AS: Tea and biscuits and GIN, the British thread

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  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    edited August 2018
    The bridge is for pedestrians and cyclists (and the occasional roller-skatist), and has a 10km/h speed limit (about 6 mph). I was walking at normal Piglet speed; the bridge is about ¾ mile there and back and it takes me about 15 minutes, so about 3 mph.

    My dad had a similar scooter after he gave up driving, and I think it just managed to get him from his house to the supermarket and back before the battery snuffed it. If he was going to put flowers on Mum's grave, he had to be sure it was fully charged, as the graveyard's up quite a bit of a hill ...
  • BoogieBoogie Shipmate
    Mum and Dad had a scooter, they took turns so they could both have a rest.

    :sunglasses:
  • The other day I saw 2 people on a scooter -someone was riding on a board on the back

  • Powered wheelchairs and mobility scooters (rules 36 to 37)
    Rule 36
    There is one class of manual wheelchair (called a Class 1 invalid carriage) and two classes of powered wheelchairs and powered mobility scooters. Manual wheelchairs and Class 2 vehicles are those with an upper speed limit of 4 mph (6 km/h) and are designed to be used on pavements. Class 3 vehicles are those with an upper speed limit of 8 mph (12 km/h) and are equipped to be used on the road as well as the pavement.

    Rule 37
    When you are on the road you should obey the guidance and rules for other vehicles; when on the pavement you should follow the guidance and rules for pedestrians.


    Doesn't say anythings about Supermarket aisles, though!

  • That was from the Highway Code - I seem to have lost a line!
  • Pigwidgeon, your tale of the supermarket reminds me of
    This Advert
  • Wet Kipper wrote: »
    Pigwidgeon, your tale of the supermarket reminds me of
    This Advert
    The woman in the advert and the man from my grocery store must be related! (However, the bottled beer made a bit more of a mess. Luckily it was the cheap yellow stuff.)

  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    edited August 2018
    Another hot, sultry day here: 31° but feeling like 38, so Doing Things not really an option. We did venture out to the mall to get photos taken for the renewal of our Permanent Residence cards; now we'll have to faff about with the God-knows-how-many pages of the application forms, probably have to get fingerprints taken (there was something about biometrics on the web-site) and then wait to find out what excuse they give for rejecting the applications.

    Last time it was something wrong with the photos (which were done by a registered passport photographer), but they unhelpfully didn't specify what.

    We get the feeling that they're deliberately making the application process difficult, and wonder if there's a whole department dedicated to finding excuses to turn applications down.

    We love Canada and its people, but its bureaucratic processes suck great festering goose-balls.
  • Oh the wonders of the invisible checking pixies who make hidden decisions. I recently finally got a refund from the Lasting Power of Attorney pixies having had one application rejected earlier for a mysterious error. A rebel pixie hinted at the reason which I was able to fix. All for £44.

    Yesterday I declared life to be back to normal.... almost. On Wednesday the consultant signed me off, and yesterday I started fizzio. I also contacted the dealership where I didn’t get my nearly-new-to-me car to see when they will be able to fix the software bug that causes the battery to go flat if the car isn’t driven for 2 days - after it happened a 2nd time I did some hunting on the www and found a known issue. So they collect the car this morning, hopefully rejuvenate the battery and bring it back later - probably for free. Astonishing. I’m looking forward to driving again!

    Meanwhile here it is fly central - I guess the new hot weather has something to do with that. I’m trying to ignore them, letting them find their way out to far more interesting and lucrative feeding grounds.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    You were lucky to get away with £44. Each time we get photographs done it costs about $50, and we've lost count of how many we've had done over the years. And that's just the photographs. I don't know yet how much the renewed cards will cost, but we really need to have them in case we need to cross the pond at short notice - D's mum is in reasonable health, but she is nearly 90.

    ION, today's summer lunchtime concert was a family of folk musicians - guitar, fiddle and bagpipes (!) - and their music was sufficiently toe-tapping that D. took me up for a few steps of the Gay Gordons at the back of the church during one of their sets! :blush:
  • DANCING?? IN CHURCH??
    :flushed:

    O fie upon you, Piglet and D.! How unseemly! How unedifying!
    :anguished:

    But O what fun....and what a gift from God that you have such a useful space at the back of the church.
    :grin:
    https://youtube.com/watch?v=IQ7MkR3eAes

    O woe, though - 'tis many a year since I last stepped out to The Gay Gordons, and I much misdoubt me if I could do more than the toe-tapping now...
    :disappointed:

    IJ
  • Baptist TrainfanBaptist Trainfan Shipmate
    edited August 2018
    Do remember that, although Piglet is Scottish (if Orcadians count themselves thus), she is a Piskie not a Wee Free.

