The Whiffenpoof - Is It A Goof?

This, I Am Afraid, Is Steve's Fault
Steve?  Responsible, within the Stygian depths of your humble scribe's mind, for memory and all to do with it.  I therefore blame him for coming up with that name, "Whiffenpoof" whilst out walking Edna.
     'What is it?' pondered Conrad.  'Sounds like a fish or mythical creature."
     Of course any resolution had to wait until I got back to The Mansion, whereupon Whiffenpoof turns out to be an acapella singing group at Yale University, over in South Canada.  Whisky Oscar Echo?  The alternative to that is a variety of comic fish, of all things, from a comic operetta dating back to 1909*.

They look - well -  they look like Upper Class Brits, to be honest.  Whiffenpoofs!

     Ah!  Then again, it is the given title to an imaginary creature amongst those who hunt big game, or small game, or intermediate game, with sinister intent.
     It's a bit of a stretch, but BOOJUM! is the name of an imaginary creature created by Lewis Carroll, during the hunting - see?  see how it all links together? - of the Snark, which is another imaginary creature.
     So, to answer my own question, no, it isn't a goof.

What Are YOU Doing On MY Doorstep?
Almost literally, I have to report.  For those of you unaware or who do not care, Conrad lives in the Pond/Allotment/Ice-rink Of Eden**, depending upon what the weather decides to be for that day.  We are presently moving out from what is laughably called "Winter", which seems merely an excuse for said weather to be extra-specially dark and wet, without bothering to apply snow to the equation.
     Thus!  When sunshine arrives, my Vitamin D-deficient citizens all beat a hasty path to Tandle Hill, that they may disport themselves in the sunshine.  Art?

Proof

     If the weather were bad, you'd have two cars parked up in the space above, one of them being a learner driver only present because Tandle Hill Road is long and with no crossroads.
     What do we think, Edna?  Edna?  Stop sniffing for slugs and back me up!  EDNA!

Dog posture for "Whatever"

Curiosity
I know it killed the cat, and I've only blogged about walking the dog, except this time I'm talking about the Martian Rover, that thing big as a car.  Art?

Okay, a rather large car.

     I did post a photograph earlier this week of Curiosity in it's natural Martian habitat,  and then - perhaps - worried you by pointing out that there was no third party present on the Martian surface to take what seemed to be a Curiosity selfie.  Art?

Behold and boggle

     Of course, to the fertile (and paranoid) mind there is no problem here:  it was the Mysterons.  They took that photo, and why not?  We haven't carried out an act of war on them***.  That, or it was the Ice Warriors.
     Sorry to undermine your solid sense of serene <thinks> sociopathy, but there is a very simple explanation.  The photograph above is a composite, where the extendable arm supporting a selfie-enable camera has been excluded.
     So I'm sorry to say that sensible solutions succeed.

Further To The Father
Yes, Conrad has a new theme which he can warm to:  How British Conquered The World.  "British" in this context meaning 'Father Brown", who happens to be a Roman Catholic priest.  I know that, in centuries gone by, being Catholic was a treasonable offence in the Pond, but by the Fifties in post-Second Unpleasantness Britain we had grudgingly allowed that people who looked to the Pope were not actually frothing miscreants bent upon the destruction of the Pond.  No, that would be the Communists, those godless pagan idolators that the Catholic church loathed more than Oliver Cromwell.  If that's possible.

Oliver.  Not on many Christmas card lists in Eire.

     Anyway!   You can rely on that chap Degsy to come up with the goods, as he informed your modest artisan that the television series "Father Brown", starring Deamy, oh - and Mark Williams too, had been exported to 114 countries across the globe.  Not to mention that this includes 40 public broadcasting stations in South Canada, amounting to almost 30% of the country getting in on the Father.



*  "Little Nemo", if you can believe it.
**  The UK, if you want to be all pedantic and shizzle.
***  Yet.

