Battleships Two Redux

196 thoughts on “Battleships Two Redux”

1. Very nice they are too! 🙂

2. Transferred from the previous battle arena – http://bearsy.wordpress.com/2010/07/28/battleships-two/

   JW, you really will have to take more water with. At Comment 258 you advise me that Q15 is a miss. I am grateful for this free piece of information but would like to point out that you fired Q15 at me, that I admitted the hit and that I fired G14 at you in retaliation.

   I think Soutie’s suggestion of opening up a second front is very sensible as the post is getting unwieldy. I’ll try to attend to it tonight after I get back from crushing the Under-16 champion of Edinburgh & Leith in our club tie. Men against boys!

   Soutie has identified my frigate to my satisfaction and will be credited.

   Once you give me the G14 result, I believe that I have to answer to J11 from you, D6 from OZ and H14 from Soutie.

   I lost, by the way. Young whipper-snapper!

3. I suppose it’s a tad late in the day to say that I lost the plot some time ago, but I plead computer problems and ignorance.

   Still enjoying the battle though.

4. Evening Ara, have you heard that saying “It’s anybodies game?” – that’s what this is, no plot, join in and fall out as you please, some even take the weekend off! Definitely no plot 😉

   I see I’m the first to like it, come on Janus, you know that you want to!

   Do you think that JW has considered renaming one of his vertical subs Abba, you know ♪ Waterloo ♫ Waterloo ♪ ♫ ?

5. Oh, OK Soutie, I feel a bit better now. 🙂

6. Crikey

7. Greetings all,

   Unbelievably busy and can only make a fleeting visit. As you know I get confused easy and will try to pay more attention in the future.

   G14, inevitably, is a miss.

   Very funny Soutie. Abba, abbA. Waterloo, that’s a great sonnet.

   JM,

   I liked the Ship Spotters guide on the original. A request to feature it here as it’s good to see the other authors names in lights.

8. Evenin all. I believe a little book keeping is in order upon the changeover:-

   1) I think I am due a ‘mention in despatches’ for identifying HMES Sibelius.

   2) There is a salvo already in the air aimed at Embra’s D6 (just for the record).

   3) To which I shall add a goodnight N2 (November two) for Admiral Weegie.

   4) Memo to self – Get out more. 🙂

   OZ

9. NURSE!! the boys are out of bed again…..

10. I like it so far. How do you cancel the ‘like it’ sign?

11. Mornin’ granny Val (snigger). You’re up early.

    G’morgen Janus. I don’t think you can.

    OZ

12. OZ, I’m off in a Meldrew huff then. 😦

13. Morning OZ, I don’t feel like I’ve been to bed actually, went out last night with the girls for a birthday nosh at the local Indian Restaurant. Have hardly slept a wink, been up up since 5.30. Nothing to do with the food or wine, I’m in agony with a trapped nerve in my shoulder, it attacked out of the blue two days ago.

14. Janus – Wot, again?

    Val – Does it hurt when you raise your arm?

    OZ

15. OZ, yes it does, so I don’t do it 🙂

16. Damn! 🙂

    OZ

17. Morning all,

    JW missed with J11, OZ hit my crumbling and soggy frigate with an’L’ and OZ hit a destroyer (6) ‘A’.

    Identification of HMS ‘Melba’ by Soutie and of HMS ‘Sibelius’ by OZ acknowledged. Ship Spotters’ Roll of Honour will be updated tonight.

    N2 from OZ, F11 from me and another shot to come from somebody. I’ve still got Ferret’s H5 hanging over me when it’s JW’s turn again.

    Val, belated birthday wishes and sorry to hear about your trapped nerve. You could always relieve the pain by having the remaining pop at JW, of course.

18. ‘It’s a war of trapped nerves, here’ – your defence correspondent.

19. Mornin’ JM – I shall leave Soutie to deliver the coup-de-grace to HMES Melba and lob a casual P18 (Pappa eighteen) in your direction. If my cunning plan succeeds, this should produce an ‘M’

    OZ

20. Hello John Mac, thank you, xx

21. Time to rain death and destruction down upon the Weegie stealth fleet.

    Two Tomahawk cruise missiles are homing in on Papa Nineteen, P19. Furry intelligence demands there is a sneaky vessel hiding somewhere in that quadrant and no mustilid shall sleep until it is reduced to its component atoms.

22. John,

    Have you seen that Scotland squad? A lot of teddy bears, a Berra and one beggar.

    Moving on. Your F11, surprise, surprise…misses. The deadly Tomahawk cruise missile with Ferret warheads strikes a battleship. P19- letter E. Now here’s a strange happening. OZ’s N2 sinks the ghost submarine nobody noticed. I’m completely bewildered that nobody has heard of Muse. Are you lot kidding? This is the best band since Queen and here is the best song since Innuendo; the Wagnerian Knights of Cydonia.

    H5 from Ferret, P18 from OZ and S3 from me. And I hope I haven’t goofed again.

23. JW – Yeeesssss!! Fist clenched, arm pumping, American style, graceless Jockanese tennis player-type ‘salute’ to the much less wealthy spectators.

    Muse?? Never heard of him/her/them, but nevertheless please put me on the Roll of Honour for identifying HMWS Muse. I’m not proud.

    😀

    OZ

24. JW – Oops! Sorry! Amidst all the victory celebrations I forget this is not your post.

    Admiral Mackie, sir – Sorry about the ‘Jockanese’ reference and all that, but I’m still not proud enough to reject credit for identifying HMWS Muse. Please refer.

    Ta ever so.

    OZ

25. You may sunk my Muse, OZ, you didn’t identify it (Jan will be kicking herself). If your name goes on the roll of honour I will appeal to a higher authority. 🙂

    Need to go now, there’s a Big Sammy film on Five USA. Time is running out.

26. Hi, JW. An interesting squad indeed. I make it about 11 Huns, past and present and 6 Jambos, also past and present. Clutching at straws, I realise, since only one of ours is actually a present. Ah, what might have been!

    Never heard of them. I suppose I’ll have to credit you on the Roll of Honour since nobody got them. But, on the other hand, it’s taking so long to do the update and to type this comment that I see that OZ has lodged a claim. On consideration, he’s probably right.

    Now I see you’ve commented too. I concur and reverse my previous ruling. Nobody’s getting it. Well played, sir.

    H5. Hit Battleship (8) ‘A’ from FF. P18, Hit Battleship (10) ‘M’ from OZ who clearly knows the name and is cruising for another deserved entry on the Roll of Honour.

    It’s just as well that others are playing because, if it was just you and me, we would have been disqualified by the referee for failing to land a punch. Your S3 is a miss.

    Pressing on with my game plan, G16.

27. Right then Mackie,

    Mustelid central has identified Hotel Six, H6 as the last remaining watertight remnant of HMES Turandot. Grand Admiral Furry has declared an unconditional weapons free situation. Leading the assault is the Super death laser currently in geosynchronous orbit and at 75% charge. Timed to coincide with the 110% overload discharge are a dozen or so limpet mines and a Polaris ICBM which is approaching it’s sell by date.

    That battleship is deader than A-line flaired trousers.