    (And don't forget the old Wee Free joke:
    Q: "Why is sex before marriage bad?" A: "Because it might lead to dancing").

    I cannot dance to save my life.
  • :lol:

    Alas, I used to be able to shake a mean shoe at folk/Scottish/barn dances, and so on, which is why I feel just a leetle bit jealous of Piglet and D.!

    IJ
  • "A mean shoe", eh - do you come from Aberdeen, then? [Devil]
  • Bishops FingerBishops Finger Shipmate
    edited August 2018
    Och, nae - Dumfriesshire, actually.....!!

    "Here's tae us. Wha's like us? Damn few, and they're a'deid."

    (Here's to us - whose like us? Damn few, and they're all dead)

    IJ
  • Missed final edit window but YSWIM.
    :grimace:

    IJ
  • This time last year, I was spending lots of time dancing along to lots of bands playing in various tents at a very wet Cambridge Folk Festival. This year I can see the Twitter streams of people I'd like to see.
  • NenyaNenya Shipmate
    You know what they say about dancing? Vertical expression of a horizontal desire. :wink:

    Though in the case of something like Morris dancing perhaps not so much.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    D. always says that the only dance he knows is the Eva Three-step - traditionally the first dance at an Orkney wedding - but when he started yesterday it was obviously the Gay Gordons he was doing*, and I couldn't resist going and helping him get it right.

    The friend who filmed it on her I-pad may soon be an ex-friend ...

    ION, it's a good bit cooler today (22°) but considerably wetter - it's been tipping it down off and on since the morning, and there was a humungous peal of thunder just now.


    * not least because the music was in 4/4 time
  • SarasaSarasa Shipmate
    Nenya wrote: »
    You know what they say about dancing? Vertical expression of a horizontal desire. :wink:

    Though in the case of something like Morris dancing perhaps not so much.
    I spent the afternoon circle dancing - very decorous, and certainly nothing like the Agentine tango!
    This evening we went to a local restaurant we've walked past a few times to see if it would work as a place to take our son for his up-coming birthday. Really good atmosphere, and I think he'd like the food. Only drawback , it was incredibly noisy when we arrived, and the poor chap find it difficult to hear in noisy environments. Nothig to do with his ears, it's something to do with his dyslexia.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    It's amazing how a really good restaurant can be completely ruined by horrid noisy "music". :(
  • By definition, it is then not a good restaurant.
  • MMMMMM Shipmate
    Modern tills must have spellcheck or predictive text - at least, I assume that's why our local deli sold us some 'Closest Bassett' stilton, rather than the more conventional Colston Bassett.

    Still tasted as good, though.

    MMM
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    edited August 2018
    Another stiflingly hot day here - at least it was in the choir-stalls. Even with a couple of fans blowing, one of the sopranos left during the Prayer of Consecration as she thought she was going to pass out, and by the end of the service (I was singing soprano again, which is more knackering than alto) I felt much the same.

    It actually felt quite nice outside when we left - it's currently 23° with the merest sniff of a breeze, but it's getting warmer (and stickier).

    Neither of us slept the best last night; there was some absolutely torrential rain, and I found myself lying listening to it on the roof, and wishing that the Almighty would send some flashicity and rumblement to go with it, but he didn't ...

    Quality Bear Time™* with air-con this afternoon, I think.

    * falling asleep on the sofa with the help of a teddy-bear :)
  • About 27C here today, with 30C+ forecast for the next couple of days, followed by slightly lower temperatures, and, possibly, showers !
    :flushed:

    I'm hoping that the latter part of August will be cooler, but still dry, as there are exterior parts of the Palace which MUST be painted this year. I have bespoke two young lassies (daughter of one of our PCC members, plus a friend) to do the said work.

    The pair of them have already painted our Church Hall, and this week are decorating the re-fitted Hall kitchen, so they know what they're doing. How these girls fit w**k in with study, University, boys, and well-advanced plans for World Domination, I know not.
    :confused:

    IJ
  • Clones? That would certainly help with the World Domination. It's probably best to stay on their good side just in case :wink:
  • Piglet wrote: »
    You were lucky to get away with £44.
    Better still, they gave £44 to me :smiley:

    I’ve been onshore quite a bit over the last couple of days - after I got my car back it’s been a non-stop series of trips here and there, catching up on errands that have been waiting until I could drive again.

    Now sitting drinking GIN listening to Mrs Tiggywinkle shuffling and snuffling in the shrubbery below my sitting room window.
  • NenyaNenya Shipmate
    edited August 2018
    How these girls fit w**k in with study, University, boys, and well-advanced plans for World Domination, I know not.
    It's The Young People Of Today. They have more energy than I've ever had, even at their age.
  • MooMoo Kerygmania Host
    Piglet wrote: »

    Neither of us slept the best last night; there was some absolutely torrential rain, and I found myself lying listening to it on the roof, and wishing that the Almighty would send some flashicity and rumblement to go with it, but he didn't ...

