A Cache of Doctor Who Treasure

Recently, my wife returned from travel with a few special gifts. I say a few, but count them: there's eighteen Doctor Who novelizations, one of which contains two stories. Of the novels, there were five books retelling six first Doctor stories, and three novelizations from the second Doctor era. This is notable, as during this time period, the BBC had a policy of erasing expensive video tape after the show's initial airing (and perhaps one repeat), so they could reuse it to record other programs. Five of the six first Doctor stories exist only as reconstructions, combining photographic images with audio tracks that fans recorded off their TV sets at home. Two of the three second Doctor stories are also missing, and only exist as reconstructions. So reading the books will help me visualize those stories better.

I've already started reading Galaxy Four, the first book following the order in which the stories were filmed. It's an odd story, in which the Doctor and his companions land on a planet inhabited by two visiting races. These are visitors from other planets, and both crash landed on this planet. One race is represented by a woman and her cloned companions. Despite her beauty, she feels only distain for others. Her companions seem to feel little emotion excepting fear of their mistress. The stratified society she represents reminds the Doctor of that old fool Plato, who he met on a trip to ancient Greece. Apparently, he tried to tell Plato that he could not found a perfect society, or Republic, based on slavery. Like many the Doctor meets, Plato decided to reject the Doctor's advice.

The other book pictured is a novelization of "The Tenth Planet." It's notable for the final story featuring the first Doctor, and the first appearance of the Cybermen. These Cybermen were crude by comparison with the Cybermen the Doctor encountered on successive occasions, as the race improves the design of their mechanical bodies. Interestingly, recent news reports have hinted that the latest Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi, will encounter Cybermen of this original design later this season. That should prove interesting to watch.

The first Doctor Who story I ever saw was "The Genesis of the Daleks." As an early teen in America, I found it difficult to relate to the TV series. The fourth Doctor seemed an utterly incomprehensible figure, and the cliffhanger endings were just plain weird. After seeing "Star Wars" in the cinema, I was looking for more Sci-Fi in that vein. Shows like Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica I could relate to better. Still, I watched the stories from the first season of the fourth Doctor, and read novelizations of other Doctor Who stories, and respected the long tradition of Doctor Who. Years later, after my wife and I married, I became a fan of the show via the third Doctor, a character I could admire and relate to. I love those fourth Doctor stories now, and especially "The Genesis of the Daleks." It'll be interesting to read the novelization, and compare it with the original recording. 

Two other novelizations I'm especially looking forward to reading are Logopolis and Frontios, both by Christopher H. Bidmead. Logopolis takes place on a planet populated by mathematicians who can change the structure of the universe by manipulating mathematical calculations. The TV version of "Frontios," a fifth Doctor story, features actress Lesley Dunlop, who would go on to play Zoe Callendar in a favorite British comedy May To December. "Frontios" transports us to a ravaged world, in which the Doctor attempts to make piece between the Human colonists and a race of giant, intelligent insects. I always felt that this story could have benefitted from a big screen treatment. It would have been great to have seen the devastated landscape on a vast scale, and the war being waged with the best special effects wizards in Hollywood. It will be interesting to see how the book compares with my vision for everything I imagine that story could have been.

Additionally, Christopher H. Bidmead read and commented on a blog entry I wrote about the Doctor Who story "State Of Decay." He wanted to give me his recollection of the dispute between himself, as Script Editor, and the writer of the story, Terrance Dicks. The fact that he would respond to something I wrote is another reason I want to read these two stories.

In closing, I must add that there's a part of me that asks "Why do you need all these novelizations? After all, you've got the TV versions to watch, or at least the reconstructions." But reading is a different experience from watching, and often novelists add scenes deleted from the TV programs, relate the scenes differently, or add additional detail to give you a fuller understanding of the characters and the world(s) on which they live. I look forward to immersing myself in the written versions of these Doctor Who stories, and coming away with an enhanced appreciation for the TV series I love.

Dragon Dave

Dalek Knitting Rules November 2013

As humans (and Daleks), we're always interested in what's popular.  The numbers below reflect which titles have shown up in other people's blogs, Twitter feeds, Facebook Home pages, and other places that drew new readers to  The Dragon's Cache last month.

