Scheduling this to post in a bit, when I'm at work. Enjoy
(You get bonus points for knowing the song the title's from.)
He explained the problem, but when it came to giving the electrician the address the man's attitude changed completely. He garbled something about being busy and hung up.
"Wass'at?" John mumbled, rolling over.
"Uh, nothing, just trying to get an electrician. He was busy, though." Greg frowned at the phone, but then put it aside, turning to face John properly. "Thought we could go into the village, you know, see what it's like, meet some locals."
"Ah, yes, let them meet the Lord of the manor, all that?" John grinned.
"I'm not...!" Greg started, then gave up and tickled John until he called for a truce, and breakfast.
They walked into the nearby village, and Greg ducked into the small shop to buy a newspaper. John stayed outside, browsing the small ads in the window for useful tradespeople, and as Greg exited he opened his mouth to point out a couple, but the look on Greg's face stopped him.
"What's up?" He asked.
"She, um...nothing, it's just, when I...oh, it's probably nothing. Like you say, new face in a small community, bound to be a bit odd, right?"
John nodded slowly, and as they walked away he turned to look back at the shop.
The woman peering out of the window after them seemed to be clutching a wooden cross, holding it out at them, but as he squinted to see more clearly, she moved away into the shadows. He shook his head. It must have been some sort of optical illusion.
He glanced around, and, seeing no-one, he slid his hand into Greg's, squeezing slightly as he felt how cold Greg's hand was against his own warm skin.
120 comments:
Ha! This is great. Ghosts? Vampires?
I was thinking maybe curses and general inhereted doom.
Spooooky! (Sounds like some sort of undead, yep!--if not ghosts or vampires...zombies, werewolves? :D)
...Or curses could work. *nods* (Why is everything coming out in bold?)
spooky
I love this story, so many things to scary us with ;-)
nothing looks bold to me.
Aha! Thanks, L, that helped--it's a font issue. Hmmm. *poking around*
Inherited doom is the best sort of doom.
OMG - people brandishing crosses at the boys on their first day :-0
Inherited doom is the best sort of doom.
I'm not the only one getting Dad's Army flashbacks, am I?
(I had to google for the song; this blog post is the second hit :-p)
Nameless - Private Fraser has a lot to answer for!
I failed to find the song, even having googled it - the blog post was first hit when I looked earlier.
Having googled the song lyrics--apparently I did know! (But I didn't really. :))
SH - I think Greg might be a spooky little boy, now...
Thank you, got it now!
Meant to say, John, I've eaten. Someone went on a burger run. Just need pudding and Federicorn with you.
Excellent. It's good, you'll like it. The pudding, not necessarily the tennis, although I have hopes for that as well.
I hope you've made it home safe and sound Greg
Enjoy the tennis John I hope the result is as you want and that the pudding Mycroft made is delicious :-)
i have, thanks. I'm enjoying John enjoying the tennis. And Mycroft's pud was amazing.
Chocolate pudding... wait, pudding means something different there, doesn't it. But I'm still craving it now. Excellent notion, Mycroft!
As for Greg and his spooky castle, I am beginning to understand why it hasn't got electricity yet! Are you sure he's not a Canterville?
rsf
I'm glad you're home safe and sound and having fun :-)
I hope sleep is easier to come by tonight if you need it to be :-)
SH - every time I hear or see the word "doom", all I can hear is "we're Doooooomed!" in a Scottish accent... (I'm showing my age again, aren't I?)
Nameless, it's true, "we're all doooomed!". Don't tell him your name, Pike.
doooomed I tell ye, doooooooomed!
You've got to do it with the slightly wild eyes.
Mycroft says I can show it like this O_o
suppose it looks a bit like eyes.
(Your name is on the list!)
Definitely got the eyes just right Lestrade. Nice one, Mycroft :-)
(Don't panic!)
Permission to speak, sir?
We've just booked our holiday. We're going to Naples. Two months to learn some Italian!
Brilliant!
Just remember, pretty much everything in Italian is said exactly as it's written - no weird changes to vowel sounds like in English! So it's really easy to pick up. And once you say something out loud it's often easy to trace the English word it means to it.
E' fantastico! :)
V. cool, SH! I only learned enough Italian to flirt and procure espresso, and I did just fine-- people are incredibly friendly. You're going to have so much fun! Naples is wonderful.
Oh, SH, I'm jealous! :D I hope you have a great trip, it sounds like an amazing place to visit.
I want to go and see Lestrade and he says we can't and it's not fair we did before and got ice cream and coffee and we could take him burgers.
