Friday, September 2, 2011

non-newtonian disaster

What was it you all said about the incident with Sherlock, the dogs, the jam, and feathers not being the last?

Oh, yes. That it would inevitably happen again. And I said, I believe, that as long as it wasn't so sticky I could cope.

There was no jam this time, but I'm not sure it was significantly less sticky.


I was out of the room for the beginning of it, as Mycroft was helping Sherlock get set up at the table with a brownie pan and dye for his miniature bog, or as he preferred to refer to it, test bog. Had I been there, I would've had them set it farther back on the table, but that might not have helped. Phobos wanted a closer look, got his paw on the edge and levered the whole thing so it stood perpendicular to the table. It didn't exactly fly out of there, but the ensuing chaos managed to spread it around fairly well.

Sherlock now wants one of these:


78 comments:

Greg Lestrade said...

Happily we've managed to make breakfast this morning without falling prey to any man-eating-bogs.

Now Danger and I are going to go and hit the road. Feels like forever since we were two up.

Anon Without A Name said...

Have you seen the version Brainiac did, using custard? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN2D5y-AxIY At the end the guy running gets stuck in the custard; nice demonstration of how and why that Dartmoor bog was potentially lethal.

Hope you guys have a great ride today :-)

lawless said...

Oh dear. I hope cleaning was not too difficult or time-consuming.

Becca said...

Non-newtonion fluids are amazing!

Did you know that they are using various kinds to create bullet proof gas tanks and extremely effective shock absorbers?

Becca said...

PS: Am going to the US Open today! I am very excited for all the tennis to come.

John, have you been following any of it? Last night's match with Djokovic was pretty much the funniest/most engaging 6-0, 6-0, 6-2 match I'd ever seen.

Bronwyn said...

At least it wasn't play-doh or silly putty?
Toodles,
Bronwyn

John H. D. Watson said...

Nameless - right, next time, chocolate bog! And we had a brilliant ride, thanks.

Lawless - not too bad, not nearly as bad as the jam. I think more of it got on us than anything and humans are easier to clean than furniture.

Becca - how was it? Who did you see play? I've seen some of the day matches, but so far I've slept through the night ones.

Bronwyn - and I'm grateful for that!

Tink said...

Have fun on your ride today guys! :D You guys need the time together I think.

Love to you both!

Sherlock: Are you helping sewing in tags for Mycroft? It was very nice of you to make a test bog!

Mycroft: How is the sewing of tags project going? Also, how is the security on the network at your school? Will it be a problem for you?

Mycroft said...

Tink, we're almost done with the sewing. Sherlock is helping, in a way. And no, I don't think their network's security will present me with any difficulties.

Greg Lestrade said...

Leaving soonish. Speak up if you want anything...

John H. D. Watson said...

More cornflour!

John H. D. Watson said...

Sherlock! That was not me, clearly. Please, no more cornflour.

Greg Lestrade said...

I applaud Sherlock's attempts at pretending to be one of us. But his execution is clumsy...

John H. D. Watson said...

Thank goodness for that. We'll be in trouble when he improves.

Greg Lestrade said...

We'll be in trouble when he improves on a lot of things.

Greg Lestrade said...

Any preference on which end of tomorrow I work? You or the boys... I don't really mind.

John H. D. Watson said...

Morning? That way you won't have to leave in the middle of anything.

Greg Lestrade said...

My instinct says afternoon. But that's just because I'd stay late. Which isn't the point.

Morning it is. I'll knock off at 1.

John H. D. Watson said...

If you'd rather do it in the afternoon it's ask right?

Greg Lestrade said...

Do I interpret your auto correct as 'all right'?

No, you're right. Get in, do it, get out. Otherwise we'll waste the morning, then I'll stay on late and it defeats the point.

What shall we do in the afternoon?

Sherlock said...

Swimming!

John H. D. Watson said...

Yes, that was supposed to "all" sorry. And swimming sounds good to me. It's supposed to be warm tomorrow.

Greg Lestrade said...

Swimming sounds good. Sherlock, we shall be searching you for the few tonnes of cornflour you'd need to turn the swimming pool into a quicksand bog.

Anon Without A Name said...

Perhaps you need a challenge-return passphrase like spies use in those dreadful films, that you can deploy whenever you suspect that it might be Sherlock trying to impersonate one of you. I think he might work out how to cheat "the red cow flies at midnight", "but daffodils bloom in September" stuff. You need some innuendo. "A good ride is hard to find", "It's better to receive than to give" or somesuch.

