Think-a-link! Is it in?

Newsletter 31 -

I just can't help myself!

It's causing carnage in the relationship with my good lady but it's a habit I just can't kick. When carrying glasses and crockery through from one room to another, one should either use a tray or do it in stages. But, not I Sir 'Clink'alot. I don't know whether it's the challenge of trying to do it all in one go or just pure laziness on my part. (the latter's favourite) Being a gregarious chappie (Greg Areas : A meeting-place for people called Greg), I always like to ask as many people along for a Saturday night dinner 'jolly'. But, due to the number of wine & champagne glasses that Sir Dropalot has smashed on his personal 'Fil Rouge', we can only currently ask three people and, just like the tinkly stuff, that figure's going rapidly south. I am Arthur Ellis' dipstick. (Link for the spelling of 'Champagne': Champagne's too strong for knitting 'Champ' Agnes as she ends up in stitches).

Can I just quickly apologise to the under 20s amongst you as I'm sure lots of it is going over your head due to my 'crumbly' references from a bygone era. Bear with me. My nine year old triplets are trying to keep me 'youth' and, dare I say it, 'street'. So, the older they get, the more influence they'll have on my newsletter material. It's a matter of time until I have to run it by them before sending it to you guys as they will want to keep the family name in tact....or what's left of it. You never know, I may even include some stuff about linking, one day!

Sorry kiddlies but one more 'grandad' observation........sticking with the 'carrying' theme....when I'm unloading the weekly shop from the boot of the car ('Boot' along with 'Munter' are top names for a minger who is past her 'sell-by-date', btw), I try and grab as many bags as I can in my left hand leaving just one to be picked up by t'other hand. I then stagger over to the front door going round an invisible slalom course with my left shoulder dipped so low that I look like Mr Benn in the changing room. What's that all about?

One more.....when you cross the road and end up walking alongside someone else, do you drop a gear and walk behind them or quicken your pace, ending up in front of them as walking along together looks plain silly? I suppose it depends if the person in question is candy or not. As a rule, I'm a 'speed up' man.

That concludes Sir Linkalot's observations for the month of January.

Update

Linkety, link, link, link! Oh I do love having linkitis - it's a such a tremendous illness to have with many side effects. Being a complete and utter plum of the highest order is one of them but my clever old parents beat linkitis to it. 'Effect' and 'Affect'? Now there's a goodie. Check this stellar link out which is one that I, sadly, cannot claim:

RAVEN: Remember Affect Verb Effect Noun.

Averaging a deserved 7.71. (technically, the meanings can be the other way round but it's a rare one). It will go down in the annals.

The 'Thinkalink' e-book will be downloadable from www.theschoolrun.com at the end of February (R U A romantic, like me? I'm full of 'em today!). It will contain over 1000 spelling links for Key Stage 1 & Key Stage 2 high frequency words from 'As' to the most commonly misspelt word going 'Accommodate' and even the oh-so graphic 'Diarrhoea'. Very excited about this publication.

Sir Linkalot has had a hectic month, spreading the joy of linking to thousands of 'linkrettes in the making' at some of the UK's finest educational institutions. At the end of a long day, a boiling hot bath, glass of red and candles just can't come fast enough.

Will reigning champion linker Phil Isaac please stand up and take a bow as you have just won the 'Best Linker for 2010' trophy? 'Back-to-back' eh? Not bad Isaac. Can you do me a Rod Laver (Favour) and take it to your local engravers to save me doing the honours? You know it makes an inordinate amount of sense, you Cornish freakshow. Bravo, once more.

Your chance to get involved

The site is a meeting-place for linkers & learners alike. So if you have a link for a fact no matter bizarro it may be then send it down the linking chute and let's see if the cat licks it up. Also, you can request anything to be linked, absolutely anything as this 'bonkers' site is an evolving bad boy. Chuck it Sir Linkalot's way and let's see if the chivalrous rasclot and his fellow knights can take up the gauntlet. (Chivalry is gentlemanly behaviour: Chivalry timbers, a courteous pirate!!!...or....When a man is being gentlemanly, women tend to get all chivalry down their back)

Feedback

I would love to get your thoughts and observations on the site, good or bad. This has been a passion of mine since 1995 and it's finally come to fruition which is hugely exciting. However, it's all new territory for me. So any guidance or tips on what does and doesn't work will be warmly received - please let me know at andy.salmon@thinkalink.co.uk

Competition

Congratulations to David Qureshi for getting the 4 answers correct thereby lining his pockets with 100 smackers, courtesy of Link Bank Plc.

The answers were....

1. Denouement 2. Bolivia 3. 2007 4. Fingers & Toes

Here is the next competition....

www.thinkalink.co.uk/content/competitions/competitions/competition-32-january-11-open

Email the answers to andy.salmon@thinkalink.co.uk and you will be entered into the draw for 100 nuggets.

......and finally

Please let me know if you would prefer not to contacted in this way and I will take you off my newsletter circulation list. If that is the case, please accept my apologies.

Let's finish off with some links in honour of the oh-so splendid film 'South Pacific'.....

Some South Pacific World Capitals:

Samoa/Apia.....My gardener is a lot Apia if you call him Sir Mower.

Fiji/Suva.....The voice of The Fijis' Barry Gibb is Suva the top and then some.

Pitcairn Islands/Adamstown.....Bradamstown & Pittcairn.

French Polynesia/Papeete.....My pa studied P.T & French at Poly.

Tonga/Nuku'alofa....I can nick you a loaf o'bread and tango, if you like?

Cook Islands/Avarua....'Don't ever rue a change of cook.' advises Jamie Oliver.

Wallis & Futuna Islands/Mata Utu......'What's the Mata Utu?'...'There are too few tuna sandwiches in our picnic!' moaned Wallis & Gromit.

Tuvalu/Funafuti......To value how much fun a footy match generated is fun in itself.

Guam/Hagatna......Hagatna gum. You got any?

New Zealand/Wellington......My wellingtons are all black(s)

Happy 2011! (the Chinese New Year of the Rabbit)

Sir Linkalot

P.S To view previous newsletters, go to

www.thinkalink.co.uk/content/news-events