Early Risers.

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[iL Dottore]

9 hours ago, leopardml2341 said:

Think I'll be giving ERs a miss for a while, not the same as it used to be.

Sounds like you’re suffering from nostalgia, dear boy.

ER has always been “not the same as it used to be”

Life goes on….

9 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Never 'erd of 'em. Had to look it up:

Sounds like something my dad might like. He's a big fan of mushy peas.

I didn’t try either the Tiger Pie or the Meat Pie Floater when I was in Oz, more’s the pity. Perhaps, when I reach my desired weight, I’ll try making a Meat Pie Floater at home.

Should be eminently comforting on a wet, cold winter’s day.

8 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

A shout-out to the Royal Mail and the US Post Office: I ordered something from Hatton's on 09sep21 and it arrived today 15sep21; that is, to me, impressive service!

It happens, it happens….

8 hours ago, simontaylor484 said:

I haven't got a clue on @iL Dottore current quiz. 

Believe in yourself, Simon, believe in yourself….

You can do it….

7 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

Neither have I, the British  pie awards seem much more interesting. 

Well, thanks a lot!

Try and create something interesting, challenging and thought provoking and this is what you get….

 

I might as well not bother.

 

Well done @polybear! Well researched, although your comments reveal a deep seated aversion to cream  - I believe that you can get pills for this sort of thing, nowadays 

 

My thanks to everyone who “gave the quizzes a go” I’ll post the answers to the food quiz later today and then it’s back to only posting about the minutiae of life for a while….

 

iD

Edited September 16, 2021 by iL Dottore

[chrisf]

Greetings

 

I learned yesterday that my next appointment with Professor Oncologist has been brought forward by a month.  That’s fine, except that I have to have a blood test beforehand.  That must now take place this afternoon, that being the last possible moment.  The process of arranging the test showed up the inadequacies of the hospital telephone system all too clearly.  I read nothing sinister into the rescheduled appointment.  It looks like a whole day’s clinic has been shifted and gives me a month less in which to worry about what I will be told.  The letter was printed on yellow paper – very fetching!

 

Last night was clearly inconvenient for most of the membership of Area Group.  This is strange, because not so long ago there was a distinct clamour in favour of meeting in person.  We may never know how many of the absentees spent the evening staring forlornly at a lifeless screen where once there would have been Zoom.  Perhaps they were all captivated by the TV programme about the night life of koalas!  I shall enjoy that this morning [I hope] before trekking off for the latest blood test.

 

Best wishes to all

 

Chris   

[Grizz]

14 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Now where's an Eddie Stobart with brake failure when you need one?

 

 

Where is 'The President of the Centre Lanes Owners Club' when you need them???     or '3 people in search of a smack in the mouth sponsored by Volvo!!!'

 

(Please note "Other vehicle makes available" and "willing volunteers please form an orderly queue!" ....oh wait..... it looks like they are already forming an orderly queue on the opposite carriageway......it just needs a chequered flag and somewhere to turn them around on to the other carriageway. 

 

 

Is it just me or does the 'church representative and his associates' seem to be rather over optimistically relying on using brand new orange hi viz vests and a banner to ensure that traffic will actually stop?    Or perhaps divine intervention will play its part if their foray into safety critical traffic stopping on a 4 lane motorway does not quite go as planned???                               I'd love to see the RAMS for this one. What could possibly go wrong? 

 

Edited September 16, 2021 by Grizz
auto crattot seplling

[polybear]

8 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Now I have a shiny new hand rail fitted to the stairs. Its stainless steel not aluminium as I first thought but I can now feel a lot more confident using the stairs with my dodgy legs.

 

Whilst Bear was searching for a suitable "sliding down the bannisters" picture to post I came across this:

 

 

- Which in turn originates from this article; all very sad, but.....

 

"......filed their ($0.5M) lawsuit in Cook County on Tuesday, the Chicago Sun Times reported.  ........and claims their daughter died as a result of their combined negligence.

They allege that the named parties allowed ball-goers to 'consume unlimited amounts of alcoholic beverages' after purchasing a pre-paid ticket and failed to provide security to protect those in attendance."

 

Hmmm....

 

edit:  Bear was left wondering if the lawsuit was successful?  Well, it is the USA.....