28. Good evening, hasty Ferret. Duly noted yet again and, in due time, I will respond.

    But it’s my go at the moment with G16 and two others. Could I point you in the direction of JW and suggest that you lob one at him in case he’s checking the post in the ad breaks of ‘Cleaner’ starring Samuel L Jackson?

    Straight to DVD and a total stinker of a film if google is to be believed.

29. “Now here’s a strange happening. OZ’s N2 sinks the ghost submarine nobody noticed. I’m completely bewildered that nobody has heard of Muse.”

    Therefore Mr Mackie, Your Honour, m’learned counsel, gentlemen of the jury and Soutie, I put it to you that my calculated salvo at N2 flushed the Weegie admiral out into a confession of his devious, obscure and frankly underhand tactics which he subsequently tries to blame on the bewilderment of others. I beg, therefore, to maintain my claim to HMWS Muse.

    😀

    OZ

30. I’ll toss F18 (eff ateen) at JW, I know that there is a frigate somewhere in that area.

    This link for my ease of reference (although others are free to use it if the need arises)

    JM, your battleship on row 18 w/couldn’t perhaps be Williams w/could it? (An absolute guess)

31. Just before beddy-byes I’m going to squeeze one out at WEEGIE’s H18 (Hotel eighteen) and the restant at EMBRA Q17 (Quebec seventeen) for HMES Williams.

    Nighty night.

    OZ

32. OZ, good evening. Your appeal is duly noted. This game is governed by the Law of Scotland. As this is a civil matter, therefore, the Embran Court is not the final arbiter. Your appeal lies to the Supreme Court in the Great Wen. Should have a result about 2012. The good thing is that the game might still be running by then, of course.

33. Soutie and OZ, there are 10 letters in a Battleship. Close but no coconut quite yet. More precisely, please?

34. Admiral Embra – Please tell me it’s not HMES R/V/Williams.

    OZ

35. Chaps, about Battleships: it’s a boy thing.
    Chapesses, what could we have a ‘girl thing’ ? Any ideas?

36. Pseu – Why is Battleships a boy thing? I’m sure you modern, multi-tasking females can still do the ironing and cook a semi-decent meal whist retaining and responding to images of each updated Weegie and Embra grids in the forefront of your minds.

    Or am I wrong?

    😀

    OZ

37. John Mackie :

    Soutie and OZ, there are 10 letters in a Battleship.

    Has somebody changed the rules? My link in #30 is there because before diving off the deep end with Williams I went back and checked, it took me a while (perhaps 40 seconds but I thought I’d speed the process up a little, hence the link) I found this:-

    “Battleships 3 x 8 = 24”

    I’ve heard of ‘expanding the armed forces’ but………… ❓

38. Pseu, as soon as my arm is better, we’ll think of a girls game. Ooooh it don’t arf urt.

39. Soutie, we must remember that the other Scottish fad, namely golf, is also unspeakably slow; while golf spoils an otherwise pleasant walk, this strange pursuit spoils a nice fresh piece of graph paper. 😦

40. Arrrgh,

    It’s all gone to hell in a handcart!!!!!

    I asked for a clinical strike on Weegie P19, Jay Dubya Reported a hit at P18 ‘A’ a Battleship, JM has recorded it as ‘E’ in P19.

    What the feck is the Bobby guys?

41. Whoops!

    Small furry service will be resumed. I suspect some form of biological warfare which has temporarily disorientated the mustelid synapses.

    Kindly disregard my last. Stoopid small furry mammal.

42. O Zangado :

    Pseu – Why is Battleships a boy thing? I’m sure you modern, multi-tasking females can still do the ironing and cook a semi-decent meal whist retaining and responding to images of each updated Weegie and Embra grids in the forefront of your minds.

    Or am I wrong?

    

    OZ

    Hee Hee OZ,

    How many women does it take to change a light bulb?

    None….

    Let her iron in the dark. 🙂

43. Soutie Apologies. The strain of the long drawn-out conflict is getting to me. The soon to be late HMES R.V-Williams is an air craft carrier and not a battleship and,therefore, 10. I did record the hits correctly to begin with but got mixed up when I opened up the Redux version

    Acknowledged OZ. You’ll get the credit, with Soutie recognised as runner-up.

44. You’ll never get that stain out

    A C.S.I film with a difference. Big Sammy, an ex-cop, now has the fulfilling job of cleaning up crime scenes after the forensics have had their poke about. A reasonable thriller and some fine descriptions of gory murders. Also has some nifty editing: zoom-in close-ups, fade outs and ins, unusual angles. Cleaner, though, is too clean. Not much swearing, little violence and no sex scene. For that, I give it sex, I mean, six out of ten.
    © JW10 (Not to be re-printed without permission)

    Back to battleships HQ. Already, this Fred is convoluted and maybe Bships two Redux Two should be formed. Not got a clue what’s happening. If I read right, the last three missiles aimed at me were-

    G16 miss.
    F18 Hit’s the Frigate- letter L.
    H18 Hit’s the Frigate- letter D.

    Good chance, somebody might recognise this one.

    John, I’ll fire a T4 at you and you work out what the others are. I’m lost and late for work.

45. Bleedin ‘eck Jay Dubya,

    SLADE?

46. Just for that Jay Dubya,

    I am lining up a particularly explosive combo targetted on November Nineteen, N19.

    Four banks of ASROC launchers will ripple fire an awesome salvo of rocket propelled incendiary/HE goodies from the prow of my Stealth Battleship HMFS Furball. By the time you have strained the lumps of your hapless mariners out of the briney, Furball will be long gone.

47. I note that this war has entered a manic phase. Like deranged tortoises……..

48. JW, back from work for an afternoon Festivalling, culminating in a performance of Britten’s ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ in Rosslyn Chapel. I’ll give the Prentice Pillar a handshake for you, if you’d like.

    T4 a hit on my frigate (5) ‘I’.

    With H6, Ferret finishes off the battleship HMES Turandot. This is, of course, more than Puccini managed to do with the opera.

    OZ fired Q17, which is technically a miss, but I am confident that he meant Q18 as I had already marked Q17 as a non-contiguity rule miss. So, a magnanimously conceded hit on my carrier (10) ‘S’.

    Janus, we can’t afford Jack to play you so we’re sticking with Victor. Good to see you giving him so much material to work with.

49. I was with a chap from Aiedrie today, a close friend of my fathers, I happened to mention this game to him, he insisted on a go, so here’s a shot at JM by ‘Dave from Aiedrie’ O15 (Oh! fifteen)

    He might just get lucky and hit the first letter of a Frigate, we’ll see

50. Hi, Soutie. That’ll be Airdrie, perhaps? In which case, not a problem for JW if Dave comes in on his side, since he probably kicks with the correct foot and might even support the Huns. Different story if Dave had come from Coatbridge, of course. Dave’s shot duly noted for inclusion in JW’s next salvo.

    Forgot to include my shot in the last comment. B15 from me and N19 from Ferret. One more to come.

51. Jm, no, no! jack’s going to play Ferret! Victor is a touch reasonable for my money, but OK. 🙂

52. Hee Hee Hugh,

    Ol’ Jack had better get turbo necking the Burger Kings if he is going to play me. 🙂

53. Slade is indeed what happened to the rattlers tonight. 4-0 to Utrecht. That’s them out of both European competitions whilst the Mighty Gers have ManU and Valencia quaking in their boots.

