View Full Version : Tell Me Something............Anything!
Mikeandvan
12-05-2025, 10:34
Who cares? Does it really bother you?
'Who cares? It's only thousands of years of our culture washed down the drain'.
Mikeandvan
12-05-2025, 10:37
Probably similar for most of the world's major cities, not something I'd be worried about. As long as everyone behaves themselves. Including our homegrown scumbags who stir up division through their alarmist bullshit, like Trump's lot with their supposed pet-eating illegals.
Well it depends if you think its a good idea to invite people from a radically different culture to our lands, but why would you want that? This is the biggest issue of our times. It doesn't keep me up at night, but I worry for future generations. I mean how many terrorist incidents must it take for people to take action?
'Who cares? It's only thousands of years of our culture washed down the drain'.
Utter nonsense - immigrants have enriched our culture for well over a thousand years.
Just look at our language, it is full of words derived from the French, German, Russian, Indian, and Arabic languages.
Immigrants have introduced a wealth of new ideas in cuisine; something up until the '70s, this country sorely needed.
Our state religion was introduced by an immigrant from North Africa, and advances in astronomy, mathematics and chemistry were thanks to Arab scholars.
This is the biggest issue of our times. ?
If that's true then we're doing a lot better than any previous generation.
My teenage nieces and nephews are the next generation and they don't seem to have any issue with it at all. The difference is they've grown up with it being normal whereas for people our age it can seem a bit strange and disconcerting, I'll agree.
In the last 30 years my neighbourhood has gone from about 90 percent indigenous to about 50-50. It's actually a much more pleasant place to live than it was, although I'm not certain those two things are connected.
Our state religion was introduced by an immigrant from North Africa, .
It was? I thought it was introduced by Henry VIII?
Christianity was introduced to Britain by saint Augustine. Maybe I should have said "originally".
Christianity was introduced to Britain by saint Augustine. Maybe I should have said "originally".
Right - I thought by 'State Religion' you meant the Church Of England.
I mean Catholicism is Christian but it's not been the state religion for 400 years or so.
Mikeandvan
12-05-2025, 18:46
If that's true then we're doing a lot better than any previous generation.
My teenage nieces and nephews are the next generation and they don't seem to have any issue with it at all. The difference is they've grown up with it being normal whereas for people our age it can seem a bit strange and disconcerting, I'll agree.
In the last 30 years my neighbourhood has gone from about 90 percent indigenous to about 50-50. It's actually a much more pleasant place to live than it was, although I'm not certain those two things are connected.
What's the other 50?
Mikeandvan
12-05-2025, 18:52
You people have no foresight, if it's 50/50 now, what will it be in another 50 years? You may not notice these things causing issues in daily life, but there are undercurrents, like the introduction of blasphemy laws by the back door. The bending of our laws to suit some of these cultures, like having multiple wives (and yes they all get benefits!!). The re-introduction of religion into our society long after we're done with it, and not a nice 'soft' religion like the old CofE, but an intolerant and backwards one - Islam. This is nothing but cultural vandalism, by those old Marxists in power in Brussels and here in the UK.
Mikeandvan
12-05-2025, 18:58
Utter nonsense - immigrants have enriched our culture for well over a thousand years.
Just look at our language, it is full of words derived from the French, German, Russian, Indian, and Arabic languages.
Immigrants have introduced a wealth of new ideas in cuisine; something up until the '70s, this country sorely needed.
Our state religion was introduced by an immigrant from North Africa, and advances in astronomy, mathematics and chemistry were thanks to Arab scholars.
Yes someone rolls out this old chestnut everytime the topic arises, I'm not saying we should be an ethno-nationalist state, what I am saying is we shouldn't be so ready to drown out our numbers with immigrants from what are radically, and i mean radically different cultures. This may sound racist, but its just true, that immigration from EU countries is far more beneficial to us than from teh W Indies, Asia or Africa (unless those immigrants are doctors), because face it they just fit in much better. My last girlfriend was Spanish, can you imagine her being a Muslim? I wouldn't even get past chatting to her if she was in burqa!
Chestnuts they may be, but are germane to the discussion.
What you have now done, and I suspect you intended to do, is to raise the aspect of religion within a culture. That is a different discussion and one difficult to argue rationally and calmly.
All I can say is that if you think you love someone but can't accept their faith, then IMO you don't love them. So I can't imagine you falling for a devout Muslim woman who would be uncomfortable venturing out in public spaces without wearing, in her opinion, appropriate dress.
Mikeandvan
12-05-2025, 22:29
Chestnuts they may be, but are germane to the discussion.
What you have now done, and I suspect you intended to do, is to raise the aspect of religion within a culture. That is a different discussion and one difficult to argue rationally and calmly.
All I can say is that if you think you love someone but can't accept their faith, then IMO you don't love them. So I can't imagine you falling for a devout Muslim woman who would be uncomfortable venturing out in public spaces without wearing, in her opinion, appropriate dress.
Exactly, radically different cultures, which goes beyond a lot more than just female attire. That attire represents something on the level of being a nun here in the West.
Unfortunately, in my experience ALL religions are to some extent misogynistic.
Pigmy Pony
13-05-2025, 06:31
Unfortunately, in my experience ALL religions are to some extent misogynistic.
The Church of England has only permitted female bishops for the last ten years, but that does show that some change is possible. Though women cannot become catholic priests and I read that this is a matter of divine law and cannot be changed.
It is not just a matter of women not being able to officiate in religious ceremonies, they are treated differently in places of worship: where they sit; how close they are allowed to approach sacred objects, etc..
It is not only the Abrahamic religions that display this segregation, other world religions do so as well. Some of the reasons why are understandable, if unacceptable; others are just fundamentally dogmatic IMO, with no rational justification.
The Church of England has only permitted female bishops for the last ten years, but that does show that some change is possible. Though women cannot become catholic priests and I read that this is a matter of divine law and cannot be changed.
The Pope can change anything, but that's unlikely to happen. I don't know any Catholics, male or female, who want to see female priests.
I mean it's like a club, you don't like the rules, join a different club. It doesn't actually affect anyone in any way, except for a handful of women who for some reason I don't understand, want to be Catholic priests.
I do actually know one of the Cardinals although not seen him in decades, friend of the family. Was hoping he might have got bumped up to Pope, but it was a long shot.
It is not just a matter of women not being able to officiate in religious ceremonies, they are treated differently in places of worship: where they sit; how close they are allowed to approach sacred objects, etc..
No aware of any such segregation in Catholicism except for the officiating thing. Women can sit where they like and interact with the sacred objects where applicable.
And C of E is pretty much anything goes, even in High Church. Nothing worse than going to christenings in C of E since they always have the beardy bloke with guitar and the happy clappy stuff.
Having said that it's all dying out in this country anyway. The church attached to the primary school I attended is now luxury apartments. There's now only one Catholic church in the whole district, there used to be five or six.
Not just the Catholics either. The local Synagogue got bulldozed and in its place - luxury apartments.
I didn't confine my remarks to Christianity alone. The treatment of women is different in all of the Abrahamic religions, as it is in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism etc.
Mikeandvan
14-05-2025, 20:52
I think some perspective is needed here. In a mosque men and women can't even attend together, and in some of their public gatherings they rarely mix, this is off the scale misogyny, something we left behind centuries ago, or we never even had. Immigration from Muslim countries is the biggest trojan horse ever, we've basically signed our own suicide note. Some of them are openly hostile too, admittedly those are probably a minority, but they're here, and they're angry.
If by "together", you mean in the same space, then you are right. But then the same applies to worshipers in Judaism: men sit downstairs and women sit upstairs in the synagogues.
Hence my grouping them under the heading 'Abrahamic'.
If you want criticise Islam, you could always point out in Sharia law, evidence provided by a woman is reckoned to be worth a third of that of a man.
Mikeandvan
15-05-2025, 08:36
If by "together", you mean in the same space, then you are right. But then the same applies to worshipers in Judaism: men sit downstairs and women sit upstairs in the synagogues.
Hence my grouping them under the heading 'Abrahamic'.
If you want criticise Islam, you could always point out in Sharia law, evidence provided by a woman is reckoned to be worth a third of that of a man.
I don't see Jews carrying out terrorist atrocities in Europe, or demanding we change our laws because of their religion. Besides Jews are a tiny fraction of the UK and European population compared to Musllims, are you getting it yet?
I'm certainly getting a sense of your paranoia.
Lineker is apparently resigning from the BBC - I'll be able to start watching Match Of The Day again. Good times.
He was already leaving MOTD apart from World Cup and FA Cup, but is apparently now completely leaving after posting something ill advised on social media, again...
Pigmy Pony
19-05-2025, 10:41
Lineker is apparently resigning from the BBC - I'll be able to start watching Match Of The Day again. Good times.
I like watching Lineker, he makes me feel better about my own ears :)
Pigmy Pony
21-05-2025, 16:14
I've never known where my cat hails from, but now I suspect she might be Liverpudlian. I've just put her food in her dish, and I called her in by shouting "chicken!" with a scouse accent, and she flew into the kitchen like she'd been shot out of a cannon.
She might even be an Everton supporter, that would explain her beaten-down but hopeful resting face.
No, your cat's too normal to be an Evertonian.
Probably it has heard scousers saying chicken on the telly? They're showing 'Bread' again at the moment.
I’ve started suffering with an intermittent but really annoying “fluttering” in my right ear drum. Do It Yourself doctoring on the web (I’m a man, why would I go to a real GP?) suggests it might be a form of tinitus, which I am really hoping not but I suspect as a man of a certain age and having abused my hearing for decades is probably likely.
It could be muscle spasms, so the optimistic hope is that it will go away. Has anyone else had this, and did it sort itself out? It’s verging on painful at points with certain frequencies, but I guess I will get used to it or drag myself to the quack if it doesn’t go of its own accord.
Pigmy Pony
22-05-2025, 13:56
My money is on it being a muscle spasm - I have the same kind of thing happening in my left ear occasionally, and it is quite distinct from the tinnitus which I also have. The tinnitus sound just seems to live in my head, while the muted 'thudding' is more localised. If you do see your doctor about it let us know how you went on - I'm curious, but not enough to pick up the phone and make an appointment :doh:
Might just need some irrigation (I don't think anyone does syringing any more).
Cheers Steve, I will see how it goes! Often these minor ailments do sort themselves out, and Dr. Google doesn’t suggest it will bring about my imminent demise. Unless of course I don’t hear the number 8 bus as I am crossing the road.
I've spent about 3 hours trawling the internet for a new pair of trainers. I want white with green accents. I found a pair I really like, but they had blue accents, but they beat all the others I had shortlisted. £79.00, ok, will go for it but did another quick search and found the exact same pair but with GREEN accents on TK Maxx - perfect! And guess what - £34.99! Little wins. :)
Pigmy Pony
26-05-2025, 21:09
Which brand of trainers are they? My next ones will be Adidas Samba, there are a few colour combinations available. But last time I looked they're about 70 quid at Sports Direct. I should have a look at TK Max, though I know it's pot luck whether you can find what you're after. Last time I went in there (few years ago) all their clothing was either terrible colours or extreme sizes (too big or too small).
The right size and right colour for less than half price, well done you :)
Sergio Tacchini - (Macca will know!) What can I say, stuck in the 80's...
