Merlin — Series 5: Episode 9 — With All My Heart

Arthur — Bradley James

Merlin — Colin Morgan

 Wowsa … !

Arthur and Mordred —
 Bradley James and Alexander Vlahos

Or, at least I think it’s possibly a Wowsa …

The Dolmìr — Colin Morgan

Guinevere and Arthur —
Angel Coulby and Bradley James

 Actually, possibly not: now I come to think of it.

Mordred and Merlin —
Alexander Vlahos and Colin Morgan

I’d better get explaining, hadn’t I … ?

Yes, I think I should.

~~~~~

It’s Saturday.   You’d noticed, hadn’t you?   At least, if you hadn’t I’d like to know why … !

That means I’m usually watching something.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ve already worked out I’ve been watching the BBC and Shine version of Merlin from series 1: right up to tonight’s episode.

Episode 9, of series five, called With All My Heart: just so you know.

And I have to admit: I liked it … 

~~~~~

With All My Heart opens with as Guinevere sneaks out of Camelot, late one night, to deliver the planned route of a delivery to Morgana.

The twist to the opener … is that Gwen’s being observed by Arthur: accompanied by Merlin.

And Arthur, on finding out the traitor in the heart of Camelot is his wife … 

Is OBVIOUSLY not happy.

Though, as Merlin points out, there’s an alternative to using a sword.

Although — as the episode progresses — Arthur’s decision to seek help for his bewitched queen is not as easy as one would imagine.

It definitely tests Merlin’s abilities to wear a frock … … … … 

~~~~~

Now … 

I’m hearing you ask if this was a good episode … ?

Yes, it was, frankly: although the opening pre-title sequence has something of a plot hole — in NOT explaining how Arthur has been made aware of his wife’s treachery, in the space of a week — the whole episode rolls along at a nice pace.

Actually, at a superb pace!

Complete with enough tension to certainly have me nibbling my nails.

And, although it brings the Guinevere as traitor storyline to a neat close, in the run up to the last ever episode, it does so in a way I personally found very satisfying.

Thus far … ?

Thus far, Merlin’s last series is proving worth of its name.

The Daily Teaser — 1-12-2012

You know, I think there’s an irony, there, somewhere.

I’ve got Radio 4’s Today programme on: doing its usual highlighting of various serious subjects.

But they have done their usual review of the papers.

Rounded out by mentioning one or two of the papers — on the very eve of World AIDS Day — that the Duchess of Cambridge happens to like a game or two of hockey … 

Yeah … 

There’s an irony, there … somewhere … 

Let’s get moving on, shall we?

««·»»

With Debbi off travelling, yesterday’s teaser was quiet: with no-one putting in their answers.

So let’s see how you do with today’s Teaser: here it is, along with the ‘How To’, License and video … 

Q1) 1st December is World AIDS Day: what is AIDS an acronym for … ?

Q2) What’s the name of the virus that causes AIDS … ?

Q3) What’s the most frequent form of AIDS infection: mother-to-child, contaminated body fluids or sexual infection.

Q4) In which year of the 1960s was the first confirmed case of AIDS … ?

Q5) And finally … in which year did Rock Hudson die as a result of AIDS … ?

And here’s yesterday’s questions Saint Andrew’s Day questions and answers …

Q1) 30th November is — famously — Saint Andrews Day, the feast of the patron saint of Scotland.   Ironically, he’s traditionally considered the first bishop of where: Rome, Byzantium or Jerusalem … ?   A1) Byzantium.   (Which is why the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople consider him their saint.)

Q2) Which Roman Catholic cathedral in Scotland claims to have some of the saints’s relics … ?   A2) Saint Mary’s, in Edinburgh.

Q3) As we’re being Scottish, what’s Scotland’s capital city … ?   A3) Edinburgh.

Q4) Who’s Scotland’s current First Minister … ?   A4) Alex Salmond.

Q5) The Scottish flag — or Cross of Saint Andrew — is also known as what … ?   A5) The Saltiré.

Q6) And finally … what’s the largest Scottish island … ?   A6) Lewis and Harris.

Enjoy those: I’ll leave you with this quote from Martin Amis.

“In the end one cannot avoid the conclusion that AIDS unites certain human themes — homosexuality, sexual disease, and death — about which society actively resists enlightenment. These are things that we are unwilling to address or even think about. We don’t want to understand them. We would rather fear them.”Martin Amis, in 1985’s “Making Sense of AIDS”

And with the last song Freddie Mercury recorded with Queen* … 

*        Personally … ?   I grew up thinking very well of of both the band: and its members.   AND its material.   I was extremely saddened when Freddie died: and found the video for Those Were The Days Of Our Lives extremely hard to watch.

The Friday Question Set — 30-11-2012

Well, THAT’S a bonus: I’ve just had the plumber down to check on the washing machine … !

It seems that PART of the problem was some pipes I’d not screwed in tightly enough.

And a faulty stopcock, at the other end … !

Alleluia … !

This means two things.

Firstly … ?   I can get stuff clean without flooding the kitchen.

And secondly, I can clean my underwear.

Sheer BLISS, that … !

But let’s get moving onwards, shall we?

After all, it IS Friday.

