9th – 15th September 2013

9th September 2013
Celebration: Julia Sawalha + Hugh Grant’s Birthdays
Mission: Watch “Doctor Who: The Curse of Fatal Death”
Status: Complete
Notes: Julia Sawalha was born in London on this day in 1968, while Hugh Grant was born eight years earlier in Hammersmith. Hugh’s most famous for his role in Four Weddings & a Funeral, while Julia is probably best known as the daughter in Absolutely Fabulous. The appeared together in the Red Nose Day Doctor Who special “The Curse of Fatal Death” in which Julia plays the Doctor’s assistant, to Rowan Atkinson’s Doctor, until killed by Jonathan Pryce’s The Master & regenerates into Richard E. Grant, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant and then finally Joanna Lumley – who we spotted recently in a south London supermarket buying eggs.

10th September 2013
Celebration: Your Birthday
Mission: Party hard
Status: Complete-ish
Notes: I was born in Winchester on this day in 1979. There were doughnuts in the office at work, and we had some folks round in the evening for pizza & some drinks. And a great venn diagram cake baked by my lovely wife.

11th September 2013
Celebration: Richard Ashcroft’s Birthday
Mission: Listen to “Cast No Shadow”
Status: Complete
Notes: Richard Ashcroft was born in Manchester on this day in 1971. He was lead singer with the Verve and then went also solo. The Oasis song ‘Cast No Shadow’ was dedicated to him. I also listened to Ashcroft’s ‘Song for the Lovers’ and Verve’s ‘History’.

12th September 2013
Commiseration: Death of Johnny Cash (2003)
Mission: Wear black
Status: Complete
Notes: Country/rock signer Johnny Cash died in Nashville, Tennessee on this day in 2003 from complications with his diabetes.

13th September 2013
Celebration: International Chocolate Day
Mission: Get Kate some chocolate
Status: Complete
Notes: Easy mission this one – my boss had supplied me with a Hotel Chocolat selection box for my birthday.

14th September 2013
Celebration: Amy Winehouse’s Birthday
Mission: Visit Camden
Status: Complete
Notes: Pop songstress Amy Winehouse was born in Southgate, London on this day in 1983, but her ‘spiritual home’ was undoubtedly Camden Town (indeed, she died there in July 2011). Turns out we weren’t the only folks making a Winehouse based Camden pilgrimage today.

So we visited the Proud Camden Gallery’s exhibition for Amy’s (would’ve been) 30th Birthday… “For You I Was A Flame.”

15th September 2013
Celebration: National Hispanic Day
Mission: Have something Spanish for lunch
Status: Complete
Notes: Toastie, made with Spanish chorizo.

19th – 25th August 2013

This week we were (more or less) on holiday in Winchester…

19th August 2013
Celebration: National Aviation Day (USA)
Mission: Make a paper aeroplane
Status: Failed
Notes: Established in 1939, National Aviation Day falls on Orville Wright’s birthday, who was born on this day in 1871. Orville, along with his brother Wilbur, created the first aeroplane that could successfully fly. Today our car broke, that was far more down to earth.

20th August 2013
Celebration: Sylvester McCoy’s Birthday
Mission: Watch some not-so-vintage Doctor Who
Status: Failed
Notes: Sylvester McCoy, the 7th Doctor, was born in Scotland on this day in 1943. The old car is dead… carried off for scrap… but the good news is we got a new (second hand) car – introducing: Rover75:

21st August 2013
Celebration: Liam Howlett’s Birthday
Mission: Dance to the Prodigy
Status: Failed
Notes: Liam Howlett, the mastermind behind rave/big beat/dance act the Prodigy, was born in Braintree, Essex on this day in 1971. Today we went to Peppa Pig World!

22nd August 2013
Celebration: Battle of Bosworth Field (1485)
Mission: Watch The Blackadder’s take on events
Status: Complete
Notes: King Richard III died in battle on this day in 1485, marking the end of the Wars of the Roses and passing the crown to his enemy Henry Tudor, AKA “The Seventh”. According to the first episode of The Blackadder, originally broadcast in June 1983, Richard III (Peter Cook) was killed by his own grandson Edmund (Rowan Atkinson) in a misunderstanding over a horse, and the crown was passed down to Richard’s son: Richard IV (Brian Blessed).

