Where Was I?

[goodgoalie]

Morning Flonska, and any other solvers. Lovely part of the country we're in this week, and pretty straightforward to place it with his mentioning of The Blue Boy. I notice, though, that Brian Smith, who gives the answers to these puzzles on an easily-findable website, has gone way off track by naming the second village as Mendham. Nowhere near!

[Tilly2]

Got it. Thanks for the clue, Flonska.

[Etch]

Just worked through it. I see andywedge over at hotukdeals has also gone for Mendham, possibly influenced by Brian Smith's answers?

[Tilly2]

I have submitted my form. I'm looking forward to my luxury, five-star break!

[Toorak]

Good luck!

[Tilly2]

...and to you, Toorak.

[zebo]

I've not got Mendham as the second mentioned village! Never done this before, very interesting.

[Flonska]

Well done, Tilly!

If you win the prize - and as it is a 2 night stay, you will have time to invite Toorak and me down to London for either a lunch or, at least, a cream tea, (those that have the crusts cut off the sarnies!)

[Toorak]

Sounds like a good idea flonska

I have submitted too so if I win the lunches/ cream teas are on me :-)

[Toorak]

Zebo - I am new to this too but finding it very enjoyable

[Flonska]

Zebo, I am glad you found it interesting. It's not everyone's cup of tea but as well as pursuing the answers to win the prize . . . . natch, the more obscure bits of information/history that the quiz throws up is quite amazing and I have learnt so much from the data. The additional information gleaned has helped me trace the exploits of a relative who went down in a Lancaster in WWII, has enabled me to trace my family back to the 1400's and I have made contact with relatives in both NZ & the USA.

[Flonska]

Etch . . . sorry, missed your post @ 18:28.

Hopefully, the clues have got you back on track and if you win . . same rules apply re: - the cream tea?

[goodgoalie]

Glad to see so many enjoying the puzzle this week - as I've said before, I've been doing it for over 18 years, and so much enjoyment it's given me, too. Everyone get the second village to begin with D?

[zebo]

Yes, I got that, the equine artist starts with M, as all good Jilly Cooper fans know, the gentry always sell one when they're hard up!

[zebo]

If one of us wins maybe we can all meet up at the hotel, bring a sleeping bag, I'll let you have a bit of floor!

[Etch]

Flonska

Thanks, but I don't think there was any danger of me getting off track with this week's puzzle. I always determine the answers to all the clues, not just the 2 required to enter the competition, before looking to see what others have come up with. As hinted by GG, I reckon D----- is the second village, and I see Brian Smith has now posted a correction.

The East Ender's blog, with his comprehensive explanation, was a favourite port of call. It did amuse me that he insisted on qualifying every date, no matter how well documented, with c[irca] - no doubt he would have said that the Battle of Hastings was fought c 1066!

[goodgoalie]

Hi, Etch, good to see another enthusiastic solver of this puzzle: I go right back to when you had to answer on a postcard to Leighton Buzzard! Don't know what's happened to The Eastender - no postings on his blog since 3rd Dec last year; hope he's okay

[Flonska]

I also endeavour to solve all the puzzle clues. Some fascinating information is revealed in them; e.g. this week's Archbishop; who lost his head for introducing a 3rd poll tax.

I used to enjoy contributing to the East Ender Chronicles but sadly, its been almost a year since the last post appeared on that website.

[Etch]

I'm not sure I would classify myself as "enthusiastic", GG, "obsessive" is closer to the truth :-D

I still have the cutting for Where Was I? dated 19 May 1996 tucked into the relevant page of my copy of "The Shell Guide to England" (a useful reference pre-Internet). The first paragraph of the puzzle mentions "Elmer the Flying Monk", easily providing the answer to "Where was I?", which I seem to recall was always the first question in those days. The second question, that I wasn't able to answer at the time, appears to be open to debate: "Which American president's mother came from here?"

[Toorak]

I got the second village starting with d

[goodgoalie]

Well, etch, you seem to have started doing this puzzle even earlier than me! I have a copy of The Blue Guide to England (now out of print) which is much-thumbed - a Christmas gift from my then-girlfriend's sister in 1999. Before I had a computer, I can remember haunting bookshops, trying to find answers, and I still have a copy of The Cambridge Guide to Literature, which I bought for £5 in a second-hand shop one Sunday, so I could solve some obscure literary reference.
I wonder if Chris Fautley has been doing it since way back then?