The blue ones... https://www.80scasualclassics.co.uk/trainers-c12/sergio-tacchini-taormina-leather-trainers-white-navy-p27192
(https://www.80scasualclassics.co.uk/trainers-c12/sergio-tacchini-taormina-leather-trainers-white-navy-p27192)The green ones... https://www.tkmaxx.com/uk/en/gifts/gifts-for-teenage-boys/white+green-taormina-trainers/p/27669644
Which brand of trainers are they? My next ones will be Adidas Samba, there are a few colour combinations available. But last time I looked they're about 70 quid at Sports Direct. I should have a look at TK Max, though I know it's pot luck whether you can find what you're after. Last time I went in there (few years ago) all their clothing was either terrible colours or extreme sizes (too big or too small).
The right size and right colour for less than half price, well done you :)
I really like Samba, but my daughter has a pair, and she would cringe if I had the same! :lol: TK Maxx would never have occurred to me, if it wasn't for google.
Mikeandvan
26-05-2025, 22:33
Nice find.
I got a lot of Tacchini but never had the trainers.
Not so keen on Samba I usually get Dragon but last time out could not get my size for some reason. So ended up with Classic which are okay.
£35 is very tempting.
vinylspinner
27-05-2025, 07:48
Sergio Tacchini - (Macca will know!) What can I say, stuck in the 80's...
The blue ones... https://www.80scasualclassics.co.uk/trainers-c12/sergio-tacchini-taormina-leather-trainers-white-navy-p27192
(https://www.80scasualclassics.co.uk/trainers-c12/sergio-tacchini-taormina-leather-trainers-white-navy-p27192)The green ones... https://www.tkmaxx.com/uk/en/gifts/gifts-for-teenage-boys/white+green-taormina-trainers/p/27669644
It looks like the green ones are synthetic materials and the navy version is leather, that could explain the price difference, might be worth checking.
Thanks, I did spot that, I suspect one or the other is an error (I would be surprised if they made versions of essentially the same shoe from different materials) but could be.
Mikeandvan
27-05-2025, 20:42
Trainers were miles better in the 80s when they were made in Europe and the US. Our nations have sold us out to Asia, and given us shoddy quality goods too, not what i call progress.
Mikeandvan
27-05-2025, 20:46
Pop/C&W music is officially the most irritating music on the planet. The cafe I was in today played one after another of the twangy tuneless crap for over an hour before I begged them to change to something less likely to make my teeth itch. They complied with some Led Zep, what a relief.
In the '80s I used to mostly wear Hi-Tech basketball boots. I don't remember them lasting any longer. Maybe go through a pair a year, I'd say its about the same now.
Nike were never that great for durability. Had a few pairs of Air and Air Max and they don't last six months.
Comfy though.
I honestly can’t say that trainers now are any worse than back in the 80s, never had any quality issues, but as Martin says, they wear out if worn regularly.
I try to keep one pair for good, another for general use and then a demoted pair for gardening, etc. I still keep a few older pairs in just about wearable condition, mainly because I’m a hoarder and don’t like to throw anything out! I can’t bring myself to throw away a pair of purple Puma Easy Rider - they lasted a good few years and the soles are threadbare but they were my favourites for a long time and not available again.
I used to get mine half price from the catalogue returns shop but they stopped doing catalogue returns and started selling tat instead.
Remember Gola trainers? Used to get them on the market in the 70s, cheap but crap. Still going but they're a pricey Adidas knock-off now.
I do remember Gola, never owned any back in the day but nearly bought a pair on my shopping expedition yesterday!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I think I must be the only one here who does not, nor has ever owned a pair of trainers.
What I used to wear at school when in the gym were called plymsoles or tennis shoes.
Now, when I want to wear something informal, I wear deck shoes. I wear the same when flying, and if I intend to do some trekking, I will then wear walking boots.
It seems to me that trainers are an exercise in making a soft shoe using as many pieces of material as possible and to charge an absurd amount of money for their efforts. :lol:
I think I must be the only one here who does not, nor has ever owned a pair of trainers.
What I used to wear at school when in the gym were called plymsoles or tennis shoes.
Now, when I want to wear something informal, I wear deck shoes. I wear the same when flying, and if I intend to do some trekking, I will then wear walking boots.
It seems to me that trainers are an exercise in making a soft shoe using as many pieces of material as possible and to charge an absurd amount of money for their efforts. :lol:
You can buy cheap ones or expensive ones same as with deck shoes or walking boots.
Trainers are comfy, and practical too, if you ever need to have it away on your toes you don't want to be wearing shoes.
I've only ever worn shoes for work or formal events. Even at work I would keep a pair there and just wear them round the office. Change back into trainers to go home.
Would not be seen dead in deck shoes, sandals, slippers, sliders, flip flops, crocs. Never worn any of them. Did have a pair of desert boots once but the soles are too thin for me. Probably be okay in an actual sandy desert. Not much good on concrete.
I like desert boots as well, and I have some moccasins to wear in lieu of slippers.
Agree, crocs are the spawn of the devil, and look to be the perfect footwear to give you the sweaty feet!
1 certainly won't argue on Crocs... :spew: Even worse, Crocs with Socks! :eek: (But both my kids and even my dad don't care and love them! :rolleyes: )
My Tacchin trainers arrived today (not sure how it takes a week in this day and age, but there you go...) Really pleased with them, they're definitely not leather, but after doing some further research I don't believe the blue ones would be, either. very happy at £35 notes and that saving enabled me to buy a pair of Skechers "Boat" shoes - never had either Skechers or boat shoes before, but fancied something a bit different to wear with shorts, and I have to say they are probably the most comfortable pair of shoes I have ever owned, memory foam insoles and very breathable.
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_1215821-T2/images/I/71LAGtH5mUL._AC_SX500_.jpg
Another vote for boat (aka deck) shoes. I'm wearing them all the time at the moment (usually without socks).
I have three pairs: black, blue and grey. Can anyone tell me if you can buy replacement leather laces?
Pigmy Pony
02-06-2025, 17:21
Another vote for boat (aka deck) shoes. I'm wearing them all the time at the moment (usually without socks).
I have three pairs: black, blue and grey. Can anyone tell me if you can buy replacement leather laces?
Here.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/116542704183?_skw=leather+shoe+laces&itmmeta=01JWRTGMKQ8X18CD50YSS9BSNN&hash=item1b227c8a37:g:9vQAAOSwDJxnwjxZ&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA8FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1dST7a3d hZnEfZm75ja5WElQeXo%2FdJFtKDGCaSgiztis%2BwrCTwq4lr %2FbUxgfRN6Yjl3dT0UkM2HSYeY61X7MSpD5r1zlvttg5T6T%2 F%2BFnw0sKHCdQsHpMTqjK68kCfcVaaQjOeAIMPwDaP1ZUqjJX k1qLK1k6MvyvDIRT2gRuNkemdQpr%2FYrExF5LUACbhWU3flb0 4sNXJgFz6B%2BHYbvqWaO%2Bk6qECLzHw2igPk2A2NZISpTcOl QWHlCfJqz8XVAX7N%2BX9V1rKYVOzls6TKcavZ%2BRorPBnEGg A3z2wJg9Gl1xw%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABFBMrsrCmuZl
Pigmy Pony
02-06-2025, 17:30
Anita got me a pair of crocs a couple of years ago, and they live on the doorstep. I put them on whenever I go into the garden or put the bins out. I never venture beyond our boundary in them, because I have a modicum of self respect.
In the late 70s I used to wear baseball boots made by a firm called Rucanor. They were like a heavy-duty version of Converse "Chuck Taylor" All Stars, but only £15, while Converse at that time were nearly 30 quid (very expensive back then, they're only about £40 now). I'd wear them with "drainpipe" jeans and either a mohair sweater or cap-sleeve t shirt. It was as close to "punk" as I got, though really I probably looked more like an extra from West Side Story :doh:
Now you're saying that I think I've got some Converse 'All Stars' somewhere.
Will have to have a look for them. Next job on the calendar is sorting and rationalising my clothing, anyway.
I must have got them thirty years ago, worn them maybe twice then gave up on them.
Seem to recall they were ruinously expensive then.
I have a pair of Converse too, though not worn them since we moved here almost 6 years ago. Biggest problem I had with them is that the soles are so thin you could feel every stone or stick under your feet. I will have to dig through my wardrobe, there’s a pair of special anniversary edition Nike Cortez in there somewhere I keep wanting to look for.
Pigmy Pony
02-06-2025, 18:33
I think shoes have generally become cheaper in recent years. Probably have the Chinese to thank for that. In 1978 I bought a pair of Kickers 'Hi Kick' boots, they looked a bit like monkey boots, but cooler. They were £30 back then, which was about a week's wage for me. In bright red (probably due to Elvis Costello's debut hit).
I bought another pair a couple of years ago, a nostalgia thing. They were £60, so price has only doubled in 45 years. But while the original Kickers were the comfiest shoes I'd ever had, these new ones are crippling, and I've only worn them once :doh:
I have a pair of Converse too, though not worn them since we moved here almost 6 years ago. Biggest problem I had with them is that the soles are so thin you could feel every stone or stick under your feet. .
That's the problem I had with them. Might be okay for someone who never walks any distance but that's not me.
Here.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/116542704183?_skw=leather+shoe+laces&itmmeta=01JWRTGMKQ8X18CD50YSS9BSNN&hash=item1b227c8a37:g:9vQAAOSwDJxnwjxZ&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA8FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1dST7a3d hZnEfZm75ja5WElQeXo%2FdJFtKDGCaSgiztis%2BwrCTwq4lr %2FbUxgfRN6Yjl3dT0UkM2HSYeY61X7MSpD5r1zlvttg5T6T%2 F%2BFnw0sKHCdQsHpMTqjK68kCfcVaaQjOeAIMPwDaP1ZUqjJX k1qLK1k6MvyvDIRT2gRuNkemdQpr%2FYrExF5LUACbhWU3flb0 4sNXJgFz6B%2BHYbvqWaO%2Bk6qECLzHw2igPk2A2NZISpTcOl QWHlCfJqz8XVAX7N%2BX9V1rKYVOzls6TKcavZ%2BRorPBnEGg A3z2wJg9Gl1xw%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABFBMrsrCmuZl
Thanks Steve. :)
Thanks Steve. :)
You spoil sport, Steve, I was going to suggest Barry just tried searching "leather thong"... :eyebrows:
How to guarantee your email will be deleted immediately…. Starting with “I wanted to circle back around” is going to do it, or using the phrase “reach out”…
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20250609/598c6d86208ee8c44bd2b0d2cf5d771f.jpg
Let's just park that for now.
Once we’ve run it up the flag pole and got all our ducks in a row…
Once we’ve run it up the flag pole and got all our ducks in a row…
The FD at my last job used to hold meetings like they were interrogations. Her favourite was to stop whoever was talking mid sentence and say 'So, the exam question is...!'
That got on your tits after a bit.
Back in the 1990s, before idiotic American business slang became normalized, we had a senior manager who was always 'Touching base.' Like 20 times a day.
Eventually someone who wasn't bothered about getting the sack pulled him up on it. In fairness, he did stop saying it.
Also in my last job we had a sales director who was always wanting to go 'Balls deep.'
Didn't matter what the subject was, he would always pipe up to say 'We need to get balls deep into this!'
He ended up getting sacked. Not for saying that, but it probably didn't help.
I must say “balls deep” has never been one I’ve encountered (in a business meeting!) Extra points for going balls deep and touching base at the same time, though!
Pigmy Pony
09-06-2025, 15:00
Absolutely. We need more blue sky thinking.
