Tin Cuppa

Tea Hee!
I don't know if you're getting fed up of the tea-based puns, but I'm not.  One of the things about going with a theme is that it takes a certain amount of the heavy lifting out of your creative process.  And yes, there is a creative process at work here.  Not sure what it is, but the voices in my head assure me it is so.
     Okay, both yesterday and today I've been reading a fan fiction about the 7th Doctor and Ace, "City In The Sky", which features Richard Branson as hero.  Well, kind of.  Certainly his space-plane features, helping in the creation of a Bernal sphere in orbit around Earth, for when human civilisation collapses.  

Ace plus Doctor

There are sinister aliens (of course!), World War Three, Australia's Nullarbor Plain, and jelly-babies.  Oh, and super-clever dingoes.  It's not bad, although as a fan fiction there's no editorial input, meaning it takes a while to get off the
ground - literally.  Herein the link:

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6385277/1/CITY-IN-THE-SKY

     Be warned it's rather long, about 30 chapters.
     Oh, it doesn't suffer from the "Mary Sue" syndrome that afflicts a lot of fan fiction; that is, the author cannot resist adding themselves in as a barely-concealed character, who is the epitome of wonderfulness, and generally a rather jarring presence.  Nor does it indulge in another fan fiction regular, "cross over" wherein say characters from 'Star Trek' (an obscure Sixties sci-fi show) meet up with the cast of 'Friends'.  Nor does it indulge in another fan fiction trope, romance; again, a lot of ff authors like to have Character X fall madly in love with Character Y, when in the canon source neither can stand each other.
     I should declare an interest here - I wrote it.
     Well, to cover my blushes, let us proceed with the motley, after giving it a cup of mint tea with lemon and honey.

Diplomatic offering

Back To "Cocktail Time"
Yes, more classical allusions from Plum.  Let me just check where he went to school - aha, Dulwich College, one of England's independent schools.  Currently it costs over £6,000 for a term, so it's rather selective.  A full 5 year secondary education would thus cost about £100,000 today, which you could scale back for when Plum was there.
     Anyway!  Doubtless the curricula at the time included lots of improving stuff about the Classics and Plum must have had to learn Latin, and perhaps Greek, too, if he was unlucky.   We thus come to his mention of friendship, and Damon and Pythias.

The rather imposing Dulwich College

     It transpires that these were two Greek visitors to the Greek polis of Syracuse, which was ruled by the tyrant Dionysius, in the 4th Century BC.  Pythian was accused of plotting treason against the dictator, which is generally a pretty poor move if you're a visitor.  Look around, see the sights, chat with the natives - fine.  Plotting a coup d'etat - you might want to rethink that.

See Syracuse and die!

     Pythias was found guilty and sentenced to death, which is something that not even Ryanair can inflict on you today.  Pleading necessity, he asked to be allowed to return home and set his affairs in order.  Dionysius, not one to miss a trick, gave permission - but his friend Damon would take his place.  If Pythias didn't return, Damon would get it in the neck.
      Dionysius was staggered when Pythias did indeed return, preventing the imminent execution of Damon.  So staggered, in fact, that he let them both go free.
     There you go - quite an article derived from only three words*.

"Kelly's Heroes"
No, I haven't watched it yet.  But I shall!  It may interest you to know that it was filmed in Yugoslavia, back when all the bits that it's fallen apart into were still hammered together in one piece.  One of the major reasons for filming there was the availability of genuine period American kit, in the form of vehicles, meaning that they didn't have to resort to using contemporary kit.  

American soldiers fighting hard.
Okay, okay, drinking hard.

You find this in "Battle of the Bulge", with American M48 Patton tanks painted grey with a Maltese cross to indicate that they're actually King Tigers.  Bah!
     Here's another shocking example - in the film "Patton" the supposed German Panzer Mk. IV is actually a post-war American M48.

Gasp in horror alongside Conrad!

     Well, we are now at count, and Edna is whimpering, so I shall post and do the walkies thing.  


*  This is either raw talent at work, or padding.