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The Night Mail


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Anyone with an interest in the D-Day Landings would do well to watch a programme aired on ITV1 last night: “Vicky McClure: My Grandad’s War”.  
 

The ‘Line of Duty’ actress hears from her 97-year old grandad about the bombing of Nottingham early in WWII; and how he then joined the Royal Navy in spite of his employers having wangled him an exemption. They visit a preserved tank landing craft such as he served on, and the D-Day control centre (with Situation Board made by Chad Valley the toy company); then travel to Normandy, Sword Beach. Vicky dons heavy battledress and wades ashore carrying a rifle; they visit Arromanches where the astonishing Mulberry Harbour was built, view the new Memorial, and meet locals and tourists very eager to shake this lovely old chap’s hand. 
 

Very moving and emotional, but by no means syrupy; yet also full of fun, and fascinating little stories - like him watching through binoculars as a dozen soldiers piled-in to be the one to possess one of Winston Churchill’s discarded cigar stubs!  A real treat, highly recommended. 

Edited by Willie Whizz
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Having a bit of a lie down at the moment. I thought I’d got away with yesterday’s and this morning’s garage clearing and tidying but no such luck - my lower back and sciatica have kicked in big time. Pah! 

 

Dave

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22 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Name calling Bear?

 

Really?

 

How tragic.

 

It merely amuses me whilst demeaning yourself.


I have higher expectations of your ripostes

 

Oh dear, not handbags at dawn coming up I hope.

 

Dave

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2 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

Ah, homemade blackberry jam - mmmmm. Makes a note in diary to get out among the brambles come September.

 

Dave


We’re sometimes in competition with the bears for the blackberries here.

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I can’t eat baked beans.  This is because my sister told me when I was about four years old that they were rabbit droppings in tins with tommy sauce, and as my sister would never tell me a fib to wind me up and play with my head, of course I believed her.  Of course, common sense soon prevailed even in me, and I know they are beans that have been baked and nothing more sinister, but the rabbit dropping idea was firmly fixed in that most mortal of enemies, my subconscious mind, which knows what they really are!

 

Strangely, her assertion that tinned spaghetti was worms has not lodged itself in my subconscious in the same way; I avoid this stuff because I prefer proper pasta that I can make my own sauce for.  

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There’s a scene in The Longest Day where an elderly German reservist lookout with binoculars spots the invasion fleet approaching in the morning half-light, does a does a double-take, and phones HQ with the news that the horizon is black with Allied ships and the invasion is coming.  HQ don’t believe him initially, but ask where they are headed for.  ‘For Me!!!’, he says.  
 

It must have been pretty much like that from the defenders’ pov. 

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16 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

I can’t eat baked beans.  This is because my sister told me when I was about four years old that they were rabbit droppings in tins with tommy sauce, and as my sister would never tell me a fib to wind me up and play with my head, of course I believed her.  Of course, common sense soon prevailed even in me, and I know they are beans that have been baked and nothing more sinister, but the rabbit dropping idea was firmly fixed in that most mortal of enemies, my subconscious mind, which knows what they really are!

 

Strangely, her assertion that tinned spaghetti was worms has not lodged itself in my subconscious in the same way; I avoid this stuff because I prefer proper pasta that I can make my own sauce for.  

I have a simlar thing with Ryvita, I made a sandwich of two them and little curl of butter came through a hole. Despite the fact that I knew a couple of seconds later it wasn't a maggot it's put me off them for life. Not that I'm missing much.

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1 hour ago, SM42 said:

have spent the morning trying to fix the leaky cold tap in the kitchen.

We had one of those and direct replacement cartridges were no longer available so a new tap was ordered. I could not release the old one from below the sink unit so my Dremel was deployed. 
The taps in the “cloakroom” sink seem to have some very non standard washer fittings.  The temporary bodge seems ok but I do have new taps ready to replace them when it fails. There is a lot more room to move by that sink than being stuck under the kitchen sink unit.  

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5 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

My Valet carries this with him, to provide the power.  As you can imagine he has very strong arms, especially after we wanted to use the electric launch to go water skiing.

 

image.png.9aa6123b2f8f220ebf06ab60c4519373.png

 

He's quite a useful chap oops sorry should have also said chapette as well don't want be accused of sexism. He dishes out your Christmas cards, provides you with electricity anything else he does or don't you want to mention that?

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Matthew ( probably about 12) and I were standing at the waters edge at Lion sur Mer looking up to the road. He said “Granddad must have been very brave to land here on D Day”. I said he had actually told me that he was keen to get off the ship, that unlike the infantry he was in an armoured vehicle, and as they had reversed on, last on (him), was first off. Matthew then said he thought it was good that as a result of D Day  we were able to sit there having a picnic. 

Edited by Tony_S
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27 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

 

He's quite a useful chap oops sorry should have also said chapette as well don't want be accused of sexism. He dishes out your Christmas cards, provides you with electricity anything else he does or don't you want to mention that?

He is also employed to rid me of troublesome priests persons.

 

These days, I have better things to do than be involved in merciless bloodletting.