    Well done, Ferret. A genuine ship spot and just in the nick of time. John will not be surprised to find I’ve hired the Cowdenbeath chairman, Donald Findlay QC, for my defence against the big bad Wolfman.

    While I’m here I need to make a small correction. P19 should be a D and not an E. Sorry. (no, I’m not)

54. How could you, OZ! You hit and sunk Muse! At least I think that’s what’s happened although I can’t pretend to be following.

    Music good though JW. You should blog your top 20 playlist. Not You Tube thingies tho – too slow to load here. You got Spotify about your person by any chance? 🙂

55. OK. JW, correction made.

    Somewhat ironic that one of the goals that sank the ‘Tic was scored by Barry Maguire who was invited to play for the ROI under-21’s by virtue of his Irish Dad but who knocked them back in the hope of getting to wear the Orange at full international level.

    Never knew Donald ‘The Sash’ Findlay had become Chairman of the Blue Brazil. Obvious move really, when you think about it.

    Still B15 from me, N19 from Ferret and one other shot.

56. Jan, where you been? You were a shoe-in to spot the Muse ship. No blemishes on me, not even a freckle and not afraid to ask, what’s Spotify?

    Maguire, football is a funny old game. The other scorer has a magical name:
    Ricky van Wolfswinkle. Must be related to OZ.

57. News flash for JW: ‘Gers to face Man U! Shades of Holland vs. Spain……

58. Hi, JW. The magic seems to have gone out of the game for the other authors and I am sick fed up waiting for somebody to fire the last shot in my round.

    So, B15 from me, N19 from Ferret and I20 from Mrs M.

59. And hey presto! from me! Magic…. 🙂

60. Janus :

    News flash for JW: ‘Gers to face Man U! Shades of Holland vs. Spain……

    Aye weel, Janus, just to pass the time before Boa’s competition comes on line and to give me a break from the tumbleweed rolling by on this post.

    Absolutely nothing like Holland v Spain. Sir Alex is a Govan bluenose and it will be a positive lovefest at the Weegie leg.

    Come the game in Manchester, the Huns will be on their best behaviour, given the unfortunate events at that Cup Final a couple of years ago. I personally would not be surprised if they all took their dustpans and brushes down with them to give the whole city a thorough cleansing, in expiation of their previous conduct which brought the blush of shame to the collective cheeks of Auld Scotia, in my opinion.

    Broad’s just got his first century. Wheee!

61. Yes, well batted Broadsters! I get TMS here, no pictures.

62. Good morning John.

    The rioting at the Manchester final hurt me more than losing the match. A couple of hundred of morons tarnished the name of this great club. Think about it, a few hundred out of what, 140,000 fans, you do the maths. Still rankles and of course the media will seize on any opportunity to dredge on this. Other clubs have their hooligans but it’s always Rangers who are targeted and called the worst. Yes we have our bigots, we’ve all got them. I can recall one time an East coast club booed a minute’s silence for a deceased pontiff. Every so often Brian Glanville in World Soccer talks about the disgusting Rangers supporters, conveniently overlooking the organised violence that exists in his beloved Italian league. I’ve reported his partisanship to his superiors. The WS bosses ignore me royally. Maybe, I should petition the 139,700 innocent.

    Didn’t see any of the cricket yesterday and won’t see much today. Great recovery from “us”.

    B15 is a miss. The two of us ought to retire with no military honours.
    The FF N19 hits a battleship and carefully I can confirm it is a G. (give the lad his Slade and stop pending him, for Laudrup’s sake)
    Mrs M is probably a better bowler, golfer, bridge player and blogger than you. She’s also better at battleships. I20 hits a destroyer- letter I.

    T5 chasing your frigate and any others you have outstanding. No time to check. Over and out.

63. JW, you are, of course, right and I apologise for the wee dig. To be fair, however, we did not boo the deceased pontiff during that minute’s silence. As I recall, a small section of the crowd sang ‘John Paul’s in his grave’ to the tune of Boney M’s ‘Brown Girl in the Ring.’ Totally unforgivable conduct, of course, but these things happen.

    The vast majority of the Huns in Manchester were well-behaved and I am sure that there would have been hardly any trouble at all if the screens had worked. Interestingly, I met somebody this year ( a Leeds supporter) who was employed by the company involved and who told me that they tried to do everything on the cheap and that they knew from the start that the lash-up they cobbled together was probably never going to work properly.

    And I can’t cast nasturtiums anyway. I was at Wembley on that memorable day when we stuffed them 1-0 and decided to take the goalposts and pitch back home as souvenirs. We thought it was just an innocent piece of high spirited celebration until we listened to the media coverage on the way home and discovered that we were mindless, drunken thugs who had rampaged through a stricken Capital spreading terror and destruction wherever we went. Not how I remember it. Everybody seemed quite happy to see us after the game and to take our money as I recall.

    Anyhow, that’s T5 from you and O15 from Dave frae Airdrie. One more to come. We’ll probably have to wait a while as the Southrons all seem to be away enjoying their Bank Holiday weekend or writing their entries for Pseu’s competition. Soutie will be celebrating a magnificent comeback by the Bokke. Maybe OZ will show up.

64. Evenin’ all.

    H18 (Hotel eighteen) for Embra
    M19 (Mike nineteen) for Weegie

    Would it help to move things along a bit by filling in the spaces of vessel names once they are identified? As things stand it going to take nine days just to complete the known grid on Embra’a fleet.

    OZ

65. OK, H18 hit yet again from OZ on my battleship (10) ‘R’.

    T5 from JW, hit on frigate (5) ‘K’.

    Dave from Airdrie misses with O15.

    OZ, what makes you think that we would want to move things along? Janus would never forgive us if we speeded the action up any more.

    F13 from me and M19 from OZ.

66. OX???

    OZ

67. Sorry OZ. Duly corrected.

68. Jay Dubya,

    HMFS Fleabite a nuclear mustelid class submarine, is currently under super silent running and with orders to target Romeo Nineteen, R19. Two Mk54 electric torpedoes lie armed and waiting in her forward tubes. A small matter of 500 yds and she will be in optimum firing position.

    Have a nice day. 🙂

69. JM,

    Shouldn’t that D be at Papa nineteen and not Oscar? Do pay attention Mackie. 😉

    Reply by JM

    Whoops and sorry Ferret. Correction made.

70. JM/JW (alphabetical, impartial to a fault), I presume you are planning a Xmas truce with a submarine footie match? No hurry though 🙂

71. Afternoon gents. Sorry JW, I wouldn’t know a shoe-in if it slapped me in the face. Spotify is a brilliant, on-line free – well partly free – music library. You listen, make playlists, share with others etc etc. Is good.

72. If I’m a Hun, John, you’re a Vandal. Not up to speed with my history, though surely one of us sacked Rome?

    Jan, had a look at Spotify. How safe is the download? I get worried about these things. 🙂

    F13 is a miss.
    M19 hits the Battleship – letter E
    R19 hits the Battleship – letter E

    A7 from me. Maybe impartial Janus will get impatient and have a fire. Go on, CO, we know you want to. This could be another twist in the film.

