Early Risers.

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, The Lurker said:

we are about to go into our busiest time of the year

Our local big garden centre has also just opened their Christmas Department too.

[pH]

1 hour ago, The Lurker said:

Jamie’s comments re the length of generations made me think about them in our family. They seem to be about 30-35 years in mine …

Same in mine. Three of my grandparents all born in 1881 - one of our sons born in 1981. My dad born in 1914 - our granddaughter born in 2014. But that does seem to be on the longer side of average, though not as long as Jamie’s.

Edited August 31, 2022 by pH

[jjb1970]

Here we are approaching the Mid-Autumn Festival, the second most important even in the Chinese calendar after New Year. All the shops are selling moon cakes, and lanterns will be everywhere. 

[iL Dottore]

31 minutes ago, Erichill16 said:

Sat in the cafe at Wentworth Castle and saw this book for sale. Thought about getting it for Flavio or Polybear but as there's only one copy and i dont want any fighting over it i left it on the shelf. 

You rotter! (other, more punk-like, epithets are available).

Still, now I know about its existence, a copy can be “acquired”

[iL Dottore]

20 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Our local big garden centre has also just opened their Christmas Department too.

Holy Commercialisation of Christmas, Batman!

 

I know that the wise and prudent will shop in advance of the Christmas rush so as to avoid the pre-Christmas price increases, lack of availability of desired items and allow for a bit of breathing space just in case something has been forgotten; but surely having four weeks before Christmas day as the Christmas shopping season should be enough.

 

if Captain Cynical does become dictator of the world (that’s one of his minor side projects he is currently toying with), one of his initial diktats* will be that no shopping season can be any longer than four weeks before the date of that seasonal event.  If not less.
 

iD

* he is also toying with the idea of banning – possibly on pain of death – the use of the term “Happy Holidays” on any seasonal greeting card. People sending cards can damn well make the effort to find out what is the appropriate seasonal celebration of the people they want to send the card to.

[Coombe Barton]

18 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Still, now I know about its existence, a copy can be “acquired”

Read the one star reviews on Amazon first - it may not be what you want.

[PeterBB]

6 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

I grandfather was born in, I think 1862,   That makes me wonder about the length of generations.  3 to get back 160 years in my case.

Here she is in 1971 along with our cat Purr.  Apparently I couldn't say pussy as a baby.

 

 

Jamie

Ditto grandfathers and yes it is strange that we remember how old our parents 'would be now' on their birthdays when we only considered their 'happy birthday' when alive. My parents in their 30s on my actual birthday and me 70 before our first grandchild.

Edited August 31, 2022 by PeterBB

[Tony_S]

11 minutes ago, PeterBB said:

when we only considered their 'happy birthday' when alive.

I was thinking the other day that my Dad was dead at my current age. His father still had a couple of years to go but was spending it being increasingly unpleasant. 

[Tony_S]

40 minutes ago, Coombe Barton said:

Read the one star reviews on Amazon first - it may not be what you want.

I read the wurst reviews first too. 

[TheQ]

My Dad's still going, but his Dad went aged 56, a world war, Dunkirk , the western deserts, prison camps , the long march, and a heavy smoker probably had something to do with it..

Both of my grandfathers were born in 1901.. So only 23.5 years a generation to me.. and my Great niece is 16 so two more generations, so 24.5 years a generation to her.

[polybear]

5 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

iD as well.

 

I think PBB is referring to our good natured sparring over this and that. Given that both of us (@polybear and @iL Dottore) are “grownups” and “give as good as we get” - our robust exchanges can seem daunting to others. Yet there is no malice in them (certainly not from my side).

 

And certainly not from this Bear either; I'd really, really miss the Banter with @iL Dottore if were to disappear.

 

5 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Besides both Polybear and I are only human* and sometimes the others’ foibles are so deserving of a (metaphorical) custard pie that one just can’t resist…

 

* No comments, Bear!

 

As if Bear would......🤣

 

Bear here.....

The Orange Shed has been visited, a door found with little difficulty (along with some primed mdf batten that'll be just right for the door stop on the doorframe under the stairs) and the whole lot transported back to Bear Towers (with the ar5e-end of the door hanging out the back of the Bearmobile) without incident or the door being marked (or the Bearmobile, for that matter).  Big Tick.  It's been one of those jobs I really haven't been looking forward to - but once done I'm left with a "that was easy - what was the problem??" kinda feelings.

On the way to The Shed I explored the road where I thought the Carpet Fitter said he lives; unfortunately all the new houses (there are very few "old" houses) are (a) in gated new roads with intercoms etc. - so impossible to explore looking for a white van (I realised he was likely to be at work this morning - this was an advance recce mission), and (b) if he does live in one of those roads then Bear should've been a Carpet Fitter - cos' every house there is well north of a £M.  So no closer to tracking down a contact number as yet - but I do have a Plan B.....

