Early Risers.

[iL Dottore]

On 20/08/2021 at 15:38, TheQ said:

….Yours to hire on the broads.. £1857 a week next year..

 

PS that's cheap for a boat of this size.. it could be just short of £3000..

Good heavens! That’s a much, much more expensive than the last canalboat I rented (okay, that was more than a few years ago).  I suspect that the boat operator is taking advantage of, quite literally, a captive audience to bump up his prices in order to recoup some of the losses he must’ve undoubtably incurred in 2020.
Understandable, but not really a great long-term approach for ensuring that sufficient numbers of holidaymakers will holiday in Britain after travel restrictions are completely lifted.

On 20/08/2021 at 20:28, simontaylor484 said:

….I have never been to Venice we did look at going but we were quoted £300 for the transfers from the airport…

When making your enquiry, were you wearing a T-shirt that read “I am a tourist: fleece me”?  I have never paid that much for a single Venice airport to hotel transfer - even by private water taxi (the Venetian equivalent of a limo from the airport).  Of course, being able to speak Italian does mean  you can easily negotiate with the local service provider, whether hotel or taxi service or whatever…

But, to be fair to you Simon, I think this is a trick played by travel agencies and travel companies worldwide. I have been quoted prices for trips (transfers, flights and hotels)  by Swiss travel agencies that were three or four (or more!) times more than what I would spend arranging my own travel and accommodation (something that holds true whether travelling to Europe or further abroad)

On 20/08/2021 at 21:22, polybear said:

….Venice "after hours" - when all the grockles have gone home - is a totally different place, but still buzzin' (most shops are open until 10-ish, for example).  Many restaurants have "Menu Touristica" - about six Euros IIRC. …

Venice “out of season“ is even better: no mindless Instagram worshipping cruise ship cretins, crisp weather (Venice can get very muggy at times during the summer) and daytime access to everything you want to visit and see without having to battle through a crowd of people who have really no interest in Venice beyond adding an appropriate selfie for their farcebook page.

 

I do, however, counsel against the “menu touristico” - As the food will be generally aimed at those who know nothing about Venetian food (or Italian food in general for that matter). Italians are incredibly and fiercely regional about their food and things like pizza and lasagna - frequently mainstays of tourist menus – are as typically Venetian as I am Scottish! For an inexpensive lunch go to a bar and you get an espresso and a tramezzino (only clueless foreigners drink cappuccino after breakfast) and then - before you go out for dinner - you find a nice bar and have un’ombra and a plate or two of cichéti (like tapas) before heading towards a backstreet restaurant where the menu is only in Italian and features mostly fish (one of the best meals I have ever had was in Venice in a restaurant which proudly announced on a blackboard in front of it that they were [loosely translated] “ we are too old and too stupid to learn how to make pizza and lasagna, but we do know a little bit about cooking fish“) 

 

A final thought about eating abroad: wherever possible, no matter where you are, go where the locals go and only to those restaurants where the menu is only available in the local language. Going to any restaurant, no matter where you are in the world, that has a pre-printed menu in five major languages, is pretty much an invitation to be ripped off, for the most part, for mediocre and expensive (sometimes very expensive) food (and, yes, I know there are honourable exceptions. But avoiding such places is a good rule of thumb).

[jamie92208]

4 hours ago, TheQ said:

I'm surprised southern states are asking northern states for ICU facilities, Covid for the serious cases is normally an extreme  breathing problem, moving people such people by air would be very difficult and hugely expensive. You'd need airborne ICU to do it..

 

Time I think, to try for more sleep.

The French have been shuffling ICU patients around by TGV since thevearlyndays of the pandemic.  A remarkable operation with one set for the medics and the other for SNCF staff. IIRC it was 32 fully anaesthetised  patients per train with roughly 18 medical staff to each.  There was an excellent  article detailing the operation in the French magazine that I subscribe to.  It worked.