I know you do, Sherlock--and since you know how much he likes it when you come see him, then you know he said no only because he's somewhere where he really, really can't have you visiting him.
Have you been having a good day until now?
Sorry you're not allowed to go see him Sherlock. Have you had a nice day other than that?
Sorry, kiddo, you can come and see me again soon. Today's just no good. But it is very kind to offer to bring me things.
Maybe you can think of another nice surprise for him to find when he gets home, Sherlock.
According to the news reports, the tourists are all at the Olympics, so it might be a good day to visit some place that's usually crowded.
rsf
Everyone says there's no one in London and it's quiet and no one's spending any money so we could go out and spend some but it's late now and dinner's nearly ready and Lestrade's going to miss out on it because he won't let us take him any and I'm going to eat all of it.
I KNOW I KNOW! One of my favorite songs! I should probably not tell, though, should I?
And I'm dying for a run to my favorite burger place - mostly because they toss their fries (chips) with a chopped parsley/raw garlic mix that is so freaking tasty, though if you do a takeout it will leave your car smelling like garlic for a week, no exaggeration.
Maz - I think by now people either know or don't care, so go ahead.
Sherlock, I really am sorry you can't come. I hope you enjoy your dinner.
Sherlock--Maybe you and John and Mycroft can meet Lestrade at the end of his shift the next time he's on earlies. It's not so easy to arrange in the middle of a shift when he's doing this kind of job, and that's not his choice, after all.
And now you know that London isn't all overrun, you'll be able to go places around town for the rest of the time the Olympics are on, so that's a good thing!
What are you having for dinner?
(It would be nice to fix Lestrade a plate to eat when he finally comes home, don't you think? It could stay in the fridge until then.)
He won't even say what he's doing or if it smells.
John says now they keep saying how quiet it is, after ages saying it would be too busy, then it'll probably get too busy. I want to go on holiday anyway.
Well, you know Lestrade can't always explain what he's doing or where he is while he's working, Sherlock. What have you been up to today, anyway?
And John's probably right...
I don't think I'll be taken round the back and shot if I let you know it doesn't smell bad.
And John is probably right. He usually is.
Hmmm. Lestrade usually says what he's doing, except when he can't say. So he can't say, not he won't say, right? I'm sure he likes that as little as you do. (But you know he's all right, because he's in touch with you enough to not tell you what he's doing!)
I don't know London at all, so John probably knows better than me about that and I defer to him--but at least the Londoners who left town to avoid the Olympics won't be coming back until they're over, even if they hear it's actually not so bad. So it might be okay to go around town next week still.
And I know John was looking into places for the four of you to go on a holiday--did you find anything, John?
Have you been watching the cycling Sherlock? I was wondering if you were that fast on your bike ;-) a man who went to the same school as I went to was cycling today so I've been thinking about it quite a bit.
I hope you've been a really good boy today and will still be up when lestrade gets home :-)
I'll be late home, John.
Sherlock, if you aren't anyway, I think you should go to bed and I'll see you in the morning.
All right, thanks for telling me. Is everything all right?
Yeah just can't get away.
Any idea how late?
No, sorry, not up to me. I'll text before I leave. Put your phone on silent when you go to bed so I don't disturb you.
I'll be up for a while. Try to eat something? Or if you can't, there's dinner in the fridge for when you get home.
That's what I was going to say -- that I hope they're going to feed you if you have to stay late. Good luck with whatever it is!
rsf
And I hope it's because of something you wanted to have happen...
Cheers. you did well defending my dnner from Sherlock by sounds of it
sorry cant tell you anything.
It's all right, love. Just be careful please. And call me if you get a chance.
No problem!
I hope you are able to unwind when you get home.
I'm not sure I will but I'll try.
Only if you have the time, don't worry. I'll see you when you get here.
Good luck with whatever it is Greg :-)
John I don't know how you personally deal with unexpected things like this but if you feel in need of a daft discussion about something to distract you I'm sure you'll find one or two willing participants around here ;-)
Hope you get home soon (and uneventfully), Lestrade.
Hope you manage to get some sleep, John.
I hope you are safe sound and tucked up together by now John/lestrade I mind my own but still worry a bit about you both.
Xx
Lestrade, thought you'd enjoy this. What English sounds like to Italians
Warning: it's annoyingly catchy.
Was that made in the 1970s, DW? (It's extremely baffling!)
I don't know what's baffling about it, RR. It's just a bunch of gibberish to a catchy tune. As an American you should be fluent! ;)
I wasn't around in the 70's, so I honestly couldn't tell you. It was sent me by our Polish exchange officer who gives it "10 for accuracy, 8 for costuming and design, but a 1 for lack of 'y'all'."
