The Lurker

Mornington Crescent

Thinking of military hardware, would you be able to fit a pillbox in? There are several at Cuckmere Haven still, and pillboxes were certainly sited along the SER mainline - there was in the woods we used to play in just by Paddock Wood station.

I am always taken aback in North America at trains that only run into town in the morning rush and out of town in the evening with nothing much or at all in the opposite direction and between the rushes. This is alien to us in the UK where our trains tend to run all day. Sidcup has 4 trains an hour in each direction outside the rush and 7 an hour during the rush. Services in Vancouver and Seattle don’t have anything like the frequency or bi-directional facility.

This is the recipe for it; https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/beef_rendang_62793/amp

In a Rut - The Ruts

The last accountancy firm I worked for had a large Jewish population and the more orthodox were very much like this, needing to get at least within an eruv on time. The less religious at times seemed to use it as an excuse to get to the pub early. It also meant that Thursday was the going out after work night.

Yes it is. I think it is something to do with Ramadan EDIT - Ramadan starts next week, hence next weekend’s Saudi Arabia race is on Saturday- and the races have to be at least 7 days apart and so this weekend’s was on a Saturday too.

They did have song called “Ooh to be Ahh”. Now we know why.

If you have not been, this should be on your bucket listPasteis de Belem, Lisbon. They have steady queue of customers and the tarts are still warm. Wasted on me but Mrs Lurker was a fan. Apparently the leftover ones from the box of six were even better cold.

Sad news , especially as he was quite hopeful in a statement at the beginning of January. I too am a fan of their chicken paprika, made it many times.

if i were a candidate, my thought would be that i did not want to work for people like that. Sometimes it's not about any job, it's about the right job, and working atmosphere is important to me. Places that aim to give you a bit of real insight tend to be good. One job, my predecessor as allowed to spend an hour with me. Her comment before being interviewed by the deputy FD was "don't worry if you think he's a bit of a , we all do!". I was offered and accepted that job. And later employed my predecessor as a consultant in a different setting 10 years later!

There was an article a few years ago about "the small hours" suggesting that in the world before copious artificial light, it was quite usual to wake up in the small hours of the morning, do something relatively relaxing, and then go back to sleep, waking with the dawn - or when the night was at its coldest (it seems cold can be the waking trigger rather than light). This link refers to a study on the subject: https://www.headspace.com/articles/normal-wake-middle-night#:~:text=In fact%2C researchers have discovered,except Antarctica%2C of course).

Presumably boxing is not a sport per the GAISF definition, seeing as it is harmful to the two living creatures taking part. And with all the fuss about heading the football, I guess that is not either.

All of our contemporaries died of their allergies before they got to school.....? 😉 I am not sure where they all come from. It was a shock to have the paramedics round for Younger Lurker one Boxing Day. Tests showed the peanut in the fun size snickers he'd eaten, and/or chick peas/sesame in the small handful of bombay mix had caused a reaction. He'd eaten peanut before, but never since. The other things he was shown to be allergic to have been challenged under medical supervision and so he can, in fact, must, have them in his diet. The reaction to peanuts is too severe. We carry an epipen for him but. we have never had to use it. We don't know where the allergy came from, and we were generally gung ho about such things with him and his brother. Now not so much!

you could always make your own: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/home_cured_corned_beef/ I am sure Triple D visited somewhere that made their own. Guy Fieri was well on his way to Flavourtown IIRC

There have also been porpoises - or dolphins; the local rags can't make up their mind - at Gravesend in the last few days. Maybe the convicts on the hulks off the North Kent marshes would have seen them....shades of David Copperfield

The BMA is as far as I can tell the Doctors’ union. It is therefore primarily concerned with looking after its members- ie doctors. Anything that might diminish its members’ livelihoods will be opposed, at least until it is proved to be not a threat. They were I believe opposed to the creation of the NHS for that very reason. They are now very against any changes to the NHS that might reduce their members’ livelihoods. When viewed through that prism, their views are perhaps not very surprising- if as ID indicates, subject to revision.

You have obviously paid attention then and the courses did their job!

When I was in infants I asked the teacher how to spell “thisafternoon ”. i was most put out that I had “this” in my spelling book. I knew how to spell “this”, I’d never clocked they were two words when my Mum said it!

I came across it when Mrs Lurker was providing support in year 5 class (ages 9 & 10) a few years back when teaching grammar to the nth degree was introduced- she bought herself a book to be ahead of the game. The kids spend so long getting the required grammatical items in their sentences they forget that they need to flow and gave context with whatever they are supposed to be writing about.

but by the sound of it, not scoffing a Dr Oetker's Pizza isn't, either 🙂

Isn't that what you're trying to achieve now, only quicker?

The other day we had rather a sad piece of post - it was the latest telephone directory. It was a thin and weedy thing, something which no self esteeming strongman would break sweat tearing in two. I noted on the front that "we've been delivering them to you since 1880" and that 2024 was the last one ever. I hadn't realised the phone book had been going so long but the science museum seems to confirm. And I suppose BT can claim to be the successor of the GPO. So a historical last? No souvenirs in the Lurker household though - Mrs Lurker quickly pointed out it could go straight in the recycling bin!

Welcome back, Bear. Long may the dark canines stay in their kennel. all that exercise sounds good for that purpose as well as losing weight. but how did you end up with a 3 inch height difference? Was it the relentless pull of the earth on your delicate frame? Or a misread of the tape measure? me I am 6’2 when I am checking the BMI but the medical tells me otherwise. Trouble is I still am not light enough to be “normal “ weight. I would need to be 12 stone 8 lbs. And I am not!

Not these days, the Peak district Wallabies are likely to have died out https://kent.wildwoodtrust.org/explore/list-of-animals/red-necked-wallaby/#:~:text=The total population of Red,to no sightings since 2000. but over 1700 driving NHN hopping mad.... EDIT - I was posting in response to the Q which I think is obvious....