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from a rather wet Stalag Luft Bywater.  It's good to see ID back among us after his trip to inspect Captain Cynicals cake repository and check it's defences.  

 

Yes indeed I do seem to have been very lucky and apart from 2 days where mojo went Awol, I've been generally  OK and even managed some muddling, whilst sitting in the garden.  I am so lucky compared to so many.  I even managed to fire up a new smart phone yesterday and transfer most of my data and accounts. I even installed my internet banking app without help.  What is very obvious is, that joking apart, the ruddy virus, is not to be laughed at. Age and weight are against me but I seem to have come through OK.  The real test will be when I get home and start doing major physical activity, such as moving log piles etc. I did have a call from test and trace yesterday and they told me what symptoms to look for.  Fortunately I can say that I'm clear of everything except for a slight cough and no sense of smell.  According to Test and Trace those two are persistent, well after I cease to be infectious

 

Anyway a new day has dawned. Our babysitying yesterday was a success, even if Emily insisted on taking Beth for a long walk when it rained heavily.  Her mums had gone out on the town for the first time in many many months. The came back via train and taxi about 10pm having had a good time.  

 

Today they are taking Emily out and we are being left in peace.  More rain is forecast so more books may be read or even a jigsaw attempted.

 

The Prisoner of Zenda

 

3 more days to serve.

Edited August 22, 2021 by jamie92208

[Barry O]

Ey up!

 

Another game due to be rained on today. Pah!

Her indoors has been investigating a holiday next year. As our original locations are in "no entry" mode we may need to travel to somewhere a lot closer. Prices in the UK have got very silly with a week away nearly as much as 14 days in the sun. 

 

Time to get my raincoat ready for later.

Enjoy your day!

Baz

 

 

[polybear]

6 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Out of curiosity, which one? (If it's recent I have built it.)
 

I just finished the LEGO Ideas Typewriter (21327) this afternoon. Some of that was fiendish. (It's 18+) A token 'key' strikes, and the carriage advances. You can feed it with paper.

 

Lego has certainly changed from when Bear used to enter the Fishpools Dept. Store Lego Building Competition every Chrimbo.....

Looking at the Lego website certainly comes up with some, er, unusual subjects:

https://www.lego.com/en-gb/product/adidas-originals-superstar-10282

Though I do rather fancy the following, though not at that price:

https://www.lego.com/en-gb/product/millennium-falcon-75192?ef_id=EAIaIQobChMI6vTZ1P7D8gIVD7rtCh3LjQcZEAQYASABEgKXGfD_BwE:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!933!3!531765726471!!!u!1045168648545!&cmp=KAC-INI-GOOGEU-GO-GB-EN-RE-SP-BUY-CREATE-PLA-SHOP-BP-SP-RN-SMART_SHOPPING_BESTSELLERS

 

5 hours ago, TheQ said:

01:20 Ben comes hurtling upstairs, repeatedly running from SWMBOs  side of the bed to mine and back.

 So I get up and he runs downstairs, instead of going to bed like last night, he's run to the back door, which I open, he runs and disappears into the darkness. It's obviously just stopped precipitating heavily water dripping from the trees. A few minutes later he comes back and goes to bed.

 

When a doggie gotta dump....a doggie gotta dump......

 

5 hours ago, TheQ said:

I'm surprised southern states are asking northern states for ICU facilities, Covid for the serious cases is normally an extreme  breathing problem, moving people such people by air would be very difficult and hugely expensive. You'd need airborne ICU to do it..

 

 

 

Unless the hope is for the ICU kit to be transferred "down south".  Good luck getting it back, though.

 

23 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Venice “out of season“ is even better: no mindless Instagram worshipping cruise ship cretins, crisp weather (Venice can get very muggy at times during the summer) and daytime access to everything you want to visit and see without having to battle through a crowd of people who have really no interest in Venice beyond adding an appropriate selfie for their farcebook page.

 

iD's back!! 

