petethemole

My condolences Phil. It's sad you wern't able to see him.

I was a scholarship boy and 'day boarder', a day boy who had lunch in school, at a public school that took 11+ passes. The pupils were about half boarders. There was Saturday school, classes in the morning and games after lunch. It was a Rugby Union playing school and if the First XV were playing at home we had to show up and watch. Rolls were called to ensure attedance. I was useless at rugby being small, light and not very strong. The games for such people were often taken by senior boys who were happy as long as you ran after the ball and got exercise. The masters who supervised rugby were mostly keen rather than sadistic, apart from one who had a whistle cord with a police whistle at one end, an Acme Thunderer at the other and knots all along the cord. He taught English and was a firm disciplinarian in class, but a very good English teacher. If pitches were too wet or frozen we had runs, not cross country, just round the streets near the school, in a circuit so you couldn't drop out and rest until the pack came back. The academic ability range was wide, six streams in all. The top two were hothouse streams and took O levels a year early, four in December, when many of us were still 14, and four in summer as I turned 15. A levels were then taken at 17. Along with some of my peers I only did moderately well and we were effectively too young for Uni we stayed on to do resits as a Senior Sixth, along with the academic whizkids preparing for Oxbridge. Languages were Latin, French and German to O level. Those choosing to specialise in languages at A level could do Spanish or English. The Classical Sixth did Latin, Greek and either English or History. I chose History, Geography and English. One of the history masters, David Baker, was a local amateur archaeologist and arranged for some of the Rugby haters to dig on his site nearby on games afternoons. He later became County Archaeologist for Bedfordshire and after two years of office work I went to Uni and became an archaeologist. So school certainly influenced my later life. In other news Mrs mole has initiated a personal injury claim against the Leisure centre but is still feeling very down about her future mobility. She needs to change her Motabiliy car for one higher off the ground, which requires an extra deposit, and we need to ake out the bath and install a proper shower.

Nunc est bibendum = Now is the time to drink Ergo bibamus = Therefore let us drink

Spreading his wings a bit further afield? Or maybe he's on holiday in Dorset that weekend.

I started a new topic for this but I thought i would post it on ERs in case anyone can help. SWMBO has an Amazon Prime account and yesterday was unable to complete a purchase because there was a 'problem with her card' as in they were 'unable to complete authentification'. She deleted the card and re-entered it as this has worked before, but with the same result. She also received a message that her Prime wouldn't renew next month for the same reason. Card is a VISA Debit card on the Co-op Bank. The bank call centre is shut weekends, but on-line research suggests that banks tell you it's a problem with Amazon. The Amazon help desk wasn't very helpful as SWMBO is not very tech savvy and also autistic, but did they get her order paid for, although the card problem remained. A further message (screenshot below) again tells her to contact the bank. This appears to be a very common problem according the internet but she's been unable to find explanations or solutions. The timing is unfortunate as she's just out of hospital after a hip replacement. Does anyone have any experience of this, or any idea how to solve the problem?

SWMBO has an Amazon Prime account and yesterday was unable to complete a purchase because there was a 'problem with her card' as in they were 'unable to complete authentification'. She deleted the card and re-entered it as this has worked before, but with the same result. She also received a message that her Prime wouldn't renew next month for the same reason. Card is a VISA Debit card on the Co-op Bank. The bank call centre is shut weekends, but on-line research suggests that banks tell you it's a problem with Amazon. The Amazon help desk wasn't very helpful as SWMBO is not very tech savvy and also autistic, but did they get her order paid for, although the card problem remained. A further message (screenshot below) again tells her to contact the bank. This appears to be a very common problem according the internet but she's been unable to find explanations or solutions. The timing is unfortunate as she's just out of hospital after a hip replacement. Does anyone have any experience of this, or any idea how to solve the problem?

Mrs mole was released discharged from hospital yesterday. She rang me at 10 am to ask me to come straight up as she thought it was imminent. Having slept in slight I wasn't fully dressed, hadn't had breakfast and had a couple of things to do, so ended uo taking a cab and arriving at about the time the bus would have. I spent the morning in the ward chatting to her and the other ladies; she had lunch, I went to get some, waited a bit more, and at about 2.30 she was told that the transport was between 5 and 9pm. So I left, took a bus to Sainsbury's and went home. She turned up at 5.20. She's managing ok on crutches to get to the toilet, only a short way from her bedroom, but is p***ed off at having her mobility restricted for 6 weeks.

Thanks for reminding me. Imbolc Blessings to all. If Martyn had been a girl we had chosen the name Brigid, for the Goddess, not the saint. Mrs mole has received get well cards from our two granddaughters. This is a significant moment and she is really pleased, as their mother has blocked most contact for years . I gather stepson has had words, as in "this has gone on long enough".

