HOUSEHOLD TIPS NOT FOUND IN WOMAN'S WEEKLY

[Tizer]

`Burning soil fuels ball lightning' Physics World magazine

[Stanley]

Interesting article. I like the way they say that increasing evidence points to the fact that reports of ball lighting 'may be true'. I can assure you that mine is! The 'balls' looked to be about six or eight feet in diameter and it seemed to me that they moved about hovering over the ground (which was very dry) and when they touched something like a wall or a tree they vanished with a sharp crack. I think I watched over a dozen strikes in about ten minutes.
Over the years I have become convinced that within every myth and old saw there is a kernel of truth. Today's tip could be an old one, 'Always open all the windows in a thunderstorm so that if a thunderbolt comes down the chimney (Carbon lined flue acting as a conductor?) it can escape through a window'. My mother believed in this and that would fit with 'balls hovering'. Was this a folk memory of experience with ball lightning?

[chinatyke]

My mum used to open all the doors. She said a ball of lightning once ran through our house in Earby, it came in at the back door, went down the lobby and out of the front door. She wasn't one given to exaggeration or fanciful thinking. Could it have been the cat?

[Stanley]

That's exactly what I was talking about China. I've heard many similar stories and believe them.

[PanBiker]

My mum also used to open the back door in case a "thunderbolt" came down the chimney.

[Stanley]

Even in a tiny sample like OG membership the evidence is there of the folk memory.
Today's tip, forethought, planning and good basic routines are the best way to avoid chaos and boredom in families. In days gone by these were learned from early engagement in work in a disciplined workplace and good habits formed. That is absent today.
Put like that it sounds oppressive but it wasn't, we soon learned time-keeping and intelligent working. Result? A good life even in hard times.
(God! I sound like an Old Fart!)

[Stanley]

If you have been working for six months on a project like building a steam engine, don't rush the last stages. Savour them, they are the best part!

[Stanley]

Be ready for 'second stage' lockdowns almost anywhere. All the evidence both national and international is that this is a certainty wherever there is no local human based track and trace system in operation and the stringent precautions are relaxed. It will hit just as Treasury support is being withdrawn and unemployment becomes rife.

[Stanley]

There are few things more rewarding in life than a relationship with a dog who has reached the age when he is perfectly in tune with the rhythm of your day. It's good for both of you. Come to think, it applies to family as well.....

[Stanley]

If at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again.
(Alternatively, ask yourself if the return is worth the investment.)

[Stanley]

It's a good thing to have an ongoing project with a definite end in view. It tends to prolong life! (I shall order a set of castings. Positive thinking!)

[Marilyn]

Who will you make this next engine for, Stanley?

[Stanley]

Me! But if Susan says she wants it I'll give it to her and make yet another for myself.
Today's tip, if you want to prolong your life always have an engine build on the go. The bloke with the scythe is a steam buff and wants to see it finished and running!

[Marilyn]

Oh...and here’s me thinking the man with the scythe was an Ancestry buff and wanted to see my research all typed up!

[Stanley]

Same principle Maz, stay alert and engaged! Susan says she wants the new engine so that makes it even more affective!

[Stanley]

I like these Sistema containers for my meals and as containers for the fridge. They are expensive but very handy, once you have prepared the food a quick blast in the microwave means you are ready for a hot meal. As you know I am watching my weight and have always argued that one of the best strategies is smaller plates! I saw these smaller containers, intended for a cup of soup and bought a couple. Can't do any harm!

[Cathy]

Live Sistema , been using their stuff for years.
I was told by someone who used to work for them that parts (clips, lids) are replaced for free , if anything goes wrong. A New Zealand company.

[Marilyn]

We have some for the van. Have to take all advantages when travelling...

[Stanley]

Susan introduced me to them and I love them. Only potential down side is the guilt about even more plastic being injected into the environment. I see that all drinking water in the UK has a tiny percentage of plastic in it...



Here's today's tip. Don't be fobbed off by the pathetic versions of Scotch-brite palmed off in retailers. Go online and buy industrial grade, more expensive but lasts far longer and is more effective. This is mainly for the shed but gets used in the sink as well.

[Stanley]

If you are getting an increasing incidence of dropped out letters when you are typing it's not necessarily down to you. Consider the age of your keyboard, they don't last forever! I've ordered a new one this morning .

[plaques]

As we may have seen in shed matters, poor eyesight gives all manner of fine work problems. Some people resort to a magnifying glass but this results in one hand being occupied holding the lens. An alternative is to buy a cheap pair (poundland or other low cost shop) of high magnification glasses 3 to 4 strength and use these just to get things moving. By necessity you will have to take them off for normal vision.

[Stanley]

I've tried that but they make my eyes hurt..... I'm considering a magnification head band for the shed but I hate accoutrements like that and will put it off until it's essential.

[Stanley]

If your pot isn't coming clean when bleaching it it's because you forgot to put the bleach in Dummy!

[plaques]

Straight bleaching of pot certainly removes tea stains but removes the glazing as well, something you don't want to do on your best china. Most bench cleaner prays have a very mild bleach which does the job but doesn't attack the glazing as much.

[Marilyn]

I did put bleach on my chopping board today, after cutting raw Chicken. I tried not to inhale/breathe..., but thought “Stanley would be proud of me”.