Whilst doing a 'big shop' for groceries, my partner spotted a vintage gold necklace she has always wanted in a jewellers that had recently opened. We went in to enquire the price and found it was cheaper than I anticipated. Realising such an opportunity would be unlikely to re-occur, I bought it for her.
Little does she know that I could have bought a very good cartridge, or digital camera, or a laptop for what it cost. But then that's me!
You old romantic! Keeping your good lady happy is sometimes more important than toys for the boys.
Got a letter from HMRC telling me I've paid too much tax - £213 refund is due.
Time for a spending spree!
Got a letter from HMRC telling me I've paid too much tax - £213 refund is due.
Time for a spending spree!
I always pay too much tax: been doing so for years now. I prefer it that way, as the return of the excess from HMRC in the autumn is always a welcome surprise.
And the refund is similar to what you will be receiving Martin. You can buy quite a lot of CDs with that sort of sum. :)
I always pay too much tax: been doing so for years now. I prefer it that way, as the return of the excess from HMRC in the autumn is always a welcome surprise.
And the refund is similar to what you will be receiving Martin. You can buy quite a lot of CDs with that sort of sum. :)
This is just a one off as I finished work before the end of the tax year, there won't be any more.
Might blow the £13 on CDs :)
Pigmy Pony
24-06-2025, 14:53
Got a letter from HMRC telling me I've paid too much tax - £213 refund is due.
Time for a spending spree!
Just put another £234,786 to it and treat yourself a nice new Naim Statement rig. But hurry, it won't hang around for long :) Part ex the Krell and the Sony and you'll save even more.
Or you could buy a hundred or so CDs off Music Magpie, with enough left over for a bag of sugar.
Pigmy Pony
24-06-2025, 15:01
I always pay too much tax: been doing so for years now. I prefer it that way, as the return of the excess from HMRC in the autumn is always a welcome surprise.
And the refund is similar to what you will be receiving Martin. You can buy quite a lot of CDs with that sort of sum. :)
Interesting - my pensions put me about £70 pw over the tax threshold, so even if I don't earn anything I'll still get a bill of about £700 :( I should have a word with my accountant about that.
Pigmy Pony
24-06-2025, 15:58
I've just arranged for a pest control bloke to come and see off a couple of wasps' nests which are becoming a nuisance. Quoted me £70, which I don't think is bad.
Probably a better move than my original plan, which was to place an aerosol can of wasp killer next to the nest then shoot the can from a distance with my air rifle. Anita thinks that idea was stupid anyway. I think her idea of going up to the nest and giving it death with nest destroyer is even more stupid though - it's bound to upset them, they can fly at 25mph, and I read online that they will chase you for up to half a mile. Also studies have found that they remember faces too, so she could be on their shit list for days.
And it will only get worse once they start eating rotting fruit, you can't reason with a pissed wasp.
Professional help is definitely the way to go.
I read online that they will chase you for up to half a mile. Also studies have found that they remember faces too, so she could be on their shit list for days.
I didn't realise they can mark your card like that. I'll be more careful in future. There's probably still some after me since I left that jam jar full of water out for them back in 1978.
Go with the can and the air rifle, regardless of what your lady says. That's got a certain 'Day Of The Jackal' appeal to it.
Don't forget to miss with the first round, just to build up the tension.
Pigmy Pony
24-06-2025, 19:53
I didn't realise they can mark your card like that. I'll be more careful in future. There's probably still some after me since I left that jam jar full of water out for them back in 1978.
Go with the can and the air rifle, regardless of what your lady says. That's got a certain 'Day Of The Jackal' appeal to it.
Don't forget to miss with the first round, just to build up the tension.
Unlikely, they mostly kick the bucket by October. Though it is possible that they pass on the Tale of Macca's Jar to their grubs at bedtime to keep the legend going. Wasps are very talented at making stuff out of paper, so I'm sure reconstituting magazine pictures to describe what you look like wouldn't be a problem:
https://images.eil.com/large_image/KYLIE%5FMINOGUE_KYLIE%2B%26%2BJASON-331427.jpg
That's Macca on the right, he killed your great great great great etc grandma, show him no mercy.
If I was you I'd get rid of the mullet, just be safe :)
Yes it won't be the same wasps but it doesn't matter does it? The squadron never dies.
Likely there's a wasp FBI with a most wanted list.
What is the ecological purpose of wasps? They don't pollinate like bees, and what is worse they don't die after stinging you.
I think they do still pollinate, just not the same way. Someone once bought me a book called “Does Anything Eat Wasps?” and I think the answer was “yes” but I don’t remember what it was!
Firebottle
25-06-2025, 07:26
I destroyed a wasps nest in a small plastic 'greenhouse' with some killer spray, but a couple of the buggers got me.
One on the face but I was very quick to swat them away so it wasn't that bad.
Pigmy Pony
25-06-2025, 07:42
I think they do still pollinate, just not the same way. Someone once bought me a book called “Does Anything Eat Wasps?” and I think the answer was “yes” but I don’t remember what it was!
Looking at the pictures you post on "What's for lunch..." thread, the answer is probably "Yes, Alex does", everything else seems to be there :ner:
Pigmy Pony
25-06-2025, 07:51
What is the ecological purpose of wasps? They don't pollinate like bees, and what is worse they don't die after stinging you.
As Alex says, yes they do pollinate, and are very good at it (in Germany it is illegal to destroy wasps' nests except in certain circumstances, though I don't know how they enforce that one).
The adults also kill a lot of other insects, many of those being pest species, which they feed to the grubs, which in turn shit out sugars which the adults feed on. When all the grubs have become adults, the sugar source is then gone, and that's when the adults go foraging and become a real nuisance.
Then by the time colder weather returns, all the wasps die, but not before the queen gets knocked up and goes into hibernation. Then next spring it all starts again.
None of this detracts from the fact they are a right bunch of bastards.
You learn something new every day. Cheers. :)
As Alex says, yes they do pollinate, and are very good at it (in Germany it is illegal to destroy wasps' nests except in certain circumstances, though I don't know how they enforce that one).
.
They don't need to, zee Germans obey orders without question.
The adults also kill a lot of other insects, many of those being pest species, which they feed to the grubs, which in turn shit out sugars which the adults feed on. When all the grubs have become adults, the sugar source is then gone, and that's when the adults go foraging and become a real nuisance.
Then by the time colder weather returns, all the wasps die, but not before the queen gets knocked up and goes into hibernation. Then next spring it all starts again.
None of this detracts from the fact they are a right bunch of bastards.
You ought to be on the telly presenting wildlife programs, I can just imagine that as the voice-over on a 'Springwatch' wasp special.
Pigmy Pony
25-06-2025, 12:52
what is worse they don't die after stinging you.
If a wasp stings me it's going to die all right, oh yes, it will die. I've found that a verbal warning tends to keep them away, but the problem now is the recent influx of foreign wasps coming over on small boats. It's the language barrier I think.
My wasp exterminator guy said he will be here in the morning, so I won't be going anywhere. It could be interesting :)
You have to ask him if he knows Sting.
Pigmy Pony
25-06-2025, 13:23
Yeah, I'm not doing that, it might piss him off and I don't want to risk him spraying them with some psychoactive substance just for the fun of it then leaving. Which has led me to wonder if scientists have ever studied the effects of something like LSD on wasps? I bet they have, there can't be many things in the world that haven't been tried.
I once saw an exterminator guy across from the house I was working on, and I asked him (from a safe distance) if he ever got stung. All the time, was his reply. Which I thought was a bit unprofessional. I hope that's the bloke I'll be getting tomorrow :)
Cheers Steve, I will see how it goes! Often these minor ailments do sort themselves out, and Dr. Google doesn’t suggest it will bring about my imminent demise. Unless of course I don’t hear the number 8 bus as I am crossing the road.
In case anyone was worried ( :lol: ) my ears sorted themselves out after a couple of weeks, thank goodness.
My newest ailment seems to be insect bites - or rather a nasty allergic reaction to them which I have never had before. Got bitten on the knee on Sunday, which then swelled up like a football (slight exaggeration) and then last night on my toe, which now looks like a sausage (again, slight exaggeration although they were fairly sausage-like to begin with.) The knee has settled down after 3 days of Piriton but the toe is agony and really, really itchy! Must not scratch... must not scratch...
Pigmy Pony
02-07-2025, 21:45
You have my sympathies Alex, I've some idea what that's like. As you live in a rural area and take lots of walks the chances are they are horseflies. They are nasty little shits, sneaky and relentless. They're quite slow, but even when you swat them away they keep coming back. They are also pretty soft landing, meaning you may not notice them till they've bitten you.
Their bites are nothing like say, a mosquito, which inserts a narrow tube to suck up the blood - rather they cut your skin with jaws like scissors then lap up the blood. Reactions to this can be pretty extreme, and last for many days, even becoming infected sometimes.
Their jaws are designed to get through a horse's or cow's hide, so they have no problem with light summer clothing. The only defence I think is to keep covered with loose clothing, and be vigilant.
https://www.horseflytrap.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Horsefly-on-grass.jpg
A horsefly lying in wait for a passing human leg
Some more info:
https://www.horseflytrap.co.uk/about-horseflies/
Thanks Steve, I think you might be right, I have a couple of bites on my calf and they are just the "normal" midge bites and haven't flared up like the other two. At least with the weather being crap tonight I am not out in the garden being something's supper!
Well my knee is much better, but toe still very painful if I move it wrong but not constantly throbbing like it was keeping me awake last night…
Feeling a bit lost tonight, daughter currently on a plane heading to Africa, for a 2 week expedition to eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) doing community projects, a 5 day treck, safari etc. with her school. A fantastic opportunity for her, but never been away from home for more than a long weekend before, and they are not allowed to take their phones, so no contact at all apart from maybe the odd update from the teachers.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
The only foreign travel I did whilst at school was a road trip down through France, Andorra and into the Basque region of Spain.
Your daughter is going to have a more productive two weeks than I did, and hopefully will come back with a lot of good memories of her work experience and maybe will have made some new friends whilst she is there. :)
Looks like Ozzy has died. RIP, he was one of the greats.
Sad to learn of the death at 97 of Cleo Laine and of Tom Lehrer
Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth was an English singer and actress famous for her huge vocal range and known for her scat singing. She was the wife of jazz composer and musician Sir John Dankworth.
Probably the best scat singer after the late, great. Ella Fitzgerald.
Tom Lehrer, a Harvard-trained mathematician, and writer of darkly humorous songs, often with political connotations.
He is probably best known for his song "The Elements": a 1959 song with lyrics by Tom Lehrer, which recites the names of all the chemical elements known at the time of writing, up to number 102, nobelium.
THE ELEMENTS
Words: Tom Lehrer
Music: "The Major General's Song" from The Pirates of Penzance, by Arthur Sullivan (public domain)
There's antimony, arsenic, aluminum, selenium,
And hydrogen and oxygen and nitrogen and rhenium,
And nickel, neodymium, neptunium, germanium,
And iron, americium, ruthenium, uranium,
Europium, zirconium, lutetium, vanadium,
And lanthanum and osmium and astatine and radium,
And gold and protactinium and indium and gallium,
And iodine and thorium and thulium and thallium.
There's yttrium, ytterbium, actinium, rubidium,
And boron, gadolinium, niobium, iridium,
And strontium and silicon and silver and samarium,
And bismuth, bromine, lithium, beryllium, and barium.