I've just happened on this thread. As a long term resident and Uni alumnus I always take an interest in Southampton based layouts. I remember the the trains along Town Quay. The warehouse in Trevor's second photo is Geddes Warehouse, built in 1866 as a baggage warehouse. It's Grade 2 listed and has been converted into flats with a restaurant on the ground floor. The warehouse that was damaged in the Blitz was further along, behind Geddes and the other side of High Street, next to the Sun Inn, which was destroyed by the same bomb. It's on the left in this shot, and as damaged in the next. This too is now flats. Both warehouse were used by the Archaeology unit at different times, so I have worked in both.

Another reason not to shop there. I used to use the Eastleigh store occasionally because they sold something no other store chain does, no added sugar marmalade & jam. These days I've cut down on bread so don't bother. It was a Metro but has been downgraded to Express, meaning less choice and higher prices. It's also too big to be an Express so is being reduced in size. Mrs mole had surgery yesterday to repair her hip and is on the mend. She has been up on her crutches successfully so won't need a walking frame to come home, which she was worried about. Fortunately she sleeps downstairs, due to her existing disability.

If he was running a fancy restaurant with a similar pricing structure he would be getting rave reviews in the posh press.

I believe the hessian bag normally lived in Chris's car.

Years ago an acquaintance had a male Staffy who was a rescued/retired fighting dog. He'd been voluntarily given away by some travellers but the first person who had him was too busy to cope with him properly. He was a complete pussycat indoors, loved fusses and was good with children. He had to be muzzled and on a stout leather harness (with brass Staffordshire Knots) when out as he wouldn't just attack other dogs, he'd kill them. Hopefully Hovis isn't that dangerous.

A year or so back I was in a SA charity shop and a young lady was pricing up a box of donated Oxford Diecast traction engines, ploughing engines etc and various 4mm scale scenic items, Peco kits etc, at £1.00 each and putting them in a display cabinet. I bought most of the Oxford items that she'd priced up with the intention of returning the next day to buy more if there were any left. There were none at all in the cabinet next day. A day or two later there were a few meagre items, priced at £5.00. I suspect management had overruled her prices. Two Fowler plough engines and a plough for £3, not bad.

I visited Mrs mole this afternoon, with various items including her mobile, which was gratefully received and put to immediate use updating various friends and musical associates. She was fairly cheerful despite the pain; she rarely takes painkillers although her existing disability causes constant pain. We discussed a personal injury claim. She has surgery booked for tomorrow. Her older son, my stepson, is a security guard at the hospital and visited her in the morning, which went down well. She doesn't see him often as his wife 'has issues' as they say. Her car is still parked at the Uni so I rang Martyn's boyfriend's dad, who works for their estates department, to let them know it's not abandoned (I don't drive). He has insurance for any car so he'll move it home for us later in the week. Thanks for your support and good wishes.

Martyn and I went to the Southampton show at Eastleigh. I was going to the shops after but my feet hurt so we left just after 4 pm and caught the bus home. Fortunately as it turned out, as a bit later the phone rang. It was a paramedic calling from the University swimming pool. Mrs mole had slipped and fallen badly in the shower and was about to go to hospital. So I got a cab over to the General and spent the evening in A&E. After X-ray it transpired she has a fracture of the left hip and was going to be kept in, probably needing surgery. I'll be back there tomorrow with various requisites. .

"Nothing says “Happy Weekend” like the cat leaving welcome-home berries just inside the front door! " I was doing some decorating work on my then boss's town house, which was empty prior to being sold. The subterranean garage at the rear had a sliding door that didn't always shut properly. One morning I found that a cat had got in, gone upstairs and done its business on the front door mat....and all the mail. Fortunately I noticed it as I opened the door so didn't tread in it, but it all had to be cleaned of the worst and bagged so it could be taken to his new house.

The driver who was helped out looked elderly and wasn't walking well.

We have a trolley similar to this VOUNOT Folding Shopping Trolley on 6 Wheels, Stair Climbing Shopping Cart, Grocery Trolley, Black : Amazon.co.uk: Home & Kitchen That was supposed to paste as a link.

For shelves on a plasterboard wall I used the type that have a slotted vertical steel support screwed to the studs, For a bit of extra support the bottom of the upright sits on the top of the skirting, or the floor if there is none. The shelves in question are fully loaded with books and are rock solid. If the stud spacing is too wide an upright can be used between them fixed with anchor fixings.

Bear dropping something down the stairs, possibly a pot of filler?

A few years ago, having bought a Dapol example I went through all my wagon books plus Paul's site and could find nothing exactly like it.

Some of Mrs mole's Amazon orders are delivered by Evri. I think some of the traders that sell through Amazon but also have their own sales sites just use the one courier. Our local Evri guy is very good.

Coprolite is the term used in archaeology for preserved faecal matter. In the case of our examples, these were found in cess pits that had subsequently been filled with domestic rubbish, predominantly food waste including animal bones. The combination of chemicals present in the ground water within the pit preserved the faeces by mineralisation, replacing the organic matter with calcium phosphate, which is a form of fossilisation. The results were mostly fragmentary, but complete stools were found.

Coprolites? I used to dig them up, though they were Anglo Saxon or Medieval. I was just going through the motions.