Right, time to investigate the noisy phone line...

Bear gone.

[J. S. Bach]

7 hours ago, Barry O said:

 ...snip... A little ray of positive news about our cousin in laws wife. They have "woken" her up. She was moved into a chair for a while. Can't talk as they have left her breathing tube in (just in case) fingers and toes still crossed.

 

Belated birthday wishes to @J. S. Bach. Hope you had a great day! ...snip...

Baz

Glad to hear about your cousin in laws wife, a ray of sunshine.

 

Thank all y'all for the Trombone Birthday wishes. Why "Trombone" you may ask? Well, I am 76!

 

 

Edited August 31, 2022 by J. S. Bach
To do a minor edit.

[simontaylor484]

Never got to the big orange shed ended up going to collect the filing cabinet instead.

My Great Grandmothers on my mums side died when I was small 3 and 5 yo I remember one of them she died 40 years ago on Dec 23rd.

 

My Dad's mum died when I was 17 she was only 66 Dads dad died in the August the year after a few days after I got my A level results 

My Mums Mum died of Cancer when I was 21 in the March of 98 just a couple of months before i got my degree results. Mums Dad died in 2007. At least he saw that I got married and we had Kieran by then 

[jamie92208]

5 hours ago, pH said:

Same in mine. Three of my grandparents all born in 1881 - one of our sons born in 1981. My dad born in 1914 - our granddaughter born in 2014. But that does seem to be on the longer side of average, though not as long as Jamie’s.

I've just done some totting up.  Our first and probably only grandchild was born in 2019. That's 157 years after my maternal grandad. That makes 39 years per generation.  I was 66 when Emily was born.  I suspect that with many young couples now putting off having children till much later than a few years ago, there will be some longer generation gaps again.  My grandad had married for the 2nd time and my mother was the 5th child of that marriage. She didn't marry till she was 35.  As an aside I never knew any of my grandparents. 2 died in the 1920's, another in the 30's and my paternal grandma in 53 when I was 3 months.    Fortunately  I had a collection of great aunts and a great uncle who played the grandparent role.

 

Jamie

Edited August 31, 2022 by jamie92208

[The White Rabbit]

Two grandparents never saw me, the third died when I was two and the fourth when I was 14. Of the former, one died in a RTA before my parents met and the second had an early death - probably a legacy of WW2 and poor health. I have a godchild but no children. The way things are looking, that is unlikely to change. Should I be proved wrong, then it's likely to be double the age gap between my father and myself. 

 

Some of my friends and acquaintances have children but a sizeable number do not. Of those, some are planning to delay them until the world is a bit more hospitable and some plan never to have them - all of the usual reasons. 

 

4 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Our local big garden centre has also just opened their Christmas Department too.

 

I apologise, I'm probably not helping - I posted an offer for a Christmas tree on freecycle just before looking in here. 

[Coombe Barton]

When we went a few years ago Dartington Glass in Great Torrington had an all-year Christmas display.

[Ian Abel]

I'm baaacckkk... 🤣

 

I'll be brief - otherwise no-one would want to read the drivel, and post a few pictures for the readers' interest/edification, ponder, respond, ignore as the mood takes you.

 

Lovely week in Duluth, plenty of walking, visiting points of interest, eating and drinking.

First up, departure of Viking Octanis, then a couple of inbound freighters,- a few of many ships we watched come and go. A favourite pastime of the Mrs.

 

 

then on to the Glensheen Mansion, a location of some notoriety from the 1977 murders of family members there!

 

 

Next up, Two Harbors, a major Mesaba iron ore port, featuring a museum piece DM & IR Mallet #229 and one of the loading docks there.

 

Great meal at a local celebrated restaurant on the North Shore of Lake Superior, The New Scenic cafe.

 

Items show are both to die for, Black Mission Figs with Danish Blue cheese, brown maple butter and toasted pecans, together with sashimi tuna tacos.

 

Lastly, for those not already bored, a view from the lookout at Enger Park atop Duluth, of the harbor and city below.

 

The weekend past was taken up with a lot of work related to finalizing the new furnace and air conditioning installation, including review by the installer company and us then moving a LOT of miscellaneous junk from around the area in the basement <phew>

 

Couple of days working in ernest Monday and Tuesday, and here we are!

 

Weather most all the time has been very acceptable, though we did have severe storms pass through at two separate times over the weekend. We missed the worst parts of it, fortunately.

 

Today - furnace and a/c install is happening, Whitney is back with us and Jemma is off for a long trip to get all the various end-of-summer travelers hither and yon as it's the end-of-summer holiday weekend (Labor Day) this coming weekend.

 

Right now - 26C and sunny with a light breeze, house thankfully cool as we are without services (a/c) for probably most of the day.

