*HELLO*... Is anyone around?

Morning Simon, team, NYM and drying-out-nicely bloggers



Toasters and kettles , the life of a media and literary celebrity in the 21st century! Me, I had a trip to IKEA, followed by a journey to the dump (not the same stuff), and hours spent putting up a new light. As Mental as Anything would say, Live It Up!



Surprises, hey? Well you have to start here....



MY MY, HEY HEY, OUT OF THE BLUE – Neil Young



BETCHA BY GOLLY WOW – Stylistics



SURPRISE, SURPRISE – Rolling Stones



WHO’D HAVE KNOWN – Lily Allen

Good Morning All :)



The sun is actually shining this morning, it probably won't last...



I didn't get to hear Simon's interview with Dermot on Saturday, it's on my listen again list.



Surprise songs, eh? Oldie suggestions...



LIFE OF SURPRISES - PREFAB SPROUT



MAYBE I'M AMAZED - PAUL McCARTNEY



YOU NEVER CAN TELL - CHUCK BERRY

Good Morning Simon and Poppeteers



Congratulations to Coffeebuzz and The Driver for getting the ARFO sorted out and won't Coffeebuzz look splendid in his crown by the coffee machine.



Surprises?



WHO ARE YOU - THE WHO



LET'S GET MARRIED - PROCLAIMERS



TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT - TEDDY THOMPSON



WHAT SHALL I DO? - FRANKIE AND THE CLASSICALS



and for a tune with a surprise at the end



18 YELLOW ROSES - BOBBY DARREN

Hello again everyone



A bit dull and windy here today after being spoilt for so long with sunny weather!



Nice to see Coffee Buzz getting an 'apologetic' mention in Simon's blog, today!



LIFE OF SURPRISES ~ Prefab Sprout



SURPRISES ~ Billy Joel



NO SURPRISES ~ Radiohead



BABY WHAT A BIG SURPRISE ~ Chicago



SURPRISE ME AGAIN ~ Haircut 100

Morning all.



Is she REALLY going out with him - Joe Jackson.

Good Morning Again -





DIDN’T I BLOW YOUR MIND THIS TIME? – Delfonics



WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES – Esther Phillips



(WHAM BAM ALACASAM! ) - OUT OF AN ORANGE COLOURED SKY –



Nat King Cole/Johnny Mathis/Michael Buble/ et al



WOW! – Kate Bush



BETCHA BY GOLLY WOW ! - Stylistics



ZOOM! – Fat Larry’s Band



AMAZED – LoneStar



MAYBE I’M AMAZED - Macca

Good morning all from a beautifully sunny Essex.



How about



DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET? - BILLY J KRAMER AND THE DAKOTAS



JW

Good morning, everybody! (again)



Surprises, eh?



WAKE UP BOO - THE BOO RADLEYS

NO SURPRISES - RADIOHEAD

BOOM BOOM - JOHN LEE HOOKER

SHOCKED - KYLIE



Back to blether later



--

kkcBzz

THE DAY BEFORE YOU CAME - Abba



Full of surprise -



IT'S OH SO QUIET - Bjork



TAKE MY BREATH AWAY - Berlin

A rush of blood to the head - Coldplay

Is there something I should Know? - Duran Duran

Is she really going out with him? - Joe Jackson

Leaving me now - Level 42

Leaving right now - Will Young

Panic - The Smiths

Take my breathe away - Berlin

Another oldie suggestion...



THE HAPPENING - THE SUPREMES

Morning Simon, Team & Blogpoppets.



Glad you got the ARFO sorted. Surely an on air apology is the least we can expect from the BBC ;-)



Have tweeted a couple of songs. Don't feel the need to reproduce here.



Will be out & about most of today and will try to catch up when I can.



Re the Springsteen song, I heard Paul Carrack's version on the Titanic show (so beautifully produced by the other Mr Mayo). First heard it sung by Faith Hill a few years ago. Prefer her version to Springsteen's but I am not much of a Bruce fan so I would say that.



Hope everyone has a good day.



x

HOLY SMOKE! (Some Rude Words!) - Iron Maiden



THE WONDER OF YOU - Elvis

#4 Shona - I'm afraid I had to refrain from "looking splendid", by placing a shower cap over the ARFO crown to keep it dry.



