Hi all, sorry I've been awol. Hectic week ending in a funeral, so i've been a bit busy.

Hope everyone is well. I see the forum is still slower than a slow ting on slow day in slowville...

I have an idea or two about that, and i will pass it on to LM1 admin.

Sooo... what did i miss?

Hi Stavy, good to see you back!

Yes, it has been quiet. Sustaining energy and interest will be an important focus for the team over the long term. Thanks for sending your ideas to LM1. There will always be busy and not so busy times, however having a plan of engagement is something that perhaps we as a community might start to develop.

A Community News Summary (the best posts from the last two-weeks) is one suggestion that comes to mind. The idea of a bi-weekly summary is that it brings people back to the forum without being too onerous to manage. People who are subscribed to the topic would be notified when a new summary is released.

Perhaps a quick way to achieve this would be a "Community News suggestion Box" Topic where members could leave links to their favourite posts. That will allow the Community News editor (perhaps a shared role so volunteers spread the load) to quickly review those posts rather than having to trawl through or keep separate notes. We should always consider how any given solution might scale up once the community becomes more active.

The Community News Summary would present the very best from the Community News suggestion Box and publish them. That would need to be a closed Topic so only the editor was given rights to post. As the Community News Editor would change from one edition to the next, there would be a different emphasis and perhaps editorial for each edition. Some editors might simply post links to the pick of the bunch, while others might want to write something about the posts they've chosen. If this is a suggestion that others believe might fly, might the next stage be to agree ground rules for the editorial role? For example; how many posts will make up the pick; a statement that makes clear the content and views represent are that of the LM1 community, and not the official body; how much editorial copy is acceptable etc.

Sounds like most of you folks had fun at this first event...even if Mike's legs were buckling at the site of Angela
As always exceptionally good latest artwork Mike.

Good to hear as New Horizons gets closer to Pluto that more detail is being revealed (only one month away from the fly by)
These are Exciting Times.

News on 'Ceres' is interesting also with the new image showing even more detail on those light areas, not so much a circle of light now more a patchwork making it even more intriguing, it does not look like an impact to me now? ice? doesn't it still seem a little bright for ice? maybe salt some have said? whatever it is and hopefully in a few weeks time we'll get to know, I'm hoping it's something we'll be able to use in the future somehow.
They still look a little like lights as seen on Earth from low orbit but of course that's just a dream I'm hanging onto

Visted Scotland again recently, I really love the Scottish people, laid back, friendly and never in a rush (if you ever read this Barbara thanks for the wine) Lower Largo was a laid back wonderful place i just wish those old cottage doors had been filed back a little, damn things stuck once too often and midway through i ended up cracking a rib trying to prise the bedroom door open (before the wine had be consumed I may add)

Queens Birthday Honours seemed good this year...Lenny Henry (from humble upbringing to Sir Lenny) I watched him as a young child on Tiswas but he has helped fund millions thanks to Comic Relief, nice to see Jo Pavey get rewarded after winning at the age 40 (awesome!!!) and Katie Cutler receives the Briish Empire Medal for helping raise over £300,000 for mugging victim Alan Barnes, wonderful to see her honoured for this and whatsmore 51% of awardees were women...in this day and age it shouldn't be an issue but at least in this respect equality is alive and well.

Would just like to add that as we gain a sir in Sir Lenny Henry we also just lost one in the outstanding form of Sir 'Christopher Lee'.

Being a huge Hammer film fan from a young boy who was allowed to stay up and watch them late on BBC2 (well all expect 'Countess Dracula', 'Lust for a Vampire' and 'The Vampire Lovers' I'd see those later rented out from my local VHS rental store, ah those were the days!!!) and it was the Dracula films that I truly loved "Dracula Has Risen from the Grave", "Dracula AD72", "Dracula Prince of Darkness" & "The Satanic Rites of Dracula" and of course the classic original simply entitled "Dracula" all featuring Mr Lee...it's been said he grew tired of the part in later films but he was always good in them, the BEST Dracula for me.
He made other superb films too such as "The Wicker Man", "The Devil Rides Out", "Dr Terror's House of Horror's", "Horror Express", "Once upon a Spy" ( a terrific Tv Movie starring Cheers Tv's Ted Danson), even "Howling 2" & "Gremlins 2" gained from his apperances in them but being a Bond fan (007) he also gave us one of the great Bond Villians in Scaramanga in "The Man with the Golden Gun" (a replica of this crafted gun was available many years ago boxed and I've wanted one ever since) his Bond villain is right up there as one of the VERY BEST.

And of course he was a war hero...this guy lived and was by all accounts highly intelligent and a decent, respectable man...what more could one ask for, he did good....Thanks for the memories Sir Christopher.

I completely agree with everything you said about Sir Christopher Lee, a true British legend who probably had a greater C.V of films than any other. Also as a Bond fan, he is one of the great Bond villains who was as charming and cool as Bond himself.

In his younger days Darryl he may well have made a good 007 himself (and he was related to Fleming)
Still, your right, what a suave and elegant villain he was in that film "I only need one" in response to Moore's Bond saying he'll have 'six' bullets