Pump am y Penwythnos/Friday Five 07/04/17

Welsh General / Questions
#1

Bore da!

How are you all this beautiful spring morning? Ok, I know it’s a little overcast, but the daffodils are still blooming and the tulips are about to make an appearance. I’ve Robins, Goldfinches, Bullfinches, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Wrens, Blackbirds, House Sparrows, Collared Doves, Crows, Rooks, Grey Wagtails and Chaffinches in my garden! The trees are blossoming and leafing. The kids are in school for the last day of term. We are on a promise that the major work on our chalet will be nearing completion this weekend! Then to top it all, the SSiW Annual Party in in 2 weeks!!!

So do you fancy a bit of friday five fun?

  1. When was the movie better than the book and why?

  2. What routine or ritual could you never break?

  3. What kind of a school pupil were you?

  4. What would be your ultimate/ideal/perfect SSiW party?

  5. Tell us about a fictional character you admire and why?

3 Likes
#2

1) When was the movie better than the book and why?

Never.

Oh, okay, Cold Comfort Farm is… no, sorry, I can’t, it’s brilliant but it’s not better than the book.

Ooh, ooh, I’ve got one - the Bourne trilogy! The books are rubbish.

2) What routine or ritual could you never break?

Having to count to 10 and back when I see a magpie.

Makes me think of Nain.

3) What kind of a school pupil were you?

Stubborn, unco-operative, lazy and distracted. Didn’t want to be there. But good with words, which kept me out of the firing line most of the time.

4) What would be your ultimate/ideal/perfect SSiW party?

I’d like it to be a weekend, rather than a night, so that we’d have more chance to talk to everyone. Um. I’d like to have a bunch of nice Welsh celebs there that it would be fun for our learners to meet. I’d like it to include an awards ceremony, too, with S4C there so more people can see how brilliant our learners are. And - ooh, ooh, I’ve just realised - I’d like it to be in Gregynog, which is just utterly lovely. And I’d like it to be free to attend.

Come on, Catrin, sort it out!..:wink:

5) Tell us about a fictional character you admire and why?

Hmmm…

I think I tend to love fictional characters rather more than admire them… but I am a huge, huge fan of Moll Flanders - that woman really takes absolutely zero nonsense from anyone.

7 Likes
#3

1/ nah, can’t think of any. I’ve seen some great films but not always read the books and vice versa.

2/ crossing my fingers when walking over three drains…I think it’s a Plymouth thing.

3/ argumentative, sometimes cooperative, sometimes not so much. Got kicked out of classes mostly for being loud, I have a very loud voice and laugh…a lot.

4/ I would love to get to one, so this is no comment on the current set up at all. I’d love to see a weekend, I like the chance to chat and conversations to evolve. Parties can be difficult sometimes because of noise and convos. I prefer a quiet beer putting the world to rights. Kinda like a wedding, a mixture of entertainment and chill out.

5/ fictional character…Albus Dumbledore, he seems so chilled out considering!

8 Likes
#4

1) When was the movie better than the book and why?
Never. Like Anthony I usually either read the book or watch the film, rarely both. The only exceptions have been Terry Pratchett and although I did enjoy the films they could never be better than the books.

2) What routine or ritual could you never break?
So many, I’m a simmering OCD nightmare, nothing really big that most people would notice but inside my head it never switches off. :joy::disappointed:

3) What kind of a school pupil were you?
I was a swot, never in trouble, always a goody goody. I made a right mess of my A levels and ended up working in a factory but up until then I was flying.

4) What would be your ultimate/ideal/perfect SSiW party?
A wee bit longer, which is why I asked if anyone will be around in the afternoon and the next morning, so there is plenty of chance to chat to everyone properly. So, food, background music and conversation.

5) Tell us about a fictional character you admire and why?
Clint Eastwood’s preacher in Pale Rider. Cool, calm, collected, intelligent, ready to kick some ass when required. :joy:

9 Likes
#5
  1. When was the movie better than the book and why?

I’ not really a film buff, so can’t think of a film that was better than the book.

  1. What routine or ritual could you never break?

Not having my tea in the right mug every morning.

  1. What kind of a school pupil were you?

Played the flute us the school Orchestra so always seen as a bit of a swat. Got bored of being good in the Lower Sixth, scraped my A Levels and joined the RAF as an act of rebellion against all those who assumed I would go to University.

  1. What would be your ultimate/ideal/perfect SSiW party?

Don’t like big loud parties. Something much more akin to a quiet night with a few mates in the pub than a party.