There's holmium and helium and hafnium and erbium,
And phosphorus and francium and fluorine and terbium,
And manganese and mercury, molybdenum, magnesium,
Dysprosium and scandium and cerium and cesium.
And lead, praseodymium and platinum, plutonium,
Palladium, promethium, potassium, polonium,
And tantalum, technetium, titanium, tellurium,
And cadmium and calcium and chromium and curium.
There's sulfur, californium and fermium, berkelium,
And also mendelevium, einsteinium, nobelium,
And argon, krypton, neon, radon, xenon, zinc and rhodium,
And chlorine, carbon, cobalt, copper, tungsten, tin and sodium.
These are the only ones of which the news has come to Ha'vard,
And there may be many others but they haven't been discavard.
Pigmy Pony
06-08-2025, 09:51
I'm fed up with everything in my wardrobe shrinking, so I'm off down to my local gym to talk to them about alternative laundry detergents. I may even join the gym while I'm there, as I'm sure it isn't helping that I've put on a bit of weight.
Coincidentally with Steve's post above, I'm having a bit of a problem with middle age spread (or in my case OAP spread).
We have been invited to my 'step' granddaughter's wedding the middle of this month. Normally I would reach for my "hatching, matching and dispatching" suit, a suit I've had for years and which has served me well.
However my partner said I have to wear something a bit more fashionable, and anyway when I put the suit on, it is a bit tight around the waist: it would be comfortable enough for the ceremony, but not for the reception blow-out afterwards.
Out of curiosity I tried on some of my other suits and all of my trousers. Normally I'm comfortable with a 34" waist. But it would seem waist measurements are a bit 'elastic' (pun intended ;) ): some 34" trousers are comfortable, yet others are tight. Even more puzzling I have a couple of trousers with 32" waist which are perfectly comfortable. My partner is a seamstress so can modify items of clothing, but letting the waist out can be difficult as there may not be sufficient material to do so.
Anyway back to a new suit for the wedding - well to keep my beloved happy, I bought a new three piece suit, suitable leather belt and matching cuff links, spending over £400 in the process. :doh:
''When you're younger you can eat what you like, drink what you like, and still climb into your 26" waist trousers and zip them closed. Then you reach that age, 24-25, your muscles give up, they wave a little white flag, and without any warning at all you're suddenly a fat bastard''
Pigmy Pony
06-08-2025, 13:39
Coincidentally with Steve's post above, I'm having a bit of a problem with middle age spread (or in my case OAP spread).
We have been invited to my 'step' granddaughter's wedding the middle of this month. Normally I would reach for my "hatching, matching and dispatching" suit, a suit I've had for years and which has served me well.
However my partner said I have to wear something a bit more fashionable, and anyway when I put the suit on, it is a bit tight around the waist: it would be comfortable enough for the ceremony, but not for the reception blow-out afterwards.
Out of curiosity I tried on some of my other suits and all of my trousers. Normally I'm comfortable with a 34" waist. But it would seem waist measurements are a bit 'elastic' (pun intended ;) ): some 34" trousers are comfortable, yet others are tight. Even more puzzling I have a couple of trousers with 32" waist which are perfectly comfortable. My partner is a seamstress so can modify items of clothing, but letting the waist out can be difficult as there may not be sufficient material to do so.
Anyway back to a new suit for the wedding - well to keep my beloved happy, I bought a new three piece suit, suitable leather belt and matching cuff links, spending over £400 in the process. :doh:
You were probably due something a bit more up-to-date. See what you mean about the middle-age spread :)
https://www.meisterdrucke.uk/kunstwerke/800px/Peter_Jackson_-_Mr_Bumble_Oliver_Twist_-_%28MeisterDrucke-239846%29.jpg
Pigmy Pony
06-08-2025, 13:43
I can still get into 34" waist trousers, If I let my belly hang over the belt.
There's always weight loss boot camp
https://xtremebootcamps.com/weight-loss-boot-camps/
From the pics it looks like you lose weight by thumping people so there's some attraction there.
My weight loss has stagnated, and off on holiday next week so may as well pause it now, but the idea of thumping a few people to burn some calories is definitely appealing!
Where did the word “colourways” suddenly appear from? I’ve suddenly noticed it used on clothing, cars and now on Dyson headphones!
Wait, what!? Dyson makes headphones now?!
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20250808/18e6a444e1868d1cfa3fb33d891e0d68.jpg
It's just means a range of combination of colours in which a style or design is available.
So Dyson are offering headphones? That means they will be vastly overpriced for what they are. Their vacuum cleaners are crap, look horrible and are expensive.
It's just means a range of combination of colours in which a style or design is available.
So Dyson are offering headphones? That means they will be vastly overpriced for what they are. Their vacuum cleaners are crap, look horrible and are expensive.
I agree. Also, the vacuum cleaners are exceedingly noisy and are made from rigid plastic that breaks easily.
Pigmy Pony
08-08-2025, 18:27
Twenty years ago Dyson moved manufacturing of his vacuum cleaners, and eventually everything else, to the far east (Malaysia, Singapore, China), and sod our workforce. Reason given was reduced manufacturing costs (cheaper labour). And yet his stuff is still taking-the-piss expensive. For that reason alone I won't buy any Dyson products.
I've got a Dyson I got almost 20 years ago still works fine, best vacuum I've had and only one that's lasted anything like as long.
As for moving his manufacturing, he's a business not a charity. It's just economic reality. Those plates you eat your tea off were probably made in Indonesia, used to be made in UK along with hundreds of other things, why pick Dyson out?
As for price if he was the only game in town and you had to pay that much then that would be different but there's dozens of competing products which are cheaper.
I did hear that those headphones suck, though…. (Can’t believe you didn’t beat me to that one, Steve! [emoji4] )
Every time I go to the tip there are always Dyson vacuum cleaners that have been thrown out - probably because they have broken.
There are better vacuum cleaners than Dyson. I have one: it's a Miele, made in Germany and is so powerful I have to use it on the lowest setting, often with the air bleed open. It is (or was) cheaper than a Dyson and is as old as yours.
Pigmy Pony
08-08-2025, 20:58
I've got a Dyson I got almost 20 years ago still works fine, best vacuum I've had and only one that's lasted anything like as long.
As for moving his manufacturing, he's a business not a charity. It's just economic reality. Those plates you eat your tea off were probably made in Indonesia, used to be made in UK along with hundreds of other things, why pick Dyson out?
As for price if he was the only game in town and you had to pay that much then that would be different but there's dozens of competing products which are cheaper.
They may as well be a charity, because making hoovers with a 20+ year lifespan is hardly good business. And neither is buying one when 'there's dozens of competing products which are cheaper' :ner: I suppose this is where you tell me you bought it secondhand...
It looks like you may have the only Dyson hoover that's survived coming of age. But be assured that all those underpaid Filipino minions will be working tirelessly to ensure that never happens again.
Edit: I'll stick with me Vax, which is made in, you guessed it, CHINA :doh: That's shot my argument down in flames, but I still wouldn't buy a Dyson, not even if it came with a free nest of tables.
Pigmy Pony
09-08-2025, 08:08
I did hear that those headphones suck, though…. (Can’t believe you didn’t beat me to that one, Steve! [emoji4] )
:D Yeah I missed that one... I see that What Hifi? gave it 3 out of 5 stars, with more capable models from Apple and Bose coming in cheaper than their £450 asking price. And the 'colour options' which gave it a bit of a Fisher Price look came in for some stick. The active noise cancelling got some praise though - handy if you're trying to listen to Dusty in Memphis or Inspiral Carpets above the racket of their overpriced hoovers.
They may as well be a charity, because making hoovers with a 20+ year lifespan is hardly good business. And neither is buying one when 'there's dozens of competing products which are cheaper' :ner: I suppose this is where you tell me you bought it secondhand...
.
No I bought it new. I expect to get at least 20 years service out of any appliance - my fridge and washing machine are both older than that. As is my pre-amp, power amp, Technics SL1200, the NAD amp on the TV system, my Sony Trinitron computer monitor.
My Sanyo microwave is from the early 1980s - still going. It's made of metal - remember when stuff was made of metal? My landline telephone is from the 1970s! 50 years old, still works fine.
Now I've said that they'll probably all fail by the end of the week.
Pigmy Pony
09-08-2025, 08:42
You still have a landline? Does anybody call you on it?
Always the case that older, more basic things made of proper materials are more reliable than new stuff. My 'landline' comprised two tin cans joined by a piece of string - never went wrong, though long distance calls were a bugger. And every so often I had to change the string.
My first washing machine was a Hoover "Keymatic". You selected different programmes by inserting different coloured plastic "cards", bought secondhand in 1983, still going strong ten years later when we, er, upgraded to a Zanussi which lasted until just after the warranty expired, after which we got to be on first name terms with our local repair guy. That's progress for you.
You still have a landline? Does anybody call you on it?
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No it isn't even plugged in as the only calls I get on it are from the 'Are you the home owner' sales wankers. But you have to have a landline subscription as part of the cable tv/broadband dealy I have.
Simple is better I agree you won't catch me buying some talking fridge or one that connects to my phone. Absolute bollocks that no-one needs.
I would like a fridge with an icemaker. Thing is the fridges with them are so big if I got one I wouldn't be able to get into the kitchen.
Pigmy Pony
09-08-2025, 10:59
And you've already got two fridge-size speakers. I agree, simple is best - I don't want a fridge that says "Oh no not you again" or "Do you really need to eat that" every time I open the door.
Our standard size half-and-half fridge freezer suits us fine, though we do have a chest freezer in the garage :)
And you've already got two fridge-size speakers. I agree, simple is best - I don't want a fridge that says "Oh no not you again" or "Do you really need to eat that" every time I open the door.
Our standard size half-and-half fridge freezer suits us fine, though we do have a chest freezer in the garage :)
Yeah, my speakers are actually bigger than my fridge in all dimensions. It doesn't have a freezer section or an ice box though. I used to have one with a freezer but I never used it so when it died I bought a larder fridge. Uses less power, less to go wrong.
I watched a Youtube thing about a bloke who bought a 'smart' refrigerator, he had terrible troubles with it. Took him days to get it working right. Days!
I mean why would you need a fridge that connects to the internet and has to have firmware updates? WTAF?
Are people's lives not complicated enough already? I just don't have the patience for any of that stuff. One of the reasons I don't do streaming.
Ah - the IOT (Internet of Things), whereby your "smart" fridge knows exactly what you have in it, and when you run low on anything it will send a message to your friendly supermarket ordering replacements which will arrive promptly!
Who needs it? Those that are too lazy to walk to the shops. :doh:
Living in the future - we were promised flying cars, Mr Fusion, wheels in space. And what did we get? Talkie Toaster.
Talking of guarantees, I think for all non perishable goods, UK law requires a minimum guarantee of one year. When we were in the EU it too prescribed a minimum guarantee; the two running consecutively. (So thanks to all those who voted to leave. :doh:)
Given that, manufacturers will now design their goods, especially electrical goods, so they will just cover the minimum period.
I would agree that in the past electrical goods, possibly because they were simpler, would last much longer, and were often repairable. I have an iron which is 50 years old, a fridge which is 48 years old, my old CRT colour telly was 20 years old and still working, only changed because TVs are digital now. And I always got about 20 years useful life out of my cars.
"They don't make 'em like they used to."
I doubt manufacturers have changed their construction to fail in one year instead of two just for the UK.