Bear's two trips to Venice have both been in September (the last was in 2017); busy - yes - but not to the extreme (though the "significant" areas such as St. Marks Square can have their moments).  I would love to have gone for a look-see during lockdown - there were features on TV about it, and it looked a completely different place; even some of the locals (those not struggling because of no trade) were pleased, in a strange sort of way.

 

23 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

I do, however, counsel against the “menu touristico” - As the food will be generally aimed at those who know nothing about Venetian food (or Italian food in general for that matter). Italians are incredibly and fiercely regional about their food and things like pizza and lasagna - frequently mainstays of tourist menus – are as typically Venetian as I am Scottish!

 

 

Bear did realise when posting this that I was leaving myself wide open ridicule from to CC...

However such menus are very useful if you're on a budget because they're (a) widely available, (b) cheap - and with little chance of getting caught out by "tricks" such as "per etto" and (in Bear's experience) more than palatable - though no doubt not in CC's culinary league.  Bear would add that Pizza & Pasta are staple diets when in Italy - with Fish most definitely "not doing it" for me - which is kinda strange for a Bear I know; however I would point out that Paddington "does" Marmalade and Garfield "does" Lasagna...).  However, I do think that Italian Chefs are somewhat "tight" on the sauce when preparing a Carbonara.  Incoming.....

 

In other news:

Let's see now....washing to do , then some kitchen work and sorting/tidying work......

[Andrew P]

The Sun shineth on the Souf, well in bits and pieces anyway.

 

A nice walk for the paper and today good people I have a Stainers Bakery Jam Swiss Roll and from the same source a Lemon Vanilla  Roll, There is also half a Belgium Bun to consume from yesterday.

 

Still missing many old favourites from ER, come back Guys and Galls, we miss you all.

 

Have a good day one and all, stay safe and keep well.

Edited August 22, 2021 by Andrew P

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

Very dull here. I didn’t hear any thunder but there were a couple of flashes of lightning. I have no idea what we will be doing today. Flavio suggested I do some gargoyle carving. Unfortunately my woodworking skills are more suited to making sawdust or shavings than anything artistic. Dad was looking forward to retiring and spending time in his shed carving but he didn’t live long enough to do much. I do have many of his tools but only because Mum was going to dispose of them. 
The journeys to and from Enfield yesterday were not too bad, the A13 was closed all weekend again (new bridge and junction ) so everything was diverted to the A127 making it busier than usual but the M25 was fairly clear. 
Tony
 

[Tony_S]

31 minutes ago, polybear said:

do think that Italian Chefs are somewhat "tight" on the sauce when preparing a Carbonara.

I didn’t think spaghetti carbonara had a sauce. Perhaps I have been making it incorrectly. 

[Mike Bellamy]

9 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

 Unfortunately my woodworking skills are more suited to making sawdust or shavings than anything artistic. Dad was looking forward to retiring and spending time in his shed carving but he didn’t live long enough to do much. I do have many of his tools but only because Mum was going to dispose of them. 
 

 

A few years ago before I retired, we went on a 'Team Building Exercise' in the middle of Sherwood Forest. The morning was spent in a 'Yurt' discussing reorganisation at work and then in the afternoon we were fire lighting, shelter building and wood carving. The first two went ok but I wasn't so successful at the carving. What started off as an attempt to make a spatula for the kitchen at home didn't go very well as I had chosen a piece of wood that was far to big and in the end the instructor described it as a cricket bat for a three year old !

 

I have a couple of my Dad's plumbing tools but don't have the skills to put them to any proper use. My Brother, who had worked with Dad for about 40 years didn't want them as they duplicated everything he already had. However he did inherit Dad's prize possession, which was the first proper tool he ever owned which was a hammer his Mother bought for him when he started his apprenticeship in 1942. Of course he had many hammers after that but always took care of the first one and it was all still original without a replacement head or shaft. It's now been cleaned and polished and is displayed on the fireplace.

.

