccer, no thanks. Glad I never had to play as anything other than an amateur and I still believe that the criteria in professional games no longer qualifies them to be called "sport". (You may recognise that I am "stirring" in the aim of raising loud outcries from other forum members.) Perhaps, Dragon, you could console yourself with the thought that it would be commercially beneficial if Australia lose - just for once. People like myself, who gave England up some time ago as too painful an experience, might actually start watching again. Not stupid these Aussies.

Yes. I like to listen, while I do other things. Thanks for the link. I will try it when there is live commentary. The interviews come over well. Trouble with BBC is that they always cut off and replace with recorded stuff because they say that their licence does not cover us here in France for the PC ... but I can listen outside in the car. Odd! I need to wire up a loudspeaker from the car to the house! LOL Lucky you to be able to watch live! I hate to say so but I think the last Test Match I saw live was at Leeds when Len Hutton broke a long low-scoring spell by getting 101. OK Steve. Take half a dozen Ibuprofen and try to keep breathing normally. Remember - we wiped 'em in Second Test and "crowed" ... then got clobbered in the Third and they "crowed". So keep it cool cool cool.

Eh! I just looked in before going to bed and thought you were joking! Then I thought "nooooo he wouldn't joke about that", so I have just looked it up. Not only skittled them but set up an unbelievable reply. Happy Xmas, Steve my boy! Have a brown ale this time. Problem here is that the only way I can listen to commentary is to sit outside in the car. No reception in the house ... no commentary on the web ... and sitting out in the car all day in this weather is not on. Wife might object too. I suppose I could turn it up loud and park the car outside the window ... in a French village? Perhaps not. Thanks Steve. Should sleep well tonight.

Oh dear, Wolfie. You are so right, and it is so depressing. I fought it off by playing 5-aside till well into my 60's - but could find no follow up when we came to France. I have a vague feeling that you are joking ... OMG I hope so. It is sad that things have deteriorated to such a point that I can not be sure that you are joking. P.S. How can I say such things? Sitting here suffering from Xmas Dinner and Boxing Day follow-up. Cholesterol:) What the *** is that?

Bristol Cream for cooking ! Quiet fit of apoplexy while I recover. Blue bottle ... yes indeed. We have to buy it on our infrequent trips to GB. Oddly enough the French do not really include sherry among their vast range of 'vins cuits' ("cooked wine:)) for aperitifs. As for cooking, we used to be able, in GB, to fill bottles with cheap sherry at the local grocer. That was indeed cooking sherry, but it seems to have disappeared. Used to be able to take your empty bottles to the supermarket here in France and fill up with red wine. That seems to have disappeared too, as have the bottles with refundable deposits. What do kids do for pocket money these days! Sorry - Merry Xmas Loco. Are all your family well ... including Mama Paula?

You are brilliant, you lot. So many ideas to try. Unfortunately my top plate broke during the left over bird and mushroom pie today. So I am back on sludgy sprouts ... till the superglue sets.

Yeah. I love that Knuckles ... er ... that is ... I love the story ... not that ... I want to ... experience it ... so to speak. Eh? They still speak Gaelic in your area then, or whatever your local 'patois' may be? I mean ... even as a Geordie I still have a reasonable command of some form of English ... though I did have a problem with the rustic Devon accent of one of our drainlayers. He munched a raw onion for breakfast each morning ... more Garlic than Gaelic. Oh heck ... off topic again.

Humpht. Sat in a rented cottage in Sussex and glared at the snow that ruined our family visiting plans. Then came home through a blizzard.

Sorry Steve. I am stuffed to the eyeballs with Xmas Dinner and Boxing Day follow up, and cricket seems s-o-o-o-o unseasonable. Who cares, in weather like this. What! When! Now? ... dashes to call up the right channel on the web ... OK for you mate ... we don't get cricket commentaries here! Get tore into those bloody arrogant colonials my lads ... here Steve, have a glass of my home made Cherry Brandy ... or perhaps a bottle of Old Ale from Harveys.

WARNING :- sitting on the fence can leave you with splinters in the ............ What do you want to do mate - ban 99% of the members from contributing ... OK ... OK ... I will make that 96%. And no splinter would dare come any where near my posterior.

It is just a game laddy. Go skiing till it is all over. Too much stress on the nerves that sort of thing. It is only a bit of professional commerce, nothing to do with sport. Gotta believe it. Think I will go out and bury my head in the garden till 2011.

Yeah, but think of all the interesting people you meet in the queues, over-nighting at the airport, sitting in traffic jams ... all the new lifelong friendships made pushing people out of snowdrifts. Think positive you lot. I can say that safely now that we are back home in front of the fire.

