M is for Mummy and McGonagall

A to Z Challenge - M

I'm still in Malaysia with limited internet.  I've managed to access the motel's wifi in the lobby so that I can check the posts are being uploaded and to share them, but it is slow and limited so I'm still not able to read everybody's blogs.  I'm looking forward to doing a major catch-up on Sunday!

M is for "Are you my Mummy?"

Last week in my E post I spoke about the episodes The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances and how much they had creeped me out.  This quote is tied in as the repeated saying by the 5 year-old wearing a gas mask.  Throughout the episode all he says is "Mummy? Are you my mummy?" which is pretty darn creepy after awhile.  

Doctor Who has seriously messed with my understanding and perspective of history, particualry British history.  I lived in England for two years in 2012-13, and spent a lot of time driving around the UK visiting historical locations, which brought home to me just how messed up my historical knowledge was: I couldn't look at an image of a gas mask without saying in my head "Are you my mummy?"; I visited Queen Victoria's house on the Isle of Wight and thought it strange they didn't mention that a) she'd banished the Doctor, b) she'd established Torchwood and c) that the Royal family were warewolfs.  At Agatha Christie's house when the tour guide was talking about the three days when she (Christie) vanished, I pointed out that the gap in her memory was because she'd fought a giant wasp (I actually did - said it out loud in front of a roomful of strangers.  Thankfully the guide knew what I was going on about).  The most bizare one though was when I visited Dover Castle and explored the secret war tunnels.  The tour guide was talking about Vice-Admiral Ramsey and Operation Dynamo - the plan to evacuate British soldiers from Dunkirk.  The story was so familiar which confused me - my knowledge about WWII, particularly the British perspective, is pretty limited.  I was especially confused when the British people on the tour were saying how they hadn't learnt about this story in school/history.  Why did I know this story, and why did something seem off about it?  Then it hit me: there is a Doctor Who audiobook (The Nemonite Invasion) in which the Doctor and Donna wind up in the Secret War Tunnels with Ramsey as he is planning Operation Dynamo.  What was missing from the tour guide's story was the alien invasion.  Told you I was messed up.

M is for Minerva McGonagall

Head of Gryffindor house, deputy headmistress of Hogwarts, and professor of Transfiguration.  McGonagall is such as strong female character.  She is intelligent, fierce, powerful, and a tad scary.  She reminded me of some of my teachers at school - ones who came across as scary initially but who were brilliant teachers and I would be so excited to find that they were going to be my teacher that year.  Maggie Smith is a brilliant actress.  I don't think I can say much more about her apart from that she is brilliant.  She brought such power and depth to the character, made her more than "just a teacher" which could have happened.  I love pretty much everything that Maggie Smith is in, and think she would make the perfect Granny Weatherwax if they ever do a Discworld Witches telemovie/mini-series.

Happy Stitching!