23rd August 2013
Celebration: Black Ribbon Day (Baltic States)
Mission: Wear a black ribbon
Status: Complete… well black tie. It is a Friday Tieday after all.
Notes: In remembrance of victims of Stalinism & Nazism

24th August 2013
Celebration: Nostalgia Night (Uruguay)
Mission: Watch something in black and white
Status: Failed
Notes: First celebrated in 1978, Nostalgia Night is held the evening before Uruguy’s Independence Day.

25th August 2013
Celebration: Soldier’s Day (Brazil)
Mission: Visit the National Army Museum
Status: Failed
Notes: Dia do Soldaro is Brazil’s version of Armed Forces Day.

20th May 2013 – Death of Jon Pertwee (1996)

Celebration: Death of Jon Pertwee (1996)

Mission: Watch a classic episode of Doctor Who

Status: Complete

Notes: Jon “Worzel Gummidge” Pertwee was born in Chelsea in 1919. During the early seventies he played The Doctor’s third incarnation. He died of a heart attack in Connecticut on this day in 1996, two days after the American broadcast of the Paul McGann Doctor Who TV-movie.

I watched Invasion of the Dinosaurs from Season 11, in which the Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith arrive in an evacuated London that is plagued with dinosaurs brought through time by some scientists trying to create a ‘golden age’ world. Sarah Jane uncovers the conspiracy while getting kidnapped at least twice, and ends up (or does she!?) on a spaceship whose mission is not dis-similar to that of the “B Arc” from the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Here is Jon being attacked by a pteradactyl:

And here is him fighting back with a mop!

13th May 2013 – Zoe Wanamaker’s Birthday

Celebration: Zoe Wanamaker’s Birthday

Mission: Watch an episode of “My Family”

Status: Failed

Notes: Zoe Wanamaker was born in New York on this day in 1949. She was Madam Hooch in the Harry Potter films, and Cassandra the last human in Doctor Who as well as being the mum in My Family, along side Wolfie Smith.

18th April 2013 – Invention Day (Japan)

Celebration: Invention Day (Japan)

Mission: Invent something or watch Dragon’s Den

Status: Rejected

Notes: On this day in 1885, Japan established the Patent Monopoly Act, and this day has been celebrated in Japan as Invention Day since 1954. However, that all sounds rather dull, especially as it’s the 10th Doctor’s birthday…

Replacement Celebration: David Tennant’s Birthday

Replacement Mission: Watch some 10th Docter era Doctor Who

Replacement Status: Complete

Replacement Notes: David Tennant was born in West Lothian on this day in 1971. While often performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company, he also had various film & TV roles – notably Barty Crouch Jr from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and Russell T Davies’ Casanova. Following the regeneration of the 9th Doctor in 2005, Tennant became the new face of BBC’s Doctor Who until New Years’ day 2010.

I watched The Waters of Mars – Tennant’s penultimate story.

28th March 2013 – Death of Patrick Troughton + Maria Von Trapp (1987)

Celebration: Death of Patrick Troughton + Maria Von Trapp (1987)

Mission: Watch the Goodies episode “The Baddies”

Status: Failed

Notes: Patrick “2nd Doctor” Troughton died aged 67 of a heart attack on this day in 1987 while at a sci-fi convention in Georgia, having traveled to the United States against his doctor’s recommendation.

Maria “Sound of Music” Von Trapp also died of heart failure on that very same day in Vermont aged 82.

Presumably there’s a link between the two (other than week hearts in March ’87) that can be found in the Goodies.

Anyway – it’s my mum’s birthday – so HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM!!

1st January 2013 – New Year’s Day

Celebration: New Year’s Day

Mission: Go out for a new year’s coffee

Status: Complete

Notes: It was trickier then expected. Coffee shops seem to have a New Year’s Day conspiracy in which they all don’t open. So after walking to around Kennington to establish all of them were not open, we went to our friends’ The Browns for the best cup of coffee in (K-)town.

Then we wandered over to Parliament Square to see the New Year’s Parade… just because we could.