 

Tally ho...

 

 

[Erichill16]

4 minutes ago, Coombe Barton said:

When we went a few years ago Dartington Glass in Great Torrington had an all-year Christmas display.

what about this  guy.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Park_(Mr._Christmas)

[J. S. Bach]

I do not even like most of the turkey, just the leg.

[Coombe Barton]

And Ive just seen an advert on FB for ski holidays in the Alps

[Ozexpatriate]

4 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Our local big garden centre has also just opened their Christmas Department too.

The 'seasonal' section of a box store / supermarket I visited yesterday is in the throes of converting from "Back-to-School"* to "Halloween". 

 

* Most school districts begin their Fall schedules either this week or next. Why more of them don't wait until after the Labor Day long weekend is a bit of a mystery.

 

It's nice to have Halloween hold back the Christmastide but it's still a bit like a metaphorical Canute. Even amongst the Halloween items there was an aisle being stocked with Christmas lights. 

[Ozexpatriate]

2 minutes ago, Coombe Barton said:

And Ive just seen an advert on FB for ski holidays in the Alps

Book now before the snow melts in February?

 

(We have had our hottest August on record in terms of average temperature. We set a record high for the day yesterday - triple digits in the old money / 37.8°C and no rain since the first week of July.)

[simontaylor484]

19 minutes ago, Ian Abel said:

I'm baaacckkk... 🤣

 

I'll be brief - otherwise no-one would want to read the drivel, and post a few pictures for the readers' interest/edification, ponder, respond, ignore as the mood takes you.

 

Lovely week in Duluth, plenty of walking, visiting points of interest, eating and drinking.

First up, departure of Viking Octanis, then a couple of inbound freighters,- a few of many ships we watched come and go. A favourite pastime of the Mrs.

 

 

then on to the Glensheen Mansion, a location of some notoriety from the 1977 murders of family members there!

 

 

Next up, Two Harbors, a major Mesaba iron ore port, featuring a museum piece DM & IR Mallet #229 and one of the loading docks there.

 

Great meal at a local celebrated restaurant on the North Shore of Lake Superior, The New Scenic cafe.

 

Items show are both to die for, Black Mission Figs with Danish Blue cheese, brown maple butter and toasted pecans, together with sashimi tuna tacos.

 

Lastly, for those not already bored, a view from the lookout at Enger Park atop Duluth, of the harbor and city below.

 

The weekend past was taken up with a lot of work related to finalizing the new furnace and air conditioning installation, including review by the installer company and us then moving a LOT of miscellaneous junk from around the area in the basement <phew>

 

Couple of days working in ernest Monday and Tuesday, and here we are!

 

Weather most all the time has been very acceptable, though we did have severe storms pass through at two separate times over the weekend. We missed the worst parts of it, fortunately.

 

Today - furnace and a/c install is happening, Whitney is back with us and Jemma is off for a long trip to get all the various end-of-summer travelers hither and yon as it's the end-of-summer holiday weekend (Labor Day) this coming weekend.

 

Right now - 26C and sunny with a light breeze, house thankfully cool as we are without services (a/c) for probably most of the day.

 

Tally ho...

 

 

Like the ELO t shirt

[Ian Abel]

1 minute ago, simontaylor484 said:

Like the ELO t shirt

Thanks, you'd be AMAZED at the number of positive comments I get when I'm wearing it, more than any other shirt I've got in any design!!

[Ozexpatriate]

4 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

he is also toying with the idea of banning the use of the term “Happy Holidays” on any seasonal greeting card.

Irving Berlin would be most distressed, having released, in 1942, "Happy Holiday" which was made famous by Bing Crosby (et al).

 

Of course he also wrote "White Christmas", made famous by Bing Crosby et al. Both were part of the movie "Holiday Inn" though "White Christmas" got it's own movie in 1954.

 

Berlin of course was Jewish, like many tin pan alley composers, who are responsible for many popular Christmas tunes written over the years.

 

The use of terms like "Happy Holidays" and "Seasons Greetings" are not modern secular inventions for Yuletide invented by the political correctness police. They date back at least to the 19th century - roughly contemporary with Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" published in 1843*

 

* On December 19, just in time for Christmas and the first edition was sold out by Christmas Eve, so Christmas consumerism existed even with Dickens' major contribution.

 

"Happy Holidays" in particular was popular with large department stores in New York in the first half of the 20th century, while they were busy inventing Rudolph and 'modern' interpretations of Santa Claus (re: Macys - Miracle on 34th Street etc) they were also keen not to ostracize wealthy Jewish patrons during the frequently overlapping holiday seasons of Christmas and Chanukah. The fact that many of the big department stores were founded/owned by Jewish families likely contributed as well.

 

Edited August 31, 2022 by Ozexpatriate