Hello dear readers, Just a quick newsletter this week and I’m even going to use subheadings to add to the speedy feel of it… Watching: In the comments to last week’s newsletter, Nancy mentioned Lego Masters Australia. Left alone for the rest of my life with nothing but a television for entertainment, I still probably wouldn’t have picked this out, but as Nancy has introduced me to so many of my favourite things I was ready to take a chance. And reader, it is glorious. It’s basically The Great British Bake-Off, but for Lego building. Only better. I think partly because the contestants work in teams, and that dynamic is almost as compelling as the construction itself. From the two softly-spoken men who work on an oil rig, to a teenage boy and his grandmother, there’s just something curiously uplifting about seeing people working brilliantly together. And the things they build are breathtaking. I never excelled at Lego when my children were young and don’t really have any interest now…but somehow that’s irrelevant. It’s just the most wonderful show. And as Nancy told me, it absolutely MUST be the Australian edition, because the presenter adds so much with his dry (but very kind) sense of humour. It’s on All 4 (still Channel 4 in my head), so littered with ad breaks, but they’ve proved quite useful as there’s always so much to discuss. Thank you Nancy - you’ve done it again 👏💛🙏.
I can’t tell you how delighted I am to have finally found a fellow Lego Masters Australia fan! I have celebrated by treating myself to the gorgeous British bird advent calendar, which is pleasing in SO many ways (the absence of glitter being right at the top of the list). Thank you x
I grew up in Tunbridge Wells- 60’s/70’s and there were at least three good independent bookshops. In the High Street was Goulden and Curry’s, a family firm, I went to senior school with one of the grand daughters. It was where my mother took us to spend any book tokens we were given. I can see it now, children’s section up a winding staircase, very knowledgeable bookseller whose recommendation’s were always spot on and I still have many of the books brought there.
I now live down on the coast in East Sussex and since my parents have died and we sold the family house I never go to T Wells. So lovely to hear that once again a bookshop has found its home there.
I'm going to have to give the Lego show a go, because it seems so improbable that you would love it! By the way, there's a trick for the ads on the Channel 4 website: start the show, and *as soon as* the opening adverts are finished, click on the time bar to somewhere beyond the final ad break; let the programme play a little bit (which it should do *without* showing any more ads), then reload the page; now, when you restart, you should be able to drag the time bar right back to the start of the show and watch it all the way through ad-free. You do have to be careful not to get spoilers when you click forward!
For something to watch without that faffing about, I can recommend Soul (on Disney+); we watched it because we'd heard all the bits where someone plays an instrument are very accurately animated, which they are (even trombone, which is the most counterintuitive instrument!), and it was just a lovely movie all round.
You should be collecting commission from Molly Lemon because I've just bought 2 of the bird thingies - one for myself (can't remember the last time I had an advent calendar) and one for my similarly bird-obsessed parents.
I can’t tell you how delighted I am to have finally found a fellow Lego Masters Australia fan! I have celebrated by treating myself to the gorgeous British bird advent calendar, which is pleasing in SO many ways (the absence of glitter being right at the top of the list). Thank you x
I grew up in Tunbridge Wells- 60’s/70’s and there were at least three good independent bookshops. In the High Street was Goulden and Curry’s, a family firm, I went to senior school with one of the grand daughters. It was where my mother took us to spend any book tokens we were given. I can see it now, children’s section up a winding staircase, very knowledgeable bookseller whose recommendation’s were always spot on and I still have many of the books brought there.
I now live down on the coast in East Sussex and since my parents have died and we sold the family house I never go to T Wells. So lovely to hear that once again a bookshop has found its home there.
I'm going to have to give the Lego show a go, because it seems so improbable that you would love it! By the way, there's a trick for the ads on the Channel 4 website: start the show, and *as soon as* the opening adverts are finished, click on the time bar to somewhere beyond the final ad break; let the programme play a little bit (which it should do *without* showing any more ads), then reload the page; now, when you restart, you should be able to drag the time bar right back to the start of the show and watch it all the way through ad-free. You do have to be careful not to get spoilers when you click forward!
For something to watch without that faffing about, I can recommend Soul (on Disney+); we watched it because we'd heard all the bits where someone plays an instrument are very accurately animated, which they are (even trombone, which is the most counterintuitive instrument!), and it was just a lovely movie all round.
You should be collecting commission from Molly Lemon because I've just bought 2 of the bird thingies - one for myself (can't remember the last time I had an advent calendar) and one for my similarly bird-obsessed parents.
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