OneGuyFromBarlick

I see that Stephen Hester has 'voluntarily' declined the £963,000 bonus. Call me an old cynic but he was a political embarrassment and I think there's little doubt that someone has had a quiet word. It is in the nature of these things that a quid pro quo is offered. Play ball and get a 'K'? As I say...

Dry and cold yesterday but overcast all day. Glass back slightly at 30.2". Light snow possible but it seems to be further south. We are in the gap between a high pressure system to the East and low pressure to the West, the LP system seems to be carrying quite a bit of snow so we are having a l...

Always nice to get a Freebie Maz! Onion, sausage and mash bit the dust last night for tea (warmed on the new stove...). I have a black pudding in the 'fridge and plenty of eggs and fresh bread. A day of bits I think, we shall survive! I noticed that Morso do a very expensive CI kettle but they call ...

Heather, shepherd's whistles can be cheap. Lindley Pate's have plastic ones and I think they are less than a pound, just as good as the better ones and they have a loop so you can hang it round your neck on a piece of string. Mine is stainless steel and I bought it on the web, not dear, they tell me...

The bit of dialect I remember best is the trouble I got into in Accrington one day before I realised that 'who' meant 'he'. "Who's pinched my hammer" meant something completely different than what I understood. Not sure I ever heard that in Barlick.

I thought I detected the heading post at the top of each page. Apologies, I was wrong...... Whippy, it's early days yet. I haven't yet fathomed out the extent of my powers as a moderator. I don't know about Comrade Nolic but I'd appreciate a short list. Not instructions, we can sort them out. By PM ...

Sue. I understand and feel for you. Life is a terminal disease and waiting for what looks like the inevitable is a lousy experience. We can't help. all we can do is let you know we empathise. Meanwhile, look after yourself, that's what he wants more than anything else. Here at East Hill Street the p...

Replace him with a logo? Have we had enough votes yet? Executive decision needed Doc! Saw Jack Bradley ( remember the death sentence on the cockerels?) with his lady and the new dog. It's settling in nicely and looks 100% better than when they got it. It's still a scruffy bugger but I like it and it...

I see Doc has been busy again and we have the header post at the top of each page. I reckon that's an improvement and helpful for reminding ourselves what the topic thread is.

Edited later, it looks as though I was cheering too soon!

Does two years with the 22nd of Foot qualify me?

Watched the bowls semi final yesterday and will be looking in on the final today. Such a gentle sport. All right I know the steel and rivalry is there but like golf and snooker they are kept in check and don't interfere with the enjoyment.

Man walking along beach accompanied by a mangy black dog finds bottle in sand. Opens it and genie pops out, promises him a wish. Man points at dog and says make him young and beautiful again. Genie looks at dog and says "You must be joking, there are limits even to my powers" Man says OK, ...

I'm warming to the 'thanks' function. My last post is a good example, lets me know that Doc read the post and appreciates it. All right, in this case it's triggered me into posting about the function but it's a good way of responding to a post without taking room up.

Both white sausage and sausage, onion and mash went down well. Same today as I have some left of each.

"I can calculate the motions of the planets but not the madness of people"
Isaac Newton after losing money in the South Sea Bubble. Quoted by Philip Coggan in his book 'Paper Promises'.

Clear frosty morning again. Glass rising still at 30.4". I hope the pavements are bit less treacherous this morning. Saw one old bloke take a bad fall but I spoke to him and he seemed OK. Bad shock though and I always remember two mates of mine at Holme on Spalding Moor dairy who died of cancer...

Sue, thinking about your dad. I'm younger than him but even though the Xmas Cold is officially defunct I haven't got my Mojo back yet! These heavy colds knock the stuffing out of you. Mind you, he's recovering at the right time, days getting longer and the prospect of Spring a lot nearer. Best of lu...

Heather, I learned You-Tube from the helpful suggestions on 'Bradders Bluesinger'. Think about getting a shepherd's whistle. If you use it when Gracie is off the lead and you can see she is ready to come back to you or actually running towards you, she will soon associate the sound with instant reca...

Catty, thanks for that helpful suggestion but a bit of a shock for a young lad early in the morning. What struck me was their deadpan look. Thanks for that David, I shall bear it in mind. My mate Daniel spent a lot of time following Julian Bream and photographing him at work. (See Julian Bream: A Li...

David, yes but made from latex rubber. Balm or Barm, it's all yeast. Oven bottom cakes as well? Most modern name I have come across is 'frisbees' for the larger ones used to take a full breakfast. A good start to an outside job on a cold day. When I was working at Rochdale Welding that was always th...

Wendy, your bang may be the same as my flash which looked like an isolated thunderstorm to the north, heard nothing but I have good double glazing. Looked like lightning. Nice one Ian, yes it was 1983 and I was starting two years in charge of interpretation and research connected with exhibitions. I...

If you ever want a cat to wash its paws, dab some butter on them. Very good for settling a cat in a strange house. Works with dogs as well.

Whippy, theory is that heat loss on CH pipes inside the body of the house is minimal and contributes to the heating of the fabric. Loft conversions can be a problem, on a frosty morning like today on some houses you can see the heat signature on the slates. Frost remaining on the area of the enclosu...

Later, after walking round Valley Gardens. White grass frost, ground has a bit of a crunch so a harder frost than I thought. Pavements treacherous in places and while I think the Council has gritted, it's very hard to tell and one wonders whether they have got the delivery rate down to microscopic l...

I listened to George Soros giving his take on the atmosphere at Davos. Always worth listening to I think. He said that the apparent lifting of mood was slightly misleading. He reckons that 'crisis fatigue' has set in, people are getting tired of panicking. His forecast for the Euro is that it will s...