Only 4 more weeks until the weather doesn't affect my coffee machine run!



--

kkcBzz

Good Morning Simon, Team and Blogpoppets



I shouldn't really be here - mountains of emails to read/action, but just time to suggest:



WOW by Kate Bush



WOW by Kylie Minogue



RIGHT BEFORE MY VERY EYES by Chicago



SURPRISES by Billy Joel



Laters...



~X~

Hi Simon and everyone



Hope all had good weekends, did not partake in the KB competition so just was in a coaching capacity and all our partaking students did really well and i did not take part because all the categories had changed and I would not have fought til 9pm!!!!



Happy happy happy with Chelsea's result at QPR and Torres is certainly paying back his £50m fee!!! That was a surprise!!!



Now for choons!



1. AMAZED - Lonestar

2. BETCHA BY GOLLY WOW - Stylists

3. Venus - SHOCKING BLUE

4. SUNSHINE ON A RAINY DAY - Zoe.

5. IS SHE REALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM? Joe Jackson

6. EVERY LOSER WINS - Nick Berry

7. YOU WIN AGAIN -Bee Gees

8. SHOCKED - Kylie

9. YOUR AMAZING - Robert Palmer

10. I'M YOUR MAN - WHAM!



Have a nice day



Laters



Mandy ;)

Thought of another one:



MAYBE I'M AMAZED by Paul McCartney



~X~

REALLY SAYING SOMETHING - Bananarama & FunBoy3





TELL ME IT'S NOT TRUE - Barbara Dixon



Sob! Sob! Sob!

I love that Bruce Springsteen song too, and there are lots of other lovely versions out there too. I thought I recalled one by Bonnie Raitt, I'll have to look it up on YT.



A few more oldie suggestions...



ALL SHOOK UP - ELVIS PRESLEY



YOU SHOOK ME (ALL NIGHT LONG) - LED ZEPPELIN

WELL, WELL, WELL - Duffy



STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF LOVE - Four Tops



HOW DID IT COME TO THIS? - TT (Wah!)



HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON? - Ace



YOU TOOK THE WORDS RIGHT OUT OF MY MOUTH - Meatloaf



I NEVER KNEW LOVE LIKE THIS BEFORE - Stephanie Mills



NEW KID IN TOWN - Eagles



I WANT THAT MAN - Deborah Harry



I'M YOUR MAN - Wham!

Morning all :-) sunshine and blue skies here in The Shire...beging to think I should have had ducks rather than chickens my poor begraggled girls.



MARVIN GAYE....WHATS GOING ON



DIANA ROSS & THE SUPREMES...THE HAPPENING



THE STYLISTICS...BETCHA BY GOLLY WOW



PSL xxx

Good morning all!



I enjoyed Dermot's interview with you Simon. I quite like Dermot's interviewing technique even though he is so laid back sometimes, he's almost horizontal!



My suggestions for today's 'feem':



START! by THE JAM



AGAINST ALL ODDS by PHIL COLLINS



LOOK AWAY by BIG COUNTRY



SCARY MONSTERS (AND SUPER CREEPS) by DAVID BOWIE



JUMP by VAN HALEN



BABY IT'S YOU by THE BEATLES





I think that covers some different types of surprises, but a really nice surprise is



BREAKFAST IN BED by UB40



madchick x

a northern soul classic...



WHAT.....JUDY STREET

YOU TOOK MY BREATH AWAY - Travelling Wilburys



I MUST BE SEEING THINGS - Gene Pitney

IT'S A MYSTERY - Toyah

#15 I have a lovely picture of you in my head with a shower cap over your crown Coffeebuzz. This takes away the vision of Gazza in his speedos.



I really enjoyed the interview with Simon on Dermot's show.

GEE WHIZ IT'S YOU by CLIFF & THE SHADOWS



OH! CAROL by NEIL SEDAKA



GO NOW by THE MOODY BLUES

SURPRISE! SURPRISE! - R Cilla

EVERYBODY'S TALKING - Nilson





ALWAYS THE LAST TO KNOW - Del Amitri





Must be orf now.

Morning all



Can we have some John Martyin please. How about.....



