WEDNESDAY 19 MARCHTHE ORGAN-BUILDERS OF DILWYN
Sue and me went ‘church-bashing’ in Herefordshire and bumped into these lads at the parish church in Dilwyn. I took an interest because (amongst other reasons) Durham City is, of course, a historic centre of the trade. Richard (with the glasses) and Kev had spent a few weeks repairing and rebuilding the church organ and were rightly proud of their rare skills and handiwork. And, after watching them for half an hour or so, I realised why you don’t ‘make’ an organ - you ‘build’ it!
THE SILENT MAJORITY
I second the appeals other truckshunters have made in the last few days and weeks. I know perfectly well that there are a great many listeners and blogreaders out there who are keeping sheepishly quiet. (Yes, I know that should have been ‘there IS a great many....’ but it just doesn’t sound right.) So step forward, silent majority! Make yourselves known. Please? After all, I don’t bite - unless specifically asked to do so.
KEV: AN APPEAL
Kev - I think your word quiz is good and I'd like to use it in a future programme (even though I don't know the answers). Would you be so kind as to refrain from giving the answers? That way, we'll ALL be in the dark when the time comes!
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE BBC: III
Just to prove how complex and confusing my professional life can get.....
Today is Wednesday. After I finished the ‘live’ half-hour at the end of this morning’s Nightshift, I pre-recorded tomorrow’s programme. Later this afternoon I’ll be going back to the Pink Palace to pre-record chapters 5 to 8 of Secrets of the Sea, which will go out on Saturday morning’s programme. (I’ve already recorded chapters 1 to 4; you can hear them on Friday’s programme.)
When I’ve done that, I’ll be recording Friday’s programme later this afternoon. This week, that’s complicated by the fact that there’s no ‘live’ section of the show because Friday is a Bank Holiday; so I’ll need to record straight through to 0630.
Tomorrow - Thursday (St Cuthbert’s Day) - I’ll be pre-recording Saturday’s programme in the morning and Sunday’s in the afternoon. By that time, I’ll be unsure what day it is.
Although there’s no ‘live’ element to Good Friday’s programme, I’ll still need to go into the Pink Palace on Friday to pre-record Monday’s programme, which will also be without its ‘live’ section, Monday also being a Bank Holiday. Getting the picture?
The weekend will be studio-less, though. And, unless the weather picks up, it looks like there’s going to be no egg-rolling down Penshaw Hill, either!
Again, although there’s no ‘live’ half-hour on Monday, I’ll need to go into the Palace that day to pre-record Tuesday’s show - the content of which I am organising now!
I’m sitting here at home surrounded by sheafs (sheaves?) of newspaper and magazine cuttings, great wodges of emails, texts and letters - and wondering which programmes to slot them into and when.
I’m not complaining, you understand. Just explaining - even though you haven’t actually asked for an explanation and are now probably just as confused as I am.
But believe me; I wouldn’t change it for anything. I have the best job in the world and I know it!
TRUCKSHUNTER POSTING
Judging from your astonishigly creative - not to say effusive - outpourings over the last few weeks, I think the time has come for another Truckshunter Posting, don’t you? Perhaps the posting for next Tuesday, 25 March?
Who’s it going to be? Come on - don’t be shy.
CONTACT ME
Post comments on this blog or contact me in any one (or more) of these ways....
ian.robinson@bbc.co.uk
ianstuartrobinson@googlemail.com
text 07786 200954 (while the programme is on-air)
call (between about 0545 and 0630 Monday to Friday) 0191 232 6565
Ian Robinson, The Nightshift, BBC Radio Newcastle, Spital Tongues, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE99 1RN
NOTE
Please bear in mind that the views expressed in this blog are my own and NOT the views of the BBC.
14 comments:
At the risk of starting to sound like uncle Albert in Fools and Horses...As a child I used to provide the wind for the organ at
our local City Mission. (behave yourselves)
It involved lifting a long handle up and down on an old fashioned air pump. There was often more noise from the pump than the organ.
My gran used to be the organist, and sometimes I had to turn her music sheets for her. Woe betide me if I turned over two pages instead of one.
Some of you will remember me saying on March 5th that I had sent Ian something for the front page of the blog. I can only think it has gone missing, so I have sent another one in...totally different subject. Have fingers crossed this time.
hiya sid? do you find you are musical too. lovely little memory.
I remember you saying you,d sent a post in to ian i tried to guess, maybe your allotment was in there somewhere.
as you can see im changing pics every now and again.
change is good as a rest.
OK Ian, point taken - no answers.
So try this
Rebuses are groups of letters, numbers, pictures, etc. that represent words or phrases.
IOU is a kind of rebus, representing the phrase ‘I owe you’.
Most people know a puzzle in the form of a rhyme which starts; ‘YY U R,’ which means ‘Too wise you are . . .’
Try to solve the following rebuses.
Example: Which two letters, followed by a number, sound like a word for a person of any kind?
Answer: N E 1 (which sounds like ‘anyone’).
1. Which two letters of the alphabet sound like: (a) jealously, (b) a climbing plant, (c) a literary composition, (d) a number?
2. How many women’s names (first names) can you create out of groups of letters?
3. Which four letters of the alphabet sound as if they mean ‘Are you all right?’?
4. Which sets of three letters of the alphabet, when spoken aloud, sound like words that mean respectively: (a) a flower; (b) a being; (c) an opponent; (d) vigour?
5. If ‘B 9’ means benign, can you think of:
(a) a letter and a number which sound like ‘earlier’;
(b) two letters and a number which sound like ‘to diverge’;
(c) a letter, a number, another letter and another number which sound like ‘to lessen your guilt’?
6. Solve this rhyming puzzle from A New Collection of Enigmas (1810):
To nothing add ten, with three-fifths of two score,
And let them be join’d by five hundred more;
These rightly combin’d, will give you the name
Of a city that’s high in the annals of fame.
