The Sights You See When You Haven't Got Your Gun.

That was one of my grandmother's sayings. I always found it rather confusing because I knew very well that she didn't have a gun. She used the phrase when she saw something that she disapproved of, she used it often because she had turned disapproval into a performance art! Other people of her generation used it with a little more humour, to express amusement or incredulity at some of the things they encountered.

I don't go to town very often, so you can imagine my surprise when I encountered a gorilla in the centre of town! It was no ordinary gorilla, it was dressed as a boxer or a wrestler or something of the sort. On closer inspection there was something haunting about his face, it was just a bit too real for comfort. I had to ask Robbie to take a photo for me. I don't know why but it really made me smile - maybe in some way it reminded me of Robbie who knows.

As we walked around the town we came across more wildlife. There was a life size giraffe in the shopping centre and whole herd of very colourful elephants. Elmer the Elephant would have fitted in very will with this techinicolour group! There are even lions in the park - whatever is the world coming to! I am not a great fan of street entertainment etc, but these creatures made me smile and brightened my day. 

Thanks For The Memories

David Croft died a few days ago. This man whose face I would hardly recognise has brought me and countless others considerable pleasure over the years. With Jimmy Perry he created Dads Army, It Ain't Half Hot Mum and Hi-De-Hi. He also co wrote Are You Being Served?, 'Allo 'Allo, Grace and Favour, Oh, Dr Beeching and You Rang M'Lord? David Croft's work brought smiles and laughter to my childhood and the humour continued through my adult life. Oh Dr Beeching was among my favourites, with it's gentle humour and nostalgia for a time past, but my absolute favourite was Dad's Army.

I was only 7 when Dad's Army first came to our screens, I watched it with my Dad and he used to tell me that when he was in the Home Guard he was a bit like Frank Pike, obsessed with the cinema, not quite grown up and burdened with an over protective mother - but my grandma was much more straight laced than Mrs Pike. I remember my dad taking me to see the Dad's Army film as a special treat. It is special because I have so few memories of doing things with my dad. My favourite characters were Joe Walker and Arthur Wilson, I remember feeling so sad when James Beck the actor who played Walker died. Perhaps more than any other comedy Dad's Army has stood the test of time. It is still regularly shown on television and it is still enjoyed by viewers, in fact when I got home this afternoon I turned on the television and found that the Dad's Army film was on. I am sure I laughed as much today as when I first saw it all those years ago. If David Croft and Jimmy Perry had found the secret of successful writing it was perhaps that they wrote about what they knew, they had both been in the army during the second world war. They also understood character, they wrote about real people with strengths, weaknesses and funny little quirks. Their humour did not mock, it recognised the humour in a situation but it respected the strengths and humanity of the characters. 


David Croft has left a legacy of laughter that I am sure will live on for many years to come. Thank you for the memories.

Spell Check 01.12.07

I love the way the spell check occasionally throws up something funny, when I was writing the last journal entry, the spell check wanted to turn Alistair Darling into 'alligator' Darling - that certainly gives him more teeth! It must be a misfortune to have a last name like darling when you want to be taken seriously, and those eyebrows don't help in the credibility stakes! Alligator Darling makes him sound like a character from Peter Pan, but personally I think his rather startling looks make him look like a villain from Thunderbirds.

I rely on the spell check, but I try to be careful because it can easily get you into trouble. Once there was a senior person in the company I worked for called Errol and every time I sent him an email the spell check wanted to change his name to error! There are lots of other examples.