[andyram]

Morning all and generic greetings to one and all. Special wishes to @chrisf I hope that the treatment improves things. I do feel that there are positives amongst the news.

 

I have been away from the pages for a day or two and I am writing this from my bed, looking out on a sunny corner of Bewdley. Over six months after actually turning 40, my wife finally gets to enjoy her 40th gift - a visit to the West Midlands Safari Park, complete with an overnight stay in one of their lodges. This particular one overlooks the cheetah enclosure and we have enjoyed some great views of these stunning creatures. 

 

The day did not get off to the best of starts with heavy rain for the journey. The park was very busy on arrival and it took a while to get to the slip road down to the Safari Lodge reception. Once on the slip road, it took three attempts to contact the reception via the intercom to get the barrier raised. Then poor signage meant that the reception was difficult to find and, having parked in a "five minute waiting" parking bay, my anxiety was sky high and the fuse extremely short. This was compounded by Amber announcing, five minutes after arrival in the lodge, that she has left her phone in my car which was located back in the main car park. This meant an SOS call to main reception and a member of staff taxi-ing me back through the reserve to collect the phone.

 

 Thankfully things have turned out ok since. The lodge is beautiful and we have had some close up views of the cheetahs as they pass the large picture windows. A walk around the complex has allowed views across the elephant and tiger enclosures. Through the trees we even glimpsed a steam loco (Standard 4 75069) heading back to Bewdley MPD at the end of the day's service. The evening meal, delivered to the lodge, was delicious and we sat in the outdoor viewing areas with a alcoholic drink watching the cheetahs devouring their own food.

 Overall a much needed relaxing evening in the end. We are awaiting arrival of breakfast before heading off around the park again before we head for home. I will try to check in later. 

 

Have a good day.

 

Andy

[JohnDMJ]

Good morning Awl, and welcome back Flavio!

 

Battle to be done shortly with the local trains in order to obtain some provisions for today and tomorrow.

 

Thank you, Flavio, for your comments

 

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Actually, John, you’ll be surprised how much surgery is now done under “local anaesthetic“ and what “local anaesthetic“ actually means.

All my knee surgeries (including installing the protheses bilaterally) were done under “local anaesthesia“ -  which included processes like nerve blocks as well as epidural and spinal anaesthesia.

Generally, you’d get an intravenous line through which you would receive something like propofol and fentanyl, the anaesthesiologist would then administer an anaesthetic (such as bupivicaine) through a cannula into the cerebrospinal fluid and off you go…

Certainly, if you get intravenous fentanyl and propofol you will definitely be communing with the astral plane and will be feeling no pain.

One thing does surprise me, however. And that is you have not been asked to talk to the anaesthesiologist before your Op. Here in Switzerland it is normal procedure to have a consultation with the anaesthesiologist before the surgery (so he/she can assess  what will be the best anaesthesiological approach for you and your particular operation)

 

My 'consideration' of local anaesthetic is what the dentist uses - like paracetamol it does nothing for me! As the operation is to my eyelid, I want to be out for the count to ensure I see nothing either! A pre-op appointment is already in place when I will raise these concerns and try to ascertain the post op 'repair' time before normal activities can be resumed. I am also mindful that the Eye department seems to be in a world of its own; I have already postponed one appointment having told them that I was due with ENT for a possibly related issue and an ocular review might be better with the results from ENT in hand; what did they do? Booked the eye appointment for the day before the ENT! They are also aware that I am under cardiac investigation and suggested that the op be carried out after that; I still await the cardiac assessments!

[New Haven Neil]

Crikey John, take care mate, that's quite a list.

 

Moring world, dry at last (outside) and 18c.  Meeting up with friends for a kayak adventure all the way down to Port Erin, then a slap up dinner in the posh hotel down there, trad British Sunday dinner but it is of markedly high quality.  The Maitre'd is the same guy that served us there as the carving chef on our first visit here in 1986. Nice old boy, very proud of his hotel service.