 

At trial, the Plaintiffs’ settlement demand was $4.7 Million and the Defendant offered $330,000. During trial, the court struck the affirmative defense of comparative negligence due to non-compliance with motion in limine rulings. With a verdict that should put a scare into defendants everywhere, or at least those who might find themselves hauled into a Cook County Circuit Court, the jury returned a verdict of $4 Million against the hotel.

 

Not sure if they actually got paid out though:

https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/ryan-ori/ct-biz-palmer-house-foreclosure-coronavirus-ryan-ori-20200831-ygv7g6prdffsjcbhjrcniicmdq-story.html

 

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Well, thanks a lot!

 

Our resident Punk Rocker reduces CC to tears .......

Minions have been informed and assigned.....

 

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

...........although your comments reveal a deep seated aversion to cream  - I believe that you can get pills for this sort of thing, nowadays 

 

Just prefix it with the word "butter" - and avoid contaminants such as coffee  and you'll be fine.  Avoids all that unnecessary over-medicating lark.

 

Plan for the day:

The Tiler is expected again today - whereupon things should really start to get serious; yesterday was taken up with prep work, including the levelling up of an area of wall that had a dip in it between the top of the longest length of granite up-stand and the underside of the longest row of wall units.  Looks fine now.....

 

Bear received notification that the Financial Ombudsman isn't planning to chase a certain Bank (there's a horse involved....) for mis-selling a PPI Policy (the terms of which made it invalid from the outset) to Bear many moons ago.  Bear made the big mistake of not posting the claim via registered post  (so can't prove that the Bank received it before the deadline - and receive it they did) - so the Bank has seized upon this accordingly . It seems that all hope is not totally dead - but hope of success is about level with that of raidin' the cake tin at a certain London Palace undetected.  Still, I'll make them jump thru' all the hoops in the forlorn hope that they settle just to get rid - it won't be a big claim anyway, but there's a principle at stake.

So....first job of the day is to log onto that (savings account) to see just how much I can reduce the balance to whilst still receiving the freebie magazine sent every month (which just happens to be "Bike" - certain other subjects being unavailable....).  Now if I can drop it to a quid then I'll be a very happy Bear.....

 

 

edit:    Grizz's back!!  - now where's GDB?

 

Edited September 16, 2021 by polybear

[The Lurker]

11 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

That's quite fascinating. I don't possess a first edition and wouldn't know. Unsurprising that such a detail was important to him, though there's no reason such a plant couldn't have been introduced to Gondor from Far Harad or traders out of Umbar.

 

The scene "The Two Towers: (4) Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit" is one of great comic relief (in both reading the book and the film) in terms of the interaction between Sam and Sméagol/Gollum. It is Sméagol that brings the hobbits rabbits he has caught.

 

The film is pretty faithful to the original, though the dialogue is different in detail but not in tone. Sméagol says "silly hobbit" in the book, rather than "stupid fat hobbit" in the film. It ends with Sméagol's take on Sam's description of fish and chips "(you) keep nassty chips!".

I think I recall reading it in one of the Christopher Tolkien books where he goes through the evolution of the text. but I got those out of the library over 30 years ago - and did return them!

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from a rather damp, and still getting damper Charente.  The chens jave been let out hut en route I discovered a lot of wayer on part of the shed floor. Much stuff has been moved but more remains.  See you later.

 

Jamie

[New Haven Neil]

Morning from a chilly but dry 11c rock.  Norra lot to report really, pleased to hear Rick & Sharon are 'negative' in a positive way....

 

 

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl, Inner Temple hare..

4 hours sleep, long awake trying to get comfortable, 2 hours sleep, woken by Ben the alarm clock Collie saying you're late.. I was.. A much rushed morning routine, meant I left 10 minutes late..

 

 Ben did insist on his full morning patrol though, blue skies, chilly, heavy dew..

 

Went to the stone masons yesterday, no waving of drills, just a pick and shovel used on the teeth, next appointment  9 months, not annual, are they trying to make up missing money by having more appointments? While there, someone was trying to get put on the register, no places available... Judging by the West Ham face mask and accent, another escaped Londoner..

 

Passed deer running across the harvested fields both going to and from the dentists.

 

Of rabbits, on turning a 90 degree corner in the road, on the way in this morning there were half a dozen of them wandering around the road.. 

