Early Risers.

[Dick Turpin]

This BBC accent thing is nonsense. It says I too have a west London accent, whereas in reality I have a central to west midlands accent. Too few questions to be any use I think. Fun nonetheless though as these things tend to be,

[Judge Dread]

Try this. It got me right.

 

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20180205-which-british-accent-is-closest-to-your-own

It got me too far north. I like monkeys and would never hang one of them! 

[tetsudofan]

Interesting, the accent test says I may come from Suffolk..... and in a way there could be a reason for it saying so. When I was coming up to four years old I was despatched to my grandparents in Lowestoft for six months (whilst my younger brother was making his entry into the world) and when I came back, as well as having a new brother, I'm told I picked quite a Suffolk accent.

 

On thing I can remember from my junior school days (maybe when around 8 or 9 years old) is being asked what we did during our school summer holidays. I said that my grandfather (who was a fitter at Lowestoft Shed) had told me all about the workings of the "vacum" brake but the teacher pointed out that it wasn't "vacum", it was "vacuum". No, I said its "vacum" I said and insisted it was "vacum".

 

Another interesting point is that having worked in Asia for over 30 years mostly working with non-English speaking colleagues I tend to speak, even nowadays, slower than the average native English speaker.

 

Keith

[roundhouse]

Morning from Tacoma. Its still dark outside. Clocks changed here at 2am. Its now one hour closer to the time in the UK for a couple of weeks.

 

We checked in early yesterday to this hotel. Took about 40 minutes as they couldn't find our reservation so they had to call Booking.com whihc took some time to get through. Luckily we had allowed an hour before the car rental time was up. The hotel apologized for the mix up and gave us a suite. Three TV's two bathrooms and two bedrooms. Way more than we needed but its nice.

 

Just a shame that we need ot be out early to catch the Amtrak Talgo to Portland. Plenty more breweries to visit since last time plus a favourite has been refurbished, Rogue in the Pearl district.

 

However we probably wont be drinking as much as yesterday - we couldnt finish the last pint we had despite it being a very nice dark beer.

 

Tonights hotel we can use our phones to open the room door so no need to top at reception. We shall see how well this works.

Edited March 11, 2018 by roundhouse

[JohnDMJ]

Just a shame that we need ot be out early to catch the Amtrak Talgo to Portland. Plenty more breweries to visit since last time plus a favourite has been refurbished, Rogue in the Pearl district.

 

Never ridden a TALGO (Light Articulated Train Goicoechea Oriol); interested to receive your experience.

[Coombe Barton]

The accent test - West London - WRONG!

[AndyB]

Accent test.

Windsor, apparently. 

The family, not the place. 

 

 

[PhilJ W]

Looks as if West London is the default answer if it hasn't got a clue. My accent is not even 'Estuary' as one might expect but Essex which is not that far away which comes to me from my mother and her mother who was born in Brentwood in the 1890's.

[Gwiwer]

I do wonder what the BBC might make of my “accent”. 17 years in Australia where they said I sounded British. Now apparently I sound Australian but use Cornish slang and dialect and have been accused of being “audibly Cornish”.

 

Right me ansum. Shall ‘us av tay? Treat bun or no? Be ‘arry coming cuz tiz enting down an’ we gnaw ‘ee d’feel rufazratz innit.

Edited March 11, 2018 by Gwiwer

[roundhouse]

Never ridden a TALGO (Light Articulated Train Goicoechea Oriol); interested to receive your experience.

We have ridden these Amtrak ones quite a few times. Very different to other Amtrak coaches. We pay a few dollars more for business class. First time on this set which has an ugly cab at one end with a loco at the other end

Edited March 11, 2018 by roundhouse

[New Haven Neil]

I do wonder what the BBC might make of my “accent”. 17 years in Australia where they said I sounded British. Now apparently I sound Australian but use Cornish slang and dialect and have been accused of being “audibly Cornish”.

 

Right me ansum. Shall ‘us av tay? Treat bun or no? Be ‘arry coming cuz tiz enting down an’ we gnaw ‘ee d’feel rufazratz innit.

 

aah divvent knaa wot yer sayin man.

[TheQ]

West London, Hugh Laurie or Hugh Grant.

Well I've only stayed in West London, for a few days, a few years apart Uxbridge and West Drayton.

However both HL and HG, have close Scottish ancestry and so do I.

