by the sea

And really nice eyes, too !

Was watching Ripper Street last night and I think Matthew MacFadyen has a nice voice. Deep and British and well modulated ... it can be a bit edgy but mostly he sounds quite good ! Debbie

This is the great thing about life on the forum. We can share opinions, speculations and even fantasies without worrying about judgement ... or at least the repercussions of judgement. Everybody knows someone who knows everything ! Every word they utter is like the gospel according to XXXXX. Mostly you can just shake your head and walk away. Give them a position of authority and you're pretty much stuck with at least looking like you agree with them all the time. Here, you can disagree, spar and even argue ... as long as you do it respectfully ... with anybody about anything. It's liberating ! Debbie

Actually, I think I might have seen bits and pieces on TV but don't have any great recollection of it. Strange, I love show music, but rarely see the shows. I had heard somewhere before that Mr. Brett was a good singer but that his voice had been dubbed in MFL. I also heard that he was related to a famous family, Cadbury or one of the well-known confectioners. Debbie

Another great topic ! I was so taken with the Jeremy Brett Holmes that I desperately tried to tape each episode as it came on. It was a logistical nightmare in the days before the PVR and I'm a bit forgetful when it comes to labeling things like VHS tapes (you know I still have some of those around the house ! ). Anyway, the Christmas before last, Costco came out with the entire series on DVD, so that was my Christmas present to myself. I love Mr. Brett's quirky Holmes. Again, as with Mr. Cumberbatch, I hadn't really seen him in any other role, so never got to see what else he could do ... so, to me, in a way, he is eternally Sherlock Holmes. It looked a bit like life was starting to wear him down by the end of the series ... made me sad. Debbie

Yes, despite my friend in Sweden, everybody speaking phonetically correct English would be pretty dull. And imagine all those local expressions ... none of them would be the same without the regional accent.

There are probably more variations of Canadian accent in the Maritimes than anywhere else in the country. People from Newfoundland/Labrador have much stronger accents than people from New Brunswick (with strong Irish overtones by my ear) as do natives of Cape Breton in Nova Scotia. But, again, here in NB, we have a large Acadian population in the northern part of the province and they speak French and heavily accented English. Canadian French isn't like Parisian French and when native French speakers speak English, the accent isn't the romantic Sebastien Izambard sound. I admit to being a frequent user of "eh?" ... in spite of many of my fellow Canadians finding it to be a bit of a stereotype.

Yes, here in Canada we say " al-oom-in-um" and I'd say a lot of the pronounciation would be closer to American than British. We say "zed" and spell things with "u"s in 'em ... like colour and harbour and neighbour ... in the British way ... but in terms of actual speech, we're pretty much in tune with our neighbours (see, I even get to use it in a sentence ) to the south. Debbie

I had to think about this ... I say "eye-ther" but normally say "nee-ther" in the case of "neither nor". Can't put my finger on language influences. I guess I just like to be inconsistent ! Debbie

I really like this forum ! There are so many interesting topics here. I just want to point out that I'm a Canadian and have always said "prah-cess". I used to watch the Dresden Files but it didn't last very long. Paul Blackthorne is currently on Arrow but I've noticed the British sounds cropping up once or twice ... I'd never noticed it in Dresden. (Harry Dresden is one of my favourite characters BTW. ) I met a fellow from Sweden once who told me that I had the most phonetically correct English accent he had ever heard. I couldn't swear to his meaning . I'm a native of New Brunswick (having left in infancy and returned fairly recently) ... and some of us have regional accents ... but have also lived in Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario. My mother is from Nova Scotia ... with no accent ... and my father was from Scotland but was a toddler when the family moved to Toronto and the only one in his house without a Scottish (Glasgow area) accent. I'm always astounded by the fact that a place as small as the British Isles can come up with so many different sounds for the same language. Mr. Cumberbatch's lovely voice and wonderful diction epitomize the "perfect" British accent for me, although Ian Rankin's Eastern Scotland is quite nice, too. I worked with a lady from Inverness once and her accent was lovely ! I find that I'm able to understand Australians most of the time but New Zealanders not quite so much. Debbie