I thought 70s because the men all look like they've been dressed to be extras in Saturday Night Fever. :)
It doesn't sound American to me. Maybe a bit like ABBA? It's got a generally European sound. :D
Just got home.
Now have to try to move a sleeping John off the sofa and into bed...
*winces*
I hope you manage some solid sleep before you have to go in again, L.
And thank you--very much--for letting us know you got home.
Good night, Lestrade. Sleep well!
rsf
DW, that is extremely catching. There's one on there that has the subtitles. It's hilarious, because they use actual words that just are thrown around without any order. Thanks for the link!
That's great, DW. Thanks for sharing.
Did you manage any sleep, L?
Are you still on night shift tonight Greg or have things changed with whatever happened lastnight?
I hope you got enough sleep to be having a fun day :-)
Got some sleep, I'll get more this afternoon.
Still on nights, AnonyBob.
That's good news Greg one changed day is enough for anyone. :-)
Have a relaxing afternoon, L!
What are you/have you all been doing today?
Sherlock jumped on us about an hour and a half after I got in. Mycroft removed him once he realised I'd been so late. Got themselves breakfast. Sherlock created some sort of epic degu assault course around half the flat and when we got up we took the dogs out.
Now I've got a mental picture of degu Currahee!
Lancs. Anon
Some more handy hints for non-Brits about our culture.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19093328
Do the degus complete the assault course or do they just look confused?
Are those handy hints accurate? (It would be really nice if someone did one for New Yorkers, but the only true-to-life comparable I've seen was an ad for mini-storage that reads: "New Yorkers: Tolerant of your beliefs, judgmental of your shoes". :))
I flat-out love the idea of a degu-assault course! Did they enjoy it, Sherlock?
Yeah, pretty accurate. Not sure about the greetings cards one, but I'm a bloke, so wouldn't know, obviously.
If only there had been such handy guides the one time I made it to London! But I found everyone very friendly and helpful anyway. People were always coming over to me where I was tucked up in a quiet corner wrestling with my maps and offering their assistance, it was completely disarming. (New Yorkers don't do that!) No one called me "love" or "darling," though--it was "ducks" or "miss." But this was...more than twenty years ago, so... :)
(I'd've thought email cards would have replaced snail mail cards. But I have to admit, real cards are much nicer. :))
I think nowadays people with maps or looking lost are just seen as marks. Although obviously, like everywhere, there will be some helpful people.
New yorkers seemed helpful enough when i was there.
I'm sure no one was trying to scam me or rob me--no one tried to do anything that raised any red flags, and my neighborhood was a lot rougher back then, so I was used to being a defensive city-dweller and suspecting every stranger. Still am, actually. *looks around all squinty-eyed*
And New Yorkers are happy to help, most of us--we'll always answer questions about the city, even if we don't actually know the answer, and with great confidence! It's getting us to stop going where we're going long enough to answer that's the trick. :) And it's very rare that someone will stop and OFFER to help.
Oh, no, not suggesting anyone was. And probably still couldn't be.
Just times and crimes have changed, and now anyone looking post or with maps etc. Is easy pickling for the big pickpocket gangs. They wouldn't talk to you or offer help - they wouldn't want you even noticing them.
Oh, yeah--why I always carry my bag practically in my armpit. (And usually my money and credit cards aren't in there anyway. :))
And I mostly don't consult maps en route anymore, I memorize it all before I leave home, because I don't do much spur of the moment any more, which is what I was doing then. :) (I do get asked for directions a lot. Even when I was visiting my brother in Jerusalem, and had NO idea where I was going!)
I've been told there's a second kind of pickpocket--make a ruckus, or jostle the mark, while a partner lifts. Is this no longer done, or is it mostly an American thing? Or I could quite well have been given bad info.
Yeah, still happens. Far less likely to happen to women, I think because they're more aware of letting people into their personal space. Peaks massively around sports events, where strangers get drunk and hug each other and it doesn't seem such odd behaviour.
We are doing well in the Olympics today. Great stuff.
Hah - nice link, Lestrade, and it all sounds far too familiar. Although, by that reckoning, I drink tea like a Northerner, despite being a softy southerner and having been no further north than Brum until I was in my twenties.
Hope you manage to get some kip before your night shift.
The Olympics that last few days have been fantastic. I've been able to see some of it during the day, and watching TeamGB winning medals has been lovely - lots of tears of joy :-)
Ah, tea. I hope you lot realize how cruel it is to give people a taste of proper English tea and then send them back to tea-drinking wastelands like the US, where you can't even think of getting a real cuppa.
