E: 29/12 Sunday Times Wherewas I? Spa break

misschatterbox

Read the article below and then scroll down to answer the two questions in the competition entry form provided. Clues to the answers can be found within the text:
Terribly Trendy Friend has technical issues. As we set off to buy her “something sparkly”, her funky sports car strangely changed into something more vintage. (So, too, did we.) Magically, it talks, too. “I’m Bullnose,” he splutters, explaining that he was designed in 1911, and is fondly known by that name. Bullnose, it transpires, has a mind of his own — chugging to the city outskirts where his designer was born in 1877. “Look at me,” shrieks TTF, hardly made up with her period outfit (although I look rather fetching in my frock coat). “Not blingy enough,” she mutters. “I need bling.”
Bullnose takes us to the suburb of a second city, birthplace, in 1887, of a lyricist. “If you were the only girl in the world...” he croaks. It’s a number the lyricist wrote for a 1916 show. Not quite right, I explain to Bullnose. “Sorry. Misheard,” he replies. “Something sparkly. Diamonds,” TTF implores. Thus, Bullnose takes us 80 miles southeast to a town famous for an annual sporting event. Diamond sculls, however, are not quite what TTF had in mind. Bullnose splutters thick black smoke.
“Get me off this boneshaker,” howls TTF. “Let me travel in style.” So the three of us find ourselves 325 miles north-northwest, sitting atop a barge gliding along a 32-mile canal. “What year is this?” friend asks. The year the canal opened, 1822, I explain. “Take me away from all this,” she whines desperately. Bullnose happily obliges, wheezing his way south to a national trail completed in 1978. There, scenes from the 1967 film of a book (1874) were shot. (Farm worker proposes at the beginning of story, only succeeds at the end.) “There,” Bullnose parps. “Away from it all. Just like the film.”
The prize
The winner and a guest will stay for three nights, full-board, at Lifehouse, a new spa resort set in 130 acres at Thorpe-le-Soken, in Essex. The £30m resort offers spa breaks that “aim to improve lifestyle and enhance general wellbeing for the long term”. Advice on fitness, nutrition and even horticulture is available, and treatments make use of Babor organic products from Germany. Lifehouse also offers a fitness menu featuring Pilates and parkour, and facilities include a pool, a gym, an exercise studio, an outdoor fitness circuit and a thermal spa. For details, visit lifehouse.co.uk or call 01255 860050.
The prize includes a house treatment for the winner and their guest on each day of the stay, which must be taken before April 30, 2011, subject to availability and excluding public holidays.
Sunday Times readers can also take advantage of a 25% discount on all bookings for two nights or more between January 3 and March 31, 2011, subject to availability. Email [EMAIL="info@lifehouse.co.uk"]info@lifehouse.co.uk[/EMAIL], quoting the code ST11.


http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/public/where_was_I/article489499.ece

weeowens

I'm having problems with question 2 but here are my thoughts on the answers.Any further ideas are welcome.With Boxing Day & work etc I had forgot about this one.


Primary link

Question 1: Name the first city
answer.......... Worcester
source
source

Question 2: Name the second city suburb
answer........... ?

Question 3: Name the lyricist

answer.........Clifford Grey
source

Question 4: Name the 1916 show
answer............. The Bing Boys Are Here
source

Question 5: Name the town
answer............ Henley-on-Thames
source

Question 6: Name the canal
answer...........Union Canal
source

Question 7: Name the national trail
answer.............. South West Coast Path

source

Question 8: Name the film
answer.............. Far from the Madding Crowd

source

zoold

Question 1: Name the first city - Worcester (thanks weeowens)

Question 2: Name the second city suburb - Edgbaston

Question 3: Name the lyricist - Clifford Grey

Question 4: Name the 1916 show - The Bing Boys Are Here

Question 5: Name the town - Henley-on-Thames (thanks weeowens):)

Question 6: Name the canal - Union Canal

Question 7: Name the national trail - South West Coast National Trail

Question 8: Name the film - Far From The Madding Crowd

My suggested answers? Any confirmation would be appreciated.

Edit please see weeowens post above.

weeowens

Question 1: Name the first city - Oxford

Question 2: Name the second city suburb - Edgbaston

Cheers for these zoold.I was stuck on No.2 but I'm not sure on your answer re No.1 as the passage reads......"chugging to the city outskirts where his designer was born in 1877."
From the sources I think the the designer was born in Worcester.

I've measured out the distance for No.5 but not too sure.Any sources for No.5
I'm not 100% on mine.

zoold

weeowens wrote: »

Question 1: Name the first city - Oxford

Question 2: Name the second city suburb - Edgbaston

Cheers for these zoold.I was stuck on No.2 but I'm not sure on your answer re No.1 as the passage reads......"chugging to the city outskirts where his designer was born in 1877."
From the sources I think he the designer was born in Worcester.

Thanks weeowens I have edited my post to go with your answers. I actually did not read "outskirts"... brain still tired from the past few days. Glad its over with.

weeowens

Hi zoold.Please don't feel that I am saying my answers are more correct than yours.Norhampton is the right rough area for distance.Do you have a source for Northampton?
Edgbaston had me baffled though :-)

zoold

weeowens wrote: »

Hi zoold.Please don't feel that I am saying my answers are more correct than yours.Norhampton is the right rough area for distance.Do you have a source for Northampton?
Edgbaston had me baffled though :-)

Hi weeowens. Question 5 was the one I was unsure about. I was trying to find annual sporting events in the proximity and came up with the formula one at Silverstone. However Henley-on-Thames makes far more sense with the reference to "skulls".

Its the first time I have attempted this and it was fun. However, I think I'll need to practise a bit more to get to expert level.

Thanks for your answers.

stormbreaker

So...is no.1.Worcester or Oxford?

ITYIYBMAB

Morris was born in 1877 at 47 Comer Gardens, a terraced house in Hallow,[1] about 2 miles (3.2 km) north-west of Worcester, England.

One-Eye

Source for no.5 = Henley-on-Thames http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_Challenge_Sculls

Source for no.2 = Edgbaston HERE

weeowens

One-Eye wrote: »

Source for no.5 = Henley-on-Thames http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_Challenge_Sculls

Source for no.2 = Edgbaston HERE

Cheers One-Eye.I just couldn't seem to find the suburb on the 'net