Margaret Hale Academy of Tea-Pouring & Wallpaper Selection at the University of Milton Northern

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Welcome to our new common room which, as you would expect, is decorated in impeccable taste (despite the limited choice of wallpapers available in Milton Northern). Above the marble mantelpiece hangs a portrait of the Vice-Chancellor of the University. As we recline elegantly on the chaise longue, we partake of tea and ratafia biscuits and discuss the works of Plato, although in the evening the finest wines and Polish cordials may be served.

I have got all 3 series to watch! Now I just need to figure out how to get Mr S out of the house for an extended period of time !

Tomorrow and Friday are tricky for me, although could manage a late kick-off Friday if that's the general verdict. Or is it next week? In which case I'm in all the time as far as I know at the moment.

Dunno, Twiggy. We were discussing Mr Darcy (as you do) when someone mentioned a previously unknown (to me) Darcy - David Rintoul (who he? Ed) - so I introduced some other notable cravat-wearers to the discussion. Any excuse, eh?

As you know, I'll attend a party any day of the week.

::asks Dixon to iron her best crinoline::

Mmm how nice, time to watch PSM and knights, bitey or otherwise. My morning on my own was sabotaged. A slight matter of over-indulgence in pizza, yesterday, during the elephant stampede play-date.

However, I am available to partay any time except next weekend. Oh boy, am I available if we are having special guests of the dark and six foot two, eyes of blue persuasion.

PS. the Gizzy cake was a nice try I always think he is good enough to eat - but as I said before, the lurid blue icing is a bit off-putting.

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Woo hop heading off Ito town, don't forget to waveform me Maud!

Woo hoo heading off into town now, don't forget to wave to me Maud!

Second one was correct!

::collapses on Maud's chaise longoo::

::necks bottle of polish cordial::

::necks bottle of ratafia::

Oh

My

Word

Study task 1 of Darkness of Garb, Darkness of Heart: Black Leather as the Exemplification of Moral Complexity in Robin Hood is completed.

I am incoherent with lust already.

Hmm. Methinks the incoherence may be in some small way connected with your consumption of Polish cordial and ratafia, LadyDamerel. Are you ready to move on to the second study task?

Get your motor running, Head out on the highway: Presentiments of biker culture in 12th century Nottamun.

::Budges up next to LadyDamerel on the chaise longoo and waves at Small as she rushes past::

::sits up weakly::

1 episode, a mere 55 minutes with fairly minimal exposure to the black leather clad one and I am swooning.

This is bad. This is very bad. I need survival techniques to help me through the next 38 episodes.

::collapses back into Maud's sustaining arms::

I can appreciate, LadyDamerel, that if you are wont to spend your time with regency gentlemen and their ladies, the leather-clad one must come as quite a shock. How old are your progeny? Can you pass any of this off as being for their educational benefit?

As for survival techniques, you will have surmised from this thread and its embarrassingly high number of predecessors that Polish cordial, chateau Gisborne, ratafia biscuits, an industrial-sized fan and smelling salts can all play their part. Or one might confide in a sympathetic and attentive friend.

Maud's medieval biker pic always gets my motor running. The way the light runs up his leg is particularly thudworthy artistic.

Lady D, how deightful to see that you too, appreciate dear Gizzy's charms. He needs all the luurve he can get, after having his self-esteem pounded by that stupid girl.

::Peers over lorgnette::

These things aren't accidental, y'know, Massive.

What things, Maudie?

The selection of research materials which, through their use of chiaroscuro and light and shade, get your motor running show the contrasts and contradictions within the character of Messire Gisborne.

The MasterDamerels are 7.6 and 4.6 and MissDamerel is 6 next month. I was accompanied in my studies by MasterDamerel1 who was as transfixed as I was, albeit with quite a different element of the syllabus. Therefore I have a cast iron excuse for viewing. How to explain the smelling salts, industrial fan and suspiciously bright cheeks to LordD is a difficulty I have not yet overcome.

Lady D - I take it you also had a pleasant surprise on your doorstep this morning?

I have no idea when I'm going to have the chance to watch them though. The package is currently hidden stored at the back of the cupboard under the stairs.

Yesterday, Spiro but it languished unopened until LordD took himself off to Norfolk this morning.

Aha! Got it, Maud

BTW did anybody notice that bit in the recent interview where the Man told us all about Thorin's even bigger sword?

Lady D, so nice to hear you have such discerning offspring.

I am ashamed to say that I neglected to read that interview, Massive, as (I assumed) it made no reference to cravats. But I am glad to hear that Thorin may be likely to float your boat offer many further opportunities for admiring the blacksmith's art.

Then you missed the bit about him not wanting Heinz to be a man of only two varieties dimensions. That made me too.

Indeed I did. I still don't feel enthusiastic about Captain America but at least the tailoring looks good.

Oh poo. It's impossible to select just one photo -it's the one with Herr K and his Luger that I was referring to.

Who could be truly enthusiastic about a film about a comic book except spotty teenage boys and great grown men with a big bald spots and pony-tails, who should know better?

I can just imagine the prodoocer bloke saying, WTF, he's supposed to be two dimensional, so just do the accent and the lip curl and have done with it.

I have promised to take MasterDamerel1 to see it, although I think I may also take my Kindle and just watch the bits with Heinz Kruger .

I also have to admit to being less than enthusiastic about the Hobbit film. I have tried so many times to read the book and I just can't. Although the promise of a very big sword may just get me there.....

Quite, but (see my comments passim) I do think that a double-breasted suit can go a long way to compensate for any deficiencies in the plot or characterisation. Military uniform and medals may be even better.

::sits back and waits::