CERTAIN SURPRISE - John Martyn

UNBELIEVABLE - EMF

WHAT CAN I SAY.....BOZ SCAGGS

One more...





IS IT TRUE? ~ Brenda Lee

Hello and Happy Mondays all round - from the insensitive numpty who grumped into here yesterday complaining about everyone going on about the weather - at a time when people were really suffering out there - and ... wait for it

... an hour before her front hall flooded!



That'll teach me.

:^o





OK - some surprise oldies already tweetled. Will try not to replicate anything above, although stuff may have appeared as I've been typing this:



OUT OF THE BLUE - DEBBIE GIBSON



SUDDENLY I SEE - KATY TUNSTALL



UNBELIEVABLE - EMF







:^)

MIND BLOWING DECISIONS - Heat Wave

#35 That's not karma, it's just old-fashioned bad luck. Hope it all gets sorted soon.



Sorry to hear of all of your weekend catastrophes. I hope tyres, greenhouses and chillies are all mended soon.



Like Shona, we had sunshine yesterday - proper 'cut the grass' sunshine! Back to the downpour now, though!



--

kkcBzz

The opposite really -



NO SURPRISES - Radiohead

More Surprises ...





I'M THE MAN - JOE JACKSON



A NEW ENGLAND - KIRSTY MACCOLL



NEW KID IN TOWN - THE EAGLES



HOWZAT - SHERBERT

Three word Monday....



Spotted swooping swifts.



Gotta fly :)

Ooh, just thought of this one - re not having 'Arry as Manager...





YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT - Rolling Stones

Apologies Ken, meant to say before that I'm pleased all is ok after your scare at the weekend. Have been there and not come out so well so my relief for you and anyone who was with you is heartfelt.



x

#40 Now you are just showing off, Sal!! I still haven't seen any swallows yet! I think they must have got some dodgy foreign satnav.



x

Today the sun is shining and theres not a cloud in the sky :-) (dont worry it wont last)



Shona, Id completly fogotten about the song '18 Yellow Roses' - it always makes me cry (reminds me of my Dad).



Will be spending the morning trying to fix the gazebo which came a cropper in the winds yesterday, and assisting where needed for the chap taking out our old bath. If he ever turns up (taps watch expectantly).



Can only think of the theme tune to SURPRISE SURPRISE for todays choice, which is by no means orriginal. Think ive lost my touch.



Hope you all had a good weekend and have managed to wade out of your respective flooded areas.



~gill~

Surprise!



SUCH A NIGHT! - Elvis or Johnny Ray

Morning all,

DT team (including the reprimanded YTS child guilty of assigning Driver with Donna Summer ((I did think it was a strange one for the Driver)), DT Dude, owner of a shiny new toaster, and manky old kettle...oh and all bloggers esp those enjoying a ray of sun today.

I was in the kitchen making a cake saturday afternoon, as we have visitors to feed (until 8th May) and was nicely suprised to hear the DT Dude on the DO'L show!

RE theme, I twittered



WOW by KATE BUSH and could add



ONCE IN A LIFETIME Talking Heads ("...how did I get here?") or



'IT STONED ME' BY VAN THE MAN never quite sure what he meant by that, but think he meant he was surprised - anyone got better ideas?



We lost 1/2 our pear tree onto the footpath (luckily not house) over Saturday night sometime...the words 'batten down the hatches' was never so true as Saturday here in the UK.

And the footpath into work today past the river (here lies the clue) was flooded, to about 2-3" and yes, was wearing wellies, but sadly they leak (eeeugh)



Now back to read up on what you cleverer peeps have come up with...



Sad though for Driver and ESPECIALLY Coffeebuzz .......getting half a crown each??

Kettle buying v football



Hmmm....purchase kettle via internet (or despatch wife to purchase kettle if an emergency and alternative water boiling facilities aren't available) AND go to or watch the football.



Sorted. Now available for life consultancy at very reasonable rates :-)

I heartily second Florence's



SURPRISES - Billy Joel. The whole Nylon Curtain album is an underrated classic.



Also: AMAZING - Seal

#46 Wasn't half a crown, 25 new pence? don't spend it all at once! ;-)

Now really what was asked for, but can't resist...