I'm not saying we don't have tea (because we do, in fact, have a pretty fair selection of flavored, green, and herbal teas), but we can't do the utilitarian black stuff well-- American brands of black tea taste like dishwater to me.
We'll be sure to bring some with us, so Danger doesn't go cold turkey.
There are places where you can get proper tea leaves/bags! We've got specialty shops and everything. Even tea rooms! (Just not everywhere.)
Mind you, I like tea strong and milky, so I don't suppose the quality of the tea matters so much. (Is this blasphemous? :))
The NBC coverage seem fairly obsessed with beach volleyball, but I find a little of it goes a long way. (Maybe if the men also played in bikinis...but they don't.) The British women winning the 2-woman rowing yesterday was awesome!
the only correct way to take tea is your way, as every Brit knows. Everyone else is doing it wrong.
So you don't just have teabags in the supermarket much?
We do have teabags, they're just not very good tea bags. They contain about 1/3 as much tea, and produce a shamefully wimpy brew.
We're pretty good the the tisanes, though-- you can get all sorts of nice rooibos and camomile and hibiscus teas. They're just not my thing.
RR, I don't mean that we don't have high quality tea, because we do, and I like to drink that sometimes-- you know, loose leaf, no powder, brewed for exactly 3 minutes so that it's perfectly steeped and such. But I personally prefer the sort of "utilitarian" English brands, like PG Tips and Typhoo and Yorkshire, that just give you a strong, uncomplicated black tea. That's the sort of thing that's hard to find, at least in my corner of the world.
Oh, there's LOTS! In the supermarket we mostly shop at (ShopRite, a big regional chain--it may be national for all I know), there's a whole section of tea in the tea-and-coffee aisle. Dozens of brands--store brand and Lipton and Bromley and Celestial Seasonings and Twinings and so on--and lots of types and blends and flavors. But Ria said that the black tea here is Not Good, and for all I know it's not. I dunno, I just drink it!
I help tourists with maps all the time, but Boston is a lot less hectic than New York. I still take pickpocket precautions, though, and I definitely would if I were travelling.
And I have to agree with Ria. Americans, for the most part, don't know how to make tea. However, along the East Coast there are pockets where you can get decent tea, probably because there are lots of Irish and British immigrants who would fall over without it.
rsf
ReRe - I must admit, I found it difficult to get a decent brew in LA, but that was a dozen years ago, and I wasn't looking in supermarkets, just something to drink with my breakfast :-p
I think part of it is how strong you like your tea; I like it really quite strong, with very little milk, so if the teabag isn't up to it, it's noticeable. If you prefer your tea less overwhelming, it's probably easier to get a decent brew. I've got the impression over the years from US friends and acquaintances that standard British tea brands tend to be stronger than the Us equivalents.
But like Lestrade said - the correct way to drink tea is exactly the way you like it :-)
Right, Ria.
RR - Lipton here are pretty much only known for iced tea, bought pre-made in bottles. Twinings is famous, but not most people's everyday cuppa. Never heard of the others.
I'm slightly alarmed by at least 2 of those Afternoon Tea menus offering lemon curd with scones and cream...
My problem with most of the herbal teas is that they smell wonderful--like berries and flowers and all--and then they taste like hot water in comparison, which is such a disappointment. :) (Chamomile is pretty nice, though.)
Lipton sells iced tea here too, in bottles, and in mixes, which I think is more common. But also it's probably the most widely carried brand of black tea bags in the US, and they also sell green tea bags.
I only know what scones are theoretically, and have no idea what lemon curd might be! (I can't eat in any of those tea rooms, they're not kosher. So I know they're there, but that's all!)
I think that's everyone's problem with herbal or fruit tea, isn't it? Full of promise it doesn't deliver.
Yes!
It seems the general consensus that US black tea is just wimpy. (I just steep it til the spoon stands up by itself. Or drink green tea. :))
I'm lucky in that the store I usually get my groceries has a very good selection of English foods. I can get my PG Tips and not have to worry about scrounging the internet to try and find a decent cuppa.
I'm still trying to educate my mom on how to make a decent cup. She likes to put a mug of water, with the tea bag in it, into the microwave. It makes me cringe.
I like my teas strong and with a lot of milk, no sugar. Black tea, Earl Grey, and mint for before I go to bed. Also chai is lovely, but the best I've ever had was in London with my sister. The States just can't compare.
She likes to put a mug of water, with the tea bag in it, into the microwave.