73. First things first, Megadeth for the Hun battleship.

    I’ll toss P15 in JM’s direction.

    The News of the World have just offered me Z$ 150,000,000,000 for news on my next move, I told them it wasn’t enough!

74. OK, looks like I’ll have to do the boring stuff with little chance of feathering my Cave.

    A D8 (Delta eight) coup-de-grace for HMES Melba and a similarly devastating E18 (Echo eighteen) for HMWS Slade.

    OZ

75. Soutie :

    First things first, Megadeth for the Hun battleship.

    I’ll toss P15 in JM’s direction.

    The News of the World have just offered me Z$ 150,000,000,000 for news on my next move, I told them it wasn’t enough!

    🙂 🙂

76. A7 miss. OZ sinks HMES Melba with an ‘A’ on D8. Soutie hits the frigate (5) with a ‘V’.

    The Australian, Dame Nellie Melba, was more famous than Kylie in her day. Good Scottish stock, of course. Her father, David Mitchell, was a Jock and I think her mum must have been as well with a name like Dow.

    E18 from OZ and D12 from me.

77. Has anyone identified HMES Verdi yet?

    OZ

78. They have now.

79. JW – it’s very safe and very well-used. When it started up, I got an invite to the freebie thing which is occasionally interrupted by ads, but not too much of a problem, given that the whole thing seizes up here sometimes anyway due to v slow broadband.

80. OK, JW, The sparkle has clearly gone out of the game for our fellow authors, except OZ, of course.

    So, it’s D12 from me, E18 from OZ and, after an interminable wait to see if anybody else could be bothered, K13 from me.

    Janh1’s right on the button on Spotify, by the way. Excellent for all forms of music, including classical, and the ads. are not that intrusive.

81. JM – I keep looking in, honest, but Admiral JW Weegie seems always full of DFMB and snakebite. 🙂 I’m still waiting for a response on the E18 deathblow to HMWS Slade and then I have to start on wiping out the remaining pieces of HMWS Megadeth (these yooungsters never could spell) before getting down to real business.

    OZ

82. Well……??

    OZ

83. OZ, it’s a feature of war that it loses its lustre, innit? Especially among those who caused it! 🙂

84. Hello John, OZ and not forgetting (he keeps coming back for more) the CO.

    Apologies for my dereliction from duty. At last some time off to play war games. And from checking the grid I see I’ve made a Mowbray of it again. R19 should be a T and not an E. Even I struggle to spell Megadeth properly. Well done Soutie, you’ve spotted Jaime’s favourite band.

    K13 is a miss.
    D12 is a miss.
    A farewell nod to HMWS Slade as OZ fires the death knell in her. I’m sure nobody wants to listen to Slade so here’s a clip from HMP Slade.

    JM
    You reckon some members of the Chariot are not fascinated by the game anymore. What kind of an attention span do these “authors” have? We aren’t anywhere near the endgame yet. This makes me think. Have you any ideas on how to maintain interest when, at the conclusion, all we’re doing is filling in the blanks? I could write some war poetry, that’ll bring them back in droves.

    I18 to fill in a blank.

85. theroyalist :

    Have you any ideas on how to maintain interest?

    I thought that was the Bank of England’s job (oops sorry, forgetting, you’re not English!)

    I’ll toss T2 (tea too) in JM’s direction

86. It seems the participants are keener than the protagonists.

    A boring I18 (India eighteen), the ‘V’ with a full stop of HMES R.V. Williams. Yawn!!

    Has the Q19/R18 issue on the Weegie page been resolved yet? Is it Megadeth or Megadteh or Megadhet and does it really matter? I shall toss a wasted Q19 (Quebec nineteen) at the Weegie Fleet in the forlorn hope of resolving this pressing issue.

    C’mon guys. Get yourselves sorted!!!!

    OZ

87. OZ, OK, keep your hair on ,O hirsute one.I’m working on the update.

    And you can’t have I18 because JW has already got first dibs on that. Please try to keep up with the frantic pace of the game and have another go.

88. Evenin’ JM. The main problem of being incredibly hirsute is that one can get frizzy fur and I absolutely effin’ hate frizzy fur.

    Can I instead go for an equally boring O18 (Oscar eighteen), the ‘A’ in ‘Williams’?

    The Q19 shot at Admiral Weegie still stands for whenever the old soak surfaces.

    OZzzzzzzzzz

89. OK, moving on rapidly.

    Soutie’s T2 is a miss. I18 and O18 hit ‘V’-‘ and ‘A’ of my battleship. Not long now.

    Soutie, JW and I are great fans of the Bank of England, founded as it was by a Jock, William Paterson. T’was ever thus!

    JW, Q19 from OZ and B18 from me. One more to come.

90. Oh dear,

    Is that a stealth proximity mine drifting into Weegie Lima Nineteen L19? I do believe it is. Mwwwwwaaahh Haa Haa Haa Haaaaaaaaaa!

91. A good evening to all my hairy friends,

    I know you are all in a fit of excitement waiting for the obligatory Megadeth (got the spelling right in the end) track. Dave Mustaine is an unheralded musical genius in my opinion. Moving on.

    B18 is a miss (To end my run of bad luck, I filled in one of the blanks. Good for the confidence, think on).
    Q19 second E in Megadeth.
    L19 M in Megadeth.

    An unconfident B10 from me.

    Many thanks for introducing me to Spotify, Jan. Took all of ten seconds to download. Very good for checking out obscure songs. I have used up all my 20 hours of free time for this month today. 🙂

92. Hi, JW.

    You know how good we are at humphy up here in Caledonia (stern and wild)?

    Many of my green crosses (miss by a participant) seem to have been transmuted into black crosses (miss under the non-contiguity rule). Don’t recall doing this and somewhat miffed that somebody else seems to have taken this upon themselves without checking with me first.

    I’ll probably get over it in time, to be fair.

93. I’ll give you humphy, John.

    An alternative blog not long ago yearned for new charioteers. As it stands, I am the current newest on the board. Johnny joined just after me but seems to have left because of you. I am referring to your awful behaviour towards him. Not once did you wish him Happy New Year or Good New Year or Guid New Year or whatever it is you proclaim when he joined.

    Thought I’d get that one off my chest. Feel a lot less humphier.

94. Good attempt, JW, but a miss by a country mile, grasshopper!

    The point about wishing anybody a Good New Year is that you have to have known him/her/it in the Old Year. Failing which, it’s just hello, nice to meet you.

    Did that with Johnny in 2010 and am looking forward to wishing him a GNY at the appropriate point in 2011. Met a friend in Morrisons last night who I had not seen since 2008 and we did the GNY bit. Sorry to see that you young ones are not prepared to preserve and observe our great Jock traditions. It’s a worry!

    Still nursing my wrath and getting even humphier about the lack of any apology and/or explanation for the green cross to black cross farrago. This could all end in tears, in my opinion.

96. Well then, if my tea for two (comment #85) missed I’ll toss T3 (tee three) I know that JM’s frigate is lurking about somewhere!

    I’m reminded of that old joke about 2 people in a lift and one of them farted – everybody knows who did it! (Crosses, black ones, green ones, not me, not guilty your Honour)

97. Mornin’ all. So I’ll try a devastating T6 (Tango Six) to hekp flush out this here Embra frigate and lob an enquiring H15 (Hotel fifteen) at Admiral Weegie.