 

As for accent mine is lost somewhere,

I'm told I once had a Greek Cypriot accent, then Northern Irish, then I definitely had a west country accent before living in the outer Hebrides, Inverness, west Lothian, Milton Keynes, Lincolnshire, Somerset, Norfolk, Somerset, Norfolk, east Yorkshire, Norfolk, Essex, the outer Hebrides, Somerset, Northumberland, Milton Keynes, Saudi Arabia, Norfolk.

I've probably missed a few places but anyway ...

 

 

Today being sailing day, it was off down the sailing club. A surprising amount of snow drifts still around.

I put the buoys out, at least I only had to press a button to empty the boat of rain water not shovel out the snow.

The usual bacon butties followed and a mugacoffee.

 

The weather to start was misty and windless, but as we were having the aforesaid sustenance, a light breeze arrived.

 

Wind north Easterly, not a lot to not much more.

Tide, high tide just before the first race so not a lot, increasing all the time though.

 

Sunny to start then it clouded over.

 

Race 1, course 4p,2p,3p,2p, twice.

We started very well, close to the left hand bank, so did most of the rest of the fleet spread across the river. Everyone was busy hauling up spinnakers, we all changed position several times as winds varied, but ourselves and the boat near the other bank drew ahead as we were out of the tide.

 

Just before the first bend we had to cross the river as we didn't want to go in the fastest out going tide on the outside of the bend.

This allowed the far right boat and one other to get in front of us.

 

On rounding the corner those two kept to the right shadowing each other. So I cut across the river to the other bank, as the wind was slightly more from the right now, we tacked the spinnaker as we went over. We then slowly passed them but after passing we got a good wind and were 50 yards ahead by the time we rounded buoy 4.

 

We were then tacking down river, the tide pushing boats against the wind exaggerating it's effects. We stayed ahead until just before buoy 2 when one boat passed us.

 

Round buoy 2 up spinnakers and we went down the right hand bank this time, the lead boat made the mistake of sailing down the middle against the tide. So we soon over took and reached buoy 3 in the lead.

 

Tacking back down river they passed us again, our boat doesn't do well in light winds.

 

Rounding buoy 2 just behind them, we again, took the right hand bank and got ahead. Cutting across the river as before after the corner.

 

Rounding buoy 4 we again tacked up river but they again overtook us and then as we rounded buoy 2 the shortened course signal was sounded and we finished second.

 

There was a long break as we waited for the tailenders, and they shortened the course bringing buoy 4 closer .

 

Race 2, course 4p,2p, 3 times.

A very similar start to last time almost all boats starting in the same places, however we cut across the river to have the boats that were ahead near the start of the first race, behind us, so we reached the corner just in the lead. However they were blocking our wind. Almost immediately, We just rounded buoy 4, but going slowly, they rounded faster than us and soon overtook.

 

We basically followed them, tacking to buoy 2, we all then came into the back of the dinghy fleet. Although we caught the other two, lack of manouvering room meant we were unable to get past, before rounding buoy 4. So they sailed away from us, and we finished 3rd.

 

Race 3 there were no other competitors not even a dinghy, I think they all got fed up with the very light winds....

 

Home, bath, dinner will be served shortly

[Rugd1022]

aah divvent knaa wot yer sayin man.

 

Yum eh arf a daff pair o' boogers loik!

 

On family trips to London my relatives in Hammersmith and Barnes thought I sounded a bit like a Brummie, I subsequently moved down to Hammersmith when I left school and stayed there for 2 and a half years, on my return to Warwickshire I was told I'd picked up a very definite George Carter / Terry McCann twang which has apparently never left me.

Edited March 11, 2018 by Rugd1022

[Purley Oaks]

West London? Me too. The kids tell me that I sound too posh

Edited March 11, 2018 by Purley Oaks

[TheQ]

I've just deleted a repeat how it did the echo I have no idea.

Edited March 11, 2018 by TheQ

[Barry O]

It reckons I am from Sunderland as well..... I might support SAFC but I speak Pit Yacker!  Blinking BBC!

 

Still jet lagged but not as bad as feared.

 

Now trying to sort out a photo editing programme as I want to resize some of the holiday snaps. Any suggestions??

 

Baz

[NGT6 1315]

aah divvent knaa wot yer sayin man.

Whale oil beef hooked. Neetha doo eye!