    This has been a very disappointing summer for me as far as thunderstorms are concerned. I really enjoy spectacular thunder and lightning. We've had two or three storms with a little bit of lightning and very distant thunder. I hope we have at least one good storm before the summer is over.

  • Wesley JWesley J Shipmate
    edited August 2018
    Piglet wrote: »
    [...] The friend who filmed it on her I-pad may soon be an ex-friend ... [...]
    Honestly, I sometimes dream of creating a comedy movie where people'd tend to use tablets to make calls, and which then, dictated by fashion, would be getting increasingly bigger and bigger, like full-blown giant TV flatscreens. - For a start, it could lead to considerable nice headbanging, as predicted in Monty Python's "Holy Grail", here. This pleases me. :smiley: :smiley:

    And yes, you may have guessed, it's still rather warm here, with daytime temps over 32C. :(

    I wonder how LVER and family are doing!
  • It's August, LVER and family may have gone further south and even hotter?

    We still have glorious sunshine and 30°C plus temperatures, plus high UV levels, which is the one that affects me. We are forecast rain and cooler weather later this week, but the UV still looks to be high, 3 more months at least ... I tried to get an evening walk in last night, around sunset, but my daughter wanted to get outside too, so my walk was brutally truncated. I could have taken her out earlier, then gone out for my own wander, but that means much longer facing the local yokels covered with white goop, which is not always a joy and delight.
  • la vie en rougela vie en rouge Circus Host, 8th Day Host
    You called?

    Toasty toasty here. Yesterday morning was quite pleasant and we went for a tour round the market. Apart from that we've been confined to the apartment with all the shutters closed. I have been entertaining myself with knitting and baby en rouge is amassing an impressive collection of woollies for this winter because I can't go anywhere. I'm going to make cuddly toys next - among others I have a pattern for making a lovely Welsh Dragon 😁

    We're going to escape the very very worst. Tomorrow it's going to be 39° in Paris. That kind of heat in the city is its own special hell. We're leaving for foie gras land where it will "only" be 36 (and my outlaws have aircon). It's supposed to be cooling down considerably by the end of the week.
  • LVER, I know what you mean. Central London is pretty vile in high summer too as both cities are in a bowl with a substantial river. London is blessed with more parks towards the centre which does help.
  • BoogieBoogie Shipmate
    Much cooler here today - but I’m off to Heidelberg where it’s hot hot hot :mrgreen:
  • More than once over the last few weeks I’ve wondered about an escape to the north.
  • la vie en rougela vie en rouge Circus Host, 8th Day Host
    Last year we spent our summer holidays 2000 metres up a Swiss Alp. In future years I think we'll be doing it again.
  • You might have to, if sea levels continue to rise...
    :fearful:

    30Cish here again today, so grass-cutting at church has been postponed again. Never mind - the Mousebit Hawkweed is flourishing, and even the roses are beginning to bloom again (last week's half-hour of r**n must have helped).

    I might be able to give the grass (it's partly north-facing, and shaded, so not so yellow and desiccated as in some places) a light trim later this week, as we are told the temperature will moderate a little, but my energy levels are low....and there is cold ALE in the fridge....

    IJ
  • We haven't had much of a crop of anything this year having grown things that prefer wetter weather, but we've just had our two perfect, quite hot, radishes. Yum.
  • Yum indeed. Now, they would go very nicely with a smidgin of CHEESE, and some cold ALE, no?
    :grin:

    IJ
  • QohelethQoheleth Shipmate
    edited August 2018
    Knock, knock <Peers around door>
    I come direct from planning "Pimm's & Hymns", which is almost GIN! Does that count?

    I wonder whether there any Methodists here, who could assist with access to Minutes? If so, please PM me. Thanks. :)
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Pimms and Hymns sounds like rather fun - assuming you've got plenty of ice, lemon and cucumber!

    It's 31° and feeling like 40 here: I ventured briefly out to the deck to tip out the crumbs from the bread-board for the birds, and it was like opening an oven door, so I came back in PDQ.

    I made some celery, tomato and apple SOUP last night which we had for lunch, and it was rather good. The recipe came from the old Delia Smith books from the 1970s, and perfectly suited the resources I had - a couple of rather wrinkly apples and tomatoes and some celery that might have benefitted from Viagra ... :wink:

    Having had quite a bit of bread with it, there's now a batch of French sticks doing its thing in the bread-machine.