YOU GOT IT - Roy Horgison (!)



Really really really not here now.

Morning one and all...................the sun is shining............coffeeBuzz is rightfully acknowledged as our ARFO King...........................so all must be right with the world!............................................................................................





SURPRISE SURPRISE - ROLLING STONES



SHOCK VALUE - BLACK SABBATH



SHOCK AND AWE - NEIL YOUNG



AMAZED - LONESTAR



MAYBE I'M AMAZED - PAUL McCARTNEY



SOMETHING CHANGED - PULP



WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN - THE WHO



SHOCKED - KYLIE





Coffee beckons.......................................................................................



Dougal x......................................................



P.S Hope everyone is fine and dandy ...............

#50 Now = Not

#46/#49 25p won't even get me chocolate sprinkles on my frothymochachino!

:P



--

kkcBzz

Worse still ( and I may be wrong?) but being older than Mcw, I think half a crown is equivalent to 12 and a half pence? Wasn't a crown, five bob, which is 25p?

Now I am confused, think I may be wrong.

How about................................................................................................







REWARD - TEARDROP EXPLODES .......Bless My Cotton Socks I'm In The News........





YOU DIDN'T SEE ME - THE ISLEY BROTHERS





TAKE THAT LOOK OFF YOUR FACE - MARTI WEBB





Dougal x...................................................................................................

Bad news for coffeebuzz if he has expensive tastes in coffee:

"Half a crown (2 shillings and sixpence) = 12½p"

From a lovely website which took me back to the good old days of Pounds, Shillings and Pence - all those lovely pics of farthings (I loved the little bird) and threepences...that's what we had from the tooth fairy when I was a gal

https://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/moneyold.htm

#57 - No real worries. I'm really not a fan of the frothy-choccy-mocha stuff: no milk for me, either.



I'm afraid I have no recollection of the L/S/D days, being a post-decimalisation child. My mother and grandmother did have a few silver thupennies(sp?). My mother probably still does - I'll ask next time I visit.



--

kkcBzz

#42 No apologies needed Mo. I was on my own so it was only my buttocks that were clenching.

Ok, have read back and caffeined-up

& would like to 2nd/3rd whatever



Macca and 'BABY I'M AMAZED'

and

'WAKE UP BOO' by the Boo Radleys (esp as one of my favourite books is To kill a mockingbird)



#2 glad to hear that IKEA purchases and DUMP deposits were not the same items...though some would disagree....



#47 well said - (except the bit about dispensing the little woman to do the purchasing of said kettle/toaster) - if you support a team, gotta 'man up' and be there thru the rough and the smooth...

Hence why I don't follow a team!!



Of course the office window cleaners have arrived. Perfect timing.

#54 Sal & #57 You are both right re the half crown decimal conversion!



I can remember getting 20p pocket money per week, and the sweets you could buy with that! Black jacks, fruit salads, licorice catherine wheels, sherbet fountains, white mice....etc A whole paper bag full!

Phew!



How small are penny mice these days? Spose they had to be cut down, to match the price, that is IF they are still a penny?

Talking of sweets. I think that the creme eggs have definitely shrunk. Last week when I was at home sorting through the insurance paperwork, I snaffled one of miss madchick's creme eggs thinking that I could replace it before she returns. Can I find anywhere that is still selling them? Nope!! I thought they sold them all year round.



Looks like I may have to fess up.......or fashion one Blue Peter style! ;-)



Off to clean out the chicken ark...



madchick x

Sainers Mcw, all half price atm :)

#58 all I remember for sure is that 19/11 meant the equivalent of 99p today.



I took my 11+ the year it all changed...about 3 months after it was brought in (and remember, it included weights and measures too, all the things we had been taught since starting school WENT out of the WINDOW).

Yes, the maths techniques were the same and some would say easier, being to the power of 10 but it was bad timing all the same.

It is interesting that now when you buy a drink in a pub, bar people can no longer add up sums in their heads and have to go to the till, type in £3.50 drink, £5.00 tendered - and need to be told the change required!

#62 I think the newsagents I used to pass on my way to school were selling 'penny' sweets at 2 for 3p, as far back as 1990!



--

kkcBzz

Good morning all, still raining over here.

