The Night Mail

[Dave Hunt]

When I was a nipper a mate of mine's grandmother used to collect Green Shield stamps but didn't put them in books, rather she just bunged them in a drawer. When she died and mate's parents were clearing her house they found this drawer full of the stamps so my mate was despatched to get some books and then given the job of sticking all the stamps in them. It took him ages and he swore that he nearly died from glue poisoning but in exchange he was given the money to buy an Airfix kit.

 

Dave 

[SM42]

1 hour ago, Northmoor said:

1. Why is an "Outstanding" school closing?
2. Why are Ofsted wasting taxpayers' money on their own and teachers' limited time, inspecting a school if it is known to be closing?

Two questions you might want to ask your local MP.

 

Answer to no 1. 

 

Free child care that doesn't cover the cost of providing it which didn't help the  unsustainable losses 

 

Answer to 2

 

A question  the inspector asked too, but as it was due he was told it had to be done. 

 

On the bright side, it will look good on the CV. 

 

That had to resist the urge to tell them it was inconvenient 😁

 

In chip news  

 

There were none  

 

The chippie was closed 🥺

 

On  Friday !

 

Had to make do with some crisps and alcohol free beer ( work tomorrow)

 

Andy

[Dave Hunt]

Today would have been my Dad's 100th birthday celebration so it was a bit weird to receive a £25 prize from one of his Premium Bonds in the post. One of those strange coincidences.

 

Dave

[SM42]

3 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

For point 2 I am not sure. However for point 1 I suspect the nursery site is required by someone else, perhaps even for their own nursery. Has happened round here. 

 

The adjacent school ( which it fed into)  will be providing some nursery places for the 3 - 4s but nothing for under 3s  

 

The organisation that ran the nursery has been making a loss and it's no longer sustainable. 

 

Closure has been on the cards for the last couple of years or so. 

There was talk of the school taking over the business but nothing came of it on the end. 

 

The school has  had their hand forced  and are looking to do something now, but they don't want to take on the existing business. 

 

Mrs SM42 is quite relaxed about impending redundancy. 

 

Andy

[Tony_S]

7 minutes ago, SM42 said:

The school has  had their hand forced  and are looking to do something now, but they don't want to take on the existing business.

The new funding announced in the budget won’t start until next year so it isn’t exactly helping any nurseries currently struggling.  

[Compound2632]

21 minutes ago, SM42 said:

Answer to no 1. 

 

Free child care that doesn't cover the cost of providing it which didn't help the  unsustainable losses 

 

Just as the Chancellor announces expansion of free childcare - it really doesn't seem to have occurred to him that offering something for free that isn't actually there is a bit hollow. Properly funded nursery provision would be another thing.

[Compound2632]

1 minute ago, Tony_S said:

The new funding announced in the budget won’t start until next year so it isn’t exactly helping any nurseries currently struggling.  

 

It won't help nurseries at any stage, since it does not cover their costs. The effect will simply be to force the closure of more. Complete lack of understanding.

 

(I was the treasurer of a voluntary-run registered charity pre-school some 15 or more years ago and this imbalance was already becoming a problem.)

[br2975]

I appear to have 'brought something back with me, from Lisbon'

.

Since Tuesday, I have felt yeeuch............. very tired, constantly lethargic, with an occasional tight chest and shortage of breath.

.

I retired to my bed early every night, and at lunchtime today.

.

Covid tests, continue to show 'negative'

.

It's but a week to the MIOG bash at the Crewe Heritage Centre, and hopefully I'll be fighting fit again by then.

.

Anyway, all the best, and goodnight.

[SM42]

20 minutes ago, br2975 said:

I appear to have 'brought something back with me, from Lisbon'

.

Since Tuesday, I have felt yeeuch............. very tired, constantly lethargic, with an occasional tight chest and shortage of breath.

.

I retired to my bed early every night, and at lunchtime today.

.

Covid tests, continue to show 'negative'

.

It's but a week to the MIOG bash at the Crewe Heritage Centre, and hopefully I'll be fighting fit again by then.

.

Anyway, all the best, and goodnight.

 

You weren't bitten by something whilst there were you?

 

Andy

[zarniwhoop]

5 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Since it's St Patrick's Day today, I'll wait until 5pm and then have a Glass of Jameson's whiskey, followed by a Guinness chaser.

 

I might have to repeat this a couple of times just to get into the swing of things.

As someone who rarely touches the uisge (other spellings are available for Irish correspondents) I prefer to start with the guiness and use whiskey (in this case) as the chaser. To my surprise I was out of Jameson's, but I had a little Dún Léire left (got that from Saint S'bury's at some point.

 

To celebrate the day, and since this is TNM so early hours are not required, for those in GB who are not working and like rock music I commend to you BBC4 (Thin Lizzy in concert now, followed by a short program of Irish Rock at the BBC).

 

But a question for Ben's minder/servant when he wakes up - I thought the scots gaelic for 'the whisky' was an t-ùisge beatha - I can understand that google translate drops the accents (damned modern orthography) but it came up with uisge na beatha which seems all wrong ? Maybe google translate is written by slaves who do not use a definite article ? 🤣

[J. S. Bach]

19 minutes ago, zarniwhoop said:

As someone who rarely touches the uisge (other spellings are available for Irish correspondents) I prefer to start with the guiness and use whiskey (in this case) as the chaser. 🤣

Good idea. The one time that I had some Guiness, the whiskey would have been handy just to wash that horrible taste out on my mouth! 🤣🤣

[Winslow Boy]

3 hours ago, SM42 said:

 

Not sure. 

 

The Polish Catholic Mission maybe?

 

We currently have a very jovial priest. Probably the most jolly yet. 

 

Andy

 

 

I might be wrong here but I thought that was in the job description, that and liking sports.