 Top Ten Posts For November 2013

Post Name                                              Date Posted         Views
1. Pocket Dalek Knitting Pattern                 Feb. 18, 2013         34
2. The Cows of Seven Sisters                    Nov. 18, 2013         22
3. The TARDIS of Brighton Pier                  Nov. 15, 2013         22
4. Ray Bradbury Loves Dinosaurs               Oct. 8, 2013           19
5. Looking for Alec & Zoe Calendar: Pt. 1    Nov. 28, 2012         19
6. A Day in Brighton                                   Nov. 7, 2013          15
7. Eating Out in Brighton                            Nov. 21, 2013         15
8. Recovering From My Seven Sisters        Nov. 14, 2013         14
9. Visiting My Seven Sisters: Pt. 2             Nov. 12, 2013         13
10. Rex Dalek & K-9 Visit Krispy Kreme      Nov. 8, 2013          13

Two of October's Top Ten Posts remained on the list for November. While "Looking for Alec & Zoe Calendar: Part 1" fell from first to fifth, "Ray Bradbury Loves Dinosaurs" clung to its Fourth Place for a second month in a row.  The Daleks may have been shut out in October, but they surged back onto the list last month, with "Pocket Dalek Knitting Pattern" and "Rex Dalek & K-9 Visit Krispy Kreme."  Perhaps their resurgence was fueled by the Fiftieth Anniversary celebration of Doctor Who, given that my acquisition of the Doctor's time machine attracted readers to "The TARDIS of Brighton Pier."  And while travel blogs are usually popular, I couldn't help but notice that four of them--"A Day Out in Brighton," "Eating Out in Brighton," "Recovering From My Seven Sisters," and "Rex Dalek & K-9 Visit Krispy Kreme"--involved food. Mmm…Subway Tandoori Chicken Sandwiches, Cornish Pasties, Quavers, Fish & Chips, and Krispy Kreme Donuts.  Five essential English Food Groups!

K-9 & Rex visit Subway in Brighton

Two entries, "Pocket Dalek Knitting Pattern" and "Looking for Alec & Zoe Calendar: Part 1" climbed higher on my My Ten Most Popular Posts, which suggests that not only do readers love Daleks so much that they want them in their own homes, but also that they enjoy stories about the kindness of strangers.  While it's always nice to accomplish Great Deeds and Herculean Tasks, sometimes it's the smallest of our actions--those that may never be noted or commented upon or hailed by others--that can make a huge impact on a person's life.  I may not know that cabbie's name, but I'll never forget him, and I'll always be grateful to him.  Without his help, we might never have reached Pinner, where one of my favorite British comedies, "May To December," was filmed.  

Our visit to Pinner, England, two years ago.
After eating our sandwiches in the town square behind us,
we dug out our maps,
tried to figure out where we'd gone wrong,
and how to get where we needed to go.
If only we'd had a Dalek back then to guide us!

Finally, last month The Dragon's Cache enjoyed 1,589 page views. That's one hundred more than the previous all-time high, and nearly three hundred more than the average for the past three months.  So people are reading the blog, and hopefully, in some way, it beneficially impacts their lives.

You know, just like the mere mention of dinosaurs made Ray Bradbury smile.

Dragon Dave     

August 2013 In Review

I didn't do much tweaking to the blog in August, but I thought I'd share with you which posts drew the most interest.

Top Ten Posts For August 2013

Post Name                                              Date Posted         Views
1. The Conan Chronologies                      April 4, 2013             60
2. Daleks Love Doctor Who Breakfasts     August 23, 2013       36
3. Postcards from San Diego Airport         August 12, 2013       29
4. Daleks & the Judgment of Solomon      August 16, 2013       22 
5. Norman Clegg's TV House                   July 30, 2013            22
6. Red Dalek Builds Lego Star Wars         August 1, 2013          21
7. Another Way to Train Your Dragon        August 5, 2013         19
8. Catching a Glimpse of Norman Clegg      May 24, 2012         17
9. Looking for Alec & Zoe Calendar: Pt. 1    Nov 28, 2012          16 
10. Ruining Frank Thorne's Red Sonja Art   August 8, 2013       16

"The Conan Chronologies" really caught people's attention. This post covered how Robert E. Howard wrote the Conan stories out of sequence.  I thought many casual fans might not be aware of this, as our concept of Conan is largely structured by several chronologies that were worked out for the barbarian's life.  L. Sprague de Camp and others used this to organize the Conan stories in the landmark twelve-book paperback series.  Then again, readers might merely have liked it because I provided a link to an online Conan comic audio/visual adventure.  While Blogger lists it as having over 80 page views (and climbing) on my total posts list, it hasn't yet added the post to my Top Ten in the Statistics section.