Lestrade - it's great to see your plan is working, and you're getting more time with John and the boys.

Sherlock said...

I could have it delivered. But I watched that custard video and there was loads and loads of it just for a very small pool. I would need a lot.

Greg Lestrade said...

Nameless - good idea. I have a horrible feeling silver foxes will creep into it, if Danger has anything to do with it.

Sherlock, you should be in bed. School soon. Start getting used to it.

Sherlock said...

I don't want to! We should all go back to Dorset and live in a tent forever.

Greg Lestrade said...

Well life doesn't always work how we want. So bed.

School in 2 days. Early mornings, early nights.

John H. D. Watson said...

Two days. I can hardly believe it.

Greg Lestrade said...

Yeah...seems like only moments ago we were planning everything.

Still haven't dug that bloody pond.

John H. D. Watson said...

We can do it later. Plenty of time before there are any tadpoles to put in it.

Greg Lestrade said...

True. I shall cross it off my list of things to stress about.

Rider said...

Still haven't dug that bloody pond.

And you know what will be in it when you do....

I believe you can order bulk flour on the net and it will be delivered.

John H. D. Watson said...

L - long list?

Rider - Oh god, tadpole custard...

Greg Lestrade said...

Slightly longer than usual. Yeah.

John H. D. Watson said...

Anything I can help with?

Greg Lestrade said...

Not really. Don't worry, nothing serious. Well, no, nothing.

John H. D. Watson said...

Well, no, nothing.

Sure? That doesn't sound entirely like nothing.

Greg Lestrade said...

Well, nothing anyone can do anything about, or needs to worry about.

John H. D. Watson said...

There's nothing anyone can do about my leg either, but you still want to know when it's hurting.

Not saying you should tell me if you don't want to. I'm just...saying, I suppose.

Anon Without A Name said...

Lestrade. FFS.

Greg Lestrade said...

All right. Nothing I want you to worry about. Might tell you. Not on here. Not tonight.

John H. D. Watson said...

All right, love.

Greg Lestrade said...

Sorry

It's not to do with you, or the boys or...anything like that

John H. D. Watson said...

All right. I'm glad about that, thank you.

Greg Lestrade said...

Anyway, thought I did help with your leg? Or do you just say that to make me feel better?

I really would tell you if it were anything you had any control over, or could do anything to help with, beyond what you always do to help me relax and stop worrying about stuff.

John H. D. Watson said...

beyond what you always do to help me relax and stop worrying about stuff

That's good enough for me. And that's the way you help with my leg too. I don't know if the rubbing helps physically - shouldn't since it's not a physical issue - but the fact that you care enough to do it for me definitely does. I meant nothing's going to fix it, except maybe time.

Greg Lestrade said...

I'm in no doubt about how much you care for me.

And yeah, time will sort all my stresses too.

John H. D. Watson said...

Come to bed?

Greg Lestrade said...

2 minutes, I'll be there.

Anonymous said...

Was it a white test bog or did you have the pleasure of dealing with food-coloring-stained people and dogs?

Greg Lestrade said...

Nameless - ffs?

Desert Wanderer said...

For F*&%$% Sake. Hade to look that one up last night. How's the workload coming?

Desert Wanderer said...

Had, that is. Maybe my inability to spell three-letter words is why someone complemented me on my "English as a second language" skills yesterday. I didn't know how to take that, considering English is my first and only language...

Anonymous said...

Wow I missed a lot, my building finally got the internet this morning. Going to Mum's house for the storm turned out to be a bad idea. My flat never lost power just the internet. Four trees fell in the yard, one was on the house and one blocked the whole driveway. I couldn't leave until Tuesday. She got power last night. Here are some pictures.
#1 http://imageshack.us/f/841/hurrican063.jpg/

#2 http://imageshack.us/f/143/hurrican014.jpg/

#3 http://imageshack.us/f/841/hurrican048.jpg/

I'm glad everyone is okay. We used to call non-newtonian fluid Moon-goo. I used to love that stuff and would dye it green or lavender.

I'm sorry the summer holiday is almost over. Mycroft, since you met that boy in the store and bonded over younger siblings, are you feeling a bit more confident about school?

Greg Lestrade said...

Thanks Desert. I can guess why, I think.

Sometimes I really wonder if its worth telling anyone how you're feeling when they can't do anything. Lesson learned.

Workload is...more manageable. Slowly improving.

Greg Lestrade said...

Re reading that it sounds like I'm being an arsehole.

I mean, John is observant enough to realise when I'm more stressed than normal. And he does everything he can. But some things are outside everyone's control, and there seems little point telling anyone.