    I almost feel guilty about not taking advantage of the sunshine, but I honestly couldn't hack that sort of heat - bring on temperatures in the low 20s!
  • Piglet wrote: »
    [...] I almost feel guilty about not taking advantage of the sunshine, but I honestly couldn't hack that sort of heat - bring on temperatures in the low 20s!
    Totally agree there, dear Piglet!

  • JapesJapes Shipmate
    After not having anything to put in the garden bin for the last couple of collections, my sense of "I've flipping paid for this service, I'm jolly well going to use it" kicked into play yesterday and I went around the garden collecting all the dead leaves, pulling up any dead weeds, raking out under the hedge and generally tidying everywhere up.

    Pondering a trip to Worcester to see the giraffe statues out and about in the city this summer. I've had great fun with the Owls and Bears in Birmingham and the Wolves in Wolverhampton when they were all on. This one is being billed as doable in a day's walking.

    I had a whole heap of sociable plans for this summer which all seem to have been more or less abandoned in favour of slothful and solitary inactivity. (Other than keeping up with my 8 - 10 miles of daily walking, currently split between early morning and late evening so I keep fairly cool). It's been a particularly exhausting academic year, which has been excellent in many ways, but this introverted soul needs some time to recoup before the next year starts!
  • Wesley J wrote: »
    Piglet wrote: »
    [...] I almost feel guilty about not taking advantage of the sunshine, but I honestly couldn't hack that sort of heat - bring on temperatures in the low 20s!
    Totally agree there, dear Piglet!

    Me too - but due to being mid radiotherapy (actually, it's more like nearly-at-the-end. I'm five sixths of the way through with 5 sessions left) I have the excuse of being ordered to avoid sunshine. Although it's so hot, staying inside is a better thing. The 2.5 hours spent in air conditioned VSL taxis and in the air conditioned radiotherapy suite are actually a nice break from the fairly relentless heat.

    This afternoon I am going to see a Charmeur de Feu - I think that's right - basically, she's a well recommended faith healer (although I'm not totally sure I have the faith!) who can help with the burning that is related to my radiotherapy. I went at the beginning of my course, and was happy to hear her using the word "Seigneur" (Lord) in her muttered prayers - although I suppose she could have been inciting the Lord of Darkness...
  • Bad news about the burning, but even more excuse to stay out of the sun - burns are very sun sensitive. What are you being recommended to use?

    It's breaking tonight, it's been promised, then coming back a bit cooler. Last night was very hot and sticky.
  • I just took a tour of AS, and I see that there is no dedicated Scots thread. Shame.

    I was reminded the other day that one of my best friends' in-law family have sold their country place in Scotland. Shame, again. It was a lovely place where I had some very good times, and was hoping to pop up for a visit when (if possible) I get to London in the autumn.

    In a small world episode, two years ago, a new waiter started at my local in Toronto. He had an unmistakably Scots accent. I asked where he was from. He said, "Oh, you wouldn't know it. It's a small, rural village." "Try me," I said, "I've been to different bits of Scotland a few times." He named the village and I started laughing, because I knew the village. It's about 10km from said house. "What's so funny?" he asked. "I said, "Oh, I've been drunk there a few times."
  • Bad news about the burning, but even more excuse to stay out of the sun - burns are very sun sensitive. What are you being recommended to use?

    It's breaking tonight, it's been promised, then coming back a bit cooler. Last night was very hot and sticky.

    The only thing I am allowed to use is an ointment made with calendular...everything else had been banned because possible adverse reaction with the radiation. I have to say that, after having had a firm telling off from her for not going back sooner, Yvette, the faith healer, does appear to have made a bit of a difference to the pain.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    I just took a tour of AS, and I see that there is no dedicated Scots thread. Shame.
    When I read that, I thought "I could swear I started one at the New Year", and then realised that it would have been on the Old Ship™. Do feel free to start one though!

    It's very hot and sticky here today - 27° and feeling like 37 with rumblements - not conducive to outdoor activity. We had a cracker of a thunderstorm last night with torrential rain, which caused some damage to trees and property in the city (although none up where we are).

    ION, there was an interesting wee beastie on the rail of our deck just now: the shape of a ladybird, but quite a bit bigger (about a third of an inch long), with vertical yellow-and-black stripes on his wing-covers like a humbug. Sadly, when I went out with the camera, he fell off the rail ... :(
  • la vie en rougela vie en rouge Circus Host, 8th Day Host
    We have made it to foie gras land. I am very excited to report that I spotted a hummingbird in our garden this evening :smiley: I've never seen one before.
  • Oh how lovely, lver - hummingbirds are so astonishingly small. I once followed a path into/through a large (and I mean LARGE) fuchsia shrub in Chile and was surrounded by a flock of them, just getting on with being hummingbirds, totally ignoring me.
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