    OZ

98. Hi, JW. This is going to be a difficult post to write.

    Your B10 is a miss. I’ll be putting a green cross there to indicate this and I hope and expect that it will remain green for the duration of the conflict. Also wasting my time changing all the participant miss crosses back from the black which they so mysteriously became to the correct green colour. I feel that I owe it to the historical record and to posterity. I may be some time.

    Anyhoo, the difficult bit. See that frigate (5) of mine in the ‘T’ file. It’s actually a friggin’ destroyer (6). The mistake arose on my transposed grid when we moved the game on and I have only just noticed it.

    So, with apologies to OZ, Soutie, yourself, Janus, the artist formerly known as Ferret, my maths teacher, ‘Tits’ Gordon, and everybody else:-

    Soutie T3 – Destroyer (6) ‘M’.

    OZ T6 – Destroyer (6) ‘A’

    O9 from me and H15 from OZ. One more to come.

    Apologies again.

99. Oh, now it’s all clear. Gorra be HMES Mikado.

    I shall deliver my next devastating salvoes in the morning 🙂

    OZ

100. OZ

     Claro que si. HMES Mikado identified.

     Now, this is important. Mrs M. went to Portugal with a female friend for a week in Spring. It was during the volcanic ash nonsense so she stayed a fortnight. Came back raving about the place and insisting that we would go there.

     Not a problem and we might well give Italy a miss next year. But, will my Higher Spanish (B) (1967) be any use or should I start from scratch? Just to start me off, what’s the Portuguese for ‘claro que si’?

101. It’s Claro que sim, which looks very close when written, but the Portugtuese pronunciation will get you every time. Start from scratch. Forget the lithping Spanish ‘eth-eth-eth’ and start thinking Polish or Ukranian ‘-ooshes’ and ‘-arshes’ and enjoy as suas férias ‘ash suarsh feeriarsh’ – your holidays.

     A word of advice, if I may. Come out of Faro airport, if that is indeed your destination and turn right instead of left. Avoid Vilamoura, Albufeira, Lagos and all other tourist points west like the plague. Head east and inland instead and go and discover the real Portugal. Otherwise, a day in Lisboa would be good, as would be visits to Sintra, Tomar, the university town of Coimbra and anywhere in the Tràs-As-Montes, the ”Beyond-the-Mountains’ most northerly region of the country bordering on Spanish Galicia and gastronomic Heaven.

     OZ

102. So there I was in my usual coffee shop going the DT crossword (yes, we get it a couple of months late which I’ve explained before) and there it was 7 down!

     Fortunately the DT crossword compilers Have remained true to that old tradition of having their down clues read ‘top to bottom.’

     So, after much consideration I’ll throw A7 at JW’s empty first column.

103. John,

     I like the Grasshopper handle and if only The Royalist weren’t so Grand I would swap it.

     Your unwavering stance on the New Year tradition must cause some awkward situations. Say for example, January 4th and you meet six friends you knew in the old year and an unknown acquaintance of one of these friends is in company. Do you wish GNY to the six and miss out the other guy? What if the other guy, unfamiliar with the custom, gets in there first and wishes you GNY? Do you shake his hand and say hello? I’ve been worried sick thinking about the circumstances of this hypothetical social gathering.

     RE #98: This is not a worry and no apologies needed. Bloopers add to the charm of the game. Spelling Megadeth was tricky and after listening to them, I’m Megadeaf.

     Back to the battle-

     Congratulations! O9 is a HIT! Battleship letter /H. I repeat /H.
     OZ’s H15 hits a Sub. Letter T.
     The right-handed Soutie has taken it upon himself to do your job for you. Instead of filling in the blanks his A7 hits a Destroyer. Letter O.

     Well done, an all-blue round.

     A16 from me.

104. Remind me – what was this game about?

105. This is not a game. This is a way of life.

106. JW, it’s definitely approaching longevity…..

107. More of a test than cricket, Janus…oops you’re CO over here, aren’t you?

     Go on, lob a bomb at the Embran; you’ll feel better after it.

108. I’ll toss G14 (gee foreteen) at the ‘Embran’

     Still one more needed, go on OC, quick, before the wolf arrives!

109. Hi, JW. Well that round certainly filled in a lot of non contiguity rule crosses (black).

     Getting ready for the Huns Reunited match tonight. Do you think they’ll make McManus and Brown wait in the corridor while they hold the Lodge meeting. Claiming Darren Fletcher as a Jambo, by the way, since he played in the maroon of Tynecastle Boys before being snatched to relative greatness by Sir Alex.

     Come on Janus, have a pop at me. It could well all be almost over by Christmas if you just deigned to join in.

     JW, your January 4th poser. Not a problem since that date is well inside the main Hogmanay period and I’d probably be too stotious to be able to distinguish between old friends and new chums. Later in the year, it would pose an interesting social dilemma on which I will ponder.

     You probably spell it ‘stoshus’ in Weegieland.

110. Stoshus, aye.
     Bottom of the morning, my Lithuanian friend.

     Disgusted that Rangers have lost their 100% start to the season. Never mind, we’ll take our anger out on Frankenstein on Tuesday.

     The Wolfman seems to be Hibernian, I mean hibernating so the third roll of the dice is M1 wherever that may be. (I only know the M8)

111. Ah, you have surfaced at last, Admiral Weegie, just in time to receive F15 (Foxtrot fifteen) right in the kisser.

     And an querulous I14 (India fourteen) for Admiral Embra.

     Nighty night and will both of you please try to be awake and functioning in the morning.

     Ta ever so. 🙂

     OZ

112. JW, the game was a wee bit mince. Thought Hutton was great and the alkie Hun goalie had a good game, to be fair. JJ and the other Jambo guests sitting next to Vlad the Impatient in the Lithie end did not work for me. Still, we didn’t lose and all we have to do now is thump Spain home and away. Not a problem.

     Like the M8 line. How much of this do you think that the Southrons are getting? I do worry that we might be being a wee bit Jockocentric for them.

     M1 and A16 are both Scott Browns – major wastes of space and missing.

     Soutie’s G14 hits home. Destroyer (6) ‘M’. OZ will get it straight away now, if he’s still up.

     B12 from me and F15 from OZ. C’mon Janus, have a go. You know you want to!

113. Evenin’ JM – And there was I just about to reire, but, keen to keep my reputation flickering, I shall take a pot-shot at HMES Mahler tomorrow.

     Nighty night.

     OZ

114. Bolleaux – ‘…retire…’

     OZ

115. OZ – I love reire, typo though it surely was. Getting angry again described in one word.

     HMES Mahler acknowledged. Mrs M. is singing Mahler 8 as part of the Embran Festival Chorus in the closing concert tomorrow. She came home from the last rehearsal tonight saying that it is going to be pure dead brilliant. Roll on 8 pm tomorrow night.

116. Just woken to the call to arms. OK, if you insist: J8 (janus ate) in Embran waters. Let me know by 16th September – I’m off on me hols.

