I know somebody on the ol’ blogroll is from/lives in Bournemouth, though offhand I can’t remember which one it is.
In any case, I keep tripping over Bournemouth references lately. First I read “The Greyling Crescent Tragedy” in Ellery Queen’s year-end anthology for 1967, in which a key scene takes place in Bournemouth. But it’s by John Creasey, who was so prolific he most likely used every municipality in Great Britain, and probably more than once.
Then I was reading about the first woman to head a major symphony orchestra, in Baltimore. She previously wielded the baton in Bournemouth. I’m guessing Baltimore was a step up.
And You Only Live Twice is on TV right now, with character actor Charles Gray in a small role (NOT “A Criminologist”). So I looked him up at IMDB; he was born in Bournemouth in 1928, and died of cancer in 2000.
Bournemouth? I don’t think it was either of us, matey. Ray – unless he’s affecting a bizarre Scottish accent and lying on his bio – was born north of the border, and I was born in Barnet in norf Lahndan/live in Eastbourne. Though there’s a bourne/bourne thing on the go there, for sure.
Nothing exciting ever happens in Eastbourne. Council ordinance.
Nope, not me. But we do both live by the seaside, beside the sea. But you could already tell that from our ruddy complexions and our tendencies to say “There be a storm a-brewing off the Cape…”
East Bournemouth, yeah, that’s what I meant.
In other Ellery Queen-related synchronicity news, the other day I was waiting to get a book gift wrapped at the local Barnes & Noble, and flipped through the latest EQMM. One author’s name caught my eye: James Powell (no relation, alas).
So I finished the EQ 1967 roundup anthology last night, which closed with the Best First Story of the year – by James Powell.
Charles Gray also played Blofeld in Diamonds Are Forever… yeah, I cringe a the thought too.
Yeah, you cringe at that, but you love him in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, you perv.
Bizarrely, on Christmas day the missus and I had a conversation with a friend of a friend from Dublin who started asking us what Bournemouth was like. When we pointed out we actually lived in Eastbourne, he said, “What’s the difference?”
“About 80 miles and two counties,” was my reply.
When we pointed out we actually lived in Eastbourne, he said, “What’s the difference?”
Now it’s happening to you!
“About 80 miles and two counties,” was my reply.
80 miles is my daily commute. I live 40 miles from work. Why yes, it sucks – thanks for asking! Although Schramm kicks my ass on this score.
Yeah, but we have such a dinky country that those 80 miles are about a third of the way across it, and petrol costs us (if I remember the conversion I did at BCon when Jim kept bitching about it) ~ $6-7 a gallon. Though on the other hand, we do have trains…
Behold! Mappage!