As of yesterday, "Norman Clegg's TV House" had gotten 52 views, which meant it would have placed higher on the list, had I posted it a few days later.  Amazingly, no Last of the Summer Wine fans have snapped up his house in Holmfirth yet.  Come on, folks: this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to own a piece of precious TV history (and support your favorite fictional character).  If you all don't get with the program soon, I may have to have another talk with my wife. After all, I've been assured that British Matter Transmissions (BMT) will build a station in Holmfirth in the near future.  (Oh, and by the way, my dearest, most beautiful wife, we could always add a bathroom to the first and/or second floor).

"May To December" was created and written by Paul Mendelson,
produced by "Doctor Who" producer Verity Lambert,
and originally starred Anton Rodgers and Eve Matheson.

British comedies in general fared well in August, with three of the top entries related to "Last of the Summer Wine," and the final one related to "May To December."  I wrote three entries on our visit to the English village of Pinner, where the series was set.  (The other two entries were "Looking for Alec & Zoe Calendar: Part 2," and "Verity Lambert's Other Great TV Show.  They rounded out November, 2012).  I know why people love my "Last of the Summer Wine" entries: the series proved so popular it lasted over thirty years.  Sadly, "May To December" remains a little known (or remembered) show, but I'll love it until the day I die.  Ironically, the post didn't actually talk about Pinner, or what I loved about the TV show.  Instead, it focused on how surprisingly difficult it was to find Pinner, and the difference between the English and American road systems.  Ah well, I suppose anyone who's ever gotten lost while driving, or felt lost on the great journey of life, can relate to that.

My article on Marvel Comics' "Red Sonja" Issue 2 didn't generate as much interest as my posts on Issue 1, but I now realize I should have given you folks a summary of that story, so that you could better appreciate readers' reactions to it, and then commented on that. (Maybe I can do that in September).  Still, for one Conan blog and one Red Sonja post to reach the Top Ten Posts for August: that's not a bad reflection on the enduring impact of Robert E. Howard. 

Finally, I must cheer the fact that three out of five Dalek posts in August made the Monthly Top Ten.  What can I say, people love Daleks.  (And Daleks--at least my Daleks--love you).  Three cheers for Daleks!  Hip hip exterminate!  Hip hip exterminate!  Hip hip exterminate!

Dragon Dave 

"Hold on, Dragon Dave!
You forgot about your dragon entry!"

P. S.  Oops!  I can't sign off without mentioning Cressida Cowell's novel How To Train Your Dragon.  It's a fun book, so different from the movie, and yet a story that should be read by all serious dragon lovers.  (And perhaps all non-serious ones too).  Her book reminded me that it's okay to loosen up in your storytelling style, as long as you entertain them.  Like her unconventional story, her illustrations demonstrated the power that even the simplest artwork can wield.  Truly, we're never too old to learn to learn from others' achievements.

P.S.S.  I did add one new feature this month.  At the end of each post, you'll find a line called reactions.  There you have three ways to rate my post, as either funny, interesting, or cool.  So if you've been dying to share your reaction to a particular post with me, but had trouble boiling that down into words, all you have to do is check a box.  That's it, just tick a little box.  It's like voting...actually, it is voting.  It's Democracy in action.  It's your chance to voice your opinion, to make yourself heard, and in so doing make a lasting impact on your world!

P.S.S.S.  I've updated My Ten Most Popular Posts.  If you'd like to read to, you can reach it from the Pages section, or by following the above link.  

Psssst!  I'm through pestering you with the postscripts now, so you can get on with your busy--and hopefully fruitful--day.

Verity Lambert’s Other Great TV Show

The church where Bill, Alec's son in law, serves as vicar.

Sydney Newman created Doctor Who.  Paul Mendelson created May to December.  But in both cases, the person who got the shows up and running, and who crafted the overall look and feel of both shows, was Verity Lambert.  With Doctor Who, she had to work to create something out of nothing, as no one had a firm concept of what the Doctor should look like, or how he should interact with his companions.  As no one had a spare Tardis handy, she had to create that too.