117. Luv it 😉

118. Morning, JW.

     Sorry, only took a cursory glance at the blog yesterday and thought that the Great Dane had completed my turn with J8. I see, however, that it’s aimed at me and not you. Obviously a Laudrup fan.

     So, B12 from me, F15 from OZ and E3 from the First Embran Sea Lady, Mrs M., who is still on a high after a Mahler 8 that was indeed, pure dead brilliant.

     Sorry, Janus, but I may not be able to reply within such an early deadline as September 16th. JW and I realise, of course, that, if we speeded up our already frenetic pace, we would hasten the arrival of the 100,000 hit party, such is the intense public interest in our conflict.

     We must, however, remain true to our cautious, dour and prudent Jock nature and treat the great game with the proper respect, necessitating endless hours of detailed research and consideration between each carefully planned move.

     You are, by the way, lucky that we are playing the speed version of the game. In ‘Brigadoon Battleships’, we only make a move once every 100 years.

119. Hi John,

     Trust the CO to “lose us a day” by shooting out of sequence. We should temporarily call a halt until he comes back from his holidays.

     Today I adhered to the old adage of “Know Your Enemy” by buying Classic FM magazine that had two free CD’s of movie music. You might follow suit and rush out to purchase Metal Hammer magazine (free tribute Black Sabbath CD this month) though somehow I don’t think that will be the case.

     B12 is a miss. Truly, we must be the worst Admirals in history.
     Oz’s F15 hits the Sub- Letter T.
     And Mrs. M. –I like Mahler’s 1st Symphony 1st movement featured on the excellent James Caan film The Gambler– nonchalantly picks up another hit. E3 hits the Frigate- Letter O.

     F7 from me and a Laudrupian J8 from the Janus. One more…

120. Duly recorded on the grid, JW. I believe that your sub is dead meat and definitely not in Kansas any more.

     One more shot to come from the Weegie fleet. Anybody out there?

121. Hi again John,

     Not sure if you’ve heard this or not. Tolga Kashif in 2002 composed a symphony in six movements based on the music of Queen. I think I read in my magazine that he’s just written a Genesis (the band, for the avoidance of doubt) symphony.

     As Zen seems to have overlooked Frederick The Great’s birthday. In honour of the Mighty Airship Carrier from Battleships one. Classical Queen.

122. Evenin’ all. Gorra be G15 (Golf Fifteen) for HMWS Toto (please note) and I will also lob a spare missile in the direction of Admiral Embra’s F6 (Foxtrot Six) if only because it looks like something might be lurking in there.

     Dear God! I need to get out more.

     OZ

123. With lightning speed, JM, you have answered my query dated 25th August (this year), #10. I have duly unliked this post with extreme prejudice, ceteris paribus, infra dignitatem.

124. Morning, JW. A remarkably consistent round.

     You missed with F7, OZ missed with F6 and the unliking Janus missed with J8.

     G15 from OZ and B11 from me. One more to come.

125. Hello…..hello……?

     I’ve painted The Cave and even watched the paint dry, so Battleships Two Redux is again the most interesting diversion in my life. Is anybody out there….?

     OZ

126. Bloody hell, Mackie – You must be psychic.

     🙂

     OZ

127. I’ll lob A6 at JW’s sub.

     I see that Janus ‘unliked’ the post, you two most try and do more to keep interest up 😉

128. B13 (Backside unlucky for some thirteen). What’s to like? 😦

129. In the nick of time HMWS Toto identified by OZ. Good name for a hangman competition, Toto, not as good as Styx but we won’t go into that. G15 sinks Toto. Can’t be bothered uploading Africa, so hum it yourselves.
     B11 is the usual dud firecracker.
     A6 hits the Destroyer- Letter L.

     B13 from the likeable Janus.
     I’ll play safe and boring to annoy the CO and to help finish Sibelius, I’ll offer R5.
     One more to Follow, Follow…

130. Good evening, JM, at last. I will now chuck a salvo at N10 (November ten) and if this turns out to be one of your already turned-turtle jobbies as per regeSboB, I may feel constrained to tear your face off.

     I don’t think there is anything unidentified on ãdmiral Mackie’s grid, so a boring M5 (Mike Five), the ‘B’ of Sibelius.

     Yawn!!

     OZ

131. Hello OZ,

     In hindsight I wish I’d put them all on the verticals; this would have driven everyone crazy. Alas and as usual my fleeting visiting time is up. Dorma’s Bum

132. That’s Durma bem<em. 🙂 As in Durma, the irregular inmperative tense of the infinitive dormir ‘to sleep’ plus bem, the adverb of bom (m) boa(f). I told you I’ve been to technical lessons.

     OZ

133. Hi, JW. Aye, it would seem that you, I and Brendano will always have Styx. ‘Let it go, Louie, let it go’, as the older and wiser lizard says in one of my favourite ads.

     Janus misses with B13 and your R5 and OZ’s M5 almost Finnish off (sorry!) that great northern composer with ‘B’ and ‘S’.

     I think OZ means to fire N10 at you. I know he says it’s for JM , but maybe the ‘M’ is meant to be a tapsalteerie ‘W’ in your honour. I dread to think how you spell ‘tapsalteerie’ in Weegieland, by the way. It’s probably completely erse ower tits.

     So it’s N10 from OZ and J12 from me. One to come.

     On important matters, Soutie, you will see from comment 123 that Janus makes a written admission that he relied on my advice and expertise to establish how to ‘unlike’ this post. This, of course. constitutes a clear contract, in my opinion, and my note of fee is even now winging its way to ‘The man whose wife’s granddaughters got christened in the Cathedral a couple of weeks ago, Maribo, Denmark, EU.’

     That’s the teams coming out. C’mon Scotland. Get it right up they Liechtensteinians!

134. I see that that Rooney chappie has ‘scored’ over in Switzerland, good for him. That’s probably the best we to reply to the gutter press that he has to endure over there. 😉

     I toss A4 @ JW’s reyortsed.

135. JW, how strange was that? I started off incandescent with rage at my fellow Jocks and ended up almost proud of them.

     For the non-Jocks who may not know this, the Liechtenstein National Anthem happens to share the same tune as our own ‘God Save the Queen’. It kicked off in a storm of booing, presumably coming from the Sellick, Hibee and Republican SNP scum present, By the end, there was respectful silence as the bulk of the Tartan Army shushed the tossers, possibly a wee bit singing along by the Huns and the Jambos in the crowd and a decent round of applause at the conclusion.

136. Like I should have said @ 130, November Ten is for Admiral Weegie, with my apologies for the grammar lesson because I missed his funny and deliberate apostrophe and misspelling in Durma’s bum.

     OZ

137. JM, I presume that maribo Domkirke be taking delivery of your invoice ‘forthwith’, which in the context of this war means about 2015, by which time you can be sure all the Provost’s records will mysteriously have gone missing with extreme prejudice. 🙂

138. So far the amateurs of Liechtenstein seem more than a match for the North British lads.

139. Jw,

     Aye well, it’s a cruel game, I suppose. We’ve been there and done that in our time so credit and apologies to the Liechtensteiners and almost total embarrassment for us.

     But, if Brown, McCulloch or McFadden ever play for Scotland ever again before Hell freezes over, it will be an eon too early, in my opinion.