 

The visit to the railway yesterday was rather wet, but it is a stunning setting with the IoM train making a pass just as we were by the line too.  Photos later this evening on Night Mail, not risking it here!

[leopardml2341]

Morning. 

 

Quite a heavy downpour overnight, but South Derbyshire is, for the moment,  quite bright and dry.

 

Time to do more of the list, bye for now. 

 

Hope everyone has a good day, stafe safe, well and sane.

[pH]

6 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Yes, I built that one. The harp is quite tricky.

I just could not get the harp to go together properly - and it looks so simple!

[45156]

18 hours ago, 45156 said:

 now we can't find the adaptor - I'm guessing and hoping that it has been scooped up with the clothes, and is in one of the small bags.  We will have to get them down tomorrow and decant all the clothes.

Well we did that - it's not there - we also checked all the rubbish bags, and it's not there either - a mystery.  One now ordered from the Vax website - cost £1.99, postage £2.99 - it'll now turn up in the most unexpected place.

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, Andrew P said:

Still missing many old favourites from ER, come back Guys and Galls, we miss you all.

Agreed. 
 

Good morning all. With the stress on morning rather than good.  Observant ERs may have noticed my short absence.  Dr. SWMBO has been feeling under the weather not helped by having the Dragon-in-Law also being in a bit of a state. Both seem to have canines of colour off-leash and compounded by Covid-driven mental issues and medical conditions. 
 

I have not escaped the latter. Slight niggles which have not self-repaired got the better of me on Friday and, in the absence of any availability at the local surgery (next appointment 7th September  and they wonder why A&E and 111 are overstretched) I called 111 at lunchtime. 
 

I was assessed by a question-tree system eliminating one condition after another and when nothing was indicated at their end I was promised a call-back from a GP for further investigation. 

During the ensuing hours I received three call-backs to check if there had been any changes. Finall at 10pm a nearby out-of-hours GP called me. He was very apologetic of the response time, absoloutely thorough and decided he should see me in person. So we drove to the surgery and I received the lung function test which I knew I needed. I also received prescriptions for the medication I knew I needed. Antibiotics and a blue inhaler. Same as I had two years ago. 
 

And advice to keep the appointment with my own GP in September for review purposes and possibly a steroidal inhaler. It seems the dreaded asthma is catching up with me as I get a bit older. 
 

I’ll add that to the list then. And if mandatory masks return then I’m already exempt though will continue to wear one for short times in crowded places. 
 

On with Sunday then. After a visit to my domestic pharmacy. 

[polybear]

3 minutes ago, 45156 said:

Well we did that - it's not there - we also checked all the rubbish bags, and it's not there either - a mystery.  One now ordered from the Vax website - cost £1.99, postage £2.99 - it'll now turn up in the most unexpected place.

 

It's not on the end of the Vax is it?

 

In other news:

Bear missed out on yet another kibuilt loco .

Turdycurses.

[45156]

12 minutes ago, polybear said:

It's not on the end of the Vax is it?

Checked that, but no

[tigerburnie]

Morning, late on parade we have recorded The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, lost count how many times I have seen it, but it was better than what else was on offer, so we had a late night. It's been raining, but dry now, so we may venture out somewhere avoiding people where possible, still almost two weeks to the funeral, seems to be taking for ever, so trying to avoid picking up the virus. Stay safe and take care and I hope those ailing are soon on the road to repair.

[polybear]

In 1998 animal testing for cosmetics was stopped in the UK, making the UK a global leader on this issue. 

The UK Government is reconsidering its position following a ruling in Europe, which insists that some ingredients need to be tested on animals to ensure it is safe. We must stop this from becoming a return to animal testing.

https://www.change.org/p/uk-parliament-stop-uk-govt-return-to-animal-testing?redirect=false

 

And on a completely different note - and for iD:

Timex are alive and kicking it seems (though how "original" it is I have no idea):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=timex+watches&adgrpid=52358118199&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_7m47v_D8gIVB-vtCh1rLwYZEAAYAiAAEgLU_PD_BwE&hvadid=259085132347&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1006997&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=8964091499338622571&hvtargid=kwd-298458735057&hydadcr=28148_1724781&tag=googhydr-21&ref=pd_sl_9s7f5hifft_e

 

 

Edited August 22, 2021 by polybear

[Andrew P]

46 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

Agreed. 
 

