Early Risers.

[Grizz]

2 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

I just went out the  to see how much of the wildlife I could photograph in 10 minutes as they had their evening feed.

 

Two for one - Wonga Pigeon and juvenile magpie

 

 

 

 

The ‘Wonga Pigeon’ looks mean…kind of Street Gang Style.….he actually looks like he is about to mug the Magpie Yoot. 
 

Rough area your bird table? 

Edited January 6 by Grizz
Auto correct

[tigerburnie]

2 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

I just went out the  to see how much of the wildlife I could photograph in 10 minutes as they had their evening feed.

 

Two for one - Wonga Pigeon and juvenile magpie

 

 

 

 

 

A distant  Galah.

 

 

Should have taken a shot of the kangaroo 10 seconds earlier, I  almost missed it as it hopped into the scrub.

 

 

 

Wot no Spiders or Snakes......................................................................................are you sure you live in Australia......................................................

[Hroth]

3 minutes ago, Grizz said:

The ‘Wonga Pigeon’ looks mean…kind of Street Gange Style.….he actually looks like he is about to mug the Magpie Yoot. 
 

Rough area your bird table? 

 

Its probably saying "Don't eat the blue ones, they make you feel ill..."

 

[iL Dottore]

On the subject of language and education, may I (cynically) ask whether or not anyone has noticed that those who foister various -isms, theories, “re-evaluations” and other educational trends on us take great care in (very quietly) ensuring that their sprogs leave school able to write and speak coherently (even if after leaving school their sprogs choose not to do so)?

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from a distinctly cool Charente.   However it is dry and the log burner is doing it's job.  We had out usual chat to Emily and her Mums after breakfast and after that,whilst Beth chatted to a friend in Leeds, I loaded the redundant double bed onto the trailer along with a set of bunk beds.  They are off to be given to a friend tomorrow.  We are out for a meal tonight so might get some shed time this afternoon.

 

Ttfn.

 

Jamie

[Tony_S]

3 hours ago, grandadbob said:

I've got general travel insurance with my bank account but the cruise company insist on specific "cruise cover" and that (for me ) can become expensive once I start listing my various ailments.

We are in a similar position but our bank travel insurance exceeds the requirements the cruise company require. Of course now due to our age and health conditions there are extra charges. When we checked in for our last cruise (July 2023)  no one asked to see the letters from the insurance but we were definitely covered. I noticed that our bank has three tiers of travel  insurance, one of which almost certainly would require extra cruise cover. 

Edited January 6 by Tony_S

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

Sheila is spending her first day out of bed today, still mostly just sitting down, but t.hen resting is what she has been told to do, so, as much as she hates just sitting around, resting is what she’s doing. So far, from what I can assess when cleaning her eye, it looks like it’s doing her good. 
 

Things to do and bins to try and locate, so back later. 
 

Brian

[grandadbob]

A walk has been walked, only about a mile but on a whim flowers were purchased for The Boss and no,  I'm not feeling guilty about anything.   Anyway they were much appreciated and I seem to have banked some Brownie points.

 

Texts received from son Steve to advise he will be here at 11.30 and Abbie & James to ask if they can pop in around lunchtime.   I've said before that I really love the fact that our grandchildren still regularly "check up" on us either by text, phone or actual visits.

Edited January 6 by grandadbob

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Not a bad night last night but when I was about to go to bed my knee suddenly felt as if it had exploded. I was immobilised for about ten minutes before I was able to hobble to the bathroom for some Nurofen. That and a massage calmed things down and I was able to sleep.

[PhilJ W]

On the subject of languages, all languages evolve over time and the more often a language is used the quicker the evolution. To that you can add slang such as Cockney rhyming slang and Polari which are specific to a certain area or group of people or accents such as Scouse or Geordie. 

This was English 900 to 1200 years ago.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH-_GwoO4xI&t=8s

 

[TheQ]

Ok literally just received this piece of carp.

We require confirmation if the PH has already  taken the TFC. Because what you provided on the app form, you ticked yes for the TFC But on Tomas theres no TFC taken it indicates Zero.

Bank details to be paid need clarification on the app..