Hamish was my darling companion ! I had gone to the breeder and all the puppies were spoken for but he said he intended to breed a new litter for the coming August. I met Hamish when he was 2 days old and visited him every weekend until I was able to bring him home. He was big as Cairns go ... over 20 lbs. and very handsome ... not especially cuddly, though ... but really smart and had personality plus. Everybody in the neighbourhood knew him ... and, as a result, me ! ... and I had people come over and cry with me when he went to the Rainbow Bridge. I want to cry now ... Debbie

This is a great thread ! I lost my much loved Cairn Terrier, Hamish MacBeth ... named after, well, Hamish MacBeth ! ... last May and when Sherlock was communing with Red Beard and telling him (the dog) that it looked like he (Sherlock) had to be put down too, it brought tears to my eyes. I can't play the videos here at work ... please don't tell me Mycroft was responsible for euthanizing Red Beard ! I really enjoy the Mycroft character but would definitely hold that against him. In any event, Sherlock going back to Red Beard when he needed to find some peace in his world is very heart-warming. Happiness in any situation is a warm puppy. Debbie

I checked this thread out, Carol. Thanks for the great shots and commentary. I went to an Il Divo concert in Scheveningen The Netherlands in the summer of 2007. It was outdoors ... and free ! ... and on an open-air stage right beside the sea. The preparation in no way compares to the filming you saw, but there was a lot going on and I remember standing there for hours, more to get a good place (SRO) than to watch the proceedings as the Divos would never be around before the show. But the excitement was great. Seeing the familiar faces of the actors/characters would probably multiply that by 100 ! Debbie

Thanks, Meyers, Carol and Bakerstreet Irregular. It was specifically the His Last Vow thread that gave me pause for thought. I admit to not having looked at much of it, then posting something and going back later to see what was going on and having a Whoa ! moment ... sent me scampering for a bit, I can tell you ... concerned for no particularly good reason than I was WAY out of my depth. I'm a lot like John Hamish Watson though. I have to take it in, think about it, process it and then react to it ... it can be a bit plodding at times ... I think that's why I love Sherlock ! I can get completely caught up in almost everything they do and hardly ever need to ask why they're doing it ... makes me happy ! Debbie

Sometimes, you feel yourself ... speaking for myself ! ... putting on the brakes after looking at a discussion ... the opinions on different episodes, for example ... where the participants go into such detail and show such analytical powers that you feel quite daunted by their level of enthusiasm and expertise. I think I'm not putting this very well ... and I guess that's the issue ... but at times I think that my opinions must be very shallow or that I'm not very observant because I don't get to that place where I can break out the motivation of the writers or actors in conveying the story. It's taken me some time and experience ... and, really, I'm not there yet ... to feel that I'm entitled to appreciate Sherlock as sheer entertainment just as much as those who feel the need to get right down to the nitty gritty of the story ... and to express myself on that level. Part of growing up, I think. Debbie

I've been trying to get into the board a bit more but keep getting sidetracked. Very hard here at work and sometimes harder at home ! You actually went over and saw them filming ?? That would be lovely ! I haven't been to the UK in a few years and would really enjoy going even if I couldn't see them filming ... or find Mr. Cumberbatch suspended from the side of a building ... although that would definitely be a bonus ! Debbie

Actually, all I was able to do was watch Last Vow for a second time ... uninterrupted viewing mode this time, though ... and the Special Features on the S3 disc. Loved the filming information and Mr. Cumberbatch suspended on a wire off the side of a building with somebody holding an umbrella over his head and everybody chatting away quite happily. Fun. Production is so complicated, isn't it ? I can hardly wait to start watching from the beginning all over again. Debbie

It must be a nuisance, I suppose ... having to look a certain way at a certain time, especially if you're having to completely change that which is natural. It must be difficult to have to physically conform to a role ... requires a lot of personal discipline. I'd never be able to do it . But I still love his curls ... girls love curls ... what can I say ? On a different note ... went to my local HMV on Friday and what did I see ??? Series 3 of SHERLOCK on DVD !! Why on earth am I fast forwarding through commercials on non-HD BBC Canada when I can watch it on DVD ??? I'm not now ! Bought all three series actually ... now I'm in Sherlock Heaven ! Debbie

