Early Risers.

[DaveF]

3 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. I too have trouble getting shoes to fit being size 12 extra wide fit. I currently have only one pair of shoes that fit and they will soon need replacing. Some manufacturers have a different idea of what are wide fit, I have had to send some shoes back because they are not wide enough. 

 

Phil,

I don't know just how wide you need your shoes to be, have you looked at Cosyfeet :   https://www.cosyfeet.com/

or DB wider fit shoes:

https://www.widerfitshoes.co.uk/

 

Mum used to use both and I have had a look at their men's shoes as my feet are beginning to cause problems with "ordinary" wide fits.

 

David

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, monkeysarefun said:

Just remember all the doubting Thomases with their "there's no place for zombies in the Jane Austen metaverse!"

Well if Abraham Lincoln can hunt vampires then why not?

 

Mrs Bennet: Oh Mr. Bennet! Lydia has been eating brains again. Whatever shall we do? Now we shan't ever find a suitable husband for Jane. None shall have her.

[Gwiwer]

In news you may have missed those of us in England who are required to pay bus fares can enjoy the £2 cap for an extra three months.  And there's a little more money to support those routes which are under threat of withdrawal though it won't go far and it's too late for many routes.  

 

It also means that's the most I shall now have to pay for a bus ride; I had been wondering whether fares would jump back to the previous level (and therefore put off many potential passengers) before I got my bus pass in May.  The £7 Penzance - Truro fare was halved by Cornwall Council a year or so ago and is now capped by Westminster to £2.  You can see why, at the previous level, buses were running empty through one of the poorest counties in Britain.  

 

Did anyone else notice this announcement was timed to release just a few hours after the bad press about the Potteries area having its bus service cut by over a half and flying very much in the face of any attempt at "levelling up"?  

 

Captain Cynical may wish to take note.  

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/2-bus-fare-cap-to-be-extended-and-bus-services-protected-with-new-funding?fbclid=IwAR1TDIz-Uk2Mxt59y74xR5QANXy0dMw50EZ8Ev-UEzGF4qeSezv7vGGxaa0

[zarniwhoop]

Mmm, pancakes.

 

Actually, at this time of year most Tuesdays I have pancakes, usually with a blood orange but using sunflower oil instead of butter.

 

Tonight, two courses of pancakes with butter - first should have been galettes but it turned out I only had a little buckwheat flour, so mostly wholemeal. With  smoked tofu (the main supermarket oak-smoked sort, not the beech-smoked stuff with firm edges which is now almost never available), leeks, olive oil and a little za'atar. Those could have used a little more salt. Oh, and with french crême fraĉhe mixed in.

 

For afters plain pancakes (no sugar for me) with all wholemeal flour and a little peppermint and rosewater flavouring, with a little crême fraîche on the top instead of in the pancakes. Ça marche.

[Tony_S]

2 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

What's wrong with retelling "The Tempest" as "Forbidden Planet" or "Pride and Prejudice" as "Bridget Jones' Diary"?

I suspect the just about to be released “Cocaine Bear” isn’t a retelling of “Winnie the Pooh”

[Gwiwer]

19 minutes ago, zarniwhoop said:

Mmm, pancakes.

 

Actually, at this time of year most Tuesdays I have pancakes

Yes Shrove Tuesday was commemorated with pancakes.  

 

Dr. SWMBO prefers hers small and thick.  I prefer mine full pan-sized and thin.  So I dutifully made two batters accordingly and we enjoyed our respective versions.  She with maple syrup and me with lemon and brown sugar.  

 

And then I had the kitchen to clean!  Two lots of everything.  Hey ho.  All in a day's work for a Gwiwer.  

[zarniwhoop]

Turdycurses! I've split my (right) thumbnail again. Being of the sinistral persuasion, I am perforce slightly ambidextrous and use that thumbnail for opening things such as yoghurt ports and anything with a stuck-on covering (yoghurts with a tab to pull, etc).

 

Every few months I seem to get it to a stage where the top no longer has a gap in the middle, and then either catch it on something when shopping in a supermarket, or when unpacking afterwards. I did that at the weekend, so it was already cut short after that, but now it's trimmed down as far as I can and still has a gap in the middle. At this rate I'll need a handmaid to peel my grapes 😉 [1]

 

Strangely, that is the only one of my nails which has heavy vertical striation.

 

1. For those who have not read it, a reference to Pyramids by Sir Pterry.

Edited February 21, 2023 by zarniwhoop
I use *that* thumbnail for opening things; typo

[Ozexpatriate]

8 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I suspect the just about to be released “Cocaine Bear” isn’t a retelling of “Winnie the Pooh”

Based on a "true story" allegedly - more inspired by internet memes I suspect.

 

Wikipedia.

