Ok, important things first. I have already mentioned it in comments – and tweeted to those who are over on Twitter. But hooray:
Flat Richie has made it back to England!
As of noon today, Helen is looking after Flat Richie. The arrival of the parcel has actually shocked (!) her out of inaction and she has written a blog post! Yep! Did you know Helen had a blog? Well, do follow her there, just in case. More HERE. Here is a little glimpse of Helen’s workbench, btw. You will see more photos on her blog.
ETA: Ooooh, and just after posting my post I realise that Helen has written another blog post, showing off her choices. Check it out HERE.
So, with Leg 3 of Flat Richie’s world tour now behind us, I have updated the map.
Crisscrossing back and forth across the Atlantic: Ireland > Germany > US > UK, Flat Richie is definitely going to have a massive carbon footprint. Squirrel is planning to do something about that in the end, btw. I’ll keep you posted once I know more. Where is he going next??? I’m not telling. I’ll keep the suspense! But I do look forward to reading(seeing what Helen is going to choose from the parcel.
Moving swiftly on, apart from the annual Christmas message RA also posted a little Chrimbo post in Instagram today.
gif by watson-sighs-and-tut on tumblr
*coughs* I am not exactly overawed by the implications of Richard hanging out in another Audible studio today… yawwwwwwET another audiobookyawn… but I was very happy to see the favourite white T is still in action, even shortly before Christmas, in winter… Those Audible studios must be toasty. But that Christmas elf? Poor thing was taped on the window – and gagged to boot. Richard, you are not in Middle-earth anymore… Remember, Thorin = film role; Richard = you in RL.
And staying with Instagram, the flummoxed bit. Don’t you love the English language? “flummoxed” – what a wonderful word! So I have been hanging out a bit over in Instagram. Nope, not a case of following Armitage, who recently seems to have gotten into posting on that platform. In fact, I am actually one of the early users of the platform – it was launched in November 2010, and I registered my account in January 2011. (The big thing at the time was actually a similar app called “hipstamatic”. Yeah, anybody remember the app? It basically was a photo editing app and started the idea of plastering filters on handy, square smartphone images. hipsta actually was a paid app, iirc, whereas Instagram was free, so guess where cheap skate Guylty washed up? Yup…) Anyway, I enjoy posting there every once in a while, but since it is a photo app, I do try to post images with aesthetic value… I don’t use IG for social media purposes as such, and most of my follows are friends and family, as well as a few well-known photographers. There is literally only a handful of celebrity users I follow – the likes of Stanley Weber for his cool photographs, Sam O’Neill for New Zealand love, Graham McTavish because he’s decent, and Leland Orser because his social media efforts need to be rewarded with a follow. Ok, admittedly I also follow Richard. But I don’t follow the official Berlin Station account, so imagine my surprise a couple of days ago when…
Huh???? Where does that come from? And why? How has BS actually found me??? Especially as the two liked photos bear no relation whatsoever to Berlin or Richard or the show…
Curiouser and curiouser. Leland, dear, have you been playing with Epix’s Berlin Station IG account and rewarding *me* with some well-placed likes? If so – great strategy! I feel flattered indeed.
Anyway, looks like an all-round good day today, eh? I think I’ll go back to the Chrimbo message now and indulge in a little bit more Christmas spirit, some *awwwww*ing and fond love-eyed interior squeeing. Oh, and I want to continue guessing the name of Richard’s production company. Peaches Productions? Huncote Hunk Co? Choc Ice Pictures? What’s your guess? Let me know in the comments!
Entirely gratuitous image here. Just because.
Guylty Pleasure 
How about Tall Dwarf Productions in honor of LoLo? Congrats on your pics being followed, they are stunning.. I think I will go and listen to Richard discussing Cmas Hirelings again. Good idea. Oh the Thorin “quote” is great and if you only knew why I am smiling behind typing this…
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Oh, I like “Tall Dwarf Productions” – that would be a fun, memorable and fitting moniker.