Good morning all. With the stress on morning rather than good.  Observant ERs may have noticed my short absence.  Dr. SWMBO has been feeling under the weather not helped by having the Dragon-in-Law also being in a bit of a state. Both seem to have canines of colour off-leash and compounded by Covid-driven mental issues and medical conditions. 
 

I have not escaped the latter. Slight niggles which have not self-repaired got the better of me on Friday and, in the absence of any availability at the local surgery (next appointment 7th September  and they wonder why A&E and 111 are overstretched) I called 111 at lunchtime. 
 

I was assessed by a question-tree system eliminating one condition after another and when nothing was indicated at their end I was promised a call-back from a GP for further investigation. 

During the ensuing hours I received three call-backs to check if there had been any changes. Finall at 10pm a nearby out-of-hours GP called me. He was very apologetic of the response time, absoloutely thorough and decided he should see me in person. So we drove to the surgery and I received the lung function test which I knew I needed. I also received prescriptions for the medication I knew I needed. Antibiotics and a blue inhaler. Same as I had two years ago. 
 

And advice to keep the appointment with my own GP in September for review purposes and possibly a steroidal inhaler. It seems the dreaded asthma is catching up with me as I get a bit older. 
 

I’ll add that to the list then. And if mandatory masks return then I’m already exempt though will continue to wear one for short times in crowded places. 
 

On with Sunday then. After a visit to my domestic pharmacy. 

WOW Rick, Take care of your self and your good Lady.

[PupCam]

15 minutes ago, polybear said:

Timex are alive and kicking it seems (though how "original" it is I have no idea):

 

This made for an interesting 5 minute read whilst supping on the mugocoffee

 

https://www.timex.co.uk/the-timex-story/

[iL Dottore]

On 21/08/2021 at 01:33, monkeysarefun said:

Saw news a couple of weeks ago, Alabaman crowd cheering Marjorie Taylor Greene for congratulating  Alabama for having one  of the lowest vaccination rates in the US , and that if door to door vaccinations were attempted by "the guvmnt" then they'd be met by southerners "Exercisin their secund ammindmint rights" 

 

Saw news last night, Alabama has now run out of ICU beds......

I am afraid that I have no sympathy for such individuals, especially as of late.

 

One of the professional medical news feeds I get has recently highlighted a growing problem for medics of all types: which is they are being threatened and sometimes even assaulted by patients when they ask those patients to wear a mask!

 

Quite frankly, it is just as well I do not see patients, because the first person who came to be treated by me and who threatened me for asking them to wear a mask would be greeted by the response of “okay, fine. I won’t treat you then, enjoy dying from your heart attack/cancer/stroke/whatever….” It may not be completely in the spirit of the Hippocratic Oath, but the first thing you need to do before treating anyone in any circumstance is to ensure that you are safe and able to do your job!
 

One final thing: there are very credible rumours circulating on the medical grapevine that there are a number of significant high profile anti-vaxxers who actually have, secretly, received both vaccine jabs!

 

As always “everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others“

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Overslept this morning so late on parade, be back after brunch.

[iL Dottore]

3 hours ago, polybear said:

…..Bear did realise when posting this that I was leaving myself wide open ridicule from to CC...

However such menus are very useful if you're on a budget because they're (a) widely available, (b) cheap - and with little chance of getting caught out by "tricks" such as "per etto" and (in Bear's experience) more than palatable - though no doubt not in CC's culinary league.  Bear would add that Pizza & Pasta are staple diets when in Italy - with Fish most definitely "not doing it" for me - which is kinda strange for a Bear I know; however I would point out that Paddington "does" Marmalade and Garfield "does" Lasagna...).  However, I do think that Italian Chefs are somewhat "tight" on the sauce when preparing a Carbonara.  Incoming.....