Dare I suggest that the only real tasty chips are cooked in good (?.?.?) old beef dripping. Unfortunately dietary restrictions mean you can only take them at infrequent intervals. Why, oh why, is all this dietary research making food such a misery these days

I come home after a protracted absence (shame on me) and come face to face with "fox bandworm"- disgusting things. Ugh. Try to forget them. Just back from a week visit to England (Sussex), theoretically to visit family and distribute a bit of Santa Claus goodwill. Phew. What a disaster the weather made of all those months of planning. And what a rip-off was the English hotel where we were forced to stay a night on the way home. The similar stop in France on the way north was superb by comparison. Then a struggle through blizzards in central France to get home. Now peace and quiet for Xmas. Just the two of us. It is not like the old Xmases when the kids were young, but it will do. Get the logs sawn, light the fire. Wrap the presents, few though they are this year. Cook the traditional Xmas dinner ... stuff the face about 1pm, not the French Reveillon or the meal after midnight mass. We brought back some Stilton (present from a daughter) and Cheddar and Bristol Cream (can't get sherry in France), and I bought a bottle of top French red wine (usually well outside our budget). Wife made the Xmas pud and cake months ago. So having a good long recovery period after dinner is good. Just broaching the Cherry Brandy I made over six months ago ... though I fear that I used the last of the stuff those Canadians have the nerve to call whisky (tough having a daughter living in Canada). Funny thing about Cherry "Brandy", it still works well enough when you run out of brandy and use up the last of the Canadian "whisky" or the dark rum. Need to earn some peace and quiet by doing some posts in here. Wife complains bitterly that the four recipe books she gave me a good month ago are still sitting by the computer as a memorial to my lack of dedication to Dark Matters. We also had a very good version of ham and egg pie today which is worth writing down, and I have a feeling that "pastry" will be a good subject for discussion out in the forum. Excuse me a moment while I just finish scraping the bowl used for the Xmas cake icing. How many of you still get the bowl to scrape when the chef makes a cake? Sometimes it is not so bad to be old and to have time to re-discover past pleasures. Talking of drink, and beer, which I wasn't, I recall that we still have some bottles of Old Ale and Brown Ale, from Harveys of Lewes, that I brought home at least 12 years ago, and they are still excellent. Need to dig a couple (or so) out for Xmas. This is the season for Old Ale. Happy Xmas - see you around.

First of all I am happy to agree with everything everyone says here (how feeble can you get) But what are all you folks worrying about. My wife is a fanatic. She reads about the English language. I believe (from her) that there are something like 29 identifiable versions of English, and that English in one version or another is a "Global" language. Yes, I am a (very) old fashioned English semi-gentleman and abuse of the language I learnt is an affliction to my ears. Tough. I can understand Chattius very well, I can even understand Americans occasionally (LOL) which is more than I would do if they spoke German or Italian or Malaysian or Urdu or whatever. I have reluctantly to come to terms with the fact that "they" are trying to make American English international and having the effrontery to call it English. Not easy to keep an open mind in face of all this "abuse" of a superbly flexible language. But the younger folks will not know the difference. I suppose it is the very flexibility of English that is both its strength and weakness. Compared that is with, say, French and other European languages. But for pleasure give me Shakespeare or the King James version.

What on earth is this strange looking place October seems to have slipped by without my noticing ... Just popped in to wish all a Merry (not too 'merry' perhaps) Xmas As for cricket ... speaking as an expert ... you will find me in Wisden, but I refuse to say which years ... yes, as to cricket ... I am speechless. Gotta gird up our loins and all that ... Anyway happy Xmas all. P.S. Hey Steve what a pleasure to find you in here. You, buddy boy, are an asset to any self-respecting forum. Have a pint of scrumpy.

These veg are supposedly popular for Xmas, certainly in GB. They are of course one of the few seasonal veg here and have become traditional. Me and 'Her' don't like them much. Too difficult to find good ones and then cook them just right. Boiled and slightly salted seems to be the norm. Served with a good white sauce is not bad but does not seem to go well with the rest of the Xmas Dinner. I have heard them referred to recently as 'green sludge". Others grow them in their own garden from their preferred seed and swear by them. So what do those of you who follow the tradition think of them, and how do you cook and serve them. Any help to make this readily available veg edible will be gratefully received!

Sorry jnecros -I noticed this post when I looked in yesterday to apologise for absence till October, and thought I had better deal with it even though it is two months past. When you are so accustomed to the elder that grows here, it is easy to forget that America is somewhat different, to put it mildly! The European Elder is 'Sambucus nigra' and grows up to 30ft high. The American is 'Sambucus canadensis' and only grows to about 12ft high, according to our book. The general properties seem much the same, but with the american elder in particular you should not eat or chew any raw parts of the fresh plant ... they can cause poisoning. Infusions and syrups made with the flowers and berries are OK. Cooked berries are commonly used in pies, tarts, jam, as well as syrups. All sorts of medicinal benefits from the proper use of the flowers and berries, and even the bark and root. Laxative effects too apparently, though I have not noticed this particularly, and I use a small amount of the flower syrup nearly everyday in summer as a refreshing drink. In winter the syrup made from the berries makes a great hot drink and is useful for tired throats and against colds. Be glad to hear how your syrup turned out. Keep it in a cool place or in the fridge.

Hi all Just a brief apology for absence from both forums (fora, fori, forumses?). Various causes, but illness is not one of them, so far! Pressure of 'work', changing servers, absence on 'holiday' (if you can call them that, cutting up fallen trees, stripping branches, building retaining walls, etc...), lack of access to the internet, and choral concert preparation and rehearsals June, September and early October. Hope to be back in 'action' somewhere about mid-October. Sadly missing you all ...(brave smile) and what a carry on I had getting in to apologise ... had to get a new password and all... See you October.

That's an interesting construction Chattius, but I will have to come back to it tomorrow - weekly shop then choir now. Not back till after 2300.