WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Big Kev]

New (to me) car. It's 10 years old but it'll do for me

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[PanBiker]

Mine is 13 years old but only has 40k on the clock. I hope you like the Hyundai, which model is it Kev?

[Big Kev]

Mine is 13 years old but only has 40k on the clock. I hope you like the Hyundai, which model is it Kev?

Ix35 1.7 CRDi 2WD Style according to the receipt. Plenty of room inside and it's comfortable, not that I've been very far in it.

[Wendyf]

Love my Hyundai lawn mower, best I've ever had!

[Big Kev]

Love my Hyundai lawn mower, best I've ever had!

[Wendyf]

Our son has just turned up ( a rare event unless there is a problem) to let us know that he is probably going to be made redundant from a job he has managed to hold down for 15 years. He has worked on a production line, paint spraying Sky dishes, for all that time whilst earning the basic wage. We are sure he can get another job but he is a bit upset right now.

[Big Kev]

Our son has just turned up ( a rare event unless there is a problem) to let us know that he is probably going to be made redundant from a job he has managed to hold down for 15 years. He has worked on a production line, paint spraying Sky dishes, for all that time whilst earning the basic wage. We are sure he can get another job but he is a bit upset right now.

It's horrible when that happens, I've been made redundant a couple of times. I was fortunate the last time as the company offered me something in another office.

[Wendyf]

When Col was still working for Pace Microsystems in Saltaire he kept offering to take voluntary redundancy but they refused to let him go....

[Stanley]

Why does that not surprise me! Anyone employing Coll was on to a good thing.....
Sorry to hear about your lad Wendy. The world of employment is completely changed since my day and as you know I have every sympathy for people who seem to me to have no security in their lives. It simply never occurred to me that I could be without a job until Bancroft wove out in 1978 and then I got a full grant and went to Lancaster, another thing that you can't do now. And they tell us that modern life is so much better than the bad old days....
(The rot set in with Thatcher.... "Be grateful you've got a job".)

[PanBiker]

Sorry to hear about your lad Wendy. I was made redundant twice during my working life. Went self employed the first time and ran my own business until my landlord sold the building from under me without telling me! Second time I was 56 years old and I never worked full time again. Not for the want of trying, in the first year I applied for 94 jobs and got an interview for one, got in the last three out of 56 applicants and was beaten by a 23 year old graduate with a degree in Biology for an IT set up project. 40 years experience counted for nothing! For information the 3 year IT project failed after one year but not until the lad had spent just shy of £1M from the £3M budget that was available! Worked part time until I got my pension.

I also never thought I would be in that position.

[Tizer]

Sorry to hear about your son being made redundant, Wendy. I'm fortunate, I've had 6 different jobs and left the last one to start our own business in the mid 1990s. Does he have any formal qualifications, training course certificates etc or does he depend on job experience alone? Does he have a driving licence and a car - that's important these days. I hope he finds something quickly and can stay positive.

[Stanley]

I hadn't really thought about it but Margaret reminded me yesterday that they fly out back to Oz on Monday. Doesn't time fly when you're enjoying yourself! They have managed to do all they set out to accomplish sorting Mick's mother out who has low level dementia. I asked Margaret how difficult it was for her dealing with having an ageing parent 10,000 miles away and she said not bad because I still had all my marbles and communicated every day. She'll be wondering if this will be the last time she sees me of course. The odds must be against me holding on for much longer. But I suppose that's something we all have to accept and deal with. Makes you think......

[Tizer]

That's a good reason for partying while you can!
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These monks probably lived longer than the townsfolk - the parasitic worms would endeavour to keep their host alive!...
`Medieval Cambridge monks were riddled with worms, study finds' LINK

[Big Kev]

The DVLA. Bought the car on Tuesday, V5 log book came today. Considering the complaints in the media I thought that was pretty good

[Stanley]

Peter, problem is I haven't the energy to party....
Kev, don't let Rees Mogg know that. It will encourage him to make DVLA workers redundant!

[Tizer]

That's fast - have you checked it's the right log book for your car?

[PanBiker]

The DVLA. Bought the car on Tuesday, V5 log book came today. Considering the complaints in the media I thought that was pretty good

A lot better than my 6 month hiatus from driving after my brain surgery. That turned into 10 months of jumping through multiple hoops with their non functional medical panel. Despite them having over 1000 operatives in the section.

[PanBiker]

On a happier note, I have just booked our next camping trip. Cumbrian coast for a few days in early September. I managed to find us a grass pitch with electric hookup for the dates we wanted. Not been on this particular site but have camped at a few motorbike rallies on that coast many years ago. Couldn't fit our current camping gear on a motorbike now!

[Big Kev]

I used to go camping when I was a child, to be honest it lost its appeal as I got older.

Me and P are heading on over to Barlick this evening for some classic rock tunes

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[MickBrett]

Some lovely old images on the Guardian web site today
Guardian Images page

[Big Kev]

Some lovely old images on the Guardian web site today
Guardian Images page

Some cracking images in there

[Stanley]

There are two kinds of images, good ones and colour......

[Tizer]

Lovely images, Mick. I liked the story about the fish & chip shop being given a reflective cat's eye sign because he couldn't afford a neon one!

Different types of images here but interesting in their own way...
`In pictures: Drought in Europe exposes sunken ships, lost villages and ominous 'hunger stones' LINK

[Stanley]

The fact that M&M fly out I think at 14:15 from Manchester. I shall be tracking them.
Also the fact that we have significant rain forecast for the first time for a while instead of showers....

[Stanley]

Yes, they fly out at 14:15, I have got it up on flight tracker.
One thing that the programme does is tell you where the plane is now. They work those A 380s hard, it doesn't get into Manchester until 12:15 from Dubai so they turn it round in two hours. When you think, that's a big job, refuelling, technical checks, cleaning and renewing stores.....