WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Steeplejerk]

My back's aching today

[Stanley]

Well, you're getting on a bit now Tom!

[Steeplejerk]

that's why I only do a couple of chimneys a year

[Tizer]

A spooky event for Tripps to add to his list. A couple of days ago we woke to find a towel on the floor in the bathroom. It had been attached to the wall tiles by one of those plastic sucker hooks but this had failed. It's been there for years without failing before. Then we found the same thing had happened in the downstairs loo. Again, the towel had been on a plastic sucker hook for years. But what makes it even spookier is that the hooks were different in size and shape and bought at different times from a different shop. The probability of them both failing in the same night after about 5 years must quite low!

[PanBiker]

The probability of them both failing in the same night after about 5 years must quite low!

Or you have a poltergeist with a towel fetish.

[Stanley]

The big event in my normally uneventful life was a visit by Robin the chiropodist. He charges £25 and I reckon that's cheap for a professional job. My feet are singing this morning.....

[Tizer]

The probability of them both failing in the same night after about 5 years must quite low!

Or you have a poltergeist with a towel fetish.

No towels dropped since then so we might have exorcised the poltergeist.

[PanBiker]

Yesterday actually. Our Jack came round for tea and to see Ruby before she goes back home on Thursday.

He was bearing a gift, honey from his hives! A jar from his first go at production. OMG, absolutely divine, spun in his centrifuge then filtered twice 10 micron then I think he said 5 micron. I asked about the benefits for hay fever and pollen sufferers. He said that single filtered at 10 micron is the best for that as it retains more of the beneficial enzymes but is slightly cloudier at that stage. This jar looks perfectly clear, I tested a teaspoonful and you get and instant heather hit from their foraging patch. He said he only used 4 frames as he could tell that the bees were using it as feed probably because of the colder and wetter period that we have been having. He substituted with fondant for them so that they can keep on top of the stockpiling for winter. He will not over do it as the welfare of the hives come firsts. You need a lot more hives to produce commercially, even on a small scale.

He tells us that he now has a contact who has offered to make mead if he gets into a position of any surplus.

[Stanley]

Good and yes it does taste lovely, better than buying it off the shelf.
I've had my walk and a sit with a coffee watching the kids running round in Town Square on Barlick Beach.
I note that the bus shelter clock is keeping good time now and that the Church on the Street has taken over Post office corner and is selling everything. The bathroom business appears to have bitten the dust.
I know I have no good reasons but I get a funny feeling about COS. My crap detector whines whenever I see them.

[Tripps]

I have no good reasons but I get a funny feeling about COS.

It's easy to be negative about a lot of things - and as Inspector Morse said "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
but sometimes . . . . . .

The website is very impressive, Church on the Street and leaving aside the relgious bit -who could possibly object to what they are doing?

I note that they are registered with The Fundraising Regulator
- no me neither - but I guess that means everything must be kosher?

Business looks to be going well. Here's a list of their members. Directory . I think the 'detector' might be whining again - mine is.

I think it's the dark glasses.

[Stanley]

[Stanley]

Have you come across 'shrinkflation'? This is where the price isn't put up for an object but something else is changed to make it profitable at the old price. The most common of these is to reduce the size, hence the name.
However Cadbury have taken a different approach, for decades there advertisement has been 'a glass and a half of milk in every bar' They have changed it to 'a glass and a half in everyone'. I am reliably informed that they have cut the amount of milk in their milk chocolate......

[Stanley]

Twenty years ago today since Big Harry was burned to death in the plane crash at Jandakot..... LINK

[Big Kev]

The Red Arrows have just flown over my house on their way to Blackpool.

Screenshot_2023-08-13-14-01-22-961_com.flightradar24free.jpg

[Wendyf]

We had just got back to the car park at Ball Grove after walking up to Trawden Show when they came right over.

[Tizer]

The Red Arrows have just flown over my house on their way to Blackpool.

How times have changed! I've just been reading about Gerald Higginbotham's early attempts at flying. In August 1911 he and his co-pilot attempted to fly from Southport to Formby but failed to reach their destination and had to be rescued.
There's interesting reading about early aviation in that area here: Formby Civic News and here: Science and Industry Museum

[Wendyf]

I've just seen the Lancaster flying over Barnoldswick on its way to Whitby. Too far away for me but unmistakable

[PanBiker]

On our way up to the Clarion we saw the Red Arrows transiting roughly over Barley.

[Stanley]

The Red Arrows were on their way to an air-show over the sea at South Shore at Blackpool. Susan and Mick are at Knott End so they went down to Bispham on their electric bikes and saw the show. Susan said the sun shone and it was a brilliant show over the sea.....

Later at 07:30.... I'm listening to people discussing the way wages are rising and how it's going to make inflation worse and could lead to an upward spiral.
One thing that nobody is mentioning is that one of the main reasons for these wage demands and rises is that in large part they are down to wages being artificially held down by government policy for so many years. That's where the blame lies and it should be admitted.

[Tripps]

Came across this today - What would Mum say?

I'd say it might be of interest on a couple of levels. Blake Morrison and his family will be familiar to some, and there are a few local Lancashire type sayings, - many of which I've never heard - which deserve the posterity which publishing them on this site will surely bring

[PanBiker]

Browsing the site and just realised it's 10 years since the rework of the LTP was finished.

The Lancashire Textil Project 2013 rework

[Stanley]

And what a job that was! a million and a half words to edit and then the pictures..... Just to remind you I ended up having to fight Her Majesty's Stationery Office (As it was then...) who were claiming copyright on ALL the pictures. They only paid for the film for the Spinning Section and so actually only had control over those. They took the negatives for the spinning back after the project was done and lost them. The only reason they survived was because I had kept copies of them and I paid for all the other film and so in the end English Heritage had to agree that the project and the pictures were not subject to strict Crown Copyright.

[Big Kev]

Booked a cruise for May 2024, I do find it a pain to drive all the way to Southampton only to sail north again
16 nights sailing around Scandinavia and the Baltic, no St Petersburg this time though (unless something monumental happens before then). The closest we'll get to Russia is Tallinn, Estonia.

[Stanley]

I'd recommend you read Arthur Ransome's book 'Racundra's First Cruise.' A good guide book to cruising in the Baltic.
LINK to a copy on Bookfinder.
I promise you'll like it....

[Tripps]

In total contrast to the "invasion" of cross channel "asylum seekers", I learned yesterday - first hand - of the procedure which must be followed by a relative of an immigrant - long settled here, a huge asset to our society, and now a British passport holder - who wishes to visit, and take a holiday in England.

A visa must be obtained of course - this involves showing a return air ticket, and proving that the host has sufficient living space and financial reosurces to look after them during their stay. Proof of employment and a copy of the latest salary statement of the host must be provided. The visa - which costs a great deal, must be applied for in person at the British Embassy in the country's capital city. This involves a two hour air flight.

An alternative seems to be - cross the Channel - assisted by the RNLI and the 'Border Force' (sic) - then be welcomed into a well supported environment with free food and accomodation, full medical facilities, and pocket money.

I think they call it globalisation.