Really all that 'built to fail' thing is just a myth. Cheap tat will probably fail sooner, that's why it's cheap.
My LG TV is still fine after 8 years - I gave the previous Sony one to a friend's son for use in his bedroom, still going fine after 19 years and that got a lot of use as I used it as a computer monitor as well as for TV.
It's more pot luck than anything I think. If you buy quality it will either fail very quickly or last for a very long time. There's always going to be some 'Friday afternoon' specials.
Pigmy Pony
09-08-2025, 12:57
I doubt many tellies get the chance to fail these days - Council tips are full of perfectly good TVs that have been replaced simply because they're no longer big enough.
I doubt many tellies get the chance to fail these days - Council tips are full of perfectly good TVs that have been replaced simply because they're no longer big enough.
One of my brothers was round here the other week, he asked about my telly. He's not happy with his as it's too small but he's like me, he doesn't want to replace it until it fails. Said he might have to have an 'accident' with it.
Never thought I'd be saying a TV with a 55 inch screen is too small but that's how I feel about mine now.
I never said manufacturers changed their construction to fail after one year. What I said was manufacturers design their products so as to just cover the minimum period of the guarantee, whatever that is.
All electronics have a 'bath tub' failure rate with time characteristic: infant mortality within a few hours, then if hasn't failed, a long life with an ultimate gentle degredation and death. Just like humans really.
.
I got a 50 inch back in 2007 when it was still uncommon. Like having a wall of television. I basked in it. Friends came round and basked in it. They'd make a special trip here to watch the footy on it.
Now it's nothing out of the normal, just an ordinary little TV.
Never thought I'd be saying a TV with a 55 inch screen is too small but that's how I feel about mine now.
I think TV size is often a matter of 'willy waving': "mine is bigger than yours".
For me the size of the screen is related to viewing distance. The human eye takes in most information within an angle of about 40°. It is aware of movement outside of that angle, but detait is not resolved as well as it is within the 40° angle.
I think TV size is often a matter of 'willy waving': "mine is bigger than yours".
For me the size of the screen is related to viewing distance. The human eye takes in most information within an angle of about 40°. It is aware of movement outside of that angle, but detait is not resolved as well as it is within the 40° angle.
Maybe there's bragging rights for some people I don't know about that. To an extent it's all in the mind - I mean I will watch a black and white film and totally forget that it's black and white. Or something with subtitles and forget that I actually don't understand Japanese.
When I was between televisions I was using a 16'' Sony monitor for a couple of months. After the initial adjustment forgot all about it. Only when I went back to 55'' was it 'Woah this is huge!' And a few days later that had worn off and it was just normal again.
I know exactly the same would happen if I got an 85'' screen, but still...
Pigmy Pony
09-08-2025, 16:37
One of my brothers was round here the other week, he asked about my telly. He's not happy with his as it's too small but he's like me, he doesn't want to replace it until it fails. Said he might have to have an 'accident' with it.
Never thought I'd be saying a TV with a 55 inch screen is too small but that's how I feel about mine now.
Save yourself some money and sit closer to the screen. Same thing really.
This week I took a 32" flat screen telly to the tip. This one actually had packed up. I put it in the (small for a big car) boot along with a load of other crap. Twenty years ago we bought a 32" Sony TV, not a flat screen. We had an Escort cabriolet at the time, just as well - took the top down and dropped it in - it would never have fitted in a regular car.
Anita has been angling for a bigger screen for some time (75" or thereabouts), but it's not happening until this one packs up or I can't tolerate the 'screen burn' any more. Definitely won't get another OLED.
Problem with giant screens is that they amplify shortcomings in the quality of what you're watching, and a lot of what we watch is broadcast standard definition. So I don't see the point really. It certainly won't be for bragging rights, we don't get visitors that often, it's something we actively discourage :)
Save yourself some money and sit closer to the screen. Same thing really.
This week I took a 32" flat screen telly to the tip. This one actually had packed up. I put it in the (small for a big car) boot along with a load of other crap. Twenty years ago we bought a 32" Sony TV, not a flat screen. We had an Escort cabriolet at the time, just as well - took the top down and dropped it in - it would never have fitted in a regular car.
Anita has been angling for a bigger screen for some time (75" or thereabouts), but it's not happening until this one packs up or I can't tolerate the 'screen burn' any more. Definitely won't get another OLED.
Problem with giant screens is that they amplify shortcomings in the quality of what you're watching, and a lot of what we watch is broadcast standard definition. So I don't see the point really. It certainly won't be for bragging rights, we don't get visitors that often, it's something we actively discourage :)
What do you have now? I got the memory that it is big, 60'' or 65''?
I wasn't being entirely serious when I mentioned bragging about size. The interest in large screen TVs has a more complicated history.
When the cinema came along the film format was quite small having an aspect ratio of 4:3 (often referred to as Academy ratio). When television was developed, it too used CRTs having the same aspect ratio, so films could be easily broadcast.
Later the Americans developed 'Cinemascope' and other wide screen formats, presumably for a more immersive experience. Cinemas at the time were only single screen and the auditorium large enough so you didn't have to move your head much to view all parts of the screen.
Now with the introduction of multiplex cinemas which can show several films at the same time, the auditorium are smaller, seat fewer people and seat them closer to the screen so you have to move your head a lot more when watching a film. They also have surround sound creating a more 'immersive' experience.
So when flat screen televisions were developed allowing one to hang them on a wall, they adopted a new aspect ratio of 16:9, and larger screen size to mimic the cinema experience. And to accompany the visual experience multi-channel audio 'surround sound' is now available.
I'm a bit of a film 'buff' and love to watch foreign language films. I'm also a bit conservative in my viewing requirements and don't feel the need for very large screens or multi channel audio: in fact I dislike the experience of sounds coming from behind me.
I started years ago with NICAM stereo, then Dolby surround, then Dolby Digital 5.1 for a few years but now I just have stereo.
It was a bit of a novelty for a while but I don't really miss it.
I demoed it to my father once, he loved it.
Pigmy Pony
10-08-2025, 07:55
What do you have now? I got the memory that it is big, 60'' or 65''?
No, it's "only" 55". Plenty big enough for me, but then I'm not the boss of telly watching. Nor anything else that's not motorbike or music-related.
On the subject of stuff you didn't know you needed, check out this, latest addition to Anita's Ninja collection:
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51z5TOwvARL._AC_SX679_.jpg
There are presets for different temperatures when choosing various 'speciality' teas (says on the kettle 'specialty' :steam:) Or you can set to any temperature you like, 95C for coffee, 100C for proper tea, and a 'hold' function, where it will keep the water temp at whatever you choose. It does boil really quickly, but I can't say my brew tastes any better.
Looks expensive, but good to see it has a setting for coffee. Water for coffee should always be off the boil, as it should be for tea, 'speciality' or not.
Pigmy Pony
10-08-2025, 08:06
I started years ago with NICAM stereo, then Dolby surround, then Dolby Digital 5.1 for a few years but now I just have stereo.
It was a bit of a novelty for a while but I don't really miss it.
I demoed it to my father once, he loved it.
Ah, NICAM stereo, arrived late '85, just too late for Live Aid. It was broadcast on BBC TV and Radio 1 simultaneously. So I recorded some of it (Bowie and Bryan Ferry) on my regular video machine and on my stereo's cassette player.
Afterwards, with a bit of dicking around, I got to see it on telly and through the stereo simultaneously. Result! Unfortunately, it only took a couple of minutes for the sound and vision to go out of synch. So the later arrival of NICAM stereo was definitely progress in my world :)
No, it's "only" 55". Plenty big enough for me, but then I'm not the boss of telly watching. Nor anything else that's not motorbike or music-related.
On the subject of stuff you didn't know you needed, check out this, latest addition to Anita's Ninja collection:
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51z5TOwvARL._AC_SX679_.jpg
There are presets for different temperatures when choosing various 'speciality' teas (says on the kettle 'specialty' :steam:) Or you can set to any temperature you like, 95C for coffee, 100C for proper tea, and a 'hold' function, where it will keep the water temp at whatever you choose. It does boil really quickly, but I can't say my brew tastes any better.
If it boils really quick that's really all I ask of a kettle. I had one of those glass German kettles for 15 years, super quick to boil but eventually the plastic top and spout bit started to fall apart. It still works but I had to replace it. New one seems to take twice as long to boil but doesn't have any plastic bits.
Ah, NICAM stereo, arrived late '85, just too late for Live Aid. It was broadcast on BBC TV and Radio 1 simultaneously. So I recorded some of it (Bowie and Bryan Ferry) on my regular video machine and on my stereo's cassette player.
Afterwards, with a bit of dicking around, I got to see it on telly and through the stereo simultaneously. Result! Unfortunately, it only took a couple of minutes for the sound and vision to go out of synch. So the later arrival of NICAM stereo was definitely progress in my world :)
NICAM was great. I had an Akai VCR with NICAM, excellent picture (for VHS) and sound. Then DVD came along.
Your newer kettle must be a lower power design. Older kettles used to be 3kw, but newer designs now tend to be 2kw.
Your newer kettle must be a lower power design. Older kettles used to be 3kw, but newer designs now tend to be 2kw.
That would make sense. There isn't really any other factor involved.
Pigmy Pony
10-08-2025, 12:17
Your newer kettle must be a lower power design. Older kettles used to be 3kw, but newer designs now tend to be 2kw.
No, it's 3kW. Currently 80 quid on the Amazon, but that's black/copper. Anita held out for a while, waiting for the black/silver option to go on special offer. Personally I could live with a tin kettle with a whistle you put on the stove. Everything in the kitchen 'beeps', even the fridge and the washing machine.
I wouldn't mind a microwave that goes 'ding' when it's done, but I think you only get that on cheaper models these days.
A 'beeping' fridge - that is something I can do without. :doh:
(The power rating was in reply to Martin's slow boiling kettle.)
Pigmy Pony
10-08-2025, 12:29
A 'beeping' fridge - that is something I can do without. :doh:
(The power rating was in reply to Martin's slow boiling kettle.)
Yeah, if you leave the fridge door open for more than about 20 seconds, it nags you to shut it. A bit of a pain when you're loading it after a big shop, but pressing the button that switches on the fridge light shuts it up.
That makes sense - my partner often doesn't shut the fridge door fully and is surprised when it needs defrosting.
Pigmy Pony
12-08-2025, 13:05
Where did the word “colourways” suddenly appear from?
So I've noticed it being used frequently, along with 'uptick' (just seen it used 3 times in less than a minute during a report on aggressive behaviour towards pharmacy staff), and of course people who should know better starting a sentence with 'So'.
Might be time for a revised edition of the OED :rolleyes:
Edit:'Uptick' is already in the OED, has been around since the 1950s. But, get this: according to OED, the word is used 0.01 times per million words in written English, compared to 'increase' which gets 200 uses per million. Be interested to see how those figures look in 12 months, but I expect to see an uptick in its frequency.
Thought I'd post this in a variety of colourways to make it look more interesting
I've noticed it being used frequently, along with 'uptick' (just seen it used 3 times in less than a minute during a report on aggressive behaviour towards pharmacy staff), and of course people who should know better starting a sentence with 'So'.
Might be time for a revised edition of the OED :rolleyes:
They are just annoying Americanisms that are fashionable at the moment. I can't see how the term "uptick" is any better than "increase".
Both the OED and University of Cambridge edit their respective dictionaries, but you have to wait for the next edition, and it's not something that is done overnight.
