Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, it was my birthday yesterday; so here's a bit about what's been happening. Don't worry, quite a lot of it's to do with Doctor Who!

But not this first part. All our family love history, and one of the highlights of the year is the English Heritage Festival of History, which always takes place around this time. They have a great market there, so my birthday present was going to be items for my dark age outfit (and my daughter's main present, delayed from April, was going to be material to make hers too). Unfortunately things didn't work out quite like that. My brother-in-law injured himself and couldn't come, then the dog became ill and had to be taken into veterinary hospital, and finally the festival was cancelled at the last minute due to flooding - curse you, climate change! We managed to have a good weekend anyway, including bronze smelting, iron age roundhouse painting and willow work, but it certainly wasn't as planned.

Without a historical market, I decided to use my birthday money for Doctor Who items. I'd already been sent £20 by other relatives, so reckoned with the money from my immediate family I'd get enough - or at least nearly enough - for one story from each Doctor out of the (rather too large) collection of stuff that (a) I've bought when I've seen it cheap, using general household funds; but (b) I'm not allowed to actually use until I've saved up the pocket money. Or, like yesterday, birthday money.

So, what did I go for, and why?

First Doctor: The Guardian of the Solar System
The last of Simon Guerrier's Sara Kingdom trilogy. As you know he's one of my favourite writers, and Jean Marsh performs them so well! How could I not? Well, there was an alternative, with similar recommendations - but The Anachronauts was more expensive, which would have severely limited my other choices. This was the one where I was thinking of my wife, too: she enjoyed Home Truths so much that she bought The Drowned World out of her own pocket money rather than wait for me to save up.

Second Doctor: The Enemy of the World
I almost certainly saw this one on first broadcast, but don't remember anything about it. I'm probably more of an age to appreciate it now - and hey, it's by David Whitaker!

Third Doctor: Planet of the Spiders
I viewed this on a (legal) online site a few years ago, but otherwise haven't seen it since original broadcast; it's the only Pertwee TV story I've got and haven't watched yet. I would have gone for a Caroline John story but I've seen or heard all of hers that have been released. Roll on Ambassadors of Death and The Last Post (two sadly appropriate titles). 8-(

Fourth Doctor: The Masque of Mandragora
It was this or The Leisure Hive, and even though it's the same companion as my last choice I just fancied watching it for the fist time in 35 years.

Fifth Doctor: Ringpullworld
Simply because this was the highest-rated candidate fifth Doctor story on Gallifrey Base last year.

Sixth Doctor: The Holy Terror
Not being a particular fan of the comics I've always been put off by the penguin, but a while back I promised Rob Shearman I'd give this a listen. Time to fulfil that promise.

Seventh Doctor: The Magic Mousetrap
It's the first of a well-received trilogy, so why not?

Eighth Doctor: The Silver Turk
My son just won a trophy for best primary school chess player in a local inter-school competition (he only lost one game, and that was against the secondary school player who won the overall competition). He also likes cybermen (Silver Nemesis is his favourite seventh Doctor story), and history. This one's for you, Isaac.

Ninth Doctor: The Monsters Inside
A simple choice: it's the earliest book I've not read.

Tenth Doctor: The Nightmare of Black Island
Likewise.

Eleventh Doctor: The King's Dragon
Matt Smith is my daughter's favourite Doctor, and she also loves dragons. So this one's for her.

Three books, three TV stories (though one as narrated soundtrack only), three narrated audios (likewise) and three audio dramas. All for a bit over £40. Not a bad present!

But that's not what happened either. Now, I've got no problem with taking money out of savings to get something good for the children - so long as we don't go too far - but I don't do big extravagances for myself. The rest of the family ganged up on me, deciding that I should be profligate for once (which goes against how I was raised) and got me a really big present. When they told me what it was I refused to accept it several times, before they finally wore me down. I weakened when they pointed out this was money that had already gone out of the account, some of it years ago. The result? The most expensive for-fun birthday present of my life. All the Doctor Who stories I've got sat in the cupboard - about a dozen DVDs, a dozen books, and fiftysomething audios (including the whole last season of the Eighth Doctor Adventures). In all, more than £250 worth!!

As you can probably guess, I'm one happy bunny now; though I'm not sure how much writing I'm going to be doing. Have a great week!