Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Big Loves

Two of my unpursued career ambitions as a teen were a) architect and b) archeologist. (I won't mention the other career ambitions, but they mostly involve variations on making pretty/shiny things or taking Broadway by storm. Consequently my parents were somewhat happier about the idea of making buildings or scrabbling in the dirt, than oh, say, being a couturier.)

Anyhoo, enough about my childhood pain! That's what therapy is for, right?

Consequently, as an adult I am obsessed with a couple of UK tv shows. Grand Designs and Time Team. The episodes we have on our tv here are years old, but does that tarnish my love for them? Hell no.

I love the way "Grand Designs" follows a building project from first breaking of the soil to the finished building. Some of the homes they have covered are amazing. And Kevin. I love Kevin. I dream of Kevin whispering sweet nothings to me like "mullions" or "flashing" in that clipped, sometimes slightly judgemental, British accent. And when he looks into camera and let's it be known in that subtle way he has that he thinks the owners are mad, the architect a bit of a no-hoper bastard and (say it isn't so) the building might never be finished, well he just makes me love him that bit more.




Being all "Mr Butch In A Hardhat" (left)


All smart in a dinner suit, but Kev what's that expression? Somewhat of a Gay Face, don't you think? (FYI, he has a wife and kids apparently.)


And "Time Team". Oh how you make me want to claw at myself in pleasure you whacky British archeologists, with your regional accents and your demi-ugly knitwear. You only have 3 days! to complete each dig, and the tension just about kills me! (Oddly, nobody seems to have ever asked or answered the question "Why only 3 days?" I mean, they're all archeologists, it's their day job, right? It's not like they have to be back at work on Monday.)

The tension is palpable. Will geo-phys gets the results in on time? Iron Age or Bronze Age? Does Mick own any other style of knitwear?



17 comments:

mrpeenee said...

I was so jealous about living in a country that has George Bush, but not these two fabulous sounding shows, right up to the point where I saw the picture of the stripe loving gnome. Maybe I'll pass on it after all.

Fran Carleton said...

I love Time Team...and Tony Robinson.

And why three days?

It's a race to see which team (there are two teams, one on each side right)can find out the most interesting and useless stuff, then back to the studio to edit, cut and print before deadline ;-)

Of course that is a complete guess and I may be wrong...ohh is that a saxon arrow head...

The Other Andrew said...

MrPeen, the stripe loving gnome is a hoot! (And a leading UK archeologist.) The knitwear goes from horizontal stripes to vertical ones, but always stylistically consistent. FYI, I think his wife knits. Just a guess.

Jodi, no competing teams just the one team divided over the dig site. For some reason (narrative thrust and drama, at a guess) it's an artificially imposed deadline. But one of those that is really kind of meaningless. However, it never fails to sucker me in! Oh no, WILL THEY FINISH!!?

Unknown said...

Just realised that you won't have got an invitation to the party! Send me an email and I will fix it!

The Other Andrew said...

::perks up:: Did someone say PARTY?!

Anonymous said...

Now if you were really serious about your knitting....

SW

The Other Andrew said...

Now if you were really serious about your knitting....

I know, right? However at an (increasingly) chunky 5'4" I'm also really serious about avoiding horizontal stirpes. Maybe I could pull off the verticals tripe version he sports in some episodes...

Hey, it would make a great stash-buster.

The Other Andrew said...

"stirps"? "tripe"?

Ugh. Butter fingers.

worldpeace and a speedboat said...

vertical tripe, what sort of stitch is that? ;-)


I loooooove Time Team, oooh how I love it. it looks like Pop-Archaeology (and sure, it is) but there's a shite-load of planning and recording behind the scenes.

ooooohhh I love it!

I love Mick's terrible jumpers... although my skin still crawls a bit when I see Phil's long fingernail that he seems to keep special-like for digging at things.

and Victor Ambrus!

and the recreations!

and the nutty specialists that come out of the woodwork for each time period to cluck over a 0.5cm shard of neolithic bathplug!

and big lush whoopsie Robin the historian!

and swaggering Guy De La Bignancyorsomethingorother!

man. Time team has it all :-)

The Other Andrew said...

I agree!

If you see an ep with the vertical stripe version, look closely - it has been knitted sideways. Starting at one cuff and knitting across (increasing and decreasing to give the shape) all the way over to the other cuff. Neat huh.

Michael said...

Kevin and I are forehead twins!

RE: gnome
At least he never has to worry whether his pants match.

The Other Andrew said...

Ah, but I bet you look the business in a hard hat too. (Got a tool belt?)

Michael said...

No, but I could hang a hammer on it right now.

The Other Andrew said...

DIRTY.

yani said...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE me some Grand Designs and Time Team!

Kevin McC made it into the list of ten people I'd invite to my Celeb Dinner Party which I blogged about recently.

You just have to love his snarky side... I love those moments when you know he just wants to say "these people are freakin insane!" but always manages to restrain himself. And that tone in his voice when the house is all finished and he truly loves some random part of it...

And I've been a fan of Tony Robinson since waaaaaay back in the day when he was the Sherrif of Nottingham in the kids show "Marion and her Merry Men"...

Have you spotted the knitted Mick doll they have on the show occasionally... its like a little wooly gnome in a jumper just like Mick's (actually, that could be a description of Mick... but this is a craft item and it often shows up somewhere in the Incident Room).

I'm guessing three days because the shows are all filmed over a weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)... or at least I assume they are... so that they can all get back to their day jobs come Monday morning.

And while I'm with Worldpeace about Phil's fingernail... you just have to love it when it goes "Ooooooo-arrrrrrr" hehehe... the Daisy Duke denim shorts however aren't the best look ever.

Hehehe...

The Other Andrew said...

The cut-offs, beaten up hat and manky, thorny, dirty finger nail (::blurp:: sorry, just threw up in my mouth a little) are so, so WRONG but I still loves me some Phil. It's the accent I suspect.

Yes I have seen the doll! Last time it cropped up alongside the laptop one of the geo-phys guys was using. Cute.

worldpeace and a speedboat said...

yes, have seen the little Mick - I just hope the geo-phys guys don't use it as a voodoo dollie when he's pounding on them for results ;-)

and yes of course I love Phil too, his enthusiasm is so sincere, every ooo-arrr brings a smile to my face.

btw if you ever see any Time Team books around, TOA, snap a copy up and I'll pay you back - they're out of print and I'm having trouble getting them. the Dinghy likes to look at the book (I have one) while we watch an episode.