 

The overnight  equipment run failed at the first hurdle, "equipment missing" it said, oh no it isn't I said. Reset everything, it's running now, but I've lost 2 to 3 hours running time.

 

Did my first latteral flow test yesterday, one of a series I'm doing before heading to visit my parents.. Negative of course, unfortunately there is more chance of catching covid on the way up there, than here, and nothing will pick up it up if you've only been infected an hour before..

 

Time too... carry on merging those spreadsheets for the new system, while waiting for the old system to finish..

[BlackRat]

Greetings one and all, or should that be ...."What a grey day." 

 

Tis misty ere ... which in September bodes well for a bright and sunny day.

 

Shame I'm working today, hah, but not for much longer, decisions and complex calculations have been made with regards to pensions and boss has been told where to go!!

 

Finishing on or abouts the 1st January, in my 60th year and with over 40 years service to the country and community.

 

Now for some me time. Happy daze, long may they last.

[iL Dottore]

Tha answers to the Food Quiz

 

1.    What is the difference between French, Swiss and Italian Meringues?

They’re differentiated by the extent to which the egg white foam is heated and the meringue’s resulting stability French Meringue: egg whites are beaten until they coagulate and form soft peaks, at which point sugar is slowly incorporated until the mixture has attained full volume; is soft, airy, and light; and stands at attention when the whip is lifted. French meringue is customarily spooned or piped into different forms, including dessert shells (such as vacherins) and cake layers (as in a dacquoise) and baked. Swiss Meringue is a gently cooked meringue — the egg whites and sugar are (continually) whisked together and heated over a double-boiler until the sugar dissolves, the mixture starts to thicken, and it reaches a set temperature  and it’s then beaten, right away, off heat, until stiff, glossy peaks form and it feels cool to the touch. It's often used as a base for buttercream frostings, biscuits, or a Pavlova. Italian Meringue is made by drizzling hot sugar syrup into whites that have already been whipped to hold firm peaks. Whipping continues until the meringue is fully voluminous, satiny, stiff, and cool. Italian meringue is often used to frost cakes (alone or as a base for buttercream frostings), to top filled pies, or to lighten ice creams, sorbets, and mousses.

 

2.    Italian Cuisine is fiercely regional and asking for another region’s speciality in the place you are visiting marks you out as un straniero ignorante! Can you match region and dish? (extra points if you can explain what each dish is)

a)    Bagna càuda. iii

b)    Bruschetta alla salsiccia di fegato. i

c)    Castagnaccio. vi

d)    L’Arancino. iv

e)    Pasta alla Norcina. vii

f)     Risi e Bisi. viii

g)    Schlutzkrapfen. v

h)    Tagliatelle al ragù. ii

          i.    Abruzzo

         ii.    Emilia Romagna

        iii.    Piedmont

        iv.    Sicily

         v.    Trentino-Alto Adige

        vi.    Tuscany

       vii.    Umbria

      viii.    Veneto

@polybeardescribed these dishes quite well, despite his sometimes less than complimentary editorial comments.

 

3.    You have been invited to dinner by your new friend - a Brazilian model – who can cook as beautifully as she can grace a catwalk. You ask what’s going to be the main course and she reels off the following list of ingredients: Onion, garlic, orange, paprika, cumin, bacon, smoked meat, dried meat, pork chops, calabresa sausage, pork loin sausage, black beans, olive oil, parsley, chili pepper, salt and black pepper. What is she cooking for you?  Feijoada Brasileira

 

4.    It is 1662 and you have been invited to eat Humble Pie by Samuel Pepys. Is this going to be a decent dinner or a humiliating experience? Explain why (don’t forget that this is a food quiz). A decent dinner. Humbles (or more properly “Umbles”) are the meaty parts of a beast's pluck - the heart, liver, kidneys and lungs - usually of a deer and often made into a pie. In Samuel Pepys diary on 8th July 1663 he wrote: "Mrs Turner came in and did bring us an Umble-pie hot out of her oven, extraordinarily good."