140. Janus :

     JM, I presume that maribo Domkirke be taking delivery of your invoice ‘forthwith’, which in the context of this war means about 2015, by which time you can be sure all the Provost’s records will mysteriously have gone missing with extreme prejudice.

     Janus, I may have to actually start using real smiley things if you keep up this sort of standard. Just wait to see what I charged you for ‘perusing and considering’. I could e-mail the note of fee to you if you liked?

141. The booing of the L anthem was a disgrace and not the first time the so-called “best natured supporters in the world” has done this. As for the thrilling match, King Kenny #2nd for First Minister and I hope Wallace is OK for Saturday.

     Now another little local difficulty.
     “#103- Congratulations! O9 is a HIT! Battleship letter /H. I repeat /H.”

     That’s what I said only you have put this strike under N9, therefore OZ’s N10 is a miss. However, I’m not a bad lad and as N9+10 doesn’t interfere with the contiguity rule I’ll call OZ’s last shot as a hit on a Battleship- Letter N/. I repeat N/.
     (P.S delete the small x from N12)

     J12 is a Hit (night of shocks, right enough) on a sub- letter H.
     A4 hit’s the acrobatic destroyer- Letter C.

     Glad to have set up the finish/Finnish quip and laughed at the Lizards ad.

     I’m due a miss so F10.

142. Thanks, JW. I am now thoroughly confused. I may have to start from scratch to work it all out. Still scunnered about the green crosses morphing into black crosses thing and will,of course, be blaming that for all our ills.

     F10 noted. Two to come.

143. That’ll be HMS eciloP in row A then, (he said ylgums)

     I’ll throw M8 (em ate) into middle of JM’s open space, could somebody update us on what we are still looking for? How many subs, destroyers and so forth, does anybody know? Perhaps I’ll take a wander off to version 2:1 and try and work it out in the morning.

144. I’m relieved that the call of the Alpenhorn from the local Hofbrauhaus enticed the Liechtensteiners to relax before the final whistle and lose the match. Or was it spot-fixed by that lone Indian seen lurking around the Away dresing room?

145. Mornin’ all – A boring T7 (Tango seven) for the ‘D’ in HMES ‘Mikado’ and an querulous O8 (Oscar eight) for Admiral Weegie, and this one had better be good.

     OZ

146. Soothing tones for the combatants in this eternal/infernal strife:

147. Just reading.

148. Sorry, JW and our many, devoted and dedicated fans!

     Had not spotted that I had a completed round to answer. But then, whatever Janus claims, it’s only a game!

     F10 is indeed a miss, Mr Consistent or what?
     M8 from Soutie – miss.
     OZ hits the right note (‘D’) with Q8.

     Soutie and others. Update coming. We would hate you to lose interest as we move into the riveting end moves of this enthralling game.

     JW, O8 from OZ and N16 from me. One to come.

     .

149. Oh good, I thought that the tide was out there for a minute or two.

     I4@JW (eye fore at JW)

150. Bearsy, glad you were soothed by the Irish troubador – can’t confirm the voices were Welsh either!

151. JW, I take it you might be suspending hostilities until after the first leg of the Battle of Britain next Tuesday night.

     If not, waiting for your reply to O8, N16 and I4?

152. After the result of the Battle of Britain you might not see me again so I better lob a missile at you. B14 from me.

     Soutie has correctly stung the long arm of the law with his (the) Ecilop proposal.

     O8 hits the battleship- Letter A.
     N16 is a miss.
     I4 hits the frigate- Letter E.

     Last night of the Proms tomorrow (today) which is where all this kerfuffle started if I remember rightly and it appears Brian May will be at Proms in the Park. I’ll be recording the programme (as you know, I am a Queen completist) from Radio2 on cassette and then transferring to CD using a converter. You have no idea how much time and trouble I’ve used up over the years to compile a respectable Queen archive that gathers dust in the loft.

153. JW, “You have no idea how much time and trouble I’ve used up over the years…..” No, given your quck silver skills at this game! 🙂

154. I reckon that JM’s frigate on row 4 is HMS Heart – Barracuda!

155. Hi, Soutie. I don’t have a frigate on Row 4, so I presume you mean JW’s grid. If so, I’m genuinely touched and I’m also quite moved that there’s even a chance that he named one of his ships after part of the name of my football team.

     Gonnae have a shot at me? JW’s B14 is still on its lonesome and we really are trying to get this game finished in time for the 100,000 celebrations.

     Just to encourage you to have a pop, c’mon you Cheetahs! Great result for the Sharks.

     In seriousness, this Saru/Sarpa thing sounds like it could get quite messy? Still believe, of course, that ‘we’ will win the World Cup again next year when the All Blacks do the usual bottling act.

     Tocino must be there or almost there by now. Lucky man!

156. Oops, quite correct I meant JW’s frigate.

     It’s the usual shambles with the rugby administration down here, my attention has been drawn away from it though by our provincial team (E.P. Kings) doing rather well in the 2nd tier (might, just might finish top.) They are winning and playing to large crowds in our new stadium!

     I’d missed JW’s B14, I was being polite waiting for him to have the first pop I’ll fire N10 (En ten) at the center of the Embra fleet.

157. Ach, Soutie, I wish that I was there myself. I repeat that Tocino is a lucky man.

     Have another go, please? I’m out of here for a couple of days and we really have to move the game on. Personally, I blame Janus who is not pulling his weight at all (at all), in my opinion

     So, B14, N10 and ?

158. Jolly good, chaps. Carry on. 😉

     Has no-one seen 18 L and M on JW’s? Hit and sunk Ralph Vaughn Williams. I do apologise if it’s not my turn.

159. Just peeping

160. Janh1, always a joy.

     Accepting your L18 as part of JW’s salvo and noting M18 as part of his next one. You’re going to get to sink one of my ships in the next round. Not that I’m bitter, but I always knew that you liked him more than you did me. It’ll be the spelling and grammatical corrections, I suppose?

     L18, Hit. Air Craft Carrier (10) ‘L’.

     JW, B14 is a miss and probably a mile offside like both of the Sellick’s first two goals against us at Parkheid today. Will nobody rid us of these turbulent referees?

     Soutie, major breakthrough. N10 is a hit on one of my battleships (8) – ‘P’

     Moving on, JW. T10?

161. I’ll drop H4 (aitch fore) at that frigate of JW’s (hopefully an aitch! If not I’m gonna have to adjust my thinking cap)

162. Mornin’ all. I’ll deliver a T8 (Tango eight) coup-de-grace to HMES ‘Mikado’ and a questioning O7 (Oscar seven) for Admiral Weegie.

     OZ

163. “Personally, I blame Janus who is not pulling his weight at all (at all), in my opinion.”
     JM, my rôle as appeaser and CO does not include pulling my (or more importantntly your and JW’s) weight! E & O E

164. Are we doing albums ?

     That pesky frigate could be Pearl you know the one with that tribute to God and MB 😉

165. Janus :

     “Personally, I blame Janus who is not pulling his weight at all (at all), in my opinion.”
     JM, my rôle as appeaser and CO does not include pulling my (or more importantntly your and JW’s) weight! E & O E

     Morning, Janus. With the utmost respect, and without, of course, prejudice, I would draw it to your attention that the initialisation which you have incorporated in your missive is usually shown as ‘E & OE’, with no space between the ‘O’ and the ‘E’ thereof.

