Dick Smith

It was most definitely Balham. It was also a coded reference to the West Indian community there. See http://www.britmovie.co.uk/genres/comedy/filmography02/007.html or hear http://www.wandsworthcompanion.com/2008/06/peter-sellers-balham-gateway-to-south.html

[quote user="LEO"][quote user="Will"] I wonder who might be in the running for the brown nose award?[/quote] I am surprised there have been no nominations! Do you think the winner of the" brown nose award " will be a man or a woman [/quote] I think that has been made clear already...

[quote user="woolybanana"]How can you be sure he votes Tory?   [/quote] I knew a friend.

[quote user="tegwini"]Shame it wasn't Jeremy Paxman - Andrew Marr is a lightweight, & perhaps a Labour supporter ? Tegwini [/quote] Andrew Marr votes Tory. He's an historian and a journalist, and no lightweight. His books show considerable insight.

Same to you, Steve, and everyone!

[quote user="baypond"]Dick I can assure you that tapping keyboards is incredibly irritating in 1st class, and there are plenty of people using i-pods and mobiles too. The worst seem to be the headhunter calls, where their discrete phone calls are heard by the whole carriage, first or second class. The only reason I started to use 1st class after 25 years is because I could no longer guarantee a 2nd class seat. [/quote] Sorry, 'tapping keyboards' (on laptops) is not 'incredibly irritating' unless you are trying to be offended...

Ian - you have just stated the main reasons for First Class...

Isn't it strange how an anti-Tory story is 'inflammatory drivel' whereas stories going the other way, replete with insults and 'witty' plays on words are fair game...

You should have read what he wrote. He mentions this as a Tory PRIORITY, ie when the world is going to hell in a handbasket the major policy discussions are about preserving the rights of the inbred to pursue the inedible. A subtle point, easily missed. He also points out that on this forum no cliché is left unturned when insulting Labour politicians, and there is uncritical luvving up of anyone to the right of Ghengis Khan. Which you have just pretty much illustrated...

[quote user="Lisleoise"][quote user="Dick Smith"][quote user="seb47"]Chilled I should think, so that you could throw it into the blender with the margarine or butter until it looks like breadcrumbs, then add 1 teaspoon of cold water for every 25g flour - using say 250g flour and 125 g combined fats. (The Home Ec teacher in me coming out here). You should add the water gradually as it's easy to use too much.[/quote] Blender! My mother taught me to rub in the fats the proper way - no flour above the second knuckle or it was a whack with the rolling pin! Hands run under the cold tap before beginning. That was why I was asking, the warmth in the pastry would worry me. I recently made some pastry using Trex, and it was OK, but very like commercial stuff, very crumbly and hard to roll neatly. Back to half butter, I suspect! [/quote] Funny, I was going to say exactly the same Dick.  I always rub the butter in by hand.  I made a quiche yesterday and my daughter was saying how light and delicious my pastry was! [:D] [/quote] I just don't think that food processors get enough air into the crumb. Possibly OK when you want a slightly harder pastry, such as for quiche, but otherwise a bit tough.

[quote user="seb47"]Chilled I should think, so that you could throw it into the blender with the margarine or butter until it looks like breadcrumbs, then add 1 teaspoon of cold water for every 25g flour - using say 250g flour and 125 g combined fats. (The Home Ec teacher in me coming out here). You should add the water gradually as it's easy to use too much.[/quote] Blender! My mother taught me to rub in the fats the proper way - no flour above the second knuckle or it was a whack with the rolling pin! Hands run under the cold tap before beginning. That was why I was asking, the warmth in the pastry would worry me. I recently made some pastry using Trex, and it was OK, but very like commercial stuff, very crumbly and hard to roll neatly. Back to half butter, I suspect!

To get back to the OP, there is a note on the etymology of volet here: http://www.cnrtl.fr/etymologie/volet Where the earliest reference is to a sail-like part of a Breton hat... Could it be sail as in windmill sail? Probably not.

Do you chill it first, or use it semi-liquid?

Yes, I've been there many times to read them. Or at least, Divisional and Regimental Histories and Diaries, I've not seen Battalion ones. It is the Regimental Histories you need to go to first. They are not publicly available, you have to persuade the Museum that you are doing research (it can be personal) and you are admitted by appointment and escorted, under guard, to the reading room, which still has the Ten Commandments painted on the walls! There is also a huge (many  millions of prints) photographic library, film library and private documents (letters, personal diaries) section. There are WW1 and WW2 resources - other periods are at the National Army Museum at Chelsea. Very helpful staff, even before they knew I was a friend of the head of Exhibits!

[quote user="homepride62"]hi all hope ok to post this here? my father was taken prisoner in may 1940 at a place called zuytpeene france, he was with the 2nd glosters, as i cant read or speak french was wondering if there was anyone out there who lives in or near the place who might no abit about what my dad went though, he did write me an account, an said out of hundred an 64 men that went to zuytpeene only 38 were taken prisoner, hope someone out there may be able to help ? if you need more info let me know , many thanks. Post edited by the moderators. Please do not post your personal details on the message boards. [/quote] Are you in England or France? If in England you could contact the Imperial War Museum, who keep a very complete collection of Regimental Histories and war diaries. They can sometimes tell you what was happening down to platoon level. If you can persuade them that you are doing some research you may be able to visit the documents section and see them. Alternately, they book may be available on inter-library loan. You could also try the Gloucestershire Regiment museum, their website is http://www.glosters.org.uk/ If you go to the Timeline section of the website and click on 1925 and then 1940 there is a reasonably detailed description of the Regiment and 2nd Battalion's activitiies in that year, and the retreat towards Dunkirk. I would cut and paste it, but it seems to be a Flash movie. Good luck in your research. My father was nearby at the same date (East Surrey Regt.)