 

5.    You are a Carvetii Chieftain and good mates with the local Roman procurator Flavius Gaius Drusus. He has invited you for a quick bite together before going hunting. Which of the following would not be on his table? A bunch of grapes, a cucumber salad, some cold sausages, rye bread, peas and a roast pheasant. The norsemen brought rye bread to England, the Normans, pheasant. All the rest were introuduced by the Romans

 

6.    One for Polybear. Match the cake to its origin:

          I.    Amygdalopita b

         II.    Batik cake e

        III.    Dobos cake c

       IV.    Fragelité a

        V.    Kliņģeris d

       VI.    Princess cake f

a.      Denmark Meringue, almonds, butter, coffee

b.      Greece Almond cake made with ground almonds, flour, butter, egg, spanner's and pastry cream

c.      Hungary A sponge cake that is layered with chocolate butter cream and topped with thin caramel slices

d.      Latvia Yeast, raisins, spices

e.      Malaysia A non-baked cake dessert made by mixing broken Marie biscuits, combined with a chocolate sauce or runny custard.

f.       Sweden Alternating layers of sponge cake and whipped cream, a layer of fresh raspberries and a layer of custard, all topped with a layer of (green) marzipan.

 

7.    “Fast Food” can be pretty ghastly (cheap, commercially mass-produced, low-quality ingredients, substitution of expensive ingredients for cheap, indifferent cooking) and is but a poor imitation of the original “Fast Food” – “Street Food” – which is often amazing. Match the street food to the country of origin. More points if you can say what they are,

          I.    Batagor Indonesia c

         II.    Bun kebab d

        III.    Bunny chow e

       IV.    Corn dog f

        V.    Coxinha a

       VI.    Roasted cockles b

a.    Brazil Chopped or shredded chicken meat covered in dough, molded into a shape resembling a chicken leg, battered, and fried

b.    Cambodia Cockles that are roasted and then served with olive oil and seasoning 

c.     Indonesia Fried fish dumplings, usually served with peanut sauce. "Batagor" is an abbreviation of bakso tahu goreng (which literally means fried tofu and meatballs)

d.    Pakistan A fried patty of ground lentils, chicken or beef, egg batter, and spices, served on a bun with chutney on the side

e.    South Africa A hollowed-out loaf of bread filled with curry

f.      United States A hot dog on a stick, coated with cornmeal batter and deep fried.

 

8.    You have been rippin’ all day, getting barrelled at Bondi Beach. You’re now getting hungry. Man can’t live on tinnies alone. You decide what you positively, absolutely must have, no – need! Is a Tiger Pie. So, you head out to the only place that makes the absolute best Tiger Pie ever (and world renowned for it as well)…. What’s a Tiger Pie (Pie topped with mashed potato, mushy peas and gravy) and where would you get it (Harry’s Café de Wheels, Sydney)

 

9.    You have been recruited into Captain Cynical’s operation as a trainee minion. You are excited about your first assignment – to smuggle the most expensive food item you can into the supermax prison ADX Florence in Florence, Colorado. “Chainsaw Charlie” Higgins will be the lucky recipient if you manage to smuggle in the food. But “Chainsaw Charlie” only wants the most expensive food in the world. What would you smuggle in?

a.    A kilo of Saffron (about US $ 20,000 per kilo retail)

The answer is debatable and a toss up between the following two:

b.    A kilo of aged white caviar (Strottarga Bianco caviar derived from Siberian Albino Sturgeon at a cost of €100,000 (US$113,630) per kg)

c.     A kilo of Piedmont white truffle (The record sum paid for a single white truffle was by Macau casino owner Stanley Ho in 2007. He splashed out $330,000 (£165,000) for one of the largest truffles uncovered in decades – weighing 1.5 kg (so, about £110,000 for a kilo). A pretty extraordinary price for a pungent underground fungus)

 

10.  Captain Cynical was pleased with your work as a trainee minion (see Question 9) and will treat you to lunch in a Michelin Starred Restaurant anywhere in the world. However, Captain Cynical has set an upper limit of £10 for lunch. Where would you go for your Michelin starred meal? Several places – all in Asia: Liao Fan Hawker Chan in Singapore (£2), Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong (£3) Hamo in Seoul, South Korea (£5), Chugokusai S.Sawada in Osaka, Japan (£8), Jay Fai in Bangkok, Thailand (£10) or Ginza Ibuki in Tokyo, Japan (£10)

 

Bonus Question 1 (Easy Peasy)