With May to December, less inventiveness was necessary, as Paul Mendelson drew much of the show from his own life.  He set it in the village of Pinner, where he lived.  He used the name of his eldest daughter, Zoe, for the female lead.  As he had worked in a Family Law office, he made Alec a lawyer.  And as he had given up the legal practice after an especially traumatic case, Zoe meets Alec when she starts divorce proceedings.  But it wasn’t enough for Mendelson to bring together two people whose lives had been shattered, one by a spouse’s unfaithfulness, and the other by death.  In the desire to separate them further, and thus give each more difference to overcome, he also chose to separate Alec and Zoe by twenty-seven years.

A house they visit, when Alec & Zoe start house-hunting.

People often mention the generation gap when discussing May to December, but what makes the show special for me is its characters.  Verity Lambert hired actors who fleshed out their parts and developed chemistry onscreen.  The characters are well constructed, and exhibit vibrant personalities.  They believe in true love, responsibility and commitment to others, and overcoming interpersonal differences.  This is especially true of the two main characters.  Because Zoe was committed to her husband throughout their eight years of marriage, we can understand how she might turn to a fellow schoolteacher for solace, even if she doesn’t see him as a long-term partner.  Because Alec loved his wife for thirty years, and cared for her during her final years of illness, we can understand how he might ignore the age gap when he realizes that Zoe shares his interests, and that he connects with her like no one else.  Due to Verity Lambert’s choice of actors, and Mendelson’s character construction, we are willing to journey along with Alec and Zoe while they fumble their way through a romance involving premarital sex, and spend a few years cautiously living together, before each is ready to make that big commitment to the other.

The house Alec & Zoe ultimately decide to live in.

Great Fiction draws us into others’ lives, and helps us to understand how we are all broken and imperfect creatures.  It helps us push past beliefs we regard as absolute, and understand how, in individual instances, it might be necessary to diverge from the normal path.  It allows us to acknowledge that, while a particular life choice might be wrong for us, that perhaps it is acceptable for them.  Thus, it allows us to trust and accept others for who they are, which can help us resolve the differences that often separate us.

In our short time in Pinner, I found the law office where Alec worked, the church where his son-in-law served as vicar, and the house where he and Zoe lived.  Someday, I’d love to return, and walk the busy street where Zoe’s parents sold their produce.  I’d love to see Alec’s old house, Zoe’s apartment, the school where she and Roy worked, and the parks featured in the episodes. 

"Wait, Zoe!  I want to see little baby Fleur!"

For six seasons, May to December filled our TV screens and our hearts.  Its popularity, and the truths it communicated, helped establish Paul Mendelson as a writer, and Cinema Verity as a production company.  If you’re not familiar with May to December, I urge you to follow the link below, and watch the first episode on Youtube.  If you do so, I think you’ll understand why this show lives on in the hearts of fans worldwide.  If you own a region-free DVD player, you can even buy Seasons 1 & 2, which have been released in Region 2.  For a genuine love for others, and a real concern for people, can overcome social conventions, contrasting beliefs and values, and all other boundaries, with the possible exception of Google Maps directions and poorly marked English roads.  To help overcome the latter, you need a kind and helpful local, and perhaps a good GPS system as well. 

Dragon Dave

Related Internet Links

A few words on Paul Mendelson’s comedy

Watch the pilot episode

Looking for Alec & Zoe Callendar: Part 2

Once we realized we were lost on the outskirts of London, we started looking for some place to stop and get directions.  But we found the streets in England narrower than their counterparts in the United States, and often we found ourselves busy navigating twists and turns, or heading down a street with nothing but greenery for company.  If we passed through a town, we often found no place to park.  Or a road designated on a sign would fire us with hope, and so we would soldier on, only to realize, a few minutes later, that we were just as lost as before.

After more than an hour, we turned off on a residential street.  We sought a gas station, or a shop where we could stop and ask for directions.  But mostly, we just needed to take a break, and gather our thoughts.  The street we found ourselves on was lined with row houses, and only extended a short way before it dead-ended.  Cars lined every inch of curb, making parking impossible.

