STUFF!

[llywela]

I have been catching the bus to and from work for a week now and have already ascertained that the #61 bus is ALWAYS overcrowded. Ah, the joys of commuting!

But the trials and tribulations of bus travel aside, today is a happy day because, after months of rabid speculation, the BBC have finally, officially confirmed that lost episodes of Doctor Who have been found! One complete serial and one almost complete serial, both from season 5 - one of the hardest hit by the burnination policy of the 1970s.

More details here and here - it's an absolutely fascinating story, the outcome of a physical search that's been going on for a number of years, with a big find rumoured for about two years now. The rumour went viral within the Doctor Who fandom back in the summer and the speculation since then has been fevered, to say the least. But now we have The Enemy of the World and The Web of Fear back in the fold and available for digital download immediately, with DVDs to be released in November and February - the number of missing episodes now down from 106 to 97. Awesomesauce!

No doubt there's a lot we still don't know about this find and what's been going on behind the scenes, but for now let's just be happy that we get to see two more adventures with the Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria! Enemy of the World is one of my favourite novelisations and Web of Fear features the very first appearance of the Brigadier - before he was promoted to Brigadier and put in charge of UNIT. Baby Brigadier, Yeti and evil doppelgangers - what's not to love about that?!

In Other News, my Poppy cat managed to escape from the new flat the other night. It was my fault completely. I'd opened a window, just a crack, but I knew she was a flight risk (she's been stir crazy ever since we moved) and I knew she knows how windows work. So she got out, knocking a windowbox off the sill in the process (she's a very clumsy cat) and disappeared off into the gathering gloom of evening. I panicked and spent half an hour calling her and jingling a little bell that she usually responds to, fretting that she'd be lost in an unfamiliar neighbourhood. Then finally I heard crashing in the apple tree in next door's garden, and at last Poppy came flinging herself out of the tree, closely followed by a big unneutered ginger tom - which ran when it saw me. But Poppy was in such a state that she ran straight past the wide open back door and tried to get back in through the window, which I'd closed - she hurled herself at the window and bounced off into my plant pots again, squishing a rather fragile fuchsia in the process, which I'm not happy about. I had to call her and physically shepherd her through the door, she was freaking out so much.

So should I be impressed by her ability to memorise her route back the way she got out, or despair at her brainlessness in running straight past the open door to try to get back in through a closed window?

Finally, just to spam your f-lists even more, here are some pretty pics of Poppy and Alfie helping me pack for the move.

Comments

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Aww man, poor Poppy. Didn't you say that your new flat has a garden? Why can't you allow the cats to go out and get accustomed to the new environment?

I am glad to see that you're excited about the lost Who episodes. I bet you can't wait to get home and watch them! *g*

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Thing is, cats are very territorial and attach to a place more than a person, so when they are moved to a new environment they need to be kept indoors for a good few weeks until they accept that new location as home and know to come back to it when they go out, otherwise, they'll be confused and try to get back to the home they knew before. So I will be letting the cats out to enjoy the garden, but not for a few weeks yet, and I'll want to take it slowly, to let them get the hang of where we live now, exploring the garden in daylight at first, so I can keep an eye on them. Escaping via a window when it's getting dark and she's never been out there before, doesn't know the neighbourhood and hasn't lived there long enough to know where to return to...that's a big no no! Luckily she didn't go too far and knows to come back when she hears that bell (plus the other cat scared her).

I'm very very excited about the missing episode find! The last find was only two years ago, but that was two orphan episodes, this is one complete and one almost complete story! I can't wait to actually watch them. They are consecutive, as well, so Enemy of the World leads into Web of Fear...and also follows on from The Ice Warriors, which I've just watched the other week, as it's just out on DVD with two missing episodes animated - perfect timing!

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Ah, okay. That makes sense. No wonder Poppy and Alfie are going stir crazy. LOL They're so used to have easy access to the outside.

Well, I guess I know what you'll be doing this weekend then. *g*

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

The crazy thing is that Alfie, who has been free to roam all his life, is completely laid back about being kept in, while Poppy, who has been a house cat before, is stir crazy! Such different temperaments - they get freaked by such different things!

And, um, yes. I shall certainly be spending a good chunk of the weekend having me a rediscovered episodes viewing party! I know it doesn't mean much to most of my flisties out there who can't stand the thought of black and white 1960s TV, but it's such a huge deal - the biggest single find in Doctor Who history. Season 5 saw seven adventures, 40 episodes in total, but at the end of the 1970s only three of those 40 episodes existed in the archives. Today, following this find, we now have 22 out of 40 episodes from season 5 - two complete serials, one missing only one episode, and one missing two episodes that have been reconstructed with animation. And it isn't just great for the fans to get to see those early adventures finally - it's so touching for the actors, as well, to have their work recovered. For Deb Watling, who played Victoria, especially - her father guest starred in Web of Fear, so how amazing must it have been for her to get to see him on screen at the press conference yesterday!

[(Anonymous)]

I had a cat from a friend, I took her out into the garden a few times on a lead to get her used to it.

Rachel

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

I used to have a cat harness for Poppy, when she was very small! Alas she outgrew it a long time ago.

[(Anonymous)]

At Cats Protection we recommend at least 3 weeks in a new home before letting cats out to roam. Establishing their own niche in a new territory can be very daunting for them.
I expect Poppy ignored the door because she hasn't been out of it yet and wouldn't know it as a way in. Poor girl for all the head-bashing on the windows!

I thought of you when I heard about the Who episodes :)

Carol

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

Self packing cats! If only!

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

What helpful cats you have! ;)

So glad you got Poppy back inside after only half an hour. I understand the need for keeping them inside initially when you (or they) move somewhere new. Pablo was a year old when I got him from a friend who was going abroad to study. Poor Pabs - new house, new person, and shut inside when he was used to being allowed out. He prowled the house every night yowling like a banshee and begging to be let out. I think I lasted a week before I caved.

Come to think of it, he behaves in exactly the same way these days when, since he's now fifteen, I try to keep him in at night. The same piercing plaintive yowl that defeats even ear plugs and closed doors. It's a good thing I love him!

[catsdownunder.livejournal.com]

Paw under chin or paw over face ... cats know how to take a nap.

[babelmira.livejournal.com]

cat mishaps aside, how are you finding the new place?

[thisbluespirit]

:loL: at the cats! That is totally helping, of course.

And, as you know, I'm completely over the moon that we have so many episodes back - a miracle is not an understatement here. It's not something we ever thought would happen again. So incredible!