What’s a Meat Pie Floater? A meat pie in a thick pea soup, typically with the addition of tomato sauce. Believed to have been first created in the 1890s, the pie floater gained popularity as a meal sold by South Australian pie carts. In 2003, it was recognised as a South Australian Heritage Icon

 

Bonus Question 2 (Slightly Hard)

What are Takoyaki? a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter and cooked in a special molded pan. It is typically filled with minced or diced octopus (tako), tempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger (beni shoga), and green onion (negi)

 

Bonus Question 3 (Hard)

Fugu, Rhubarb, Red kidney beans and Cassava will __________________ (all kill you if not properly prepared)

 

That's All Folks!

 

I'm outta here.....

Edited September 16, 2021 by iL Dottore

[simontaylor484]

@Grizz the trouble with hitting the road lice with a Volvo is that Volvo s are made to be pedestrian friendly although I would be perfectly willing to allow my recently acquired xc60 to be used for scientific research as long as I can drive it 

[TheSignalEngineer]

4 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Sounds like you’re suffering from nostalgia, dear boy.

ER has always been “not the same as it used to be”

Life goes on….

Nostalgia isn't what it was either. I'm definitely not a fan of the days of ice inside the bedroom windows or smog so thick you couldn't see your feet let alone where you were going.

[polybear]

53 minutes ago, BlackRat said:

Shame I'm working today, hah, but not for much longer, decisions and complex calculations have been made with regards to pensions and boss has been told where to go!!

 

 

And there's something rather satisfying about the last part of your sentence.....

 

13 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

4.    It is 1662 and you have been invited to eat Humble Pie by Samuel Pepys. Is this going to be a decent dinner or a humiliating experience? Explain why (don’t forget that this is a food quiz). A decent dinner. Humbles (or more properly “Umbles”) are the meaty parts of a beast's pluck - the heart, liver, kidneys and lungs - usually of a deer and often made into a pie. In Samuel Pepys diary on 8th July 1663 he wrote: "Mrs Turner came in and did bring us an Umble-pie hot out of her oven, extraordinarily good."

 

 

 

Is CC a secret question setter for the TV Game "The Chase" by any chance?  This question - or rather a simplification of it - appeared only yesterday; they were asking about "umbles" - and looking for the answer of "deer".

 

In other news:

Offending Bank website visited - and balance dropped by 60% (I could've probably done a bit more, but that would risk overdraft fees if money in/out dates were a bit late and I went into the red).  And I'll still be receiving "Bike" every month - Neddy won't be making much (if any) profit out of this Bear....

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. A bit nippy this morning  and a bit breezy earlier on, enough to push the black bin bag up the path but the binmen still collected it.

2 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Whilst Bear was searching for a suitable "sliding down the bannisters" picture to post I came across this:

 

 

- Which in turn originates from this article; all very sad, but.....

 

"......filed their ($0.5M) lawsuit in Cook County on Tuesday, the Chicago Sun Times reported.  ........and claims their daughter died as a result of their combined negligence.

They allege that the named parties allowed ball-goers to 'consume unlimited amounts of alcoholic beverages' after purchasing a pre-paid ticket and failed to provide security to protect those in attendance."

I tend to go down that sort of staircase clinging to the wall furthest from the balustrade.

[New Haven Neil]

I did leave 10p in an account of a different bank (that has the same name as a Scottish industrial locomotive manufacturer) years ago, I suppose they close those.  I have had 8 different addresses since then!

[AndrewC]

15 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

I'm still waiting on @polybear to have a stab at the quiz. Especially as I put a cake question in there for his pleasure.

 

C'mon folks - you have brains - use them....

 

Are you part of the mighty ER Tribe or just minion fodder....

 

Captain Cynical

I'm a charter member of the international procrastinators club, or will be when I get around to joining. After that, I'll eventually get to answering the quiz questions. 

 

Greetings all from a schitty boring borough. Another week with no recycling pickup, despite the fact the binmen went back to work a few weeks ago now. Likely that means schlepping to the tip on the next even numbered day. <sigh> Black dogs still roaming. Job still not what I was hoping for. 3575 days until retirement. (calendar days, not working days) My get up and go, got up and went. Permanently it seems. Sorry to be on such a downer. Just totally fed up with life, the universe, and everything. 

