{"id":6415,"date":"2026-07-21T10:44:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T10:44:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/?p=6415"},"modified":"2026-07-23T11:37:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T11:37:30","slug":"idle-moments-august-september-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/2026\/07\/21\/idle-moments-august-september-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Idle Moments – August\/September 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Well hello again.  Firstly, I must apologise for the absence of Idle Moments in the last Drinker<\/em>; this was because my computer suddenly died, resulting in the installation of a new hard drive (SSD \u2013 smaller but quicker than the old hard disc) and effectively a whole new operating system that I am still getting to grips with.  Still, it\u2019s back now, so here we go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s start with 5BY4.  Last time I suggested that My Vinyl had run its course and that I would find another subject but, when I looked at what I had dug out before, I found nearly enough for another helping.  I therefore present My Vinyl 3.  Whether proudly or shamefacedly, I shall leave you to decide:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the artists:                                       . . . and here are the albums:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Albion Country Band\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ashes & Diamonds (1977)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Martin Carthy\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Battle of the Field (1975)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Copper Family\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Bonny Black Hare and Other Songs (1968)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.           Charlie Dore                                     D.           Come the Day (1966)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lesley Duncan\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0E.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Discovery (1979)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Electric Light Orchestra\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0F.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Homeless Brother (1974)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7.           Don McClean                                   G.           Incantations (1978)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8.           Mike Oldfield                                   H.           Sing Children Sing (1971)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9.           The Seekers                                      I.            A Song for Every Season (1971)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 June Tabor\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0J.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Where To Now (1979)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few weeks ago, I found myself musing on Henry VIII and his six wives and, in particular, for how long he was married to each.  I did a little bit of research to satisfy my curiosity, then I thought, Information is power! No, I didn\u2019t.  I actually thought, \u2018information is something I can use in Idle Moments\u2019.  You probably won\u2019t be surprised at what comes next.  Thinking about how to present the information, I decided that the 5BY4 format was the most appropriate, so here is 5BY4, part 2 (or is it 6BY1?).  Here are Henry\u2019s Wives (in chronological order) and here are their durations (in length order) of their marriages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Catherine of Aragon\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 6 months, 6 days<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.           Anne Boleyn                                    B.           1 year, 4 months, 24 days<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jane Seymour\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1 year, 6 months, 16 days<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Anne of Cleves\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0D.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 3 years, 6 months, 3 days<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5.           Catherine Howard                           E.           3 years, 6 months, 16 days<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6.           Catherine Parr                                 F.            23 years, 11 months, 12 days<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All you have to do is to match them up (or wait until the next London Drinker<\/em> appears).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so, we come to the culmination of Idle Moments: General Trivia (or whatever else you like to call it).  As is often the case, I have selected events from the months covered by the notional circulation period of the current edition of the magazine (but not in the current year, in case you were thinking of splitting the odd hair or two):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.           On 1 August 1876, the 38th state of the USA was inaugurated as \u2018The Centennial State\u2019. Which state is this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.           US film director, John Houston and English actress, Joan Hickson were born on the same day – 5 August; in what year?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.           What major group of museums, education and research centres in the USA was founded on 10 August 1846, named after its founding donor, a British scientist?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.           The first Astronomer Royal (who laid the foundation stone of the Royal Greenwich Observatory) was born on 19 August 1646.  Who was he?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5.           Heartthrob of the silent movie era, Rudolph Valentino died in a New York hospital on 23 August 1926.  How old was he at his death?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6.           King Edward III\u2019s army defeated that of Philip VI of France, greatly aided by the first use of the English longbow, on 26 August 1346.  At what battle did this victory occur?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7.           The first cricket test match to take place in England (against Australia) started on 6 September 1880.  At what ground did this event occur?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8.           Queen Elizabeth I was born to Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn on 7 September 1533.  Where did the event take place?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9.           The much vaunted Battle of the Sexes tennis match, in which Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs, took place at the Astrodome, Houston Texas on 20 September; in what year?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10.         Former Crown Colony, British Honduras gained full independence from the United Kingdom on 21 September 1981, having previously been renamed in 1873.  What is it now called?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, there we are; that was Idle Moments.  If it looks even more cobbled together than usual, that could be because I have not been brave enough to go back to the 80,000+ files currently stored in the Cloud to put them back on my computer, because I\u2019m afraid that the changes to the operating system will cause chaos to both the computer and the data.  If you were wondering, about half of those files are the photographs I have taken since I bought my first 35mm camera in 1968.  Yes, I spent quite a few hours scanning colour slides (and latterly, prints) during the Covid lockdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andy Pirson<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the solutions to the puzzles set in the April\/May column:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5BY4<\/strong> (My Vinyl 2):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Ralph McTell \u2013 You Well Meaning Brought Me Here<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Bob Dylan \u2013 Bringin\u2019 It All Back Home<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Judy Tzuke \u2013 Welcome to the Cruise<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Steeleye Span \u2013 Parcel of rogues<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Jethro Tull \u2013 Songs From the Wood<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Tom Paxton \u2013 Peace Will Come<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Blondie \u2013 Parallel Lines<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. Barbara Dickson \u2013 Heartbeats<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. Judy Collins \u2013 Wild Flowers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  10. Mike Harding \u2013 The Rochdale Cowboy Rides Again<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Cryptic Stations:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. I met my comeuppance \u2013 Waterloo.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Beehive hair style? \u2013 High Barnet<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Especially shallow for moggies \u2013 Catford<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Big posh home \u2013 Mansion House<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    5. Entrance in the trees \u2013 Forest Gate<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    6. Down by the river \u2013 Bank<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    7. Mad? \u2013 Barking<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    8. They\u2019ve gone a funny colour \u2013 Turnham Green<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    9. Senior cleric\u2019s picnic spot \u2013 Canons Park<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    10. The route to Kingsholm? \u2013 Gloucester Road<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      General Knowledge:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      1. Andr\u00e9 Previn was born on 6 April 1929 in BERLIN.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. \u2018John Palmer\u2019 who was hanged in York for murdering a keeper in Epping was DICK TURPIN.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. The first Grand National winner trained by a woman, Jenny Pitman, on 9 April 1983, was CORBIERE.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      4. When the FA Cup was won with a record score of 6-0 on 18 April 1903, DERBY COUNTY beat CRYSTAL PALACE.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      5. The first ever televised snooker break of 147 (during the 1983 World Championship) was scored by CLIFF THORBURN<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      6. The tragedy of the destruction of the airship Hindenburg, on 6 May 1937, occurred at LAKEHURST, NEW JERSEY.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      7. Nelson\u2019s flagship, HMS Victory, launched on 7 May 1765, was built at CHATHAM.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      8. Britain\u2019s first jet bomber, which made its maiden flight on 15 May 1949, was the ENGLISH ELECTRIC CANBERRA.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      9. Blackwall Tunnel under the Thames was opened to traffic on 22 May in 1897. \u00a0The second bore (separating north and southbound traffic) opened in AUGUST 1967.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      10. When \u2018Captain\u2019 William Kidd was hanged for piracy on 23 May 1701, the event took place at EXECUTION DOCK at Wapping.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Well hello again.  Firstly, I must apologise for the absence of Idle Moments in the last Drinker; this was because my computer suddenly died, resulting in the installation of a… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1092,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-idle-moments"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6415"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6436,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6415\/revisions\/6436"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}