 

Apart from the appalling English,   what **** is PH, TFC and Tomas. As for the bank details they were correct on the PAPERWORK i sent in, some one of obviously appalling English didn't type the details correctly into their computer system.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

I went to grammer school, but maybe I should of listerned more in lesson's so as to get my grammer better. I was terible at spellings', may be I didnt try hard enuff. 

 

[jjb1970]

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been in meetings where everyone is looking at each other wondering who'll be the one to put their hand up to say they haven't got a clue what the speaker is talking about. And not just 'civilians', I used to sit in meetings where those attending were power plant managers who were very familiar with the electricity sector and management stuff and were quickly lost by someone speaking full-on management-ese and TLA overload.

[jjb1970]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

On the subject of language and education, may I (cynically) ask whether or not anyone has noticed that those who foister various -isms, theories, “re-evaluations” and other educational trends on us take great care in (very quietly) ensuring that their sprogs leave school able to write and speak coherently (even if after leaving school their sprogs choose not to do so)?

 

Diane Abbott was a particularly egregious example. She built her political career on being a right-on leftie firebrand and playing up the usual class warfare type tropes and sent her son to a private school. I had no issue with her sending her offspring to a private school per-se, but she had been rather vocal on the matter and freely shared her opinions on the evils of private education. And politicans wonder why they're held in such contempt by so many.

[Hroth]

10 minutes ago, Peter Kazmierczak said:

I went to grammer school, but maybe I should of listerned more in lesson's so as to get my grammer better. I was terible at spellings', may be I didnt try hard enuff. 

 

 

 

I think I was off the week we were taught about grammar.  I certainly don't recall any formal instruction....

 

 

Eh?

🤔🤪🤣

 

 

Edited January 6 by Hroth
Extra! As ane fule kno.....

[Peter Kazmierczak]

13 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

 

I think I was off the week we were taught about grammar.  I certainly don't recall any formal instruction....

 

 

Eh?

🤔🤪🤣

 

 

 

And Why Do They Start Each Word With A Capital Letter?

But, it's quite clever really; I especially like #5 and #10...

[Compound2632]

15 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

No amount of correct grammar will make one's writing error free - for that you want a good fact-checker!

[Hroth]

12 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

No amount of correct grammar will make one's writing error free - for that you want a good fact-checker!

 

But at least it will be beautifully constructed rubbish!

 

[Andy Hayter]

48 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been in meetings where everyone is looking at each other wondering who'll be the one to put their hand up to say they haven't got a clue what the speaker is talking about. And not just 'civilians', I used to sit in meetings where those attending were power plant managers who were very familiar with the electricity sector and management stuff and were quickly lost by someone speaking full-on management-ese and TLA overload.

 

That's when it is time to get the Bullsh1t Bingo board out.

[Gwiwer]

Afternoon all.  

 

Improved weather has arrived at the Distant (Signal) West at last.  Just a few minor sprinkles of sky-wee but otherwise it has been a bright and cool day in the sun.  Dr. SWMBO has been for a swim at the Country Club pool, arrived home somewhat refreshed and bearing goodies for a home-made pea-and-ham soup later.  

 

After a day of severe anxiety on Wednesday she managed to see a GP on Thursday and has come away with changed medication, some information, support and the option of different medication if nothing else improves the situation.  Things have improved.  

 

A few minor maintenance tasks are required after the battering we have had from recent storms but nothing (that I have discovered so far) more drastic than a squirt of mildew-remover and a couple of spots of new paint.  I can attend to those in the coming days.  

 

I am advised we are going to be visiting Marazion Marsh later to "see what's in" and possibly a starling murmuration.  A "very unusual" bird was sighted this morning whilst Dr. SWMBO was on the phone to Mission Control (a/k/a the Dragon-in-Law).  She described is as having long skinny wings and a short stubby body - not a gull.  I described it as a Shearwater.  Probably Manx of that ilk or Puffinus puffinus (which perhaps oddly is not a Puffin) to the twitchers.  .  

 

Among other things I was rather taken by this display of organic proficiency*.  

https://www.facebook.com/reel/363897959582135

 

* Correct grammatical terms are available 

[Coombe Barton]

... Today is domestics and finding floor space which I can later cover up again. ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2024/01/06/sounds-of-the-season-2023-35-age-related-infections-and-covid-legacy/

[southern42]

' afternoon all from red dragon land.

Dry, some sun, fairly still, 6.3C.