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I assume that’s an “Elf on the Shelf,” so it deserves all the abuse it gets.
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Ugh, I actually just had to read up on this “Elf on the shelf” puppet. Sounds like the worst kind of backward psycho game to get kids to behave. No intrinsic motivation at all, only good old threats. Not cool. So why is that stupid thing coming over to Europe now?
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a lot of those elves are very badly behaved, getting into all kinds of trouble. which is why I don’t understand the concept. also, I grew up in the 1980s, if you had a doll that moved around on it’s own, it was planning to kill you…
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Chucky!!!
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Creepy as heck!
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It definitely looks a bit creepy, anyway… And terribly old-fashioned. Just from looking at it I thought it was from the 1960s…
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It’s a Calvinist social disciplining measure. Welcome to Geneva ca. 1550.
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Excatly!
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And in the recording studio it’s imperative he keep his trap shut, so…
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my only exposure to an elf on the shelf puppet came through this video which YouTube’s stupid autoplay pressed on me after watching an Interview with RA (I keep turning autoplay off, but every two weeks or so there it is again…) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbkGuCozc9M which was kind of triple uagh (the creepy puppet, the stupid talk-show host, and the strange idea/ story behind the elf puppet)
Therefore, I’m a bit allergic to this elf – when I saw the photo pop up on Servetus’ blog and here it kind of gave me goose bumps (and definitely not in a positive way…)
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how do you feel about the official Berlin Station account following you, aside from just being really confused? does it make you feel exposed or maybe a little creeped out since your stuff has nothing to do with BS or RA there?
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Well, I was definitely baffled by the likes. Like, how did they find me? Especially as I am posting with a different name on IG. I guess I must have commented there somewhere, and then the BS account probably checks out other IG users. They are not following me – thankfully. But well, even if they did, it’s alright. Nothing particularly private there on my TL.
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Have you seen they posted some Q&A answers on Twitter? I’m confused: they posted one, then a second a few hours later and then nothing. If this is an Easter egg hunt, they got their holidays mixed up!!
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And they’re not using the #BerlinStationQA hashtag consistently… 🙄🙄
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Aren’t these the Twitter videos questions from July ? Richard could answer b/c he was around then
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It’s the & according to EPIX/BS. I don’t know when they recorded them.
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Q&A obviously. Sorry, idk where those letters went.
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Ah – well, I guess I’ll have to go hunt for it then. Is it with RA or the other cast members?
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Sorry, just the one RA and the one cast one (on which they forgot the #).
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Amateurs!
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Huh? What? Even more than what they posted yesterday?
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Sorry, I realized it was very late and had to go to bed. No, I just saw the two. That’s what I meant. Are they just gonna do two and that’s it after all that hype?
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Oh, grah, typical BS again. And yes, in both senses. Again some amateurish PR. The take-away is pretty clear to me: Don’t bother reacting to their calls to action again. Hype for nothing.
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Exactly! And to think I borrowed LEGOs to do it… 🙄🙄🙄
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Kudos to all who made an effort. I was very close to coming up with a video in disguise, too, but then just felt pessimistic about getting any reward for my efforts. As it is, from the interesting submissions they chose that silly thing about the food which wasn’t even a video… I mean, no disrespect to the fan who posted it – but it’s the sort of question where the interviewee just gives a one-word-answer, so not really very enlightening for fans…
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Yup! But I’m not gonna lie, I had tons of fun with the LEGO vid, so that’s a reward in itself. [Ever my motto with fangirling—the fun has to be in the doing, not the reaction.]
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You couldn’t have said it any better, Kate. That’s *exactly* my approach, too. It has to be fun – not just the passive ogling, but also the own activities. So far it’s mostly been so 😉 And it was obvious from your video that you had fun and enjoyed doing it.
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Where can I see this lego video? I’m intrigued!
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Check your Twitter DMs.
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Apparently, this is a favorite fan…
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This is possibly the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard from her mouth and I’ve heard a few.