Quote

The film is inspired by the real story of a 175-pound (79 kg) American black bear that died after ingesting a duffel bag full of cocaine in December 1985. The cocaine had been dropped out of an airplane piloted by Andrew C. Thornton II, a former narcotics officer and convicted drug smuggler, because his plane was carrying too heavy a load. Thornton then jumped out of the plane with a faulty parachute and died. The bear was found three months later in northern Georgia alongside 40 opened plastic containers of cocaine. The bear is currently on display at the Kentucky for Kentucky Fun Mall in Lexington, Kentucky, which named the creature "Cocaine Bear" in 2015.

 

[Tony_S]

We had a batter based dessert but not pancakes. We had frozen some surplus waffles and defrosted them and had them with fruit, maple syrup and ice cream. My nephew in Zurich sent a photo of his pancake production. I don’t think they were shared with the local Swiss population though, just his partner who is Austrian. 

[polybear]

Very P1ssed Off Bear here.......

Diddly squat this afternoon - apart from a snooze caused by the Benzo swallowed at 7am this morning.  IIRC I didn't have another this afternoon - and boy, is Bear paying for it now; I did go for a couple of big pink jobbies though, but they started wearing off several hours ago.

I'm now hangin' on until snoozy Bear time (half ten probably) - at which point it'll be a Benzo + Pink Pills + Ibruprofen Gel.  It'd be great if I didn't wake in the night for a No.1 (cos' the shoulder/paw pain fires up at the same time) but I suspect that's a bit too much to hope for.

The Benzo's expire after tomorrow and whilst they certainly help with the pain (apparently they act as a muscle relaxant) they seem to have done little to actually fix it.  Piggin' Turdycurses.

So there's a very good chance that Bear will be playing Bullsh1t Bingo at 8am tomorrow in order to grovel for some serious sh1t painkillers, as well as to talk physio/osteo recommendations.

Bear gone.

 

 

 

 

 

[Tony_S]

1 minute ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Based on a "true story" allegedly - more inspired by internet memes I suspect.

 

Wikipedia.

 

I have been getting lots of adverts/trailers for it. I suspect by following “Slovenian Bears” on social media the algorithms think I might be interested. 

[zarniwhoop]

4 minutes ago, polybear said:

The Benzo's expire after tomorrow and whilst they certainly help with the pain (apparently they act as a muscle relaxant) they seem to have done little to actually fix it.  Piggin' Turdycurses.

Although you are an abstainer, might I suggest that more conventional forms of muscle relaxant and some peanuts to sustain you during the phone call might be a less drastic approach ?

 

But best wishes for getting physio or similar (knowing how much physio therapy hurts and terrifies the recipient  - I don't wish you the pain or the terror).

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Just watched the 'Architecture the Railways Built' on the Yesterday channel, quite interesting and its the second series that I had missed the first time round.

1 hour ago, DaveF said:

 

Phil,

I don't know just how wide you need your shoes to be, have you looked at Cosyfeet :   https://www.cosyfeet.com/

or DB wider fit shoes:

https://www.widerfitshoes.co.uk/

 

Mum used to use both and I have had a look at their men's shoes as my feet are beginning to cause problems with "ordinary" wide fits.

 

David

Thanks for that Dave. I've ordered a pair from DB not only the extra width but plenty of adjustment. A bit pricey and not available in black but I really do need some new shoes. Fortunately I don't have any problems with slippers. I wear the Norwegian style slippers, very comfy and warm, and can be put in the washing machine.

Norwegian slippers

  

 

[TheQ]

Evening Awl,

Just back from the MRC, tis very foggy out there, wasn't on the way to the MRC.

 

Successful evening altering a west highland railway box into a Highland Railway Cabin.

Run out of yellow ochre paint though.

 

I.D. look away now. On the the sailing equivalent of ER, they were discussing pizza...

One American insisted that a mashed potato, scallion and bacon Pizza was the best....

 

My pet hate in film interpretations.. the destruction of our history ,

For example Braveheart, and U571

 

Muggachoccy gone

Good night Awl.

[pH]

16 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

..  but so I can ask you: “where can I get such a t-shirt with that inspirational message?”

 

With your severe, self-confessed case of GAS, perhaps one of these might be more suitable:

 

https://lilicloth.com/image_cache/resize/450x600/image/catalog/product/2023-01-05/95cff5184a89f92517dddf7e8b8e38c2.png

https://lilicloth.com/image_cache/resize/340x452/image/catalog/product/2023-02/02/61469712db17b3ac8604aad241362f76.png

 

https://lilicloth.com/image_cache/resize/340x452/image/catalog/product/2023-01-05/d697c203e60d28b15377969502b107db.png

 

 

(Edit - I’m going to get one of them for my son for his birthday. Currently, he has 9 or 10 guitars and is currently looking at another.)