Pigmy Pony
12-08-2025, 13:31
They are just annoying Americanisms that are fashionable at the moment. I can't see how the term "uptick" is any better than "increase".
Both the OED and University of Cambridge edit their respective dictionaries, but you have to wait for the next edition, and it's not something that is done overnight.
I do find it annoying, but partly because I'm a grumpy old git. It's just younger folk trying to keep up with fashions, and these I see as 'in' words. I'm not even going to try - every time I tell younger folk that I'm "down with the kids", they tell me I'm definitely not :(
You're right, uptick is no better than increase, see my previous post's figures on usage.
They are just annoying Americanisms that are fashionable at the moment. I can't see how the term "uptick" is any better than "increase".
.
Possibly 'uptick' has a higher emotional response than 'increase', so it is used in marketing and other literature in which the objective is to persuade rather than inform - and from that it passes into everyday use?
Pigmy Pony
12-08-2025, 13:33
Possibly 'uptick' has a higher emotional response than 'increase', so it is used in marketing and other literature in which the objective is to persuade rather than inform - and from that it passes into everyday use?
Could be used to describe one's experience when going 'commando' through a field of long grass :doh:
Possibly 'uptick' has a higher emotional response than 'increase', so it is used in marketing and other literature in which the objective is to persuade rather than inform - and from that it passes into everyday use?
You could well be right - the Americans have always had a knack in advertising copy to make things sound attractive.
I first became aware of it way back in the early seventies when I visited a pizza restaurant. The individual ingredients were described in detail, so what was probably a 'bog standard' pizza was made to appear irresistible and attractive.
You could well be right - the Americsn have always had a knack in advertising copy to make things sound attractive.
I first became aware of it way back in the early seventies when I visited a pizza restaurant. The individual ingredients were described in detail, so what was probably a 'bog standard' pizza was made to appear irresistible and attractive.
The scary thing is - it works.
Sad to learn of the death of actor Terence Stamp, age 87.
Famous for his good looks and impeccable dress sense, he formed one of Britain's most glamorous couples with Julie Christie, with whom he starred in Far From The Madding Crowd in 1967. He also dated the model Jean Shrimpton and was chosen as a muse by photographer David Bailey.
After failing to be chosen for the role of James Bond to succeed Sean Connery, he appeared in Italian films and worked with Federico Fellini in the late '60s. The Oscar- nominated actor starred in films ranging from Pier Pasolini's Theorem in 1968 to The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1994 in which he played a transgender woman.
It's that time of the year for me to renew the car insurance. Normally when given a renewal quote, I have to go through the rigmarole of phoning the company to say the new quote is excessive; well above inflation, and being a long-term and loyal customer with the maximum no claims bonus, can we look to see if it can be reduced? (with the un-
stated 'threat' that I can always go elsewhere!) The representative always agrees to go and have a look, and always comes back with a lower quote; more in line with what I had in mind and I accept the new quote.
This time however I was surprised to learn the renewal quote was £160 lower than that for last year. I don't understand why, but I'm not complaining.
Pigmy Pony
18-08-2025, 17:17
That is surprising. We have the same routine every year, fortunately Anita's patience in these matters is matched only by her dogged determination :)
I'm assuming the renewal quote is based on your circumstances being unchanged. But I'd advise checking your policy documents when they arrive, to check they haven't mistakenly omitted or changed any details, which could potentially become a problem in the event of a claim (they would argue you should have checked, ignorance being no excuse).
Perhaps if you've had the same car for some years its current value may have dropped into a lower 'band'. Or maybe that family of scumbags in the next street who have been responsible for 90% of the crime in your area have moved away. Or been sent away.
Pigmy Pony
18-08-2025, 17:44
Sad to learn of the death of actor Terence Stamp, age 87.
Famous for his good looks and impeccable dress sense, he formed one of Britain's most glamorous couples with Julie Christie, with whom he starred in Far From The Madding Crowd in 1967. He also dated the model Jean Shrimpton and was chosen as a muse by photographer David Bailey.
After failing to be chosen for the role of James Bond to succeed Sean Connery, he appeared in Italian films and worked with Federico Fellini in the late '60s. The Oscar- nominated actor starred in films ranging from Pier Pasolini's Theorem in 1968 to The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1994 in which he played a transgender woman.
I remember reading Michael Caine's autobiography "What's it All About?", where Ciane spoke of his friendship with Stamp in the 60s. They shared a house and were well immersed in the London party scene of the 'swinging 60s'. I reckon that would have been a great time and place to be alive :) Plus he got to date Julie Christie and Jean Shrimpton, the bastard ;)
The book also made mention of Terence's younger brother Chris... he did some impressive stuff :)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Stamp
That is surprising. We have the same routine every year, fortunately Anita's patience in these matters is matched only by her dogged determination :)
I'm assuming the renewal quote is based on your circumstances being unchanged. But I'd advise checking your policy documents when they arrive, to check they haven't mistakenly omitted or changed any details, which could potentially become a problem in the event of a claim (they would argue you should have checked, ignorance being no excuse).
Perhaps if you've had the same car for some years its current value may have dropped into a lower 'band'. Or maybe that family of scumbags in the next street who have been responsible for 90% of the crime in your area have moved away. Or been sent away.
According to Martin Lewis, car insurance is down 16% from this time last year.
Pigmy Pony
18-08-2025, 18:31
According to Martin Lewis, car insurance is down 16% from this time last year.
Which would be spot on for Barry if last year's premium had been £1,000. In any case that is a great price cut.
That's interesting, and good to know. But in my case it represents a reduction of 34%! :eek:
I should add that my insurance is fully comprehensive, as it has always been. The only change in my/our favour might be that my partner has now had more driving experience since taking out insurance on the car. However I will check the new premium carefully.
Just as I was lauding my car insurance company for reducing my annual premium by 34%, we have just returned home to find the house and contents insurance has gone up by 35%.
So "easy come easy go"? Well not quite, the premium has always been more expensive than that for the car. Again I'm going to have to phone them, find out why, and try to haggle a better deal. :doh:
Pigmy Pony
01-09-2025, 14:17
Just as I was lauding my car insurance company for reducing my annual premium by 34%, we have just returned home to find the house and contents insurance has gone up by 35%.
So "easy come easy go"? Well not quite, the premium has always been more expensive than that for the car. Again I'm going to have to phone them, find out why, and try to haggle a better deal. :doh:
I'd imagine haggling with them should be quite easy - as home/contents insurance isn't a legal requirement as it is for motor insurance they won't have you over a barrel. Don't forget to mention any security "upgrades" you might have had (security/doorbell cameras, alarm, big dog), it could give them justification for giving you a better quote without them looking like they were trying it on with the first quote.
It's been a fine afternoon here. I thought I would cut the grass, as it has not been touched for a couple of weeks. Well I left it a bit late as a really dirty rain cloud appeared, but since I had already got the mower out I wasn't going to let a little rain stop me. Well fortunately my mower is powerful and I was able complete the task just as it rained 'stair rods'.
Of course as soon as it started, it stopped, so I can now put the mower away.
The conker season has just started. Picked up a horse chestnut on the way home, but in weighing 16.5g it's nothing to write about. :rolleyes:
Pigmy Pony
07-09-2025, 00:02
The conker season has just started. Picked up a horse chestnut on the way home, but in weighing 16.5g it's nothing to write about. :rolleyes:
And yet here you are... :ner: I had a feeling conker season would be earlier this year, due to the extra warm summer we've had (blackberries, falling leaves, mince pies in the shops already) :rolleyes:
I've a super-busy week coming up, but next weekend I should get onto it - best conker trees in Preston are across the river from 'The Continental', a really nice pub on the edge of Avenham park with a huge beer garden and good food served. Would be a good opportunity, weather permitting.
Pigmy Pony
07-09-2025, 00:09
Chiropodist is coming round at 9am tomorrow to 'pamper' Anita's feet, and she wants the woman to do mine too, to make her feel less guilty about the expense probably.
Having suffered the treatment a few weeks ago, I'm not keen. So I'm going to get up ahead of it and bugger off to a car boot on me bike before she gets here. I'm going to try a 'posh' car boot the other side of Preston, see what they have there.
Someone posted this on PFM and I think I might have ruptured something as a result:
https://i.ibb.co/PGKq3SNf/i.jpg (https://ibb.co/Zz5qtZVk)
Is Viz magazine still going? I used to love reading about the two "Fat Slags", and about some guy with enormous genitals; so large, he had to use a wheel barrow to support them when moving about. :lol:
I assume it is, but I really don't know. Must be 20 years since I last bought it.
There's a 'Fat Slags' feature film came out some years ago now, but I've not seen it.
I liked Biffa Bacon and Terry Fuckwit.
and about some guy with enormous genitals; so large, he had to use a wheel barrow to support them when moving about. :lol:
Buster Gonad - "the boy with unfeasibly large testicles". I liked "Roger Mellie - The Man on the Tellie."
"Roger Mellie - The Man on the Tellie."
The pro-celebrity golf game where Brucie and Tarbie catch him taking a dump in one of the bunkers.
I think I'll have to subscribe to Viz, if it is still published. I had forgotten about half of the characters mentioned.
Will make a change from Priviate Eye.
I think I'll have to subscribe to Viz, if it is still published. I had forgotten about half of the characters mentioned.
Will make a change from Priviate Eye.
I used to get Private Eye to read on the train, but then I stopped using the train. Also I thought it had started becoming politically partisan, which made it a lot less amusing. If I wanted that I could get the Socialist Worker for free - which is arguably just as amusing anyway.
Sad to learn of the death of Robert Redford today age 89.
Film actor, director and producer, as well as environmental activist, Redford left a large legacy of work.
He worked with some of the most famous names in Hollywood.
It's hard for me to choose a favourite film, as he made so many I enjoyed, but if pressed it would be any one of: 'All the President's Men'; 'Butch Cassedy and the Sundance Kid; 'The Horse Wisperer' and '3 Days of The Condor'.
RIP Robert
On an entirely different matter, at this time of the year I look out for fallen horse chestnut 'conkers'. A schoolboy legacy, it is something I still do, but nowadays it's more of an aesthetic pursuit; I love the look of their colour and if I can find a large one so much the better.
Found what looked like a likely candidate, but when I opened the case I found it housed twins! Still at a combined weight of 36.4g it might have been a contender. :doh:
Pigmy Pony
16-09-2025, 21:04
On an entirely different matter, at this time of the year I look out for fallen horse chestnut 'conkers'. A schoolboy legacy, it is something I still do, but nowadays it's more of an aesthetic pursuit; I love the look of their colour and if I can find a large one so much the better.
Found what looked like a likely candidate, but when I opened the case I found it housed twins! Still at a combined weight of 36.4g it might have been a contender. :doh:
The Terry Malloy of conkers :)
Brad Pitt in that advert for coffee (or whatever it is, it's hard to work out what they're selling these days) - older than me, doesn't have a grey hair on his head.
Must dye it which has me thinking that if it's okay for Brad Pitt to do it then it must be okay for the rest of us.
Thinking of going for one of those really dark ones that make it look like you've used boot black. Or just use boot black.
What are the panel's thoughts?
My approach is to simply "grow old gracefully". I started to go grey in my early thirties beginning with my temples and side burns. People would be reassuring and complimentary, saying I looked 'distinguished'.
Never did I think of dying my hair: once started you have to maintain the deceit, especially at the crown where the hair grows. Also for some hair the dye can make the grey hair look 'yellow'.
