'Owt else or Any Other Business

[Cathy]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIE
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[Stanley]

Many happy returns Julie! Why do I always think of frog spawn when your name is mentioned......

[Cathy]

Kevin , this is my wee spider plant. It has tried 3 times to have babies, but each time they haven’t progressed.
I think it might be too young.
Will keep trying.

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[Big Kev]

That's a healthy looking one. We've already had 6 'babies' and the one I gave my son has produced a baby too

[Tripps]

From the recent Wigan pie eating speed contest -

Venue owner and self-styled "piemaster", Tony Callaghan, has been running the contest for more than 30 years.
He said the 2025 competition "wasn't as good as previous years". "A minute and two seconds was ridiculous," he said.
"We've had 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 20 seconds in previous years so I don't know what's going on today."

Tom O'Neil stands in a pub with a silver trophy which has a pie inside it. He wears a grey coat and a blue t-shirt and there are some people in the pub behind him. Mr O'Neil polished off his meat pie in just over a minute

Despite the slower than expected results, Mr Callaghan refuses to bend the rules of his strict "no lubricants" policy. He said: "I will not allow gravy and I won't allow any lubricants, don't come to the competition if that's what you want.

"I think it's wrong - you eat a pie as it is, you don't stick in a bowl of gravy, that's for Southerners."

[Stanley]

I saw the BBC report David.
A man has been crowned this year's World Pie-Eating Champion after polishing off a meat pie in one minute and two seconds. Tom O'Neil, 24, lives in Blackpool but was born in Wigan, Greater Manchester, where the annual contest has been held since 1992. He was one of 19 competitors who lined up at Harry's Bar in front of their regulation size pies, which measure 12cm (4.7in) in diameter with a depth of 3.5cm (1.3in). Mr O'Neil said this was a "proud day" and has already vowed to return next year to defend his title. He told BBC Radio Manchester: "I won a local contest about two years ago and then I saw this pop up online, so I thought I'm gonna go for it and then now I'm here." Mr O'Neil said his talent was more of a natural ability than a learnt skill.
As it is I have no time for eating contests of any sort and the thing that struck me this morning is what effect would this report have on someone who was forced by circumstance to use a food bank. 'Obscene' is a strong word but I feel it might be appropriate....

[Tripps]

Let me be the first to wish a Happy New Year to all our contibuting members.

As usual I watched Jools Holland's Hootenany. Still quite good but the token pipes and drums of the Scots Guards made little impact. The Sctottish angle is fading. Why can't they have such live music on during the rest of the year?

If you see her - will someone please tell the First Floosie (AKA The "Queen" ) that she will not get more popular by doing a downmarket version of Loose Women - though she undoubtedly qualifies?

I read they fenced off Primrose Hill to deter freeloaders for watching the fireworks. I just saw them - very impressive - I'd say visible from a lot further away than Primrose Hill.

[Stanley]

Can I second David's post and join him in wishing all of you a good new year. Very quiet here in Barlick, a spatter of fireworks around 22:00 but nothing at midnight that I heard. As for the Loose Woman tab.... I never think of her as Queen, to do so would be a direct comparison to Brenda which would be ridiculous.....

[Cathy]

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all on OG.
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[Wendyf]

Happy New Year everyone! I didn't stay up to see the new year in, Craig and I played our traditional couple of Scrabble games then I retreated to bed. The strengthening wind woke me at about 12.30am and for the next half hour or so there was a steady stream of car headlights coming down the hill from the Skipton direction and lighting up my bedroom. Perhaps there were fireworks at Broughton Hall.

[Stanley]

It was very quiet here in Barlick Wendy.... There were a few desultory fireworks at about 22:00 but if there was anything else I didn't hear it.

[PanBiker]

Yes, Happy New Year everyone.

[Tizer]

Wishing you all a very happy and peaceful New Year!

I'll take this opportunity to introduce you to the British Geological Survey's new online geology viewer. All you need is an up to date browser and it can be on your PC or smartphone (but it is better on the large screen of a PC). On opening it you see a geological map of the whole of Britain, then you can zoom in to an area of interest. It can show the superficial geology or bedrock geology or both.

On first opening it defaults to both but opening the sidebar menu (top left of screen) allows you to choose between the three. Superficial shows the distribution of recent sediments since the Ice Ages, such as sand, gravel, pebbles etc and you can easily pick out the river and stream beds. Bedrock shows the underlying geological strata. In the sidebar you can click `Legend' to see a colour key to the rock strata. The Viewer is available here: BGS Viewer

As an example I've posted below two cropped screenshots showing the area around Barlick. The first is superficial and the second is bedrock. Of course you can view it much larger on a bigger screen or zoomed in further on a small screen

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[Wendyf]

Is this a new version Tiz?

[Stanley]

Geology is an area of knowledge I have always regretted failing to study and grasp. I can't get my head round the 3D visualising you have to have for strata.