*weeps*
ReRe: lemon curd is revolting, so you're not missing out :-) (Scones are very easy to make though; I'm a hesitant cook, especially where baking is concerned, but I'm happy to knock up a batch of cheese scones for a Saturday afternoon snack, takes less than half an hour from start to eating)
Of course, the most crucial thing about scones is the pronunciation...
Do you subscribe to the "milk goes into the cup before the tea" method, Lestrade?
rsf
If I'm making it myself, then yeah, splash of milk, but then you can't drop your teabag in it, you have to sort of pour the water through the bag until you can let it float. And then I haven't got the patience to wait, so I always mash it with a spoon.
If someone else is making it I'll take it however it comes. Can't be fussy.
Scones are super easy to make, if you ever feel the urge to try one-- the only issue is all the dairy that they contain-- it might be a challenge to work out the timing for eating them. Here's my favorite savory scone recipe (cheddar-chive), and I've also got a nice recipe for lavender-lime scones laying around somewhere if you'd like it.
Yeah, Pip, it's hard to get good chai outside of... well, India. I usually make my own when I get a craving.
I have a friend who jumps up and down about the importance of putting the milk in the cup before the tea (and brewing the tea separately from the cup first). She calls people who do it the other way "pre-lactarians"! I have to admit, I think tea tastes better her way, but I'm not that fussy either.
rsf
Thanks, Nameless and Ria--I may have a go at making scones, but we have very little in the way of dairy baking equipment because we hardly ever eat dairy baked goods! (We have to wait six hours after eating a meal with meat before we can eat anything dairy again.) But every now and then... :)
Hmmm... I don't know if you object to using vegan margarine/solid oils/applesauce as baking substitutes, but if you don't then I have a couple vegan scone recipes. Here's one for Sundried tomato scones, and if you want to try the lavender-lime combination you can use this recipe, replacing the orange zest and juice with lime, removing the chocolate chips and adding 1 tbsp of dried lavender.
RSF - that's it, it tastes better, but not so much I'll bother someone else to make it a special way. And it doesn't get scum on the top from the water either, if you do milk first.
Mrs H thinks we're terrible for not always using a teapot.
Both Mrs H's do, probably.
I always try to convince myself to use a teapot, but then I remember that I can't be bothered with the extra washing-up, so I just use a giant mug instead. I do, however, admire those who have the motivation to do so.
I've never added the milk first. Heathen that I am I always just pour the water from the kettle over the teabag, let it brew for 3 minutes, then add the milk.
I'll have to try it with milk first next time I make a cup. Do you put the milk in, then the teabag, and then add the water?
I usually put the milk in the bottom of the cup and hang on to the bag near the top of the cup, then pour the boiling water over the bag and let it steep as usual. I don't know if there's a better way of doing it.
But usually I just make espresso :)
I could have written that exact comment, Ria.
What do you generally use to make your espresso (as in, one of the stovetop makers or the hand-press ones)? I always like to ask coffee people about their preferences.
Pip, my friend makes her tea in a small two cup teapot -- hanging the tea ball, or teabag in that to brew. Then she takes a clean cup, puts the milk in that, and adds the tea to the milk already brewed.
It's actually basic chemistry (she insists) -- you add the acid to the base not the other way around if you want to avoid things like curdling. But tea's such a mild acid it doesn't really matter too much. (Don't add cold milk to stewed tomatoes if you want cream of tomato soup, though!)
rsf
OK, that makes perfect sense. I have a two cup teapot I can use, and some lovely tea I just picked up.
Is there ever a better time than tea time? :D
Thanks for the vegan scone recipes, Ria, they sound good and definitely worth trying! (I didn't answer yesterday because I went to my sister for Shabbat and only just got back. :))
RR:
What about kosher vegetarians? Are orthodox jews ever vegetarian? (A genuine question). If so, I guess that would open up the world for dairy products, since there would be no meat to keep track of?
L: I assume there are as many vegetarian/vegans in London as in other huge cities, especially with the number of Indians; are there any good restaurants etc that cater to that crowd? Have you ever eaten vegetarian and did you like it?
OK Anon
Ha! RR, I was reading what you wrote about dairy and scones and didn't read the whole page to see someone had given you a vegan recipe! But am still curious as to kosher vegetarians. Are they a myth? ;-)
OK Anon
Hi, OK Anon--yes, there are Orthodox Jewish vegetarians (and no doubt vegans as well). In fact, one of my riends is a vegetarian, and he dies bake with dairy all the time (and is very cheerful about criticizing the taste of dairy substitutes, not incorrectly!).
There are lots of good vege restaurants in London, yes. Bit the best I've ever been to was in Brighton. I'd give my right arm to be able to cook like that.
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