Toby Atkin-Wright

Beth was doing a jigsaw puzzle of the British Isles this afternoon. It features pictures of things associated with each area of the country; a golfer for St Andrews, Robin Hood for Nottingham, and so on.

“Look, there’s Stonehenge,” I said, “It was in that Doctor Who story you watched last year.”

“Oh yes!” she replied, “The Stones of Blood.”

Near enough, I suppose.

Beth was doing a jigsaw puzzle of the British Isles this afternoon. It features pictures of things associated with each area of the country; a golfer for St Andrews, Robin Hood for Nottingham, and so on.

“Look, there’s Stonehenge,” I said, “It was in that Doctor Who story you watched last year.”

“Oh yes!” she replied, “The Stones of Blood.”

Near enough, I suppose.

What a wonderfully scary episode of Doctor Who! We watched it this morning after breakfast, and Beth was so scared that I think she kept her eyes closed for most of the episode. Which I guess is quite inappropriate, given the subject matter.

River Song is an appealing character, and I’m looking forward to seeing how her story unfolds. I liked the explanations for why the new-Who TARDIS flight is so bumpy, and why the TARDIS makes its groaning sound as it materialises. The cleric-soldiers worked well; Iain Glen had some good lines and sold them well. And the angels were just as terrifying as they should be.

I think I’ll keep it on the box, so we can re-watch it before the second part of the story next week. Thankfully, having recorded it from BBC HD, we didn’t experience the ghastly overlaid trailer at the end of the episode that others have been complaining about.

What a wonderfully scary episode of Doctor Who! We watched it this morning after breakfast, and Beth was so scared that I think she kept her eyes closed for most of the episode. Which I guess is quite inappropriate, given the subject matter.

River Song is an appealing character, and I’m looking forward to seeing how her story unfolds. I liked the explanations for why the new-Who TARDIS flight is so bumpy, and why the TARDIS makes its groaning sound as it materialises. The cleric-soldiers worked well; Iain Glen had some good lines and sold them well. And the angels were just as terrifying as they should be.

I think I’ll keep it on the box, so we can re-watch it before the second part of the story next week. Thankfully, having recorded it from BBC HD, we didn’t experience the ghastly overlaid trailer at the end of the episode that others have been complaining about.

An entertaining F1 this morning. Lots of overtaking, drama in the pit lane, and rain. Oh yes, F1 is truly at its best when the rain falls.

After lunch, Beth, Andrew, and I watched yesterdays Doctor Who. There are disparate opinions being expressed online about this episode. I liked it a lot. The setting and characters were excellent, and the I thought the story worked quite well. Beth loved the multi-coloured Daleks.

Kate is off at Costco in Aberdeen today. Kate and Jill do an occasional shopping run there; Beth and I weren’t allowed to go as they need every bit of space in the car for purchases. I wonder what we’ll end up with this time? We still have several packs of haloumi in the fridge, leftover from the multipack that Kate bought months ago.

It is good to see that LJ is now supporting Google Analytics. Mind you, it doesn’t appear to be working, but I’m sure it will get sorted out soon.

An entertaining F1 this morning. Lots of overtaking, drama in the pit lane, and rain. Oh yes, F1 is truly at its best when the rain falls.

After lunch, Beth, Andrew, and I watched yesterdays Doctor Who. There are disparate opinions being expressed online about this episode. I liked it a lot. The setting and characters were excellent, and the I thought the story worked quite well. Beth loved the multi-coloured Daleks.

Kate is off at Costco in Aberdeen today. Kate and Jill do an occasional shopping run there; Beth and I weren’t allowed to go as they need every bit of space in the car for purchases. I wonder what we’ll end up with this time? We still have several packs of haloumi in the fridge, leftover from the multipack that Kate bought months ago.

It is good to see that LJ is now supporting Google Analytics. Mind you, it doesn’t appear to be working, but I’m sure it will get sorted out soon.

We’ve had Mary to stay for the weekend. Kate’s cold has been improving, and we’ve had a jolly time.

On Saturday we watched “Remembrance of the Daleks” in the morning. There is nothing like a bit of classic Who to start the weekend. Beth enjoyed it a lot. She was amused at the Special Weapons Dalek. The afternoon was spent at the Bonkers playbarn in Cupar where Beth was attending Felicity’s birthday party. On the way home we dropped in on Ian & Liz’s tea and cake party; good company and good cakes. Beth had fun meeting another Beth, and young Elliot. We spent the evening watching “The Nine Tailors”, drinking wine, and eating cheese.

I assisted Andrew with some shopping this morning, then he cooked us lunch. A splendid veggie-sausage casserole, with sundry extras, following by a condensed-milk syllabub to Andrew’s personal recipe (see http://qidane.livejournal.com/175999.html). A triumph.

Then we came home to watch “The Twin Dilemma”, a slice of 1984 not-quite-so-classic Who (although there are worse stories — “Time-Flight” for instance, or “Arc of Infinity”). Now we’re on to another Carmichael Wimsey: “The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club”. Beth has been hosting a tea party for her toys (soft toys and her inflatable Dalek), which involves her eating all the (real) sarnies, jellies, and jam tarts.

We’ve had Mary to stay for the weekend. Kate’s cold has been improving, and we’ve had a jolly time.

On Saturday we watched “Remembrance of the Daleks” in the morning — nothing like a bit of classic Who to start the weekend. Beth enjoyed it a lot. She was amused at the Special Weapons Dalek. The afternoon was spent at the Bonkers playbarn in Cupar where Beth was attending Felicity’s birthday party. On the way home we dropped in on Ian & Liz’s tea and cake party; good company and good cakes. Beth had fun meeting another Beth, and young Elliot. We spent the evening watching “The Nine Tailors”, drinking wine, and eating cheese.

I assisted Andrew with some shopping this morning, then he cooked us lunch. A splendid veggie-sausage casserole, with sundry extras, following by a condensed-milk syllabub to Andrew’s personal recipe (see http://qidane.livejournal.com/175999.html). A triumph.

Then we came home to watch “The Twin Dilemma”, a slice of 1984 not-quite-so-classic Who (although there are worse stories — “Time-Flight” for instance, or “Arc of Infinity”). Now we’re on to another Carmichael Wimsey: “The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club”. Beth has been hosting a tea party for her toys (soft toys and her inflatable Dalek), which involves her eating all the (real) sarnies, jellies, and jam tarts.

We watched “The Keys of Marinus” this evening, a 1964 6-part Doctor Who serial. Written by Terry Nation, it takes the form of a quest. With each episode having a different setting, supporting cast, and plot resolution (as another key is found), the pace is quite sprightly for a Hartnell serial.

Beth enjoyed it a lot; it maintained her interest throughout (although she was amused at a couple of effects shots), and she was keen to stay up later than her usual bedtime so we could watch the final episodes. Hartnell fumbled a few lines, and there were a few camera wobbles, but broadly it works well. Worth a watch.

We watched “The Keys of Marinus” this evening, a 1964 6-part Doctor Who serial. Written by Terry Nation, it takes the form of a quest. With each episode having a different setting, supporting cast, and plot resolution (as another key is found), the pace is quite sprightly for a Hartnell serial.

Beth enjoyed it a lot; it maintained her interest throughout (although she was amused at a couple of effects shots), and she was keen to stay up later than her usual bedtime so we could watch the final episodes. Hartnell fumbled a few lines, and there were a few camera wobbles, but broadly it works well. Worth a watch.