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Vegan goat farming—it’s a thing!? 🙄 You get paid for having goats. Goat yoga, maybe? 🐐 🧘♂️
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I think she could have a goat farm if she didn’t have to depend on it for income. I think it would be very hard for her otherwise. She spent all of 2016 slamming dairy farmers.
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Yeah. The question is “what would you do for a living if you weren’t an actor“ which to me clearly means your income would have to be derived from that activity. As a vegan, farming animals is just a stupid answer to give.
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The joke around here (black humor) is “if I could afford to be a farmer, I wouldn’t”.
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Ziegenfotoinfluencerin auf Instragram? Streichelzoo?
Die Fragen kann man doch nicht ernst nehmen, warum sollte dann irgendjemand ernsthaft antworten?
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Wenn das jetzt jemand anderes gesagt hätte, gäbe es bestimmt einen erhobenen Zeigefinger…
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Wieso, wer hat denn was gegen Streichelzoos 🐐😉?
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Nordlicht, do you want to open that door?
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Well, normally I don´t open the door to Streichelzoos because it´s already crowded with little kids inside, Michele.
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Um HMMM Jou Jou?!!! Maybe little BIG kids…..
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Last time I checked in Germany, the kids were still small 😉.
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Did this happen to you b/c I am totally joking around but if you are serious about this then I’m so sorry
I had a bee phobia for a very long time when I was stung at age 3 and it traumatized me so I know it can be rough on children…
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I´m just kidding Michele. This website is not serious as far as I can see it.
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Ohhh what a relief! I thought so but then I don’t want to be insensitive 🤔🙄😱so my mouth is full already w one foot in it today don’t want to put the other one in and upset you! 😘😘😘😉❤️
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Don´t worry about that. Everything is fine. And I don´t think you could ever be insensitive.
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Oh thank you 😘😘😘😘💗❤️
You’re a true gem so happy you are commenting here!!!
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BTW Michele, how´s your eardache? Hopefully getting better?
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Oh soso Nordlicht thank you for asking
I got hit w um multiple things at once earache sinus headache and monthly women ache 😖 so a perfect storm so to speak! Bless you though for asking 😘💗
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So you got the full package, that sounds really bad 😖. At least woman ache stays only shortly. But your other health issues could be related. I know you don´t want/can´t see a doctor but please be careful that it doesn´t become chronic.
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Yep I hear yeah 🤣😉 I plan to take some medicine w me today flying to Texas and already told my dad and sis about the ear issues so if things worsen I’ll go see his doctor next week.
Keep yeah posted. Women ache well what if men had to go thru this every month 😖😫😏
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https://www.goat-trauma.org/
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Da musst ich jetzt aber echt zweimal hinschauen… Mittlerweile hält man ja alles für möglich. Woher kennst du das denn Serv?
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I’m sure it’s half tongue-in-cheek. But if I wouldn’t put goats high on my list especially friendly animals, even if they are sometimes found in petting zoos.
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Well, animals are living beings after all, no toys. I never had bad experiences with goats so I like them actually.
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As a child I took care of farm animals. The goat is a reputed intelligent animal, unlike sheep. She rarely put herself at risk and has got a high level of awareness. Less smart than goats, sheep are able to follow the sheep in front of them and end up in a risky situation.I shall prepare a hot goat’s cheese receipe for Xmas.
https://www.marieclaire.fr/cuisine/aumonieres-croustillantes-de-figues-au-chevre-frais,1194018.asp
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Just to put it into perspective: The goat tweet’s been up for 17 hours: 1 RT, 2 replies, 4 likes…RA’a answer: 50 RTs, 106 likes
No love for goats 🐐 🐐 🐐
I like goats.