Bit late to the blog today and finding it difficult to add to the choices but maybe



HARPER VALLEY PTA - JEANIE C RILEY (where a number of people are surprised)

Six for 30 bob ;) that doesn't sound that much of a bargain somehow and yes, most definitely smaller!

No sign of Harry today?

Beth Hart and Slash duet featuring now on Zen Bruce - as part of Slash's 'tracks of his years' (thought it was supposed to be OTHER people's stuff??)

Just a quick poop in to say:



Good morning everyone



before it's afternoon.



Busy, busy, busy.



Be back later with a little luck.

Struggling with SURPRISES. These are the only ones I can come up with and I've been sitting here thinking for an age!



OUT OF THE BLUE (into the fire) - The The

NO SURPRISES - Radiohead

PANIC - The Smiths

THAT'LL BE THE DAY or OH BOY! - Buddy Holly

START - The Jam

Will you share that 'little luck' around a bit Harry?



Hang on, blue sky!!



I'm outta here..... :)

#61 20p would buy you a big bag of sweets?



When I was a lad, 4/- (20p) would buy you a house! ;0)



I really have to work.

ah so Harry is masquerading as Alf, thank goodness for t'internet

https://people.virginia.edu/%7Esfr/enam312/prufrock.html

Brought on by this over the weekend??!!:



"...Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels ..."

#73 and you tell the kids these days and they don't BELIEVE you



'We used to lick the roads clean before we got up etc etc'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo

Hello again everyone.



I hope everyone who has suffered from the effects of the weather are getting themselves sorted out - not good :(



We used to get 4 Black Jacks/Fruit Salads for 1d back in the days of £ S D. What you got when p's came in I don't know - bet it wasn't 8 or 10, which is what it should have been, in theory.



Glad you are busy Harry/Alf - did you see my post yesterday re square metre gardening article in May's Gardeners World mag? Interesting.



JW

Early lunch. And a bit more inspiratino:



BEHIND CLOSED DOORS - Dolly Parton

SUDDENLY YOU LOVE ME - TREMELOES

#63 Madchick - My twin 1 has become rather enamoured of mini eggs, and I was panicking because he doesn't understand seasonality, so I was worried about what we'd do when the shops ran out of them. But someone on Twitter directed me to the Cadbury's world website, where (I'm told) they sell mini eggs, creme eggs and the like all year round. Indeed I managed to buy a whole box full of mini egg bags the other week, panic over! :)

#64 & #79, Sal and Zoe thank you so much for the info. It looks as if I will be able to keep my halo in place and the gd will be none the wiser. ;-)



It is usually Mr madchick who is partial to chocolate, and he usually gets the blame if any goes missing!



x

#73 Harry felt on Friday that he was becoming persona non grata, so changed to Mr Prufrock! I think it was cold war paranoia myself. All this name changing is making me dizzy. As well the ARFO database we're going to need a deed poll database for all original names and the new ones. Your sincerely, PostronRoskett.

REELING AND A ROCKING - CHUCK BERRY

(well I looked at my watch and to my surprise.....)

Well hello there my lovelies.



It’s been far too long.



The trip to New Zealand was heart breaking but it was good to see my sister and her husband and my sister-in-law and my niece and nephew, though what I would have paid to have it under different circumstances.



It really was a flying visit - there and back in a week. I’ve promised myself not to wait too long to go again when time and smiles are more readily available. It all went as well as it could. Many tears, of course, but also some laughter at wonderful memories shared.



Even though I did not feel up to participating this wonderful blog kept me company during transit at Hong Kong outbound and Los Angeles on the way home and I must say you all travel very well :)



After being home just long enough to wash and iron a few mountains, we took off for a long since booked trip to the West Coast of Scotland. We’d rented a lovely cottage a few miles outside Oban and the peace and beauty of the place is just what I needed to restore my spirit a little. We also (sorry to rained on and wind damaged poppets) had a dry and mostly sunny week and celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary last Thursday under a blue sky with freshly smoked kippers and champagne for breakfast!



I know I’ve said it many times but such truths cannot be repeated often enough; this blog really is a balm to the soul. Your kind words before I left and the smiles that a quick read back induced wherever I was in the world are priceless.