 

Earlier it was 5.6C but the job, which I promised myself I would do, was in the sun which felt quite warm, relatively speaking. The job in hand was to undress a tree fern Dicksonia squarrosa of its soaking wet partly blown-apart layers of bubble wrap and redo it before it rains again (tomorrow), and the temperature drops to minus numbers (tomorrow night). The lower layers around the plant tub were still ok, the middle ones coming partly up the trunk just needed adjusting. The top needed to be reattached but this attachment needed to be wind proof, which it was not.

 

Now, a few days ago, after the compostable food bin liners ran out, Ray picked up what he though was an alternative roll of food binliners from Tess Coe's. It was neither compostable nor a food binliner. It was see-through white (just the job) and was a BIG sack (just the job). <<AHA!>> I thought. One upturned binliner <<No, no, no... Not bilinear! Stupid txt predictor!)>> coming up...now affixed (very tight fit round the tub itself) over the tree fern.

 

Before that I had a rewarding toot on the flute session on the mat in front of the lovely warm fire (a Squirrel). Playing at an established beat of 30 bpm I progressed onto line 3 of the song. Three more lines to go and I should feel confident to tackle the twiddly bits on the rest of the song, at least I hope I will! It would be great to get there before the end of the month. My trick has developed into playing each line 7 times continuously, then add to the previous line played 7 times continuously. Part of the secret is playing on the first beat of the following round, every time. A fraction late and the whole thing can go to pot. This method is also building up my stamina and accuracy of playing, enabling me to keep going if I make a minor error, and giving me more confidence.

 

Well, it looks like mugadecaf time.

Take care. Be good. Look for the bare necessities of life. <<Yes, I watched it!>>

 

 

I actually watched the newer version on the TV this Christmas. Fascinating watching it come to life in the snippet, below. Muddling comes to mind and wishing mine was closer to real life as some of this <<noting the build up of the landscape, in particular>>.

 

 

 

[DaveF]

So far today has gone much as planned.  About 09.45 I set off on my route training mission to the Nuffield.  I got there without incident and I now know which lane to be in at the roundabouts, it is much the same as over six years ago going via Haddricks Mill Road and Osborne Road (for those who know the area). There are some changes in speed limits and road layouts, a new bus lane for example and most roundabouts now have traffic lights.  I found the camera shop (WEX) and its car park so it will easy to call there on Monday.  Having got to the hospital I checked the car parking, it is still easy and free.  It was interesting to note that a route I used to use to the area a long time ago is no longer readily available owing to traffic reduction measures.

 

I decided to come back home by the alternative route along the Coast Road, it has changed very little since I last used it fairly regularly.  I drove past where I thought about buying a house many years ago, looking at today's traffic I am even more pleased I didn't.  I ended up doing a figure of eight loop as there is a bridge where the A19 crosses the road I used on the outward journey I didn't actually use the same road twice, except for the last 500 yards or so to my house.  I also filled the car with petrol.

 

The whole journey including the petrol stop only took about 65 minutes.  The AA route planner suggests 16 miles and 29 minutes each way, but they don't show the route I used outbound which is 3 miles shorter!  Having looked at the changes en route I can understand why train drivers have to refresh routes if they do not use them regularly, I feel much more confident after today's trip.

 

I was back for coffee and then did odd jobs until lunchtime, followed by watching Newcastle beat Sunderland.  Since then I've been working on a model, the evening will be TV and reading.

 

David

Edited January 6 by DaveF

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, DaveF said:

y do not use them regularly, I feel much more confident after today's trip.

I like to do a drive through on Google maps before I go to new places. I was quite pleased I did when we went to a couple of places recently. One was in Devon and the route shown for a car was clearly a flight of steps. The other was in Canterbury and our friends’ house seemed not to be connected by road. However careful zooming on the street view showed a small sign next to a gap in a hedge stating authorised vehicles only. 
Tony

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Last night there was a TV program I intended to watch called 'Amanda and Alan's Italian job'. A new edition of a program of the same title from last year where the couple restore a building purchased for one Euro. I forgot to put it on so just after lunch I viewed it on BBC I-player. I then realised that I could view the entire eight episode series in one hit so that is what I have been doing this afternoon. The house in question dated from the seventeenth century and had been empty for ten years after the last owner died.