Aye, the Coombrian accent. I'm sure you can appreciate just how hard it was for Doctor Pockless and me, as children not much older than your own, to be uprooted from the lakes and mountains, and flung at a dirty little east coast town where they spoke right funny.

I like stopping at M6 service stations, when I go back up north, to hear the accent changing by degrees all around me.

Hello Karen.

You poor things, glad you turned out all right.

And thanks for the orange juice.

Us rally fans do get to see a Cumbrian fairly regularly - Malcolm Wilson is in charge of the Ford team, so gets interviewed whenever there's some excitement with the Ford cars.

There's a five minute interview with him on that page, but don't let that stop you from producing SAAP's first audio post :-)

Hello Adrian.

That's bizarre. Sheepdog handling yes, rallying, er, not often. Mind I don't follow rallying much. It always looked like a closed club for Finns and Swedes. If there are any Cumbrians in there I applaud heartily.

As with most motorsport, we seem to be better at putting the cars together than driving them, but there've been two British world champions in the past decade or so.

I'm sure it helps growing up with as many top driving roads as Cumbria offers. Damn, you've got me pining for Lancastrian back roads now...

Test match special has been going down the pan for years, their commentator selection criteria is a bit restrictive: all surnames must be able to have '..ers' stuck on the end. Its a bit like Yarkshire's pre-90's county selection policy.

When Blo'ers and Aggers join Johnners then its the end I tell you.

Should have popped in for a coffee when in Notts.

welcome back.

try living with a cumbrian - for the first few months i had to translate everything Q said to the kids. they were baffled by his accent and nigel (audi-nigel) even told me that i have a northern accent when i spoke to him last week. ye gads!

and btw, you were robbed when you had your hair cut. Q gets his done for 2 quid.

Helloooo Zeeeed!

Q is Cumbrian? Wow! For some reason I had him down as a scouser. I suppose that explains the mountain rescue work to which you refer occasionally. Not much of that in Liverpool, I dare say.

One last thing, how much hair does Q still have? After that haircut, I mean. I don't have all that much but it's still there and reasonably long, i.e. 4 - 10 cms. If this is similar then I demand the precise address.

Q isn't actually from cumbria - he's just lived there for eons.

he has quite a lot of hair until he goes to johnny's who gives him a once over with the 'number 1' comb :)

The numbu wun coamb, eh?

Grand!

TMS [or whatever really] was always better way back when and the current generation are never a patch on what came before.

(I like it myself, as it is the only way I can get any cricket at all, not big over here you see, so if they take it away, I'm stumped)

Hello Bogue.

Ah, that delicate balance of interests. It's never that easy is it? All right, I'll reprieve it, for you and others in your position. But it isn't as good as it was. Really.

The cricket on telly now, that's a different thing. Absolutely wonderful. (Not Sky, I don't do Sky.) Fantastic entertainment, with explanations and superb graphics. And results. And England win.

now then lass, what's all this aboot cumbria?

mi mam and dad played mr and mrs, and they always, and i do mean always, got 100%

i'm from ambleside.

Hello Q.

Well, well, and greht eh?

I'm from a bit further north; Brampton. No lakes, except Talkin Tarn, which is better known in the north east than the Lakes or West Cumberland.

What a small world.

Welcome back, robin. Glad you had a nice holiday. To avoid having to elaborate on it any further for your sensation-hungry readers, just do a troubled-diva and keep repeating, DON'T ASK.

(Is there anywhere quarsan hasn't lived? There I was in The Village chatting to zed on the phone, when she told me he'd lived next door to there. He's also lived 2 minutes from my home. Must be a bit of a relief each day to find he hasn't moved.)

Hello Peter.

Siorry about the quiz there. Must try harder.

Yes indeed, Q seems to have spread himself thickly over our earth. I bet I find that his time in Tanzania was spent next door to where I spent mine.

brampton? you'll know my mate martin the forester and landscape gardener then

'Fraid not, Q. Haven't lived there for about 27 years. Bet I know folk that do know him though.

(Ironically, as they say in football commentaries, I was myself a landscape gardener there in 1974 during what is now known as a gap year.)

Basically I have become reacquainted with the area since I instituted a policy of taking the chldn there at least once a year since 1997.

Sometimes I am tempted to write stories of my childhood and teenage years up there. Usually I remember how well Scaryduck does that sort of thing and I quail, think again and stay schtum.

Ohhh, that orange juice. Heh.

Ah, Thorpe Cloud. It's in my partner K's will that he wants his ashes scattered up there. I suspect that - assuming that we both live to a ripe old age - the ascent might do for me as well.

welcome back.
I have never been to Cumbria OR Tanzania. Can I still comment on your blog?

Yes of course you can Liz. Forgive my provincial outburst.

Let it be remembered that you live in France, and are blonde and are thus the envy of all of us.

Mike: perish the thought and long life to you both.

And if the weather is anything like it was on that day above then K will end up over most of Derbyshire and his lighter particles will prob end up back in Nottingham.

Welcome back to "reality", Robin. If I or my fellow Nottingham bloggers had known you intended to visit The Tales Of Robin Hood, we'd have dissuaded you quicksmart. Completely crap and a waste of time unless you want to buy yourself a two foot long sword in the shop...

First time here (I think). Apart from shock I've also ascented Thorpe Cloud (yes, really), am more shocked you have HAIRCUT WHILST ON HOLIDAY: is this a "parent" thing?! Though can understand the saving time logic.

Hello Ben. Yes, never underestimate the value of local knowledge. I like that "reality" idea.

Hello and welcome Unlucky Man. Mostly a saving money thing, actually. And avoidance of daytime house music also ranks high in my thinking.

In the medium term little bits are starting to stick up, so I am left to figure if this was deliberate and part of current northern style or is just me getting what I deserve for expenditure avoidance.