I’m glad to be back in the fold…. It’s like I’m home proper now xxx

Afternoon all, my favourite surprise song is



LOLA by the Kinks .. 'she walked like a woman and talked like a man'



#79 Zoe, maybe you could introduce twin 1 to chocoloate Christmas tree decorations as I'm sure they'll be in the shops soon ;0)

Has anyone 'seen' the Driver?

I don't do titter, or facecloth.



I'd say he should drive this way to pick up his half (12.5p).

I'll be in between the hours of 08:00 -13:00 and will expect a call 1/2 hour before arrival.

:P



--

kkcBzz

In terms of songs that finish with a surprise this is hard to beat:



STAN - Eminem with Dido

Afternoon all. I'm very late to the party today for which I can only blame work - *harumph*!



Jilly - so glad to see you back. I'm please to hear the blog offered some solace at a difficult time.



Deebee - likewise, lovely to have you back.



Haven't had time to read back properly so will just add a couple of oldie suggestions:

Maybe I'm Amazed - Wings

Ever Fallen in Love With Someone - The Buzzcocks



Back in a bit I hope......

A lot of posts since I was here earlier and much talk about old-fashioned swwets bought for old money. Can you still get those little pink shrimps and sweet bananas that were often part of a bag of mixed 1p sweets with the mice, black jacks and sherbet fountains.



Someone mentioned shop assistants or bar workers not being able to add up and I like to confuse them if my bill is £7.51 by offering the odd 51p or maybe the £2.51 so they can give me even change and they are often totally lost as the till has told them what to give me!!!

Busy shop; busy blog.



Too much to read all the way through just now but:



#76 Jennie, Mrs Snapper subscribes so I had seen the article but, yes, I did see your post.



Has Alex been by today? Sorry to hear about the trees and the greenhouse. Hope all is well.



I remember the change over to decimal currency quite vividly because I've always felt aggrieved by the actions of a certain bus conductor. I went to school in the morning, paid my bus fare, 6d. Got on the bus to come home, gave him my sixpence but it wasn't enough. The bus company had decided it couldn't be bothered with the ½p so the fare was now 3p and I didn't have enough. I had to walk home.



I believe that was the start of soaring inflation.



Must go, grindstone in need of a nose.

Hi Simon,



Oldies could be...

Gary Numan - Sister Surprise

Prefab Sprout - Life Of Surprises

Bizarre Inc - Surprise

Radiohead - No Surprises

Oakenfold - Starry Eyed Surprise



Thanks,

Hi Jilly - lovely to have you back again. Seems strange to think that our words were being read in Los Angeles airport and other far-flung parts.





Do other blogpoppets envisage where people are in their homes/offices etc when they are reading/writing?



JW

Welcome back Jilly. Lovely post. You write so beautifully. We've missed you.

xx

Is it time for silly suggestions, yet?



SUDDENLY - ANGRY ANDERSON

OOPS I DID IT AGAIN - BRITNEY SPEARS



--

kkcBzz

#91 Jennie - yes! I do. Imagine where people are.



I know some posts have a very strong sense of 'Place' - ie. N Somerset coast, Anglesey, Cumbria, etc. but within the confines of buildings, home and offices.

Airports or in flight - or just 'abroad' - another matter altogether

:^)

Where am I ;)

#83 Hello Jilly. How nice to see you back. I'm glad all went as well as it could and that you had a quiet break in a lovely part of the country when you got home.



#44 Gilly, sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry.;(



My dad used to put a penny and a sixpence (tanner) in his hand and ask me which one I wanted for pocket money. Of course, I picked the biggest coin everytime. (well, I was only 3 or 4).



From the age of round about 7, my pocket money was half a crown. I remember being sent to the shops with old money and getting my change in new money.

A most beautifully written post Jilly.



Smoked kippers, champagne and sunshine too :)

Welcome back to the fold, Jilly. So pleased you were lucky enough to celebrate your anniversary in the lovely sunny weather we have been having for quite a while up here!

You can't beat some freshly smoked Loch Fyne kippers!!!! We often have kippers on a Sunday morning for breakfast and try to get 'real' ones!!!

A busy start to the week... over 100 posts already!!!