Edited February 21, 2023 by pH

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

Well, I’ve had quite a busy day in the workshop today. This morning I moved my small wood off cuts storage box, I with a few bits and pieces and 4 large castors that were in the shed, I made a large trolley. This will be used to move the washing machine etc when I come to do the kitchen refurbishment later this year. I then moved the 2 small bookcases, but as these were both full of books and magazines, they both needed to be emptied first. So, once they were empty and before they were moved, I gave both of them a good clean and swept the floor. I then moved them into there new position and then replaced all the books, but only after they too had had a clean. At this point,mi packed up and came inside so that I could have my hair cut, as apparently it was starting to look messy, who knew? 

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[jjb1970]

5 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

What's wrong with retelling "The Tempest" as "Forbidden Planet" or "Pride and Prejudice" as "Bridget Jones' Diary"?

 

I have never had an issue with that, as the movies stand on their own feet. It's like 'The Magnificent Seven', a magnificent movie even though it was a remake of Kurosawa's even more magnificent 'Seven Samurai'.

 

Another case is taking plays and operas and moving the setting, so placing a Greek tragedy in a contemporary setting or such like. Personally I prefer keeping it as was but sometimes it works. Other times it doesn't. I once saw a version of Shakespeare's Coriolanus in a modern political setting and it just didn't work at all because the values and human drama just didn't translate well to the setting.

[jjb1970]

On alleged 'historical' movies the one that makes my blood boil is 'The Imitation Game'. I foolishly went to see it based on glowing reviews and was frankly disgusted. I wasn't especially surprised by the complete b*LL*X about the work of Bletchley Park and Hollywoodization of history, but Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of Alan Turin was basically character assassination.

 

The sad thing is the film makers claimed it was based on a superb book by Andrew Hodges which did a wonderful job of telling both Turin's personal story and making his mathematical work comprehensible to a lay reader.

[BR60103]

I was reading that a big American movie studio (D*****?) had optioned Pratchett's Mort and during discussions they indicated that they wanted to remove the character Death.

 

I haven't seen the series Night Watch (not aired in N.A.) but I understand that they have changed some characters completely except for the names.

 

[iL Dottore]

8 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

What's wrong with retelling "The Tempest" as "Forbidden Planet" or "Pride and Prejudice" as "Bridget Jones' Diary"?

There’s nothing wrong in retelling stories (Shakespeare was the master of taking a hackneyed story and turning it into something timeless).  I think what people are objecting to (apart from the unnecessary “sanitising“ of old texts) is how film and television makers take a very well-known story and then change many of the key elements that made that story well-known.

 

To make up a hypothetical example: Jo’s Journey a story of how a young boy makes his way to manhood with the help of some grumpy but lovable giants is “adapted“ for the big screen by turning Jo from a little boy to a little girl and turning the grumpy giants into comical dwarves. It may well be a good film and an enjoyable story, but it isn’t Jo’s Journey any longer!

 

To be rather cynical for a moment; don’t you just know that whenever certain newspapers start using the terms “innovative“, “daring“, cutting edge“ and the like to describe a book, television series or film then you are likely to be in for a wasted evening….

[iL Dottore]

Good morning all,

 

Up very early today because little Lucy had to go for an “Emergency Poo” (she’s been having bouts of diarrhoea of the last couple of days) and she woke me up by - quite literally - bouncing on my chest until I got out of bed, I then got dressed and took her out.

 

Now she’s sleeping on the sofa and yours truly is too sleepy to do anything meaningful but too awake to go back to sleep. Such are the joys of dog ownership.

 

About the only thing that is working at normal capacity is my inbuilt “cynicism generator“, in fact such are the demands on it – having read a number of ER posts above – that both backup cynicism generators have now come online.

 

If I have another large coffee, I might just well have enough energy to continue working on my lifework and masterpiece: The Cynic’s Translation Dictionary. In which I give the true meaning to those words and phrases used by politicians, corporations, the media, various professionals (such as architects and interior designers), Internet “influencers”, media “personalities“ and the like.

 

Of course, such a mammoth and important work would not be possible without the generous contributions from various talented individuals – a number of whom post on ER (and you know who you are).

 

I may post preview excerpts later!

[Barry O]

Ey up! Bit of travelling to do so up with the birds.

 

One group on farcebook has come up with some improved titles.. one of which is Slightly unwashed Harold..?.

 

I still get annoyed thar they missed Tom Bombardil out of the Lord of the rings films..pah!

 

Don't change it..  let the reader or viewer decide if they want to change it by either nor reading it or viewing it...

 

TTFN

 

Baz on walkabout

 

 

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from a volcanic rock in the steep stream.  Not pnly is it devoid of railways but thankfully is also devoid of Ikea.  Not a lot to do today apart from going for a walk this morning.

 

As to bad films the one that I won't watch is  The jungle book.  I loved Kiplings characters in the books and they were certainly not figures of fun.

 

Jamie.

Edited February 22, 2023 by jamie92208