 

I may have told this one before but dad went to a funeral and as they were standing over the grave watching the coffin go down the priest was quizzing him about how well his team had done on Saturday. Dad always enjoyed a good funeral espiecally the bun fight afterwards.

[Winslow Boy]

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Why do you not get double-value day on Tuesdays at Argos.  It was always double-stamps day before.  

 

As Argus is now owned by Saintsbury's perhaps it should be them your asking?

[BSW01]

3 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

I knew that the symbol of the early Christian church was a fish but wasn't aware that chips featured as well.

 

Dave

Well, Jesus WAS a carpenter, who do get called chippies. 

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the rainy Piedmont.

[SM42]

27 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

 

I might be wrong here but I thought that was in the job description, that and liking sports 

 

During our marriage there have been 4 priests at the Polish church. 

 

The incumbent when Mrs SM42 moved up was Father Jan. 

 

A rather serious type. The sort of hellfire and brimstone type. 

 

Next came Father Edward 

An older fellow who was quite serious but had flashes of humour and enjoyed an occasional joke. 

By coinidence he is now residing in Poznan. 

 

He was followed by Father Marek. 

A younger fellow who enjoyed life and was not against a bit of fun. 

Often seen shakin his thang on the dance floor to some Disco Polo. 

Sing alongs on the bus were always hymns though. 

 

Now we have Father Pawel. A jolly, rotund and loud fellow who just enjoys what he does and enjoys mixing with his parishioners after the services.  

Often organises things like BBQs on Sunday afternoons and has a youthful and mischievous glint in his eye. Really seems to enjoy giving his sermons. 

He has brought the church into the 21st century with technology, the like of which has never been seen before. Well not round here.

Gone are hymn books, now it's all computerised  

 

Andy

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, zarniwhoop said:

As someone who rarely touches the uisge (other spellings are available for Irish correspondents) I prefer to start with the guiness and use whiskey (in this case) as the chaser. To my surprise I was out of Jameson's, but I had a little Dún Léire left (got that from Saint 

You're telling me it is not a Pint of Jameson's followed by two fingers of Guinness?

 

No wonder I keep falling over after five or six!

[Happy Hippo]

2 hours ago, br2975 said:

I appear to have 'brought something back with me, from Lisbon'

.

Since Tuesday, I have felt yeeuch............. very tired, constantly lethargic, with an occasional tight chest and shortage of breath.

.

I retired to my bed early every night, and at lunchtime today.

.

Covid tests, continue to show 'negative'

.

It's but a week to the MIOG bash at the Crewe Heritage Centre, and hopefully I'll be fighting fit again by then.

.

Anyway, all the best, and goodnight.

I hope you are better by then.

 

I have no qualms about sidling up to you and giving you a fat brown envelope, but I'm not so sure about handing it over to that shifty character that claims to be your brother.

[br2975]

10 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

I hope you are better by then.

 

I have no qualms about sidling up to you and giving you a fat brown envelope, but I'm not so sure about handing it over to that shifty character that claims to be your brother.

.

Thanks for your empathetic commiserations Hippo.

.

Just woken up, and feeling much, much better thanks - now I can't get back to bo-bo's

.

I have the contents of the brown envelope to hand, ready for dropping at the pre-ordained dead letter box - George Smiley permitting.

.

As for that 'dodgy character' claiming to be my brother - what a silly claim for a middle aged man make !

[br2975]

2 hours ago, SM42 said:

 

You weren't bitten by something whilst there were you?

 

 

.

No, not bitten.

.

Only "mugged" in a bar or two !

.

Especially the 'Beer Museum' - where a few rounds left us destitute.

[BR60103]

4 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

When I was a nipper a mate of mine's grandmother used to collect Green Shield stamps but didn't put them in books, rather she just bunged them in a drawer. When she died and mate's parents were clearing her house they found this drawer full of the stamps so my mate was despatched to get some books and then given the job of sticking all the stamps in them. It took him ages and he swore that he nearly died from glue poisoning but in exchange he was given the money to buy an Airfix kit.

 

Dave 

There is a French Canadian play called Les belles Soeurs (The sisters-in-law). The setup is that one lady has won a million trading stamps and has all her lady friends/relatives in to stick them in books.  I haven't seen it.

 

[bbishop]

And so to bed.

[jamie92208]

Ww have the modern equivalent of Greenshield stamps at our local supermarket,Intermarriage. 1 shiny self aadhesive vignette for every 10 euros you spend. A right faff to stick in the boojs. The offers change every few months. We've had towels, pans knives etc. At the moment it's small bits of Black and Decker stuff.  Beth's getting her own set of screwdrivers.

 

Jamie

 

[Gwiwer]

10 hours ago, br2975 said:

I have felt yeeuch............. very tired, constantly lethargic, with an occasional tight chest and shortage of breath.

.

I retired to my bed early every night, and at lunchtime today.

.

Covid tests, continue to show 'negative'

That sounds familiar. Dr SWMBO and myself are both enjoying the same. She is about ten days ahead of me and almost recovered. It’s definitely going around. 

[Happy Hippo]

I'd like to say I got up early to get ready for another session on the railway, but the truth is fare less exciting.

 

Nyda will be returning from Gogledd in time for this afternoon's rugby with Wales probably getting a bit of a hammering by the French, so she will be expecting the place to be looking spick and span.  This is especially important in the ex conservatory, which currently looks like a cross between an abandoned builder's yard, (my railway modelling stuff,) and a potting shed (her garden stuff).

 

Would anyone like to hazard a guess as to which should be tidied away and which should be left untouched?

 

I think I will go and get cleaning kit out and then I can at least look busy when she returns:

 

 

 

More likely this:

 

 

Or even more likely this:

 

 

Edited March 18, 2023 by Happy Hippo