 

Laterzzz

[tigerburnie]

16 minutes ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

Nostalgia isn't what it was either. I'm definitely not a fan of the days of ice inside the bedroom windows or smog so thick you couldn't see your feet let alone where you were going.

I was told that was character building scraping ice off the windows....................

 

[tigerburnie]

3 minutes ago, AndrewC said:

I'm a charter member of the international procrastinators club, or will be when I get around to joining. After that, I'll eventually get to answering the quiz questions. 

 

Greetings all from a schitty boring borough. Another week with no recycling pickup, despite the fact the binmen went back to work a few weeks ago now. Likely that means schlepping to the tip on the next even numbered day. <sigh> Black dogs still roaming. Job still not what I was hoping for. 3575 days until retirement. (calendar days, not working days) My get up and go, got up and went. Permanently it seems. Sorry to be on such a downer. Just totally fed up with life, the universe, and everything. 

 

Laterzzz

I had a job I really didn't like, the guy who interviewed me lied a lot to get me to join, started hunting for another job straight the way, that lifted my spirits with the thought of leaving said boss in a mess, positivity helped no end, the next job was so much better.

[Erichill16]

37 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

 

 

What are Takoyaki? a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter and cooked in a special molded pan. It is typically filled with minced or diced octopus (tako), tempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger (beni shoga), and green onion (negi)

 

SWMBO had one of the diced octopus ones  while in Japan a couple of years ago. She bought it from a street vendor thinking it was a sweet, something akin to a donut……..until she took a bite. 
 

PS. I did get two of the questions right!
The tiger pie seems a bit ‘tame’, thought it would be a bit more interesting.

 

Better get a move on.

Robert

[leopardml2341]

4 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Sounds like you’re suffering from nostalgia, dear boy.

ER has always been “not the same as it used to be”

Life goes on….

 

Despite what I said......

 

I can assure you it is not nostalgia, more like irritation with the current direction ERs seems to be taking and a growing number of 'cliques' with 'in the know' comments.

 

Not really into that sort of thing

 

Edited September 16, 2021 by leopardml2341

[Dave Hunt]

Just had an appointment for stage 2 of my nose cancer job - October 14th so they are taking it seriously and compared with the waiting times some other poor souls are experiencing I'm very lucky. I'm not looking forward to it, though, especially the large dressings I'll have to put up with until about Christmas.

 

Speaking of the dreaded mass hysteria event, Morrisons have now got mince pies, Christmas puds and decorations on display. Dohhhhh......

 

Have a good day everyone.

 

Dave

[AndrewC]

14 minutes ago, tigerburnie said:

I had a job I really didn't like, the guy who interviewed me lied a lot to get me to join, started hunting for another job straight the way, that lifted my spirits with the thought of leaving said boss in a mess, positivity helped no end, the next job was so much better.

The trouble is the people are great. Lovely bunch and (for me) a bit overly social at times. The issue is the promised project work keeps getting pushed back, so I'm backfilling with platform integration trouble shooting. Possibly one of the worst tasks there is. I'm stuck with it as my skill set is far wider than most with more knowledge around API transport protocols and other geeky crap than the rest of them. 

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

We must have had some overnight rain, as the back garden path and patio are wet, but seem to be drying out now. The sky is grey but the sun is trying to shine, I do wonder if it will be successful though. 

 

Plans for today are to build 2 temporary wing walls which will look a little derelict, as a way of disguising the bottom of the fence behind the firewall. Sheila will then have a look to see if she likes them or not, this will determine whether or not they get built. 

 

After dinner Charlie is calling round for his weekly model making session, so an afternoon in the workshop beckons. 

 

Back later. 

[AndrewC]

35 minutes ago, leopardml2341 said:

Despite what I said......

 

I can assure you it is not nostalgia, more like irritation with the current direction ERs seems to be taking and a growing number of 'cliques' with 'in the know' comments.

 

Not really into that sort of thing

 

Think of it more like a normal round of conversation at a club house. There will always be some "in" talk. People with common interests will gravitate to sub-conversations about motorcycles, or gardening, or what ever. Just like the clubhouse, ignore what doesn't interest you and contribute + listen to that which does. Failing that, it is your turn to get the tea and biscuits.