166. JM, Given the full text of E % O E, it is surprising that OE is initialised as a single expression: omissionsexcepted?

167. Janus, old bean. I fear our resident pedant is correct – again. 😦

     😀

     OZ

168. Good evening John et al.

     T10 -Miss.
     O7- Hit’s the battleship- Letter L.
     H4- Hit’s the frigate- letter H.
     Soutie, you are correct, it is a small tribute to the Embran Admiral. HMWS Heart, recognised. Any composers called Ranger, by any chance?

     Had a butcher’s at your grid of my ships, John. Could you tell me why C2-F2 and C4-F4 have a small x. Evidence please as I think you might have mis-shaded.

     #155. JW, “You have no idea how much time and trouble I’ve used up over the years…..” No, given your quck silver skills at this game!
     Janus, I will have to watch you more carefully as your intended mercurial comment was quite witty. It is a pity you type too fast and missed out on an important i.

     T8 and M18 from OZ and Jan respectively. A double roll-over.
     Q1 from me.

169. Got the jump on the battleship in column oh! 🙂

     Not sure that I’ve contributed, so I’ll hang on a while.

170. JW, eagle-eyed as ever! “It is a pity you type too fast and missed out on an important i.” My Mum used to say that ‘I’ is never really important.

171. Hi, JW,

     ‘Had a butcher’s at your grid of my ships, John. Could you tell me why C2-F2 and C4-F4 have a small x. Evidence please as I think you might have mis-shaded?’

     Provisional answer is that, if E3 is a frigate (5) ‘O’, then the diagonals F2/F4 and D2/D4 have to be ‘X’s. On the present evidence, and having done a cursory check, I am unable to justify C2/C4 and E2/E4, unless any of them were green crosses originally. so I have uncrossed them. Will do a more thorough check and get back to you.

     Q1 is a miss. OZ sinks one of G&S’s finest comic masterpieces and Janh1 sends Ralph to the bottom.

     So, it’s the ‘Sea Songs’ from him

     It’s ‘Three Little Maids’ from them, simply in remembrance of the fact that Mrs M. sang the role of Pitti Sing at Embra Uni.

     And it’s E10 from me.

172. We need the letter ‘E’ (the ‘e’ in heart) filled in on JW’s grid (see #154)

     I’ll pop M16 (em sixtene) at JW

     John, any chance of that update on what’s still afloat?

173. Crumbs. How much longer chaps?

174. Greetings John, I reckon that’s my grid up to date now and the poor frigate looks like a sitting duck.

     Pseu, go on, fire JM’s third salvo.

175. Mornin’ all. A little housekeeping today, so I14 (India fourteen) at HMES Mahler and a A5 (Alpha five) for the Weegie. Soomeone has to do the unglamorous hoovering, but why it always falls to me……

     OZ

176. Afternoon, gents. 019 and S19 JW’s Megadeth – hit and sunk, I believe. In the interests of even-handedness, John 🙂

177. Sorry, I have NO idea what to do.

178. Haw, JW

     Well played the Huns. A good solid defensive performance and you should have had a penalty. Edu was your best player for me.

     I particularly enjoyed your Rooney song – ‘You only score in a brothel’.

     Back to important matters. E10, M16 and A5, with Janh1’s O19 and S19 waiting in the wings for next time?

179. The match was a bore, neither side capable of shooting straight or showing much urgency. A bit like this war of yours really. 😦

180. Firstly, Janus, you are an absolute treasure. It’s like looking forward to a roll and sausage, you know exactly what you’re going to get. Quality.

     JM- At the end of the day here, I’m over the moon with our backs to the wall performance and like the Scots of old, Wembley here we come. Agree with you on Edu, although my pick of the best from the loyal repertoire, the apt, “No pope of Rome.”

     E10 hits a sub- Letter C.
     M16 is a miss.
     A5 hoovers (great comment, OZ) the destroyer- Letter I.

     OZ has aimed I14 and to rid ourselves of Norman I’ll have a double shot with K14 and L14.

     I expect everyone is breathless in excitement waiting for the great Megadeth uploaded track to follow……….follow (naturally)

181. More tidying – O11 (Oscar eleven) for whatever Admiral Weegie has hidden out there and a L5 (Lima five) to knovk another hole into HMES ‘Sibelius’.

     This is all getting a bit cumbersome again. Any chance of Battleships Pt III, Redux Pt II or even Tridux Pt I? JM – Tou know damned well what I mean, so take your choice. I really am beyond Jockanese grammatical titular pedantics. 🙂

     OZ

182. OZ, how’s about: “Star Bores X111”?

183. I did say jump in my #172, nobody has!

     Even though the slashes \ dashes \ lines appear to be the wrong way round (ja well, what else is new?) I’ll go with HMWS nelaH naV
     😉

184. Morning, JW. HMES Mahler sunk by the combined action of OZ and yourself. Jahn1’s O19 and S19 and P14 from me.

     OZ, you are, of course, right that it is getting unwieldy again. I’ll try to sort it out this evening. Personally, I blame the flood of comments from the ever-enthusiastic and irrepressible Janus which are just slowing the whole thing down, in my opinion. Your O11 against JW and L5 against me duly noted for future rounds.

185. 😦

186. Battleships 3 promises to be as exciting as Halo 3 and I agree that a new updated blog should be posted.

     Now, I usually post my “normal” blogs in the dead of night so they drift into the wilderness, however, there is no way on Heaven or Earth I will upload a Megadeth track at the bottom of a hard to load page where it will stay unplayed and unloved. The top of a blog is the place for this band I have brought to every one’s awareness. Indeed, Mustaine e-mailed me thanking for the surge in sales of their albums.

187. well

     John Mackie :

     OZ, you are, of course, right that it is getting unwieldy again. I’ll try to sort it out this evening.

     Well……??? I still have unanswered salvoes from my #184 hanging in the air.

     OZ

188. OZ, the North British combatants have lost interest, about a month after everybody else. It’s a genetic thing. 🙂

189. OK John the stand-off is over. You win.
     No doubt you do not want Megadeth at the head of the blog. Reluctantly, I will stick them down here with the dead men. O19/S19 sinks good old Megadeth.
     P14- miss.
     (Shipspotter update- Using a mirror Soutie has found Van Halen)

     Dave Mustaine is the singer/lead guitar/chief songwriter/captain/penalty kick taker and all-round daddy of the band. Blessed with magical guitar powers and a distinctive voice he is revered by true metal fans. Play it loud.

190. TR/JW

     My apologies.

     It became unwieldy three times. I found that I was not able to put my entire life on hold long enough in the past few months to get it sorted and to get the game finished.

     I will now make the effort as a matter of personal pride. I’ll get back to you.

191. I do remember somebody mentioning that it might all be over by Christmas.

     Problem is nobody said which one 😉

192. I ‘m not saying anything. 🙂

193. 🙂

194. Built from lego!

     

     http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1326573/Aircraft-carrier-built-conservatory-Made-Lego-weighs-500lb.html

195. In the depths, in the void…a pulse.

196. It’s a known fact that the film is never as good as the blog game.