Not ridicule, my Dear Bear, more of a “tut, tut, and I thought that Bears are omnivorous”

Better than the tourist menu is the fixed lunch often offered by small Trattorias or Bistros, although to go to the very best of these you definitely need insider knowledge (I have more than once gone out for an excellent and inexpensive working lunch with noted professors of oncology who suggested we could discuss trial design over lunch at their favoured “works canteen” ).  The other thing to do, in order to avail oneself of the best that these fixed price menus can offer, is to know something about the cuisine of the region being visited.  Bear mentioned he doesn’t eat fish (definitely very odd for an Ursine individual, does he eat seafood?),  in Venice one can dine very well on local Venetian versions of things like pasta e fagioli or polenta con salsiccia.

As for the “incoming”, have no fear Captain Cynical has not got you in his crosshairs (nor is likely to for the foreseeable future).  But a sufficiently riled Captain Cynical would definitely mean that the bear would have to armour up like Iorek Byrnison…

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

I didn’t think spaghetti carbonara had a sauce. Perhaps I have been making it incorrectly. 

Nope, I think you are doing it well right. Cooked Spaghetti (or properly bucatini) is immediately tossed after draining with bacon lardons (or to be very authentic guanciale) that have been slowly sweated down to release their fat with some beaten egg quickly added so that the heat of the pasta and the lardons cook the egg but leave it creamy. To be completely authentic, no cream or grated cheese is used - just some freshly ground black pepper to finish the dish (This quintessentially Roman dish, like all things food in Italy, is the subject of intense debate about the proportions of the meat, the egg and the pasta. Some Roman authorities - heretics in my book – also favour the use of pecorino Romano [never Parmesan] a suggestion “i diskard with skorn”)

1 hour ago, JohnDMJ said:

…..My 'consideration' of local anaesthetic is what the dentist uses - like paracetamol it does nothing for me! As the operation is to my eyelid, I want to be out for the count to ensure I see nothing either!…

Oh dear. Well firstly, I hope that your cardiovascular problems are suitably addressed before your Op. Secondly, you can rest assured that “local anaesthesia“  is going to be somewhat more sophisticated than what your dentist uses (by the way, a note of caution: if you really do not benefit from lidocaine or any of its derivatives when used as a local anaesthetic, DO mention it  well before surgery so suitable adaptations can be made to your anaesthesia). 

As for “being out for the count“ modern soporifics mean that whilst technically you won’t be “unconscious“ you will definitely not be aware of your surroundings.

One of the benefits of modern anaesthesia is that you can really enjoy the benefits normally associated with illegal/recreational pharmaceuticals and do so completely legally!

1 hour ago, pH said:

I just could not get the harp to go together properly - and it looks so simple!

But isn’t that just proof of an inviolable axiom of engineering/music/model making/cooking and baking - that the easy things look hard and hard things look easy?

31 minutes ago, polybear said:

In 1998 animal testing for cosmetics was stopped in the UK, making the UK a global leader on this issue. 

The UK Government is reconsidering its position following a ruling in Europe, which insists that some ingredients need to be tested on animals to ensure it is safe. We must stop this from becoming a return to animal testing.

https://www.change.org/p/uk-parliament-stop-uk-govt-return-to-animal-testing?redirect=false

I am very much in agreement. Because of the expense, validity (not all animal research is extrapolatable to humans )not to mention the ethical/moral aspects, in the pharmaceutical industry animal testing is kept to the very, very minimum necessary. Why the cosmetic industry or the food industry feel it is necessary to test new ingredients this way is beyond me. Sacrificing animal lives to produce drugs to relieve pain and suffering is one thing, but to sacrifice animals so some idiot can have a cosmetic or cheap mass-produced food stuff is another matter entirely!