Finally your skin is a ruthless indicator when it comes to giving away your age (especially the skin on the back of your hands). So don't bother with hair dye - having jet black hair at your age will just make you look odd.
I wasn't being entirely serious, at least not about the boot black.
Used to be a bloke on the same bus as me who must have been 60 but had jet black hair. You're right it does look odd.
Pigmy Pony
20-09-2025, 21:51
Allow me to voice my opinion in visual form:
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/01/24/21/8953542-6629747-4_He_still_can_t_let_it_be_2005_this_ginger_tint_l ooks_worse_as_-m-119_1548366894760.jpg
If thine hair offends thee, shave it off! You can always let it re-grow if you don't like it.
Pigmy Pony
20-09-2025, 21:59
I think a full head of hair on an old bloke looks wrong. Even if it's not dyed. It just doesn't grow right and can look like a wig even when it's not. Shaved or very short would be my choice even if I still had hair.
There are exceptions, but not many.
https://media.hswstatic.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJjb250ZW50Lmhzd3N0YXRpYy5jb20iLCJrZX kiOiJnaWZcL3Vud2FudGVkLWhhaXIuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsi cmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo4Mjh9LCJ0b0Zvcm1hdCI6ImF2aW YifX0=
Quite like his eye-wigs though. They add character.
I still have a full head of hair, although it's white/grey. I prefer to wear it long, but at least I don't have a topknot or a pigtail - which, of course, is a 'no no' for a person of my age.
Pigmy Pony
20-09-2025, 22:52
I still have a full head of hair, although it's white/grey. I prefer to wear it long, but at least I don't have a topknot or a pigtail - which, of course, is a 'no no' for a person of my age.
I think it's 'no no' for a person of any age. Oh and I've seen you with your hair and am happy to say you are one of the exceptions :)
I think a full head of hair on an old bloke looks wrong. Even if it's not dyed. It just doesn't grow right and can look like a wig even when it's not. Shaved or very short would be my choice even if I still had hair.
There are exceptions, but not many.
.
Brad Pitt still has rich kid's hair, although I saw that ad again and I suppose it could be a wig. That's a bridge too far for me, although if you're in the entertainment business maybe it's acceptable. I mean you've got Sinatra and Connery as examples there.
Pigmy Pony
21-09-2025, 15:08
Brad Pitt still has rich kid's hair, although I saw that ad again and I suppose it could be a wig. That's a bridge too far for me, although if you're in the entertainment business maybe it's acceptable. I mean you've got Sinatra and Connery as examples there.
If I were to get a wig it might look something like this - no one would suspect it was something you'd pay for.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EXahNrGXQAAYg3X?format=jpg&name=240x240
Pigmy Pony
21-09-2025, 15:16
Well my conker-foraging didn't go that well - place has changed so much, most of the access was barred by stinging nettles and giant hog weeds (there were signs warning the public about them). Then I came across a swarm of ground-nesting wasps who didn't seem very pleased to see me. Got out of there sharpish with a handful of conkers, the largest of which weighed in at 29g. So no record-breakers there.
Next year I'll try the place I used to go to as a kid, but as it's a private school these days I'll have to borrow a dog so I don't look like a predator. I remember the conkers there being really big, but it might just have been my ten year-old hands making them seem big.
Well you have done better than me. The heaviest conker I have found this autumn weighs a paltry 24.8g.
What has surprised me though this year is the number of 'promising' cases, which when opened contain twins; each weighing around 20g. A big disappointment!
So the unofficial record still stands at 33.7g.
The World Conker Championships are held every year on the second Sunday in October at Southwick, Northamptonshire.
The organisers are concerned that because of the hot summer this year, horse chestnuts have matured early and hence are smaller than usual.
That would explain my difficulty in finding any of a decent size, but it doesn't explain the profusion of 'twins'.
Pigmy Pony
22-09-2025, 19:56
Yeah, conker twins are always a disappointment. Always undersize and I don't like their shape. Women manage to have normal shaped twins, even triplets, and apart from making more noise seem perfectly fine. Horse chestnut trees need to up their game, it's just not good enough.
I'll just have to try a different site for conker-picking next time - the years haven't been kind to my "usual" spot. Access was via an embankment with a deadly steep gradient, the only alternative meant squeezing past two tents which looked like it contained homeless folk (I'm guessing they weren't there on holiday because of all the litter and no one playing swingball), and I didn't want to risk stumbling across their al fresco toilet.
If I get a chance I'll try the private school - I'll go Saturday or Sunday so I won't be scaring any kids.
I'll just have to try a different site for conker-picking next time - the years haven't been kind to my "usual" spot. Access was via an embankment with a deadly steep gradient, the only alternative meant squeezing past two tents which looked like it contained homeless folk (I'm guessing they weren't there on holiday because of all the litter and no one playing swingball), and I didn't want to risk stumbling across their al fresco toilet.
At least they picked somewhere out of the way to pitch their tents. Loads of tree covered waste ground round here where you could put a tent and no-one would bother you. Where do they pitch up? In the bushes right outside the Sainsbury. Cops move them on before they've even had a chance to chuck their pie wrappers out.
I’m hoping to try Ixworth next week, although my Calendar is getting pretty busy, so may be the week after…
Pigmy Pony
24-09-2025, 17:57
You'll need to get your skates on Alex, the squirrels are busy stocking up their larders for winter. Worse than that, I found the best conkers had bits bitten out of them by the little shitbags.
Pigmy Pony
24-09-2025, 18:06
Yesterday I was talking about conkers with a customer (this is what I do when I'm supposed to be working), and he told me his wife had a go at making soap with them. Apparently they do have very good detergent properties, but I really couldn't be arsed, I'll stick with Dove.
Yesterday I was talking about conkers with a customer (this is what I do when I'm supposed to be working), and he told me his wife had a go at making soap with them. Apparently they do have very good detergent properties, but I really couldn't be arsed, I'll stick with Dove.
So will I! :lol:
Needed to post a small package today, so popped into W.H.Smith, only to find it has changed its name to T.G.Jones! :doh:
Apparently the name W.H.Smith is being retained for the profitable airport, railway and hospital shops. Profitable because they have a largely captive customer base, so can overcharge for anything they sell. Bastards.
Needed to post a small package today, so popped into W.H.Smith, only to find it has changed its name to T.G.Jones! :doh:
Apparently the name W.H.Smith is being retained for the profitable airport, railway and hospital shops. Profitable because they have a largely captive customer base, so can overcharge for anything they sell. Bastards.
The trick is to buy what you need before you go to the airport or railway station. Or be rich.
I mean no-one goes to the airport or station by mistake, or unexpectedly ends up there.
So you buy your coffee and take it to the airport or railway station before you travel?
So you buy your coffee and take it to the airport or railway station before you travel?
I don't, but you do see people with their own flasks and water bottles and that. Or their own booze.
I can usually manage a train journey without refreshment and at the airport I always used to go in the fancy lounge where it was free food and drink.
Free food and drink? In my time I must have used over three hundred airports, and never did I find free food and drink.
Free food and drink? In my time I must have used over three hundred airports, and never did I find free food and drink.
You have to get someone to sign you in to the executive lounge or whatever it's called.
Free tea, coffee, beer, wine, spirits, snacks, complimentary newspapers and magazines. And when your flight is ready they come over and tell you. Always nice and quiet, too.
Complimentary newspapers I get on the plane, as I do with booze. But never at an airport.
Obviously it's not what you know, it's who you know.
Pigmy Pony
26-09-2025, 06:59
Needed to post a small package today, so popped into W.H.Smith, only to find it has changed its name to T.G.Jones! :doh:
Apparently the name W.H.Smith is being retained for the profitable airport, railway and hospital shops. Profitable because they have a largely captive customer base, so can overcharge for anything they sell. Bastards.
When we went into Preston last weekend we noticed the WH Smith there (which occupies a corner plot) had T.G Jones signage down the side, but still WH Smith on the front. Probably saving up to get that one changed.
WH Smith (and other retailers at airports) take advantage of airport security, by charging two or three times the normal cost for bottled water and soft drinks as they know anything you brought from home has been taken off you at check-in. As you say, bastards.
But we still buy this overpriced crap because hey, we're on holiday! :)
Mikeandvan
06-10-2025, 19:29
Darn, I got drunk and knocked one of my speakers over. Also seemed to have spilt small amount of liquid on amp, seems ok though, I managed 4 months no drink, think I need to abstain once again!!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54837134073_88900d5173_b.jpg
Nightmare, Mike, hopefully the amp is ok. I’ve done similar if not worse over the years after a tipple or three.
Mikeandvan
06-10-2025, 20:12
Nightmare, Mike, hopefully the amp is ok. I’ve done similar if not worse over the years after a tipple or three.
Twas a bit foolish to down 2 bottles of red after a 4 month abstinence.
Pigmy Pony
07-10-2025, 05:58
A French Polisher could probably sort the speaker cab, or one of these so-called 'smart repairers'. No idea what the cost would be though, and I don't know if they could fix that part of your head that thinks playing records after 2 bottles of wine is a good idea :doh: Worth getting a quote.
Mikeandvan
07-10-2025, 11:02
A French Polisher could probably sort the speaker cab, or one of these so-called 'smart repairers'. No idea what the cost would be though, and I don't know if they could fix that part of your head that thinks playing records after 2 bottles of wine is a good idea :doh: Worth getting a quote.
That's the best time to play records!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54838286216_8d5f2a0d8b_b.jpg
Just had to replace a 13A wall socket. The plastic guard that prevents metallic objects being poked in the L and N conductor sockets had broken; presumably after some 45 years of use.
However what I thought would be a five minute job took at least twenty minutes to do. Anyway after much to-ing and fro-ing, and with a lot of swearing, I completed the task. Phew!
Pigmy Pony
16-10-2025, 13:08
Just had to replace a 13A wall socket. The plastic guard that prevents metallic objects being poked in the L and N conductor sockets had broken; presumably after some 45 years of use.
However what I thought would be a five minute job took at least twenty minutes to do. Anyway after much to-ing and fro-ing, and with a lot of swearing, I completed the task. Phew!
Worth the effort though - Back in 1973 my mate's 3 year-old niece died after poking something into a wall socket. Not that I'd expect you to be that daft, but those guards are there for a reason.
Worth the effort though - Back in 1973 my mate's 3 year-old niece died after poking something into a wall socket. Not that I'd expect you to be that daft, but those guards are there for a reason.
That's bad. There was a one of those old two pin sockets in our house when I was little but it always had a lamp plugged into it.
Think it finally got taken out in the 1990s when my father had the house partially re-wired. Long after we'd all grown up and left.
Worth the effort though - Back in 1973 my mate's 3 year-old niece died after poking something into a wall socket. Not that I'd expect you to be that daft, but those guards are there for a reason.
I have no complaint about the shuttering - it's an eminently sensible design feature of the 13A system. The socket in question had to be replaced as the broken shutter prevented anything to be plugged into it.
The old method whereby the shutter was pushed down by the earth pin of the plug was IMO a better arrangement, but it would seem MK think otherwise.
Pigmy Pony
16-10-2025, 17:49
The old method whereby the shutter was pushed down by the earth pin of the plug was IMO a better arrangement, but it would seem MK think otherwise.
I thought all UK sockets were made this way, I wasn't aware that MK did things any other way, or even that alternative methods would be compliant.
