Smokeman66

will do, thanx

Evening all Has anyone got a recipe for soup that contains lots of jalapenos or other hot chillis?, I'm talking dynamite hot - monster, monster, monster, been after one for ages!

Never get hangovers, I find staying on the beer and away from shorts helps avoid hangovers, but if I ever do feel a bit rough, the best thing is Plenty of crispy bacon, a couple of fried eggs, beans, fried mushrooms, black pudding, grilled plum tomatoes, fried bread,a couple of really decent sausages (from a butchers, not a supermarket) lashings of tomato sauce, toast and a pint mug of freshly brewed sweet tea, i also find that a couple of fruit flavoured ice lollies seems to do the trick!

I first read these books about 7 years ago, and totally loved them, have re-read them all several times, the characters are believable and easy to relate to, as for the violence, i think it's told exactly as it is, it's not glorified or anything,but it was a turbulent time. for anyone who is interested Bernard Cornwell has written the first three books in a series about Alfred the Great, and his struggle to repel the invading vikings, it's similar to the Arthurian theme, with another character (Uthred) telling Alfred's story, this one though (probably beacause it's to do with Vikings) is much more violent that the Arthurian trilogy. also i think it's worth a mention of Mr Cornwell's historical notes (he has one of those in every book) I really enjoy his little snippets of information about past times, he really does do his research well!

your mum also mentioned to me that you was a massive fan of 'the kids from fame' and apparantley used to wear the leg warmers, she didn't want to embarrass you too much by mentioning it, obviously i have no such qualms:lol: alltogether now....fame- i'm gonna live forever etc

I read this book to my daughter Catherine who is aged seven. As has been previously mentioned in earlier reviews she loved the illustrtaions. As for the story she found it rather boring, she was curious to know exactly why Cheribino had been made into a statue? and why had his 'powerful sea God' father not searched for him or why he didn't manage to save him in the first place? And whom exactly turned him into a statue? For me the book had a lot of loose ends, and never really got going, it seemed to skip from one part of the story to the next without any thought, also the prose was a little dull especially for children and the ending was very disapointing. Sorry, I really would have liked to be more positive, perhaps with the next book?

funny that.....loads of people at work refuse to believe that either Dumbledore or Sirius is dead, plus one PNE fan and mother of three still thinks Elvis is alive

I heard a rumour that JK was going to kill off Harry? to prevent the possibility of further sequels, so i'm betting on Potter himself and Voldemort, both dying in the 'final battle'

i urge you to do so, if you're gonna read one book this year - make it this one:mrgreen:

The Winter King is the first BOOK in this Arthurian Tirology by Bernard Cornwell, like other Arthurian tales it is set around 500 A.D in post Roman Briton, and tells of the struggle by the native Britons, against the invading Saxons/Angles -as well as the petty disputes between the exisiting British kingdoms and the clash between the old Druidic religion and the Newly arrived Christianity. Unlike other books though, this Arthur is presented as a Pagan, there is no holy grail, age of chivalry or Camelot Castle, none of which existed until the middle - ages. also Arthur is not a 'King' but a Warlord, with a Loyal following of cavalry, not medievel Knights. The story is written as if it took place in Dark Age Britain as described in the original Welsh legends, with appropriate types of technology, culture, warfare, and attitudes. Cornwell also weaves later mythological additions such as Guinevere and Lancelot into the plot. The protagonist of the series is Derfel Cadarn (pronounced Derv-el), a Saxon brought up as a Briton by Merlin, the greatest of all Druids. In the course of the story, Derfel becomes a great warrior and one of Arthur's lieutenants in his war against the Saxons. Merlin, meanwhile, concerns himself with trying to restore the old gods of Britain. Among his fans, The Warlord Chronicles is often considered to be among Cornwell's best work, being acclaimed for both its storytelling qualities and its accuracy in portraying contemporary life. Cornwell himself has said, "I have to confess that of all the books I have written these three are my favourites." For fans of the series, Cornwell's portrayal of Merlin as a lecherous, driven, mischievous and irreverent druid is particularly memorable, as is his unflinching descriptions of Dark Age barbarities. Also interesting is his solution to the problem of integrating the magic of the Arthurian mythos in the context of historical fiction: he leaves room for the reader to take the "magic" depicted in the story at face value or to interpret it as a mixture of coincidence, psychology, and primitive technology I would strongly reccomend this book to anyone who enjoys "A well told tale " and as I have said before - Bernard Cornwells research is "second to none"

Just about to start this one, really looking forward to it saw it reviewed on Richard and Judy (I don't normally watch it, honest! :oops: ) and Madely totally blew the end for everyone, but still am sure it will proove to be a good read, I have read Bram Stokers Dracula years before and thoroughly enjoyed it, even if the language of the time was hard going sometimes, I think it's quite a bold move for someone to have attempted to write a companion to the original,will let you know what I think