LOL ! What does he know ? It's only his hair !! Too funny. It was the first thing I noticed about Sherlock when I saw the ads on TV ... Wow ! I love his hair ! Maybe I'm just jealous 'cause it's longer than mine. Debbie

Haven't read the previous discussions ... I'm sorry ... just wanted to post while this was fresh in my mind. BBC Canada ran S3 E3 for the first time last night. I admit I was on the edge of my chair for most of this episode. What a chilling villain Magnusson is ! Never needing proof of anything ... no facts required, ma'am ... just publish it in his newspapers and lives, communities, governments are destroyed. Imagine the power. The only way to stop him was to kill him. Sherlock had no choice, of course. What was that saying WAY back ... the medium is the message ... ? Scary stuff ! I got such a kick out of John being so overwhelmed by Sherlock having a girlfriend that he really never heard anything being said to him. Totally took him to another place. I love Watson ! I love the way he has to handle information ... he has to react, then cogitate, then process, then accept. He always makes an informed and practical choice. Sherlock's reaction to being shot was great ! Molly's advice popping up from his mind palace telling him which way to fall was amazing. And the delirious encounter with Moriarty. I wasn't sure I enjoyed Moriarty at first, but he's growing on me. Christmas at the Holmes house was fun. Mr. Holmes does seem to be quite normal, doesn't he ? I'm happy for Mary ... her past must have been terrible but isn't it wonderful to be able to move on ? Maybe she needs to atone for her sins but hopefully she'll be able to be a better person and making up for her past might just be the cure for the likes of Magnusson who destroyed people's potential to do good. Watson's faith in her is good enough for me ! Mycroft is the man ! He seems to be able to make everything ... if not go away ... at least tone done a notch or two. He and Sherlock always regress back to boys when they're together ... smoking on the walkway and lying about it to their mother ! As an aside, somebody at work asked me to name three people I'd like to have dinner with and the first person who popped into my head was Mark Gatiss ... wouldn't it be fun to have a Sherlock discussion with him ?? The ending was interesting. Obviously having the plane turn around was a much better alternative to Sherlock going to certain death after doing his bit for MI6 ... leave that to James Bond ! More fun and games to come with our looney-tune Moriarty ! As noted, I've only watched it once ... so more research is needed. I feel a little sad, though. Do we really have to wait 2 years for more Sherlock-y goodness ?? Debbie

So there actually was a beheaded nun ! Wonderful ! I suppose getting rid of Mother Nature might be a bit drastic. I'm willing to make a compromise and move to Aruba instead. Now if only I could win the lottery ... Debbie

LOL ! Yes, but personally, I think he's just a tiny bit lovlier with the dark curls ! Mind you, I've only seen Peter Guillam in contrast, so I'm not really qualified to judge. Debbie

You're welcome, Carol ! We here on the Atlantic coast are a hardy bunch and since the 30 straight hours of freezing rain that started this winter the weekend before Christmas ... there were homes without power for up to 11 days ... we've managed to keep it going in spite of more snow storms than I can count, interspersed with melts and rain then flash freezes ... terrifying conditions sometimes. Perhaps Sherlock could find somebody to behead Mother Nature before he moves onto the nuns. Debbie

OK ... thanks Carol. I never watch award shows but saw a photo from the Oscars and did get an impression of lighter hair than I thought he should have ... so more Peter Guillam than Sherlock. I think I'm a bit disappointed. .... well, maybe not that much ! LOL ! In fact, I have a vacation day today and it's snowing so I was just about to try out my new hair colour application. Guess what colour it is ... light auburn !! Debbie

Finally saw Tinker, Tailor etc. last night. Hmmm. Anyway, question ... what is the natural hair colour ... the lovely Sherlock dark curls or the Peter Guillam straightened blondness ... or something completely different ?? Always nicely dressed, though. Referencing the Sherlock of Elementary ... he always looks like he just raided the closest dumpster. Debbie