  1. Tell us about a fictional character you admire and why?

I don’t read fiction. :blush:
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#6

>1) When was the movie better than the book and why?

Not a movie, but the (Granada?) TV version of “Brideshead Revisited” was as good as the book, mainly because most of it was taken directly from the book (including much dialogue), and a very keen cast managed to ensure that they included almost everything, so that it ended up much longer than originally intended. The producer/director/production company were incredibly forgiving and generous. (Info gleaned from the interviews in the extras from the boxed set).

>2) What routine or ritual could you never break?

Sitting down with a panad and catching up with the forwm.…?

>3) What kind of a school pupil were you?

Dead boring, conformist, obedient, and quite good in primary school, but I peaked too early, and it was all downhill at grammar school. I only started to (quietly) rebel in the 6th form, which is one reason why my A level results were so dire.

>4) What would be your ultimate/ideal/perfect SSiW party?

Not been to one yet, but Aran’s suggestions sound good.

>5) Tell us about a fictional character you admire and why?

Not precisely fictional, since it’s really just an exaggerated version of the author, but “J” from “Three Men in a Boat” and “Three Men on the Bummel”. I like the character, and I admire the author, Jerome K. Jerome. I like their dry sense of humour.

9 Likes
#7
  1. When was the movie better than the book and why?
    Can only think of one. Does it have to be a book? The Producers.
  2. What routine or ritual could you never break?
    Checking the door is locked just after I have locked it.
  3. What kind of a school pupil were you?
    Compliant.
  4. What would be your ultimate/ideal/perfect SSiW party?
    I’m not a party animal but Aran’s ideas sound good.
  5. Tell us about a fictional character you admire and why?
    Sherlock Holmes. I’d like having a brain like his.
8 Likes
#8
  1. When was the movie better than the book and why?

When? Never, movies leave too little to the imagination

  1. What routine or ritual could you never break?

Getting up at 6 a.m. and making a cup of tea

  1. What kind of a school pupil were you?

Teacher’s pet

  1. What would be your ultimate/ideal/perfect SSiW party?

A weekend where we take over all of Castell Deudraeth and roam around the gardens in the sunshine, drinking champagne, a chamber orchestra in the background and Bryn Terfel reciting whatever he would like to recite

  1. Tell us about a fictional character you admire and why?

I find it hard to admire somebody who does not exist, to be honest - but Gandalf isn’t bad

6 Likes
#9
  1. When was the movie better than the book and why?

Okay…heresy yeah, but… Lord of the Rings. I skipped HUGE swathes of the prancing about abt a poetry hour but the films are much pacier and scenic.

  1. What routine or ritual could you never break?

The walkaround checks on the microlight - If I don’t start at the port wheel and go in the same sequence then I’m out of sorts the whole flight.

  1. What kind of a school pupil were you?

Played the game but hated it, tried to keep my head down, was bullied, was bored.

  1. What would be your ultimate/ideal/perfect SSiW party?

All day with somewhere interesting to explore in the saytime,and scomewhere to sing (badly) by the end.

  1. Tell us about a fictional character you admire and why?

My Star Wars namesake, naturally! For all round awesomeness :wink:

7 Likes
#10

I like the sound of that, we could all stay in the little houses in Portmeirion!

5 Likes
#11

1) When was the movie better than the book and why?

Monty Python’s The Life of Brian - much better than the Bible… :wink:

2) What routine or ritual could you never break?

Keeping clean.

3) What kind of a school pupil were you?

Ginger, unpopular, freckled, distracted, creative, mini goth, always in love, bullied, bored, unsettled, without direction, artistic, always expressing myself through bad poetry.

4) What would be your ultimate/ideal/perfect SSiW party?

I’m with @louis, but swapping Bryn Terfel with Steve Eaves and Lleuwen and adding a children’s entertainer/babysitter/nanny to whisk the little monsters away once the brandy is opened… :wink:

5) Tell us about a fictional character you admire and why?

I love Elizabeth Bennet’s determination to stay true to herself and loyal to her family despite difficult social pressures. I love Frodo Bsggins’ perseverance and bravery. Jyn Erso has got to be a favourite for obvious reasons… At the end of the day I think we are all fictional characters in our own life stories. :slight_smile:

9 Likes
#12

#1 :joy:

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#13

Genius, why didn’t I think of that. :joy:

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#14

This is the kind of thing I don’t usually engage with - for the kind of reasons I hadn’t actually thought about much, but was starting to try and articulate in the thread about friendliness earlier. But just as an experiment:

  1. When was the movie better than the book and why?

Harry Potter - I thought the books were dire, but some of the films were quite entertaining, especially maybe the fourth, I think.

