Thread 12 - TalkLair: “I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.”

[Kucinghitam]

(Previous thread 11).

The days are gradually growing longer, but the worst of the winter weather is not yet behind us. In the TalkLair, we remain hunkered down keeping cosy and warm. The hearth is glowing, the walls covered in dubious artwork, books by non-approved authors line the shelves, rugs are down on the floors (and assorted pets curled up on them).

We just won’t mention the gnawed bones of our prey over there in the corner of the cave…

I’d forgotten about the apple bobbing!

I like the sound of the hazelnut one, my future husband in a pile of cinders.

Out of the hazelnut ash
I rise with my red hair
and I eat men like air

There are some very strange Halloween traditions there! I don’t think I’ve heard of any of them before.

Yes...

duc748 · Yesterday 23:05

Woo hey! Wigan are world champions!

Are you a Pie Man?

Geographically.

I was brought up with the 'throw apple peel over your shoulder to get the initial of your future spouse' thing. The peel has to be the whole peel of the apple in a continuous strip.

Girls at school did the' tapping the end of the stem on the apple to get the initial' thing. Shocking heretical behavior altogether.

The peel has to be the whole peel of the apple in a continuous strip.

In that case I don’t stand a chance!

It was a challenge, even with a peeler - using a knife, forget it. Better to eat the peel and let the initial remain a mystery.

I'd be nervous in case it landed with an initial that was neither DH1 or DH2.

M? Who's that? What's going to happen to DH2? Do I even want a DH3?

I tried the apple jabbing. I’m not sure how to interpret it.

It's means you're going to marry an apple.

I think the jabbing is while saying the alphabet - 1 jab per letter, and the one the breaks through is the answer - rather than the jabs making a pattern.

That sounds more logical. Although it's going to make the first few letters much more likely. Poor Xander, Yusef and Zebedee won't get a look in.

Is anyone called Zebedee these days?

The only one I can think of offhand is Zebedee (Zeb) Soanes, who used to be a newsreader/continuity announcer on Radio 4.

I remember Zebedee Tring . . .

Are they younger Zebedees? It would seem odd for anyone born after 1965 and up to about 1980.

Hurrah for @duc748's Wigan success.

And am very much enjoying the segue into other cultural fruit-based romantic predictions

According to Wikipedia, Zeb Soanes was born in 1976. His father was a Methodist minister, which may explain something though I know not what.

Zebedee Tring dates back at least to when I was a child in the 60s and he wasn't young then!

Blimey, never heard of either of them so maybe need to pay more attention.

duc748 · Today 12:04

Geographically.

Do you know Black Rod? My nan was from there.

Well, Zebedee Tring was a very, very minor character in The Archers who I didn't remember until @DeanElderberry mentioned him. I still don't remember him in any conventional sense of the word "remember" - just the absurd name.

Yesterday, I took my daughter to the Sunderland Empire, to see Aladdin. I thought it was a panto, but it's the stage production of the Disney animation. I quite enjoyed it, it was very slick, but more singing than is to my taste. It would have been the second one I've been to, the previous one being Rapunzel, in 2019, which I also enjoyed.

I met an old pal, who I haven't seen in many years, she used to rent my spare room. She has a son who's just turned 8, I heard that she was pregnant, but couldn't get in touch with her and gave up.

Daughter thought she was way cool, 6' 1" with blonde spiky hair.

I'm going to try some of those fruit based divination thingys and see if there's a husband in my future.

In other news, me and Mrs Pike have had a lovely Sunday, we went dogging!

https://www.facebook.com/Tendercaredogs and saw a lot of lovely dogs. So many great dogs needing homes and people are still resorting to puppy farms. After we went dogging we visited a reptile/bird sanctuary thingy in Lanchester and saw some great birds (I am NOT a fan of reptiles, Komodo Dragons are my least favourite animals). My favouritest bird was a stunning Eagle Owl, it was massive!

@duc748 - I watched the rugby this morning as the BBC has it on iPlayer. Talk about going down to the wire at the end! Congratulations to the VAR ref. 😆