Desert Wanderer said...

I understand your point. I'm exactly the same way. Not a big fan of bothering other people with things that aren't in their control (or at least that you feel aren't in their control). If you figure out how to make that easier, let me in on the secret, will you?

Greg Lestrade said...

Don't feel like I'll ever figure that out. Even when I think I might be improving I quickly realise I'm wrong.

Anon Without A Name said...

... and that's why I shouldn't comment at the end of a long week when I'm knackered and on my second glass of wine.

Sorry

Greg Lestrade said...

Wouldn't worry, Nameless. You've all got a long way to go before you mess up as spectacularly as I do after a few drinks on here...

No harm done.

Sherlock said...

Why is fuck a rude word? It's just a word. And I know what it means and people talk about sex all the time which is boring but not rude. Unless it's what John calls 'not the time or place' and sometimes it's like only he knows the right time or place. And sometimes he just says it because he's embarrassed even if I'm not.

John H. D. Watson said...

Sherlock... We've had this chat. It's not a word that children get to use, ever, and you know it.

All words are just words; they only have the weight society gives them. That doesn't mean you get to ignore the rules.

Sherlock said...

Some rules are SO STUPID. I want to know who makes them up and tell them so.

Can I get a job making rules when I'm older? I'd make much better ones. That would be a good job. I'd have an office and a really big drawing board on the wall and a chair that spins around and a computer and my own telephone and people could come to me when they needed rules and I would make them.

John H. D. Watson said...

You can certainly get a job making rules when you grow up, though I think you'll have a hard time changing the way people speak. Maybe you should be a teacher.

Greg Lestrade said...

He seems to make most of them up around here anyway.

Anonymous said...

Sherlock, did you know part of the reason that word is considered bad is because it was used by the lower class originally? It made people sound uneducated, and it considered very bad manners for anyone of "civilized" birth to use such an uncouth word.

That's part of the reason it's a bad word. But another reason is because there's a lot of meaning behind the word that isn't appropriate for a younger person to have. That holds true for most bad words.

When you say those words, it reflects a lack of respect, because although they are just words, they are words that are meant to be shocking and rude. If you use them, then you imply that you are being rude on purpose, especially if John has correct you before for using them.

Asking about a word you don't know the meaning of is all right. But once you learn the meaning of the word, and if it's not an appropriate word, you should not use it unless you really want others to think of you as a rude little boy. Which we all know you are certainly not.

Greg Lestrade said...

Piplover - fairly sure he's just going through another stage of testing us. He's been playing up a little as Mycroft's departure grows nearer...

Had a bit of an episode wheit was time to leave the swimming pool today.

However ,tomorrow we'll... Do something together to celebrate the last day of the holiday. (not sewing name tags) which will be a lot of fun. And I'm certain Sherlock will be wonderfully well behaved, because he wouldn't want to spoil it for everyone.

John H. D. Watson said...

Right. Quite certain.

What are we going to do?

Greg Lestrade said...

... no idea. Pastries for breakfast... park with the dogs... something else?

John H. D. Watson said...

Sounds like a nice relaxed day. Frisbee and Hungarian pastries?

Greg Lestrade said...

Anything relaxed is good for me.

Mycroft said...

I think we should all go out to dinner. That way no-one needs to prepare, cook or wash up.

Greg Lestrade said...

Sounds like a great idea to me, Mycroft.

John H. D. Watson said...

Yeah, excellent. That'll be nice.

Amy said...

Hope tomorrow's outing is indeed pleasant and relaxing! I had chocolate gelato at the beach today, and thought of Sherlock. ;)

There was a guy blowing enormous bubbles using a loop of string held between two fishing rods - it was seriously impressive! I could have fit inside some of the big ones.

He was standing at the end of a jetty, and the bubbles took a while to burst when they eventually landed on the water (and some even bounced). So cool.

Desert Wanderer said...

Sherlock,
Since I'm the one who censored the word, I feel like I owe you an answer, even though Pip gave a lovely explanation above.

No matter what my personal feelings about certain words are, having read this blog and Lestrade's for a while, I know their feelings on you boys swearing and on other people swearing around y'all. Since they're the ones responsible for ensuring you grow up to be the best Sherlock you can, if I respect them I won't do anything to hinder their efforts. It's a lot like you wouldn't want someone to mess with experiments you're doing. I think John and Lestrade have more than earned that respect, don't you?

John H. D. Watson said...

Amy - what a lovely image!

DW - thanks. I think you and Pip both explained that with more patience than I had left at that point.

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