~~~~~

And, as regular readers will tell you, that means the Friday Question Set.

Here it is, along with the usual Creative Commons License … 

Online 180   

ROUND ONE.   GENERAL KNOWLEDGE.

Q1) What is the name for a scene in a play, with only ONE actor?   

A1) A monologue.

Q2) Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was married to who?   

Q2) Queen Victoria.

Q3) What is usually kept in a bandbox?   

A3) A hat.

Q4) In tennis, how is the score of 40 all known?   

A4) Deuce.

Q5) Singer and gardener Kim Smith is better known how?   

A5) Kim Wilde.

Q6) Which organisation formed its first troop in Glasgow, in 1908: the Boy Scouts, the Boys Brigade or the Salvation Army?   

A6) The Boy Scouts.

Q7) Who was the first British PM to take office four times: William Gladstone, Benjamin Disraeli or Margaret Thatcher?   

A7) Gladstone.

Q8) What word can go before ‘cup’, ‘scotch’ and ‘fly’?   

A8) Butter.

Q9) Where does a hydrophyte plant live?   

A9) In water.

Q10) Who or what, does the Blue Cross Charity provide aid to?   

A10) Animals.

ROUND TWO.   BODY PARTS.   

Q11) Which is the largest internal organ in the human body?   

A11) The liver.

Q12) What is the clavicle better known as?   

A12) The collarbone.

Q13) In Greek mythology, which beast had a woman’s head and a lion’s body?   

A13) The Sphinx.

Q14) Which English queen said “I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a King”?   

A14) Elizabeth 1.

Q15) Which part of the body is technically called the hallux?   

A15) The big toe.

Q16) What is the light-sensitive part of the eye called?   

A16) The retina.

Q17) Which gland produces insulin within the body?   

A17) The pancreas. 

Q18) What are a person’s eye teeth otherwise known as?   

A18) Canines. 

Q19) How much skin does an average male adult human have: 10 square feet, 20 square feet or 30 square feet?   

A19) 30.

Q20) How many pairs of chromosomes are there in a human cell?   

A20) 23.

ROUND THREE.   MILITARY MATTERS.   

Q21) Which army rank is the most senior: Captain, Lieutenant or Major?   

A21) Major

Q22) In which war was the Battle of Marston Moor fought?   

A22) The English Civil War.

Q23) Which naval weapon was invented by Robert Whitehead in 1866?   

A23) The torpedo.

Q24) Which organisation publishes The War Cry?   

A24) The Salvation Army.

Q25) Who replaced Sir John French as commander of the British Expeditionary Force in 1914?   

A25) Douglas Haig.

Q26) In which war did Leo Tolstoy fight?   

A26) The Crimean War.

Q27) William Shakespeare’s play Troilus and Cressida is set against the background of which war?   

A27) The Trojan War.

Q28) With which country did the UK fight the Cod War in the 1960s?   

A28) Iceland.

Q29) Gavrilo Princip, the man who assassinated Franz Ferdinand and triggered World War I, died how: by hanging, cyanide-poisoning or tuberculosis?   

A29) Tuberculosis.

Q30) Which king hid in an oak tree after the Battle of Worcester?   

A30) Charles II.   The original oak, at Boscobel House, died after tourists removed many of its branches as souvenirs. Its replacement was badly damaged by a storm in 2000, so a new sapling, grown from an acorn from the old tree, was planted by Prince Charles in 2001.

ROUND FOUR.   ROUND THE WORLD.   

Q31) What, in a German town, is the Rathaüs?   

A31) The town hall.

Q32) Motorists in Thailand drive on the left: true or false?   

A32) True

Q33) Of which country is Tallinn the capital?   

A33) Estonia

Q34) To which country does Easter Island belong?   

A34) Chile

Q35) On what island was Freddie Mercury born?   

A35) Zanzibar

Q36) What is the capital of Uruguay?   

A36) Montevideo

Q37) Which city is serviced by the John O’Hare airport?   