7. Which parts of the world do these two stand for?
C C C C C C C
& E E E
8. Which single letter expresses gratitude?
9. Decipher these rebuses:
ALL 4 1 & 1 4 ALL
D &
G B O
WAR AND PEA
M Y E C
B X
E W D & E D D
THE SAND
10. Devise a rebus to represent the phrase ‘Long time, no see’.
11. Which popular song from 1941 could be symbolized simply by the letter ‘X’?
12. If you find question 9 simple, try to uncover the phrase symbolized by the single letters A, D, S, V, or R.
hiya everyone,
sid ? id advise pinning the polly tunnel down,
freezing here, rain,wind,
its gotta get worse sorry to be the portender of weather doom...
kev good puzzles, i,m trying.
it was heartwarming to hear ian last night.
he said he was proud that a group of listeners dedicated truckshunters had come together even though they,d never met and managed to write a story ....
perry made out of pears sounds lovely, i had a lot of surplus pears last year, so if youve the recipe ian..??
Did you know that sea-coal still gets washed up on Cresswell beach. I used to collect it for my Parkray fire in my greenhouse, but now I just buy it from a local chap. It may not be environmently friendly, but I think I offset my carbon emissions with the plants I grow.
One day a wayward Danish traveller stopped on the cliff top, she asked if we were clearing the beach.
Quick as a flash my pal Walter told her "I pet we are, but only of the coal". Walter has a very strong Geordie dialect, it took me another 5 minutes to translate the meaning to her. I wonder if she remembers us.
hiya, sid? bet its lovely and warm in your greenhouse, parkray?
bet you have comfy armchairs, radio?
bye.
ian? is there any way of knowing how many people visit the blog? and have you figured out audio yet, and id like to know the ins and outs please of sue. how did you meet ect. isnt the organ beautiful.
thanks.
Ian, that's a very complicated life you are leading at the moment, I don't know how you remember what to do next! It made me think though that you must have very,very,very long audio tapes - (do you record onto tapes? maybe not) - anyway, I was wondering where to get them!!
Kev, why are they always so hard?
I have made a start with your Rebuses, but I'm not doing very well, I don't really understand them. And, besides, I am still waiting for you to say "That was a clever girl for working out some of those Hadrian's Wall Anagrams."
The Rebuses must be what text- message language is based on, don't you think? Here are my answers so far .......
1a. NV
1b. IV
1c. SA
1d. Sorry, don't know this one.
3. R.U.O.K.
4c. NME
5a. B4
6. I have got as far as 534 but now don't know what to do with those numbers.
Hopefully, someone else may come up with the rest of the answers, they are quite clever these Truckshunters.
Hi Sid, Maureen, Gilly, Loz,
won't it be strange hearing 'Secrets' on the radio tonight?
Hope everyone has a lovely time over Easter Weekend.
Can anyone remember when it used to be sunny at Easter? Those were the days!
Hildie, can I just say that you are not alone with Kev's little teasers, most times I just look at them and shake my head in shame.
Does anyone know if 'secrets' will be broadcast after the 6:00am spot.I would like to make a recording of it as well.
Take some comfort Hildie that Easter is remarkably early this year, and that the proper Easter time might yet be sunny.
Kev, just thought about this ..... While the rest of us are trying to do the puzzle, I wondered if I dare ask you to work something out for me, if you wouldn't mind. It's a real -life problem , this one!
I don't like travelling on motorways or great big dual carriage-ways, I am trying to find a route from Dipton to Newbiggin that cleverly avoids both. I have no idea which of you would be the best person to ask, but I thought I might as well start with you as you will just be twiddling your thumbs at the moment while you're waiting for our answers! Truly hope you don't mind me asking. My son is the driver, by the way, not me. Many thanks.
Hildie, if Kev doesn't come up with a good route for you to follow, have a look at www.aboutbritain.com/maps/newbiggin-by-the-sea-map.asp
It will start you off at Newbiggin, and maybe you could work backwards towards Dipton. The map allows you to change its scale and move it in all directions.
If you can get yourself into Blyth town center by the 'backroads' then that is half the job done.
I hope this has been of some help.If it hasn't just give us a yell.
Hildie
Sorry to keep you waiting:- That was a clever girl for working out some of those Hadrian's Wall Anagrams
The rebus questions came from the Oxford English Dictionary website, which probably explains its difficulty. Some suggested answers are:-
1. (a) N-V, (b) I-V, (c) S-A, (d) A-T.
2. Some possibilities are K T (Katie), L C (Elsie), and L N (Ellen).
3. R U O K.
4.(a) P N E (peony); (b) N T T (entity); (c) N M E (enemy); (d) N R G (energy).
5.(a) B 4 (before); (b) D V 8 (deviate; (c) X 10 U 8 (extenuate).
6. OXFORD (O + the Roman numeral X for ten + three-fifths of FORty + the Roman numeral D for 500).
7. The Seven Seas; Tripoli (or the Andes).
8. Q (which sounds like thank you).
9. All for one and one for all; damper sand (D + ampersand); bingo (B in GO); to cut a long story short (War and Peace shortened); appendectomy (append E C to M Y); beaten (B + the Roman numeral for ten); wined and dined (W in E D and D in ED); head in the sand.
10. Possibilities are E N T U R Y and E P O H (century and epoch without the ‘C’).
11. Deep in the Heart of Texas (which is the location of the letter ‘X’).
12. Possible answers (there may be thousands of others):
A = the second of JanuAry (or the sixth of FebruAry, or the second of MArch . . .)
D = dauntless aunt (i.e. Daunt less aunt).
S = leiSure centre.
V = the centre of graVity.
R = the bitteR end.
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