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1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

We had one of those and direct replacement cartridges were no longer available so a new tap was ordered. I could not release the old one from below the sink unit so my Dremel was deployed. 
The taps in the “cloakroom” sink seem to have some very non standard washer fittings.  The temporary bodge seems ok but I do have new taps ready to replace them when it fails. There is a lot more room to move by that sink than being stuck under the kitchen sink unit.  

 

I couldn't find the receipt for ours to identify the make and model ( "why do you keep all thos paper?" O get asked. " this is why I say"

 

Luckily Mrs SM42 spotted the makers name on the tap and a quick phone call,  some photos  emailed to them and they identified  the model for me. 

 

No spares available but they knew a company that carried them or I  could buy a new tap at cost. 

 

The cartridge was the easy route

 

I've only really saved about £40 by not replacing the whole tap but i saved a whole lot more hassle than I had today

 

Waiting for the hot water cartridge to arrive now. 

 

Andy

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2 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

Oh dear, not handbags at dawn coming up I hope.

 

Dave

Don’t be silly, Hunt.


If ever The Bear and I had to settle our differences (not that we really have that many) it would not be with something silly like  “handbags at dawn“, The Bear and I are not your run-of-the-mill, common-or-garden scrotes, y’know.

 

IF we had to settle our differences, it would be…


Bloody…

Brutal…

Mean…

Moody…

Magnificent…

 

Mano-a-Mano, No Quarter Asked, No Quarter Given….

 

It would be The ultimate test of endurance, fortitude, guile, willpower, determination, experience, insight, strength and agility…

 

Man versus Bear…

Nature versus Science…

 

One winner, one loser, NO second place “must try harder”


It would be….

 

….. a scoffin’ contest

 

How much food (by weight) can the winner put away in a set time period? (And to ensure that no one has a home turf advantage, menus would be swapped around: iL Dottore would have to scoff plates of egg, sausage, beans and chips; while The Bear would have to eat iL Dottore’’s Nouilles aux Fruits de Mere avec un sauce pernod et créme fraiche…

 

It could go to the judges….

Edited by iL Dottore
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51 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Don’t be silly, Hunt.


If ever The Bear and I had to settle our differences (not that we really have that many) it would not be with something silly like  “handbags at dawn“, The Bear and I are not your run-of-the-mill, common-or-garden scrotes, y’know.

 

IF we had to settle our differences, it would be…


Bloody…

Brutal…

Mean…

Moody…

Magnificent…

 

Mano-a-Mano, No Quarter Asked, No Quarter Given….

 

It would be The ultimate test of endurance, fortitude, guile, willpower, determination, experience, insight, strength and agility…

 

Man versus Bear…

Nature versus Science…

 

One winner, one loser, NO second place “must try harder”


It would be….

 

….. a scoffin’ contest

 

How much food (by weight) can the winner put away in a set time period? (And to ensure that no one has a home turf advantage, menus would be swapped around: iL Dottore would have to scoff plates of egg, sausage, beans and chips; while The Bear would have to eat iL Dottore’’s Nouilles aux Fruits de Mere avec un sauce pernod et créme fraiche…

 

It could go to the judges….

 

Too much "avec"*....

 

* "Unseen Academicals", naturally...

 

Edited by Hroth
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4 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

Too much "avec"....

 

And a way ManMano is a French on line retailer.  What would they price two worn out supervillains at. 

 

Jamie

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24 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

And a way ManMano is a French on line retailer.  What would they price two worn out supervillains at. 

 

Jamie

Mano A Mano - the ultimate macho test: hand-to-hand fighting (which I’m sure you’ve had your share of in the plod). As i am sure you knew…

 

As to the second line of your comment: I can’t speak for The Bear, but I’m certainly not worn out or worn down or even (fully) run-in. I haven’t even started to reach the height of my powers. Neither, I suspect, has The Bear

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48 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

And a way ManMano is a French on line retailer.  What would they price two worn out supervillains at. 

 

Jamie

Whatever price, I should imagine it would be a Dutch auction

 

Still, I presume Mr's iL Dottore would walk away with a grateful and cuddly bear

Edited by Happy Hippo
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20 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Name calling Bear?

 

Really?

 

How tragic.

 

It merely amuses me whilst demeaning yourself.

 

 

Ah, but Bear achieved his objective of amusing iD....... 😃

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4 hours ago, pH said:


We’re sometimes in competition with the bears for the blackberries here.

 

You'd deprive a poor hungry Bear out of his Berries?

Shame Shame, know your name..... 

 

4 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

Having a bit of a lie down at the moment. I thought I’d got away with yesterday’s and this morning’s garage clearing and tidying but no such luck - my lower back and sciatica have kicked in big time. Pah! 

 

Dave

 

Hopefully Mrs. H feels suitably guilty (it's all being done so that she can have a new Kitchen, after all) and loads of Brownie Points have been earned - along with oodles of cake and the promise of a F/E (and Bear means FULL - agony has gotta be worth ten items at least) in bed in the morning.

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