A37) Chicago

Q38) Who wanted to know the way to San Jose in 1968?   

A38) Dionne Warwick.

Q39) In which continent do the Berbers live?   

A39) Africa

Q40) In which country may be found the stone-cut city of Petra?   

A40) Jordan.

ROUND FIVE.   TOONS.   

Q41) What was Mickey Mouse’s original name: Mortimer, Mohammed or Michelle?   

A41) Mortimer Mouse.

Q42) Which Disney cartoon character provided a nickname for prime minister Tony Blair?   

A42) Bambi.

Q43) Who provided the voice of Bugs Bunny?   

A43) Mel Blanc.

Q44) Which was the first cartoon character to attract the attention of the censors?   

A44) Betty Boop.

Q45) In which cartoon series did Officer Charlie Dibble appear?   

A45) Top Cat: also known in the UK as Boss Cat.

Q46) Which actor provided the voice for Shere Khan in the Disney version of The Jungle Book?   

A46) George Sanders.

Q47) Who created the cartoon character Charlie Brown?   

A47) Charles M. Schulz.

Q48) With which cartoon character is the catch-phrase ‘Yabba-dabba-doo!’ associated?   

A48) Fred Flintstone.

Q49) Who created Tom and Jerry?   

A49) William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.

Q50) What was the name of the cavemen-racers in Wacky Races?    

A50) The Slag Brothers, Rock and Gravel, in  the Boulder-mobile.   Formula One ace Michael Schumacher was nicknamed Dick Dastardly after the character in Wacky Races on account of both his prominent chin and his employment of ruthless tactics on the track against other drivers.

ROUND SIX.   GENERAL IGNORANCE.   

Q51) Which boxing film won the Best Film Oscar, in 1976?   

A51) Rocky.

Q52) Henry the 8th was named Defender of which faith?   

A52) Roman Catholic.

Q53) Which native people prefer to be known as Kooris?   

A53) Australian Aboriginals.

Q54) True or False: Casanova was expelled from school, for alleged homosexuality?   

A54) True.

Q55) What’s the first name of President Barack Obama’s wife?   

A55) Michelle.

Q56) Anita Roddick founded which shop?   

A56) The Body Shop.

Q57) De Exorcismis et Supplicationibus Quibusdam is the official document describing which Roman Catholic ritual?   

A57) The Rite Of Exorcism

.

Q58) Which model became the face of L’Oreal, in 1998?   

A58) Kate Moss.

Q59) Papyrus was an early form of which everyday item?   

A59) Paper.

Q60) How many packs of cards do you need for a game of canasta?   

A60) Two.

Enjoy that lot, folks: comments are, of course, appreciated … !

The Daily Teaser — 30-11-2012: Saint Andrew’s Day

Hmmm … Looks like Leveson’s managed to put the cat amongst the proverbial pigeon,

The report’s suggested the UK’s press be regulated by a watchdog: one that’s supported by statute.

Which is getting official support from both the Opposition, AND the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg.

And is notionally opposed by the PM.

