Maisie and Fred's Excellent Adventure (comments thread)

[Martin Milner]

Fascinating Gustavo, thanks for a wonderful photo-stroll with Fred! Hope he wasn't too hot in his red sweater. 

It's interesting to see those factory buildings, very similar to many old factories, warehouses and mills we have in England, and even in London. Under the right conditions these have been converted into luxury apartments, but what are the right conditions? Primarily location, and I wonder if an entrepreneur bought up one of these delapidated buildings and converted them, whether people would buy or rent luxury holiday apartments in the old area of Rio? Maybe not in the current global economy, but in a few years time?

I love the shopping area with the hat shop and the confeitaria. I can just imagine strolling round there wearing a panama hat (to protect my bald noggin from that 25c sun). That's about as hot as we like it to get in London, anything more starts to get unpleasantly hot, but maybe just because we're not used to it.   

You've inspired me to get my camera out and do some photo-walks round Ealing (the suburb where I live) and London. Thanks for reviving the F&M "day out" thread!

[Gustavo]

Fascinating Gustavo, thanks for a wonderful photo-stroll with Fred! Hope he wasn't too hot in his red sweater. 

It's interesting to see those factory buildings, very similar to many old factories, warehouses and mills we have in England, and even in London. Under the right conditions these have been converted into luxury apartments, but what are the right conditions? Primarily location, and I wonder if an entrepreneur bought up one of these delapidated buildings and converted them, whether people would buy or rent luxury holiday apartments in the old area of Rio? Maybe not in the current global economy, but in a few years time?

I love the shopping area with the hat shop and the confeitaria. I can just imagine strolling round there wearing a panama hat (to protect my bald noggin from that 25c sun). That's about as hot as we like it to get in London, anything more starts to get unpleasantly hot, but maybe just because we're not used to it.   

You've inspired me to get my camera out and do some photo-walks round Ealing (the suburb where I live) and London. Thanks for reviving the F&M "day out" thread!

It'd be interesting to make of that place a residencial place for higher economical people, but quite a challenge (of faith) to the government ... But an interesting project to some NGOs, perhaps ...

I could imagine you in a Panama ... hahaha!

A couple of years ahead, you'll be just like Fred. (A lot of years ahead, I think ... Is Fred 80? twice your age ... Richard's age )

Er .. Questions about Fred and Masie come below!

Thanks for the comments, Martin!
That was a funny morning, indeed.

Gus

[Gustavo]

QUESTIONS ABOUT
MR. & MRS. FRED

How old are they?

But the first question I had thought was what's their accent?: European or American English? (Or some else? Or "standard"? ...)

I like to work on characters

Possibly I'll need native speakers, in the future, to revise my lines of their speeches, in their visits in Rio ... ( )

bhklicky
G

[Richard]

A couple of years ahead, you'll be just like Fred. (A lot of years ahead, I think ... Is Fred 80? twice your age ... Richard's age )

Hmmm ...  Yes, I think of Fred as a "young" man and just about my age ... 

Very nice photo shoot, Gus!

How do you pose Fred so that your background (and Fred) are both in focus? I have not been able to do that very successfully.

Thanks for the tour around Rio. I really enjoyed the photos and the narrative.

All the best,
Richard

[Richard]

QUESTIONS ABOUT
MR. & MRS. FRED

How old are they?

But the first question I had thought was what's their accent?: European or American English? (Or some else? Or "standard"? ...)

I like to work on characters

Possibly I'll need native speakers, in the future, to revise my lines of their speeches, in their visits in Rio ... ( )

bhklicky
G

When Martin began this topic (over a year ago) he introduced Fred and Maisie to us as a couple in their "Autumn" years and told us that Fred said, "I've got a Panama hat that would look silly on anyone under 70 ... "

Martin also said that they were, "Sitting on a park bench on LHAAP's desk ... " and that they were a "retired couple ..."

Lars lives in Denmark and we know that Fred and Maisie were both probably born in Dietenhofen (or Malta). So, it might be safe to assume that Fred and Maisie may have moved to Denmark at a very young age and are now both Danish citizens.

The fact that they are Danish is probably confirmed by this statement from Maisie, "We need to travel; travel the world and see all those places we talked about back when we were courtin'." Why Danish? Because as almost everyone knows, the Danes really love to travel perhaps more than anyone else on the planet ...

Since there only about 5 million people in Denmark (about the population of Houston, Texas), most Danish people also speak English (in addition to Danish).

And, Martin even gave Maisie a bit of an English (or American) speaking accent when she said, "courtin'" rather than courting.

So, I think Martin may have answered most of your questions, Gus ... 

Sitting on a park bench on LHAAP's desk, our retired couple have a brainwave.

Grandma: Fred, here we are in our Autumn years, you may still have a full head of hair, but everything else is dropping. We need to live our dream before Winter catches us up.

Grandpa:  I've got a Panama hat that would look silly on anyone under 70, and my artificial hip is aching again so there's rain in the air. What did you have in mind?

Gran: We need to travel; travel the world and see all those places we talked about back when we were courtin'.

Grandpa: Well Maisie, that was just to get you to sleep with me.

Gran: I knew that, Fred, but let's live a little more. Let's stick a pin in the Atlas and see where it leads us...

Grandpa: OK Maisie, you lead and I'll follow. (to self in a whisper) <probably get ourselves eaten by cannibals or something...>

Edit: Fixed a couple of typing errors ... 

[playmofire]

Hi Gus, thank you for your tour of Rio with Fred, very interesting and enlightening.  The Confeitaria Colombo looks amazing, just the place for coffee and cakes!  (We have two favourite cafes in Malta, one in Valletta which is all gilt and wall and ceiling paintings and is probably from the same time as Confeitaria Colombo.  The other is in the old capital, Mdina, and is quite different, very old - built into the city walls and very simple, but excellent cakes and coffee at them both!)

The contrast between the different parts of Rio is extreme.  Maybe the old factories might be better used as a basis for conversion for housing for the general population than rich visitors.

Thanks for restarting Maisie and Fred's adventures.  I must admit I have astory dating back to last November which I have kept looking at and thinking of starting to edit the photos for PF, so now I'll get on with it.

[Klickus Mobilius]

Thanks Richard, for the biographical reviews of our favorite senior Klicky couple!

Although I do not collect modern themes, I have that set, also, just because I think they are a cute couple.  I may take them on an outing someday here in Northern California just for fun.

[Richard]

... I have that set, also, just because I think they are a cute couple.  I may take them on an outing someday here in Northern California just for fun.

Please do, KM ... 

[Gepetto]

Thank you Gustavo for the photo tour! I love to see pictures of a cities' old town and it is good to see Fred and Maisie out and about again.




Gepetto

[Gustavo]

Thanks, you guys!

I like this picture, particularly (attached), because it shows how playmobil is effective in reproducing some so detailed human aspects: the hat fulfills its function perfectly!

Gus