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Sorry, I am always late in blog reading and writing back. I am an old lady who sometimes doesn’t understand English language verywell. New technologies are not my friends too (only laptop, no ephone and using my two index fingers to write. At the end, I write strange things about everything or nothing. ( with reference to
Victor Hugo Quote: “Science says the first word on everything, and the last word on nothing.” a revue that I often read. So…
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Squirrel you are one of the smartest women I’ve ever not met but know via here. I have learned so much from you and I am slower typing with 1 finger at a time always making mistakes 🤔🤷♀️😘😘
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” Bê, Mê – Bê, Mê – Bê, Mê – Bê, Mê – Bê, Mê – Bê, Mê “: that means thanks in goat’s language. (no more snakes’ words!)
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As always you are on top of everything!! Yes my nerves thank you for no more snake 🐍 stuff emoji just for you Squirrel sweetie ❤️❤️🤣😉
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Kate your video was uber cute though so BS loss!!!!
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😘😘
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Butting in to agree.
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I think you should just assume they recognise good photographs when they see them! 😊
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Exactly 👍👍👍👏👏👏💗💗💗
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🙂 NIce interpretation, Helen. I’ll go with that then.
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The Berlin Station page on instagram liked my pics of the Christmas party of mini Guy and friends 😀
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Huh? I mean, I love those pics, too, but why would BS do so? Very very strange…
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Probably they check who commented or liked their pics and then they return a few likes. I guess that it’s a way to make their followers happy.
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I think you are right – that is their strategy. And it’s a classic SM marketing strategy, so that’s fine…
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I’m so relieved that Helen received the parcel safely. Will definitely check out her blog post.
Love the suggestion of the name Tall Dwarf Productions. Michele nailed it 😊 Happy to see your photos being noticed. They’re outstanding. I am especially fond your landscapes.
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Yep, I was also really relieved, Donna. Funniest thing: I had just sent Helen an e-mail asking whether she had received the parcel yet, when she messaged me on FB to say that Flat Richie had arrived 🙂
Tall Dwarf Productions is my favourite too!
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You know, if he wanted to bind and gag me, I’d let him… just sayin’
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*coughs* who wouldn’t… 😉
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Not getting followup comments somehow. Huh.
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Weird, weird, weird – but as you know, that is what is happening to me over on your blog. I never get notifications that someone (you) has replied to my comment; I always have to “manually” surf and check. I don’t know what WP have changed…
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Berlin Station’s IG liked three of my pictures (2 nature pics and 1 book pic) and Epix’s IG liked two pictures. One was the same nature pic than what BS liked and the other was a picture of my sistets cat. Weird choices.
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Maybe BS is a bot :-)) That would explain a lot of things…
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Many, many things… 😉
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Der Junge wird ganz schön rumgereicht. Gut, dass er keine Flugangst hat. Wenn sich das Muster so fortsetzt, müsste es ja wieder über den großen Teich gehen.
Berlin Station will wohl neue Freunde machen, weil sie Angst haben dass ihnen die Zuschauer davon laufen.
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Ach, da gibt’s doch eigentlich genügend Enthusiasten die alles, was da so geht FANTASTISCH finden…
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Bezweifle, dass diese Truppenteile so zahlreich sind. Nur weil sie laut sind, müssen sie noch lang nicht viele sein. Außerdem kann diese Fanliebe auch ganz schnell erkalten, falls die falsche Person gegrillt wird.
Davon abgesehen würd mich aber tatsächlich mal interessieren, wieviele Zuschauer BS eigentlich tatsächlich hat.
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Keine Ahnung.
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De très bonnes nouvelles!
– J’aime toujours autant les aimants de Guy (je préférais le col roulé).
– Mes félicitations pour vos photographies irlandaises primées.
– J’ai le vertige devant les distances parcourues. Serais- je à la hauteur du défi que je me suis lancée? Je vois une forêt d’arbrisseaux pousser à l’horizon. .
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J’aime encore plus les magnets depuis que je sais que leurs origines sont de + en +nombreuses.
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J’ai 4 différentssites pour calculer l’empreinte carbone. Je vais réaliser une grille pour que chacun me précise ses données personnelles. Bonnes fêtes de fin d’année à tous.
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It sure is going to be a big swoop on that map down under 😉
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