  1. What routine or ritual could you never break?

Never cross knives and forks, in honour of my Nan.

  1. What kind of a school pupil were you?

An odd mixture of swot and rebel, shy and assertive. A bit of a headache for teachers and puzzle for other kids.

  1. What would be your ultimate/ideal/perfect SSiW party?

@louis idea is inspired, but why not have Steve Eaves, Lleuwen and Bryn Terfel? (Plus children’s entertainer!) :wink:

  1. Tell us about a fictional character you admire and why?

Well you can’t beat Elizabeth Bennett - talk about setting impossible standards that haunt you through life! But sorry, I just nicked that one.
I rather liked Pi (Picine) in ‘Life of Pi’ (the book, NOT the film.) Despite being a committed atheist, I can totally relate to being addicted to three different religions at once!

6 Likes
#15
  1. When was the movie better than the book and why?

I don’t read enough fiction or see enough films to really answer this, but I had an English teacher at school who asserted that My Fair Lady was much better than Pygmalion.

  1. What routine or ritual could you never break?

I try hard to kiss my husband whenever I leave the house. Doesn’t stop me leaving him for 9 plus months though.

  1. What kind of a school pupil were you?

Everything was easy, so I was quite lazy. Thus A levels were a bit of a disaster.

  1. What would be your ultimate/ideal/perfect SSiW party?

Time to talk to everyone. That’s a lot of time. One day I’ll get myself to one.

  1. Tell us about a fictional character you admire and why?

Tiffany Aching. Her magic is based on hard work and understanding how people tick.

6 Likes
#16

:astonished: I grew up on Harry Potter. The Philosopher’s Stone came out when I was 10 (I think it did anyway).

I have a claim to fame about the films. My brother animated the flying car in the second film.

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#17

Well that’s different - you were the perfect age for it! I was old enough to be snobbish about them. (Maybe I’d be less snobbish these days, don’t know…)

That’s so cool!

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#18

I wanted to be snobbish about them, but in spite of myself, I found myself being more and more gripped by them as the series matured. The later ones are really good and really dark, I find. I still haven’t seen all the films, but those I have seen were very good I thought.

A question that Catrin didn’t ask, but it comes up in a regular Q & A for celebs in The Guardian “Weekend” magazine:

"Who would play you in the movie of your life?"

I’m struggling between Humphrey Bogart, Tony Hancock, and Jeremy Irons.

There are obvious practical difficulties with the first two, but hey, they can do anything with CGI nowadays. And cultural difficulties with the third, as I didn’t go to public school, and (ahem) have never been as slim as him, or of course as tall, or as confident, but what the heck: Jez: the part is yours! :slight_smile:

3 Likes
#19

Ahaha love the first one! :wink:

  1. When was the movie better than the book and why?
    Hmmmmmm not a movie but perhaps Game of Thrones. George RR Martin’s writing style is somewhat thorough and I’ve frequently lost interest in the books (it’s a bit of a plod). Love the TV version though.

  2. What routine or ritual could you never break?
    Every October, I start to read the Harry Potter books again. When I was a child, I wasn’t terribly bothered with them. When I was 30, I read the first page of the first book as a reading for my brother’s wedding. I thought I may as well finish, given as I’d started :wink: and the rest is history. I was hooked and every October I get the urge to read them again (done it 3 times now).

  3. What kind of a school pupil were you?
    A swot, a geek, not the most popular and, for a time, bullied. Oh goodness, that sounds sad. It wasn’t all bad.

  4. What would be your ultimate/ideal/perfect SSiW party?
    Nice food, plenty of chance to talk to people, in South Wales.

  5. Tell us about a fictional character you admire and why?
    Neville Longbottom (from Harry Potter) - he had a tragic childhood, was unpopular and clumsy at school but fought bravely and became [SPOILER ALERT] the key to the demise of Lord Voldemort.

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#20

Oooooh, ok, here’s a story…

I used to work as a live-in nanny in London. For about a year and a half I worked for the Birkin family (Andrew Birkin, brother of Jane Birkin). During my time with the family I met Milla Jovovich, who was a close friend of theirs. On my first meeting with her she came to me and told me that I reminded her very much of her friend Julianne Moore…

So that would be my choice, via some MAJOR name dropping… :joy: :scream: :joy: :scream: :joy: :scream: :joy:

Then again if Bette Davis were still alive… She is one of my all time favourite actresses!

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