We squeezed past a small black taxi, double-parked while the cabbie waited for his customer to climb aboard.  After turning around at the end of the street, we decided to ask the man for directions.  My wife rolled down her window and asked if he could direct us back to the road we were looking for.  For the most part, Google Maps had identified the roads we would take not by names, but by their M, A, or B designations.  The cabbie shook his head.  “I don’t know the A and B roads,” he answered. 

After a moment, the man asked, “Where are you trying to go?”  When my wife said Pinner, his eyes lit up.  “Oh, that’s easy.”  He then rattled off a list of directions.  Noting our glazed eyes, he instructed us to follow him, and when he made a left turn at a particular intersection, we were to turn right, and follow a shorter series of turns until we reached Pinner.  We followed his little black taxi until he signaled us with his blinkers that we had reached the parting of the ways.

Uncertain that we were following his instructions, we headed off on our own.  We worried that we would take a wrong turn somewhere.  And then, suddenly, we found ourselves approaching Pinner high street to our right.  Finally, we had reached the English village where the TV show May to December was set!

Pinner's main street

We purchased lunch from a grocery store,
then found an empty bench and reviewed our plans.

As cars filled all available spaces along the main road, we parked in a nearby shopping center, which gave us one hour before rates rose dramatically.  So we wolfed down our lunch as we consulted our maps and driving instructions.  As we had fallen far behind schedule, and realized we were woefully unprepared for the English road system, we crossed the other side trips off our itinerary. 

The lunch hour is nearly over, Alec.
Time to return to work.

After finishing our lunch, and refining our plans, we spent our remaining minutes exploring the town where Alec and Zoe met, fell in love, and eventually married.  It felt so good to stand outside Alec’s office, to gaze up at the familiar church clock, and to peruse the shops along the main street.  To stand where they once stood.  To see, as much as we could in so short a span of time, how closely their life on TV mirrored that of the locals.  Then, reluctantly, we climbed back into our car and headed off to the place we would be staying in the Midlands. 

If I need assistance,
where better to find it than the law offices of
Semple, Callendar & Henty!

We would arrive at our condominium late that evening, having spent several more hours taking wrong turns along our planned route.  (The next day, we would find an electronics store and purchase our first Satellite Navigation device).  We regretted not being able to visit the other stops on our planned route.  But unlike the other TV show locations, Pinner was a real village, and we had caught a glimpse of what life there might be like there.  Alec and Zoe seemed a good fit for the community.  I only wish we could have explored their world a little more, and that we could once again thank the cabbie who helped us get there.

Dragon Dave

Related Internet Links

An explanation of the English Road System

An overview of May to December

Looking for Alec & Zoe Callendar: Part 1

"Hey, what joker moved the steering wheel?"

I had everything planned so carefully for our first trip to England.  From the places we would visit in London, to the driving directions to our timeshare condominium in the Midlands, to everything we wanted to see in the seaside village of Rye, we thought we had reduced, if not eliminated, all the uncertainties involved in visiting a foreign country.  So, after arriving at Heathrow Airport, we battled through jetlag for two-and-a-half days as we visited the places in London we most wished to see, wandering the world famous city afoot, and aided by their bus and underground train systems.  Then we rented a car and ventured onto the roads of England. 

According to Google Maps, our drive to the English Midlands would take a few hours.  As we could not check in at our condo until late afternoon, we had planned a few interesting stops along the way.  The first was the village of Pinner, where one of our favorite English sitcoms, May to December, was set. 

Our research had prepared us when it came to basic navigation, such as what side of the road to drive on, and recognizing the speed limit signs.  It was the roundabouts that tripped us up.  Unlike intersections, roundabouts presented us with a variety of perplexing options.  Sometimes the road we needed, according to our Google Map directions, might be painted on the asphalt of the particular exit we needed to take.  Or there might be a sign that showed which turnoff we wanted.  But two, three, four, or more streets can adjoin the same roundabout, and each of those intersecting streets separate before they join the roundabout, so you have to be doubly careful when counting each potential turnoff. 

When we came across simple intersections, we looked for street signs. Sometimes we spotted the street name on a sign affixed to a fence at knee or waist level, but only after we were nearly through the intersection.  Or they were placed along a building farther down the street, visible only after we had passed through the intersection.  Or they simply weren’t there.  Not that we found many intersections.  For the most part, we encountered roundabouts.  This was an aspect of British life that had seemed so quaint and endearing when we were at home, relaxing in our living room and enjoying our beloved TV shows.  In real life, we found them anything but relaxing.