Sea What I Mean

I Could Start By Saying "Well"
Although that would be starting the punning a little early.  Bear with me, I'm typing as I think, and also watching television whilst drinking tea.  Is this what they call multi-tasking?  Look at Conrad, he's on fire!
     - you can put the fire-extinguisher down now.  It was a metaphor.
     Okay, back on track.  Conrad was looking out of the window of The Electric Goldfish Bowl at the giant construction site alongside, feeling glad that he didn't have to be working in a giant mudslide in the cold.  
     "Wow I shall have to have another look over my volume about 'Principles of Civil Engineering Construction'," I considered, inspired by the diligent artisans outside.  It really is an interesting read, which leads me to another thought that naturally follows*.  
     "What is the difference between 'Civil Engineering' and 'Marine Engineering'?" I wondered.
     Well - see what I did there? - one of the biggest differences is that the sea is not a static entity, it moves around all the time, frequently a great deal.  Whereas on terra firma you can rely on the ground to remain politely still.  
     "Er - yes, we see," I can hear you saying.  "Except not really."
     Okay, take a "Give Way" sign.  Art?

Get it?  give it away and take - O never mind

     As you can see, this sign is firmly set into the ground, on a concrete foundation, providing passing motorists with the requirement to allow passing traffic priority. Of course there will always be idiots who ignore it and risk dismemberment and death by pulling out directly into traffic approaching at speed, but you can't legislate for idiots.
     Now, how do you inform a passing yacht or ocean liner that they have to carry out the marine equivalent of "Give Way"**?  You need a sign that floats, and which can still function in darkness or fog, and it has to stay in position, too - a warning that migrates with the facility of the African Swallow would be a liability indeed.
     So.  Art?

Oh buoy

     Now you begin to understand.  The anchors here are on the seabed, a long way beneath our buoy.  The one above is powered by solar panels, others might use motion to charge themselves, and they may also include bells, sirens or flashing lights to ensure everyone knows, at all times, to Give Way.
     Marine engineering:  you now know more than you did five minutes ago.

"Elementary"
Conrad is watching this whilst typing out the blog, which has proven to be a more time-consuming business than if he wasn't watching it.  Swings and roundabouts, don't you know.  The scriptwriters were still using words straight out of the Clever Dictionary: "De rigeur", "Provenance", "Credulity", "Monogamy" and - I especially liked this one "Sisyphusan".  I'll come back to that later.
     Conrad, who has the besetting sin of the cat, curiosity - and I haven't forgotten about that photograph of the Mars Rover Curiosity - wondered about a part of Sherlock's process.  You see, when he's tackling a case, he tacks a vast array of papers and Post-Its and notes and cards to his sitting-room wall.  Art?

From Season One but still moot

     Who creates all that paperwork?  I don't doubt that it all has to be correctly detailed and accurate to the case as described, because you can guarantee - GUARANTEE!! - that there will be anorak-clad saddoes out there who will enlarge this stuff in order to be able to read it.  They will then cross-check and analyse it on internet fora before posting up a long critique on social media***.
     What the heck, I suppose it stops them vandalising bus stops.

The Erudition Of Elliott
Elliott Kalan, that is, one of the three persons responsible for the "Flop House" podcast, which I am always pimping here with no commission or freebies, let me tell you.  He used to be head writer on something called "The Daily Show" and has written for comics as well as been a comic.  One who stands up, rather than the variety that gets read.

Elliott is the short guy on the right

     Anyway, Conrad has always been rather impressed with Elliott's grasp of grammar when he jumps in to correct Dan or Stuart, also his knowledge of science-fiction and comics graphic novels, too.  And, it has to be said, his knowledge of Greek mythology: on one podcast he corrected Dan's use of "Sisyphus" to the correct "Tantalus".  Ol' Sis, you see, was condemned to eternally roll a rock uphill, whereas Tantalus was forever denied food and drink whilst chained to a rock - hence the verb "Tantalise".
     There you are, told you I'd get Sisyphus in there again.

Elliott solo.

*  To which I must add, "in my mind"
**  "Heave about way" sounds appropriately nautical.
***  Welllllll - okay, I confess, it's what I'd do.