Pigmy Pony
16-10-2025, 17:58
I'd assumed that MK electrical products were quality items, not so sure now. Just seen this:
https://www.gov.uk/product-safety-alerts-reports-recalls/product-safety-report-mk-electric-mk-essentials-electrical-three-pin-sockets-with-switches-2411-0130
The early MK sockets had the shutter pushed down by the earth pin when the plug was inserted. The same arrangement was followed by other manufacturers: Crabtree; Volex; Nettle, etc.
The original MK sockets were very well made and IMO were the best you could buy. But over the years they have been 'value engineered', and are now not as well made as they used to be. Manufacture in China (I think the company might have been bought by China) might have something to do with it.
I should add that their plugs are still well made.
I don't think BS1362 covers the shuttering mechanism, only the requirement that the socket is shuttered.
Pigmy Pony
31-10-2025, 07:33
It's all kicking off down south.
Andrew, dodgy dude formerly known as Prince, is being turfed out of his Wnidsor mansion Royal Lodge, and told to post the keys through the letterbox. Big brother Charlie has found him some space up at Sandringham, probably mindful of the shortage of social housing, while not wishing for his younger sibling to be adding to London's increasing numbers of homeless.
He could have stayed in London, if only Rachel from Accounts had got her renter's licence sorted in time. It's all her letting agent's fault, apparently.
As a republican I'm delighted. The concept of a monarchy (even a constutional monarchy) is now quite outdated. It has been going for nearly a thousand years, apart from a break courtesy of Cromwell, so a change is long overdue.
Didn't work out so well last time.
Not some big monarchist but I think if it's not broke don't try to fix it.
But it is broken. We have a family that does virtually nothing, one that expects reverence and is payed an enormous amount of money by the taxpayers. The system is hereditary, which itself is an abomination - at least with a President they are elected, and they can be changed.
Cost is £132 million which is small feed in the scheme of things and there's no reason to think a Presidency would be any cheaper.
Plus no tourists are going to come to see the President or the Presidential Palace.
As long as noblesse oblige is maintained I can't see the issue, really. When was the last 'bad' king? Maybe George III? Even that's debatable.
With an elected president you could end up with some right muppet. In fact you probably would, every single time. Some dozy politician that's been put out to grass. Would cheapen the whole country.
It's the hereditary nature of the beast that annoys me. But I'm probably alone in my opinion here, so I'll just remain quiet.
Pigmy Pony
31-10-2025, 17:50
Some people enjoy good fortune by heredity, others inherit great misfortune through disease or poverty. I'm happy to be somewhere in between. I bear no ill will to those who were born into money and privilege, unless of course they are taking the piss.
Well, this is the thread for anything, so I guess no issue with continuing the subject of Royalty...
As Martin has said, the cost to the public purse is £132m, which is a drop in the ocean compared to the revenue that is generated from tourism with countries like America and Japan flocking over here to see the palaces, the history, the pomp and circumstance. Personally, I support the constitutional monarchy, and I think the King has done an amazing job with his charitable work ("The Princes Charities") raise £100m each year. According to Wikipedia, by September 2020 the Prince's Trust (started in 1976) had supported over 1,000,000 young people and created 125,000 entrepreneurs. I don't think an elected President however good is going to have that sort of longevity.
Lawrence001
02-11-2025, 22:46
It's the hereditary nature of the beast that annoys me. But I'm probably alone in my opinion here, so I'll just remain quiet.Yes sorry Barry, another Royalist here. God Save the King, hurrah!
Mikeandvan
02-11-2025, 23:07
Cost is £132 million which is small feed in the scheme of things and there's no reason to think a Presidency would be any cheaper.
Plus no tourists are going to come to see the President or the Presidential Palace.
As long as noblesse oblige is maintained I can't see the issue, really. When was the last 'bad' king? Maybe George III? Even that's debatable.
With an elected president you could end up with some right muppet. In fact you probably would, every single time. Some dozy politician that's been put out to grass. Would cheapen the whole country.
Of course all tourists get to have tea with the King.
Mikeandvan
02-11-2025, 23:09
Does this mean Andrew will now have to go out and graft for a living? He could tag on to the Reform bunch of nostalgics for yesterdays Britain.
Pigmy Pony
03-11-2025, 18:11
Does this mean Andrew will now have to go out and graft for a living? .
Course he won't. He's not built for lifting anything heavier than a briefcase. Though maybe he should be made to wear a hi-viz vest so folk can see him coming.
Anyway he's only a couple of years off retirement. So in addition to his "investments" he'll also get a couple hundred a week State pension. As long as he's paid all his stamps.
He can fly a helicopter so he's got that to fall back on I suppose.
Plus he'll get a pension from when he was in the Navy.
Pigmy Pony
04-11-2025, 07:31
I can just see the advertising blurb for his helicopter tours: Come ride my chopper, great fun for people of all ages :) But I don't know if there's a maximum age for flying helicopters for a living, he's knocking on a bit.
In any case I wouldn't get in it - that might just be the day he decides to throw in the towel.
Fireworks
Around our way, November the 5th was remarkably quiet. Understandable as it was a week day, so people were waiting for the week end. Even so there weren't many loud bangs and displays tonight.
We stayed indoors and created some audio fireworks of our own! :)
Been sporadic here but not much compared to previous years. Used to be like the Tet Offensive. Just constant. You'd go out and the streets would be full of the smoke.
Died away in the last fifteen years or so, it's mostly students and foreigners round here now and a lot of the students are foreign too, so they just don't have Bonfire Night.
Pigmy Pony
09-11-2025, 08:56
Been plenty of fireworks round here this week, cat hates them. It got so a TV programme we watched had a bonfire night, and the cat just looked at me with bulging eyes as if to say "What the f__k dad?"
And the fireworks have changed - no more impressive visual displays, just lengthy successions of loud bangs, with everyone trying to achieve dB levels bigger than their IQs. I'm not normally one for over-legislation, but maybe it's time to stop the private sale of fireworks (which are probably just there for money laundering like Turkish barbers, nail bars and vape shops), and just have organised displays.
I see Asda have plumbed new depths with this year's Christmas ad.
Sainsbury a very close runner up.
I would take the people who made them and the people who signed them off and lock them in a room with them playing constantly and leave them in there until Boxing day.
Slip food and water under the door for them, obviously.
I see Asda have plumbed new depths with this year's Christmas ad.
Sainsbury a very close runner up.
I would take the people who made them and the people who signed them off and lock them in a room with them playing constantly and leave them in there until Boxing day.
Slip food and water under the door for them, obviously.
They are addressing the worrying cost of living for the run up to Christmas. People don't want to spend a fortune. Not sure if I have seen Waitrose's Christmas ad - is it more frugal than usual?
Mikeandvan
12-11-2025, 22:32
If no Xmas ad has a Jesus lookalikey in it then it can go fuh itself.
Mikeandvan
12-11-2025, 22:32
I think Andrew would make a good security guard in Sainsbury's.
Mikeandvan
12-11-2025, 22:35
I see that old Maxwell bitch has been moved to a nicer prison and she's quite jolly about spending the rest of her life there!!! Must be quite a step down from being a rich bitch, then again a step up from eating rat shit infested boiled cabbage. Emmmm. May be she shouldn't have indulged Jefferie's insatiable appetite for petite sprightly young 'uns.
went the chippy last night, girl behind the counter clearly had very little English but I was able to convey that I wanted fish and chips.
Bloke comes in. He wants chicken and chips four times but he has a lot of trouble explaining this to the girl since he also has almost no English. They have a back and forth for about five minutes, in the end it seems she understands.
Then she goes in the back and you can hear her crashing and banging about for what seems like an eternity. She comes back out and says to the bloke 'You want chicken chips yes?' and the whole thing started over again.
Pigmy Pony
18-11-2025, 11:32
Like being on a foreign holiday but without the nice weather and the reasonable prices. And with the internet making decent telly accessible anywhere, the reasons to stay here become less and less.
Like being on a foreign holiday but without the nice weather and the reasonable prices. And with the internet making decent telly accessible anywhere, the reasons to stay here become less and less.
Yes, a foreign holiday in a place where it's dark most of the time, rains a lot, and temperatures are around the same as in a walk-in refrigerator.
Not sure what destinations fit that description, maybe Alaska? At least they have beautiful wilderness to look at while you're freezing your balls off.
Remember 'Northern Exposure'? What got me about that is they'd go in someone's house and leave the door wide open while they chatted. I bet that doesn't happen there in real life.
Pigmy Pony
18-11-2025, 16:44
Yes, a foreign holiday in a place where it's dark most of the time, rains a lot, and temperatures are around the same as in a walk-in refrigerator.
Not sure what destinations fit that description, maybe Alaska? At least they have beautiful wilderness to look at while you're freezing your balls off.
Remember 'Northern Exposure'? What got me about that is they'd go in someone's house and leave the door wide open while they chatted. I bet that doesn't happen there in real life.
I'm sure they'd have their version of "were you born in a barn? Put wood in t'hole". Tomorrow and Thursday looks like cold but sunny, then after that rain, rain, rain, rain and more rain as far as the two week forecast can see.
It's raining here now, although we did have an hour of weak sun before it went dark.
Thanksgiving for the yanks today. I was there once for it back in 2004. Had lamb chops instead of turkey though as American turkey is weird.
Turkey, IMO, is tasteless, so Thanksgiving would be lost on me. If I had to celebrate I would choose roast beef.
Turkey, IMO, is tasteless,.
That's why we have stuffing but the Americans never heard of that, I guess the people who knew about it didn't survive the first winter, so they use cranberry sauce instead which is yack.
Pigmy Pony
27-11-2025, 20:12
Cranberry sauce is just wrong. Same as apple sauce, and pineapple on pizzas or gammon.
I don't mind pineapple on pizza and gammon is inedible without it. Pretty inedible with it.
Not had gammon since about 1983 - my mother favoured it as it was cheap and quick - but had pineapple on pizza just last week.
Heretic! :lol:
But as they say "Suum cuique, de gustibus non disputandem". :)
Pigmy Pony
27-11-2025, 21:43
Gammon's just thick bacon isn't it? Just about perfect when it has an egg (or two) on it. I do like pineapple, but only with evaporated milk.
Pigmy Pony
27-11-2025, 21:49
Heretic! :lol:
But as they say "Suum cuique, de gustibus non disputandem". :)
I don't know who they are, (probably foreign) but here in Chorley we say "In matters of taste there can be no dispute" :)
"They" were Romans, but what they said was what you now say in Chorley: "Each to their own, in matters of taste there is no dispute". :lol:
You're going to need a bigger boat:
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/killer-whales-violently-attack-another-yacht-off-coast-of-portugal/ar-AA1RCzmt?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=693034600b524dd09f5f5e6ceaf75bf2&ei=115
Pigmy Pony
03-12-2025, 16:24
You're going to need a bigger boat:
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/killer-whales-violently-attack-another-yacht-off-coast-of-portugal/ar-AA1RCzmt?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=693034600b524dd09f5f5e6ceaf75bf2&ei=115
If they're willing to take on yachts, just wait till they come a bit further north and come across rubber dinghies, complete with a couple of dozen legs dangling in the water.
I was saddened to learn of the death of Steve Cropper, who passed away Wednesday in Nashville, at the age of 84.
Cropper, a Grammy award winner, played with Booker T and the MGs, and with the Blues Brothers. He co-wrote and played on Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay", and Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour".
He will be greatly missed - RIP Steve.
Great musician I must have dozens of albums he played on.
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