Google Maps had estimated a fifteen-to-twenty minute drive until we reached Pinner.  After half-an-hour, we realized that we had taken several wrong turns along the way, and had no idea where we were.  So we attempted to reverse our course as best we could.  But each roundabout is only a link in a chain, and each link will only tell you how to get to the next one, most of which weren’t listed in my driving instructions.  On those rare occasions when we navigated our way back through roundabouts we recognized, we still couldn’t figure out where or how we had diverted from the printed instructions. 

We had planned on a fun, picturesque drive.  We had hoped to find several meaningful locations where we could connect with the British TV shows we loved.  Instead, after more than an hour, we were driving in circles (literally), frustrated, exhausted, and utterly confused by an onslaught of choices that didn’t correspond with the journey we had so carefully planned before leaving home.  But life is never as hopeless as it seems, and soon we would receive aid from a source we would never have anticipated. 

Feeling lost in your journey right now?  Stick to your course, and keep looking for a source of help.  Life might just surprise you. 

Dragon Dave

Related Dragon Cache entries

A Journey into English Fiction: Part 2

Related Internet Links

An extensive Wikipedia article on Roundabouts all over the world

A Journey into English Fiction: Part 2

Why I listened to her sweet whisperings I still do not know, but something in me found English Fiction desirable, and made me yearn for more.  Initially, this occurred through the imported programs shown on public television stations, and what episodes in other areas friends and relatives could share with me via videotapes.  There was something distinctly different and unique about British entertainment that I found at least as entertaining as its American counterparts.  I might have enjoyed comedies like "Family Ties" and "Home Improvement," but I also came to love "The Good Life" (or "Good Neighbors") and "To The Manor Born."  For all the flash, action, and great characters of shows like "Magnum P.I." and "Miami Vice," I also found the style and clue-detection of Sherlock Holmes and Hercules Poirot to my liking.  And then there was Doctor Who, that timelord who could travel anywhere in space or time, and even bring himself back to life (albeit with a new face and personality) when his old body died.  How could a starship captain, even ones so great as James T. Kirk or Jean Luc Picard, compete with that?


Gradually, a love of such entertainment made me yearn to visit the country in which it was made, in order to learn what everyday life was like there.  I yearned to immerse myself in the culture that had given birth such enthralling characters, vivid settings, and world-threatening (even universe-threatening) situations.  But international travel is expensive, and the preparations for it much more laborious than that for destinations closer to home.  So for many years, I contented myself with the movies and TV programs I could watch, and the novels of English authors whom I admired.


Time has a knack of preparing the individual in ways which, on a daily basis, are not immediately apparent.  And so, one day I awakened to the realization that not only was I able to visit England, but that delay would only bring lessened capability to cope with the many differences I would find there.  The time to go was now: delay made little sense, and would only remove me further from that which had initially attracted me to visit this foreign country.  And so here I am, my bags stowed above my head and between my feet, writing these words in a small, black journal atop a wobbly plastic tray, and watching white, puffy clouds pass below the wing of an airplane.  Into my little notebook I plan to record some of what I learn and see and do, and plan to share some of those experiences with you when I return home, interspersing those blog entries with other topics I hope you will find interesting and enjoyable. 


But for now, I travel East, not only to connect with the land of my ancestors, not just to visit historic and interesting sites, but to better understand the places and the outlook of those who created such memorable characters such as Alec and Zoe Calender from the TV show "May to December," the Inspectors Morse and Lewis and Sergeant Hathaway inspired by the novels of Colin Dexter, and of course, those great rivals Miss Elizabeth Mapp and Mrs. Emmeline Lucas, immortalized in the Mapp and Lucia novels of E.F. Benson.


My arrival in Heathrow is but a few hours away, yet seems so unreal.  Despite all the preparations, my stomach is twisted in knots.  What will I find in England, and will it be to my liking?  Fear clings to anticipation; dread is mixed with yearning.  But the time for turning back has passed.  The path ahead is uncertain, unknown.  I find a measure of strength in the dogged determination of Captain Christopher Pike, and his willingness to still venture to alien worlds, even after the deaths of his crew on Rigel 7 and his imprisonment on Talos 4.  For one thing is certain.  Whether I am ready or not....


England, here I come!