Gooseberry Crumble

It should be an interesting three weeks ahead of us..

Joni Mitchell makes a rare public appearance at a birthday party. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-12847789/Joni-Mitchell-80-walks-cane-joins-Kurt-Russell-Goldie-Hawn-birthday-party-Martin-Shorts-daughter-Katherine-amid-years-long-recovery-aneurysm.html

Oh right thanks for that. I wasn't aware she'd been diagnosed with anything.

Indeed and combined with a much lower number of engagements performed (she's never been one not to pull her weight) it suggests the issue is quite severe and regular rather than the odd bad day. I do recall there was some shall we say slightly unkind speculation on social media when that photo was published that maybe she'd had one too many alcoholic drinks celebrating the coronation and that's why she needed to be held up! But I suspect her issues are more serious than being a bit tipsy.

Prince Michael is not on the civil list and his one engagement may well be a reception for the Coronation. If the Duke of Kent is doing 60 engagements and his younger sister is only doing 3 I think that is worth deadpoolers noting. If you believe Prince Michael doing one engagement is eyebrow raising then I don't feel it makes sense to suggest someone doing three is not something you can read much into. Princess Alexandra is still a royal patron to many charities and I cannot imagine that she wouldn't do more engagements related to them if she were able. Princess Anne does the most engagements but gets much less attention than William and Kate who do fewer so I don't think the 'streamlining' is really driven by being high profile. I think they give the most high profile stuff to William and Kate because they will get the most attention regardless. So called minor royals have always mainly been given the less high profile engagements and roles . Dull but worthy stuff some say. It will be retirement or the Grim Reaper that streamlines the royal family(the late Queens cousins) rather than a strategy of giving minor royals fewer engagements . Charles wouldn't have kept them all on as working royals if he felt they weren't needed. He would have am sure used the opportunity of a new reign to move them on. Some say Beatrice and Eugenie would make good and needed working royals but I am going of too much on a tangent!

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2023/12/09/hardest-working-royals-2023-revealed/ Princess Alexandra, who I suspect is in much frailer health than her elder brother the Duke of Kent, given she has only performed 3 royal engagements this year , whilst he has performed over 60. The Duke of Kent looks pretty unhealthy but performed 60 engagements. It makes me wonder how frail she may be with only performing 3.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2023/12/09/hardest-working-royals-2023-revealed/ Looking at these statistics I think the committee should seriously consider Princess Alexandra, who seems to be flying under the radar of many on here compared to her brother the Duke of Kent. She has performed only 3 royal engagements this year whereas the Duke of Kent performed over 60. Prince and Princess Michael of Kent are not on the civil list so aren't expected to undertake public royal engagements but Princess Alexandra is and was in the official photoshoot of working members of the Royal Family earlier this year after the coronation. Maybe it isn't the obviously visibly frail Duke of Kent we should be most focused on but on his sister Princess Alexandra, someone who has become so frail she barely appears in public at all.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2023/12/09/hardest-working-royals-2023-revealed/ Interesting breakdown of the statistics on which members of the Royal Family did the most public engagements this year. What struck me is that Princess Alexandra only performed 3 whilst her brother the Duke of Kent whose health has received the most speculation on this forum out of all the royals did over 60. Perhaps Princess Alexandra is the one we should be paying most attention to.

May I recommend 94 year old American actress Vera Miles? As one of Alfred Hitchcocks former leading ladies-a 'Hitchcock blonde ' and a star from the golden age of Hollywood, her qualifying obituary potential is beyond doubt.

Former EastEnders actor Michael Greco is to become a father for the second time. https://www.thesun.co.uk/tv/24992641/eastenders-legend-michael-greco-baby-dad/

Surprise Surprise I'm picking Joanne Woodward again!

You were saying.. ??!! You just can't take health for granted at such a grand old age. I wonder if any of the other names I listed as examples will also come true or the committee does surpass the record? Ethel or Jacques next possibly?

Given her dementia diagnosis I'm very surprised she was a unique pick but well done.

Looking forward to taking part

Yes events this year have created a lot of confusion in my mind about my strategy and approach next year! Which picks from this year would be disrespectful enough to die as soon as I drop them and which wouldn't!!? Quite the dilemma!

You've made some great suggestions especially Ryan O'Nealand Vanessa Redgrave but I disagree that all the other names you commented on are too american. Michael J Fox is synonymous with Back to the future which is an absolutely iconic film franchise and cultural phenomenon.

Not too long to wait to find out. !!

Or surpass it. Jimmy Carter, Nigel Starmer Smith, Cleo Laine, Jacques Delors, Norman Lear, Ethel Kennedy- just a number of the assorted routes via which this could happen.

One of the longest serving cast members of Britain's longest running broadcast serial drama ,103 year old actress June Spencer, also known as Peggy Archer/Woolley in Radio 4s The Archers . I think her age and her unique role and achievement in the above description makes June a very noteworthy candidate.

My friends and acquaintances in Birkenhead, based on what they know and hear locally, are very surprised that their ex mp Frank Field is still with us.

I'm bemusedly imagining right wing US Statesman Henry Kissinger, gay scouse actor Dean Sullivan, big New Labour figure and ex Chancellor Alistair Darling and no bs forthright hard living Irish music legend Shane MacGowan all gathered together on the VIP transportation cloud for famous people , to the afterlife having a natter as they make their way into the next realm..

Joanne Woodward. Because my my faith is resolute and also because I am rarely in life a herd animal so I wouldn't have voted for Jimmy Carter.

You are a genius! But seriously practically the phenomenon of two double deathlist hits, Joss Ackland, Rosalynn Carter and Henry Kissinger and Shane MacGowan in less than a fortnight is quite something and in terms of the enema is enormously and immensely busy to the point of basically living on or being chained to the DeathList toilet.

Oh I was treating it as a more general thread all things enema related but @TQR might be onto something about a new thread serving as a clean slate for an especially shitty year ahead!!

Well I wasn't wrong.. its been a busy week!! Plop plop!