This could be interestingly messy … 

~~~~~

But let’s get moving on, shall we?

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Debbi putting in her answers: and, along with suggesting a few more potential titlesº, ALSO managing to bag — hmm — let’s call it 5½ out of 6*.

Let’s see how she — and you — do with today’s themed questions, shall we?   Here they are, along with the ‘How To’, License and video … 

Q1) 30th November is — famously — Saint Andrews Day, the feast of the patron saint of Scotland.   Ironically, he’s traditionally considered the first bishop of where: Rome, Byzantium or Jerusalem … ?

Q2) Which Roman Catholic cathedral in Scotland claims to have some of the saints’s relics … ?

Q3) As we’re being Scottish, what’s Scotland’s capital city … ?

Q4) Who’s Scotland’s current First Minister … ?

Q5) The Scottish flag — or Cross of Saint Andrew — is also known as what … ?

Q6) And finally … what’s the largest Scottish island …

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 29th November, 1929, saw Admiral Richard Byrd become the first person to overfly what … ?

A1) The South Pole.

Q2) 43 years later, 29th November, 1972, saw the release of Pong: by which US company … ?

A2) Atari.

Q3) More to the point, that company’s name mean’s what, in English … ?

A3) Attack, or warning.  (It’s from the Japanese game of Go, and roughly equivalent to Check, in Chess.)

Q4) Moving on … 29th November, 1890, saw Japan’s parliament go into force.   What’s the name of the Japanese Parliament … ?

A4) The National Diet, or Kokkai (国会).

Q5) 29th November saw the UN Partition of Palestine: in which year of the 1940s?

A5) 1947.

Q6) And finally … 29th November, 1781, saw the crew of the Zong drown 133 — or 142, depending on who you ask — African slaves.   Why?

A6) For the insurance money.   (The mind boggles.)

Enjoy those, everyone.

I’ll leave you with a line from the Bard of Ayrshire, shall I … ?

“My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here; 
My heart’s in the Highlands a-chasing the deer.”   

Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet. 25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796

And with some of Scotland’s finest, and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band’s finest …

Oh, and let’s throw in some identical twins, shall we?

Talking of twins … 

And lastly … Let’s have some Hibernian funk … 

*        I know, I know, Debbi!   I was always taught the term translated into something along the lines of ‘attack’: very approximately, I should add!   But I’m BLOWED if I can find the reference … !

º        Actually, Debbi … How about The Techno~Innocent’s Guide to Publishing … ?   Gives a bit more positive spin on the title … 

The Daily Teaser — 29-11-2012

You know, I have to admit, the Leveson Report get’s published, today.

Which, just in case you didn’t know, is the report — from one of Britain’s highest judges — into press standards in the UK: after various of the country’s papers were hacking phones, amongst other assorted misdemeanours.

I’m aware that the editor of The Guardian seemed to be against statutory regulation: his point was that murder was basically illegal, but that this didn’t stop people.   Which strikes me as an absurd argument.

After all, having some form of regulation/murder legislation doesn’t mean murder — or press intrusion — stops.   It just means there’s a punishment available if it happens.

Right … rant over.   Let’s get moving on, shall we?

~~~~~

Yesterday’s Teaser saw both Trevor and Debbi putting in their answers.   With Trevor bagging 6º out of 6 and Debbi bagging 5, it also saw Trevor mentioning — in one answer — that Tennessee has a town called Brentwood, and Debbi telling us — via THIS post — she’s both prepping up for a speech she has to give, AND thinking of writing a book*.

Let’s see how they — and you — do with today’s Teaser, shall we?   Here’s those questions, along with the ‘How To’, License and video … 

Q1) 29th November, 1929, saw Admiral Richard Byrd become the first person to overfly what … ?

Q2) 43 years later, 29th November, 1972, saw the release of Pong: by which US company … ?

Q3) More to the point, that company’s name mean’s what, in English … ?

Q4) Moving on … 29th November, 1890, saw Japan’s parliament go into force.   What’s the name of the Japanese Parliament … ?

Q5) 29th November saw the UN Partition of Palestine: in which year of the 1940s?

Q6) And finally … 29th November, 1781, saw the crew of the Zong drown 133 — or 142, depending on who you ask — African slaves.   Why?

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 28th November, 1925, saw the initial broadcast of the Grand Ole Opry, in the US.   But in which US state … ?

A1) Tennessee.

Q2) More to the point, it was originally broadcast as the WSM … what … ?

A2) Barn Dance.

Q3) Moving on … 28th November, 1987, saw the birth of which former Dr Who girl … ?

A3) Amy Pond, herself, Karten Gillan.

Q4) 28th November, 1660, saw the original founding of the Royal Society.   Its current HQ is in which part of London: St James’, St James’ Park or Piccadilly … ?

A4) St James’.

Q5) 28th November, 1958, saw Gabon, Chad and the Republic of the Congo become autonomous parts of which country’s empire … ?

A5) France’s.

Q6) And finally … 28th November, 1943, saw the Tehran conference of Allied Leaders take place.   Name any of the three leaders, there … 

A6) Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin and Franklin D Roosevelt.

Enjoy those.

I’ll leave you with this song, in memory of the late George Harrison, who died today in 2001 …

And with this thought from C. S. Lewisª …

“The Value of myth is that it takes all the things you know and restores to them the rich significance which has been hidden by the veil of familiarity.”

C. S. Lewis,  29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963

*        Actually, Debbi, how does Indie Goes Bananas sound, as a title … ?   Or The Love Indie … ?   Indie-Anna Wants Me … ?   INDIE: Fully Loaded … ?   I’m not helping, am I … ?

º        Hang on, Trevor, there’s a a Brentwood in Tennessee … ?   We have an excuse to buy stetsons … 

ª        It’s also — with variations — a thought I’ve heard from JRR Tolkien, Terry Pratchett, Gene Roddenberry, Storm Constantine, Julian May†: fill the rest in yourself … !

†        Who famously said words to the effect of “Science fiction will stop be relevant, only when humanity stops using it’s brain!”