[Ian Abel]

 Good afternoon...Eeekkk... not even morning here, past that already <yawn>

 

Yesterday didn't manage to muddle, was "invited" to go shopping for a new bed set, comforter, blah, blah - apparently I was "needed" for my opinion/choice considerations, and we all know how well that eventually went!! Nonetheless, Mrs got what she was wanting/looking for.

Following that expedition we took Whitney for a walk, she always enjoys that

We made a delightful Chinese meal, bay scallops and shrimp with snow peas and rice noodles. Very tasty.

 

Today is NOT Mothers Day/Mothering Sunday here, that's on hold for a few more weeks yet, still not sure why that particular event isn't on the same day here as much of the rest of the world, whereas Fathers day is?!?

Have an "opportunity" today to visit the rental property, the ladies reporting the bathroom vent fan is kaput. Need to investigate, possibly another item to add to a short list for a handyman, once we locate one that has available some time

 

Mrs off out to shop for a birthday gift, so I'm going to be MODELLING - there I said it

 

Dusting of snow overnight, already gone from the roads as it's now +2 and headed for +4, overcast but no precipitation expected.

 

As start by others, we're an hour "closer" to the UK for now, so I'm only 5 hours behind you lot

Enjoy what's left of your weekend.

[New Haven Neil]

Yum eh arf a daff pair o' boogers loik!

 

On family trips to London my relatives in Hammersmith and Barnes thought I sounded a bit like a Brummie, I subsequently moved down to Hammersmith when I left school and stayed there for 2 and a half years, on my return to Warwickshire I was told I'd picked up a very definite George Carter / Terry McCann twang which has apparently never left me.

 

The daft thing is, Mrs NHN, who is Cornish, has a stronger Geordie accent than I do.  She was moved around a lot as a child and teen, before settling in the land of the fishy on a dishy in her mid teens.  She had picked up the lingo by the time we met when she was 18, and I made an honest woman of her two years later.  There was a lot of pressure at school to conform of course, wherever she was, so had presumably gained the skill of merging accents over her several moves (Thoughtless parents/divorce/step-parents etc).  She hasn't picked up the Manx though, I suppose because she is constantly exposed (ooerr) to me.

[TheQ]

Mothering Sunday is a traditional Christian church day, three weeks before Easter which we know moves all over the place. On that day you should visit your mother church...the one you were baptized at. It later also became a day to honour your mother.

 

Mother's Day / fathers day are a modern Americanism, much more to do with the sales of cards and invented gifts.

[Gwiwer]

And has anyone else spotted that in some countries (but not all because the dates vary) Mother’s Day is nine months on from Father’s Day?

[grandadbob]

Steve came earlier bearing gifts for The Boss and brought all 3 of our grandchildren who were bearing gifts from a sickly Nicki. (who sounds as though she's really rough which is very unlike her) They stayed for a couple of hours and made Chris's day although we wished it could have been longer as originally planned. A proper Mother's day do for both of them has been pencilled in for Easter Sunday.

I am currently finishing  off a(nother) very nice bottle of plonk.

Edited March 11, 2018 by grandadbob

[BoD]

Cornish Mrs H says spelk too.

 

What do Mrs H's in other parts of the country say?

[Tony_S]

Matthew didn't have a card for his Mum or make breakfast which would have been difficult in the hotel but he did spend all day with us which Aditi thought was lovely.

Lunch in Pifko, Czech bar again. All the Irish bars were jammed full.

There was English football on the TV in the bar but someone asked for the channel to be changed to a hurling match. Some young Americans came over and asked Matthew to explain the game to them.

He had no problem getting a bus tonight.

We depart tomorrow morning from the hotel. We will leave our bags here and go off and do something in Dublin. Perhaps visit the Post Office.

Our flight is in the evening., so we can stay in Dublin centre until about 5pm before setting off to the airport.

Tony

Edited March 11, 2018 by Tony_S

[BSW01]

Evening everyone

 

My accent was given as East Lancashire, wrong! I’ve lived all my life (apart from 18 months in Canada in the late 60’s) in the Trafford area of Manchester. However, I have worked with quite a lot of people from the East Lancashire area, so that might be the reason for the confusion.

 

A few years ago we were in America and we bumped into quite a few ex-pats. One guy, who from Essex had been there about 4 years and he sounded as though he’d been there all his life. Whilst others from Birmingham and Yorkshire, who’d been there many years, sounded like they’d just got of the plane. It seemed to us that the further north you came from, the more likely you were to have retained your accent.

 

I came to the conclusion that they were to tight to part with it!