Who used to look like this?

[Lesley Cox]

Is the "hansom Dutchman in Gothenburg" really a Dutchman? I assumed he is a Swede.

[tonyg]

Gerben - yeah I guess he could be cute and handsome but he does not look like a blonde boy!  And Lesley, I do seem to remember reading that he is Dutch by birth.

I'll go with Jacintas crush on John (OOAgent) for our latest newbie and how about Howard Clase, an the exile in a foreign land for the elusive number 14?

[t00lie]

Maggi i have no idea at all on the two unknowns.

In any case i do think the 'race' is between Joakim and Tony as i only came on the scene after they both had done all the 'hard graft'.After some thought and being a true southern man i think it's only fair if one of them wins.

Tony your answer below for both seems plausable .
Joakim any further guesses?.

Cheers Dave.

[Joakim B]

If we talk about fair play it was Tony who got 17 first and I just adjusted my list so he is for sure the best 17.
I can not add anything to his guess and my former deduction attempt

Kind regards
Joakim

[Maggi Young]

Okay, Chums, you seem to be having a lot of fun slugging it out here. I will clarify one point ; the blonde bombshell, Ivor Biggun and Number Fourteen are two different people.

And, yes, the charmer Gerben, now in Sweden, is from the Netherlands by birth. Not the right shape of face though, is it? Either of them!!

Dave, very sporting attitude; you're not just worried I'm going to bake you a cake, are you?

[tonyg]

Great to see you are back and firing on all cylinders Maggi ... well posting all over the place anyway!

Now lets get this straight .... without your juicy clues I'm clueless.  We need a cryptic message to help us pick up the scent of these elusive blondes    .....  Pretty Please!

If I explain below how I got to the other answers you'll see that the answers were rarely found with the help of the pictures 
1 David Nicholson - Christmas weather moans post about his son
2 Ian Young - I've seen the bright shirts
3 Thomas Huber - I've seen Thomas
4 Joakim - I'm intimately acquainted here
5 Maggi Young - Once seen ....
6 Mark Smyth - Age and keen-ness
7 Lesley Cox - I got by with a little help from my friends
8 Dave Toole - see 7
9 Anne Wright - see 7 but the curls cliched it
10 Cliff Booker - Magnificent clues from JoF and Maggi
11 Anthony Darby - age & recently mentioned being in a choir
12 Lesley Cox - Looks very like no 7
13 John Forrest - How many Forrest Medals has he actually won?
14 
15 Ian McEnery - Thanks Cliff, I remember the Dolomites posting
16 David Shaw - Posted with Carol (see below) but check out Findhorn website re: cats
17 Carol Shaw - Distinctive cheekbones - see party pic in October weekend thread
18 Martin Baxendale - the uncanny likeness of course!!

Oh and I worked on the basis that they were all people who had posted to the thread

[Maggi Young]

Well, Tony, your last point is probably the most important one except that you may be wrong in one respect------they are all forumists---they might not have posted to THIS thread !
Now, there are other clues elsewhere in the forum; they may be more subtle than you give me credit for, or they may be slap bang in your face. It's over to you again, Tony!

[Maggi Young]

Thanks to everyone who has emailed me to tell me what a sweet baby young Baxendale was. I will surely pass on  your kind words to him. Now we have seen how lovely Ivi Baxendale is,(on the Cat thread) we will have fewer fears for the future of the real Baby Baxendales !
No further forward on the identity of the elusive Number fourteen, I see. And precious few opinions as to the blonde Ivor Biggun.
After tomorrow I will pronounce on the outcome of our little tests!

[tonyg]

Maggi I think you've got us beat   I've looked through the list of members and can only find one more who fits the bill for number 14 - you did say the pic was taken in another country from where he lives now?  John Humphries - 'greenmanplants' was Lanark born but now resides in Hampshire  .... but having met John I can only say he aint such a cute guy now   .. and nor am I come to that!  All my other attempts (David Shaw, Joakim, Howard, MartinB & Sandy) have met with a polite rebuff.

I'll stick on John Finch (KG) as a potential blonde. Although its not easy to tell from his photo, I cannot argue with my wifes opinion of him

It's been a good game ... another version next Christmas?  but please, NOT 'Whose Cat is This?' 

[David Shaw]

Number 14, begorrah!

[tonyg]

David that does look like a hint to look West across the water.  BUT I only know three forumists of that origin.
Mark Smyth, but he is red tie guy and having spoken to him he sounds like he grew up where he now lives.
Paddy Tobin, Paddy MUST be Irish ..... but he does write "I am not so single minded myself and am as happy in the vegetable patch" so he could be a candidate for IB
Which only leaves Geebo ... whose erudite posts suggest he might not be inclined to join our silly game   But of the three he is the only one I cannnot rule out!

Come on Maggi put me out of my misery ... for surely I am the last man standing, looks like everyone else gave up (or knows the answer!)

[Joakim B]

I must say I do not have any clue either so that might be equal to given up.
I agree that there is similarities between last blond with John Finch but I also thought it had some similarity with Maggi but then she shoud/would not adress herself as he should/would she???
I do not get any help by the lack of clues so I do not know!! Or they are above my head.
Give us a less subtle hint or put us out of missery
Joakim

[Maggi Young]

Joakim, though my hair has grown darker nowadays, in my youth I enjoyed long, bright coppery chestnut coloured hair, a real redheaded girl, so I could never have been a cute blonde boy!
You are right, we must have an answer to this quiz:

At last! I was growing old here, waiting for you to work this out!
Jacinta is correct, our cute blonde cabbage grower is: John Finch, Kent Gardener and SRGC 00Agent.(wait a minute, isn't that three people?)
So, Number fourteen is Geebo; now resident in Ireland but born across another stretch of water, sur le continent . Guy, who makes such a sweet young face in his baby photo now is the gruff bearded chap of his avatar and the handsome husband of Maureen, as seen here in  this pic from his seasonal greeting to us all.


There were clues to Geebo all over the place, can't remember the half of them myself, now! The most recent was in the Hellebore page, I think, well, flowering now, early January, perhaps!
So, I declare Tony to be the winner, albeit with direction from Jacinta, without whose help he would still be searching.
There will be another hiatus while the prize is properly prepared, I need to get into the loft for this!
Well done everyone for your valiant efforts to sort this out. Especially Joakim and Toolie who made great attempts. Amazing how many of us had time to spare over the last few weeks, isn't it?

[Joakim B]

Well done Tony
I must appologize for not having a picture of my self in the competition, but here in Portugal I did not have any.
Putting my son in and say I used to look something like that is not fair or?

Great entertainment

Maggi: Time is to take not to have

Joakim

[Maggi Young]

Joakim, again you are correct, time IS to take not to have.
It gives me pleasure to see you having good times with your wife and son, enjoy every day with eachother and have a life full of fun, it is all we could ever wish a happy child.

I am glad you have been entertained by the pictures, I hoped it would prove amusing.

I am a little disappointed that we can not have "whose cat is this" for next year I was going to enjoy that one!