Yoohoo! I'm Here!

[Mince]

I still try to put adverbial phrases in the right order, for goodness sake!

I do that. In Beau Peep Book 8, one of the Arabs says "Tell him that it is forbidden for him to walk this land by ancient laws.", and all I could think was that "by ancient laws" should be modifying "forbidden" and not "walk". It should be "Tell him that it is forbidden by ancient laws for him to walk this land." or even "Tell him that ancient laws forbid him to walk this land." I guess Roger will just blame it on the Arab.

[Joan]

Are you still doing cartoons in newspapers, Malcolm?  I have to confess, I had a peek at your profile on cartoonebooks - it came up on Google.  My Mum was born in Saltcoats, btw, and her family lived in the area for some time.  My uncle was there till he died about three years back.

[Joan]

I guess Roger will just blame it on the Arab.

LOL - thanks for the lunchtime cackle, Mince.  I suppose you forbid your students to use "LOL", etc too.

[Mince]

Yes, I do. They are not allowed to use text messaging or slang, and I tell them off for typos as well.

What's your profession, Joan?

[Joan]

What's your profession, Joan?

Oh, God, the dreaded "p" question!  There's no straight answer to that, Mince.  I trained as a bi-lingual secretary (German mainly, with a bit of French), but have never actually used the two together.  Had rather a chequered career in hotels, accountants offices, oil companies, tourism and now do the admin for our small business.  I have started a proofreading and editing course, for my sins, but haven't completed it yet as other things have got in the way.  I will probably start up a business soon offering secretarial and editing skills.  At the moment, the taxman has taken an interest in us, so most of my working time is taken up with checking up that everything is okay!  Everything else has been pushed aside (luckily, the family will feed themselves now - the offspring only when starving, and with a lot of grumbling) and I really should get back to it right now!

I just realised, you must be a real night owl, Mince - it's 2.55am in your neck of the woods.

[Mince]

I'm battling with the php coding for this (and my student) forum. I'm making headway, however.

[Malky McGookin]

Joan, no I just do gag cartooning now, plus a lot of corporate stuff.

If I could get your uncle's name, my mum will  know him undoubtedly. She knows everyone in Saltcoats.

[Tom]

Owed Two The Spell Czech Er

Eye have a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea.
It plane lea marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid,
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite.
Its rare lea ever wrong.
 
Eye have run this poem threw it.
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequer tolled me sew

Spelling

Beware of heard, a dreadful word
That looks like beard and sounds like bird.
And dead: it's said like bed, not bead;
For goodness' sake, don't call it deed!
Watch out for meat and great and threat.
(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt.)
A moth is not a moth in mother,
Nor both in bother, broth in brother.

...Just had to post them...

[Joan]

LOL, so true, Tom, and if you're particular about using "proper" English, don't ever create a document in Word with US English as the default language and spell checker turned on to automatic.  You'll end up with lots of "z" words and goodness only knows what else.  English is such a spelling mess, isn't it?  I'd hate to have to learn to write it as a foreign language.

Malcolm, my uncle's name was James Campbell.  He was a solicitor, and his firm was Jas Campbell & Co.  There's a little bit about him at the bottom of the page.  I hardly knew him, though.  The rest of the family were quite close, but Jim tended not to get involved unless there was family business to attend to - oops, to which to attend.  I'm sure your mum would at least have known of him.  People have varying opinions of solicitors, though, to say the least - I know, my dad was a solicitor in a small country town.

[Mince]

Joan, I ought to point out that my name is also Malcolm, and for a while you had me confused.

[Roger Kettle]

Malcolm Mince. Great name.

[Mince]

At least I can spell my own name.

[Malky McGookin]

Joan,
My family being the way we are, gor' bless yer, guv'nor, we will have undoubtedly made acquaintance of your uncle's services.

My sister-in-law Barbara has worked in a solicitors in Saltcoats for many a long year and it may be the very same business, I will check tonight when I phone home.

[Malky McGookin]

Oh. My. God.
Look at the bottom of the "Contact Us" page under Paralegals. Do I not see the name Barbara McGookin?

Joan, we're practically related.

[Joan]

LOL, of course we are, we're Scots.  With every Scot I've met here or on my travels, there's always a connection somewhere.  My good friend Elaine is Roger's cousin-in-law - took us a few years before we realised it, but we'd already worked out at least two more connections before that one came up in casual conversation.  Of course, I would never have made the connection if Roger hadn't become famous.