WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[PanBiker]

Wendy I nagged John and he says he has lost his details for the site and asked me to post his mail to me....

The reason John can't find his details is that he never rejoined the site on the new platform. I am assuming he would use his old username of "barrowfordjohn". It would be good if he did rejoin, some tantalising information in the previous post.

[Wendyf]

I'll try a bit of gentle persuasion...he might be coming along to the Old Grammar School Open Day on Saturday.

[Tizer]

It's interesting to see `gamel' used to mean `old'. In modern Danish, `gamle' means old. The old part of the Carlsberg Brewery in Copenhagen is called Gamle Carlsberg.

Now then, who is this `gamel' man? Has he been sent to fight the forces of evil?

[Stanley]

Wendy, seize him by the throat.... His old friends are missing him.
Tiz, I can't be sure whether it is Guinness or Corbyn.... Whatever, I hope Jeremy has the force with him. Things have gone very quiet out there.....
I see that the US prosecutors are leading the way once again. See THIS NY Times report on the latest developments in the ongoing investigation into the cyber attack on J P Morgan Chase Which has drained hundreds of millions of dollars out of the system. This is the tip of the iceberg and warnings in recent days from GCHQ on the doubling of the rate of attacks here in the UK back this up. It's time companies realised that efficient security is worth investing in.

[Bodger]

Stanley, does this remind you of anyone ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF__dd5aPOw

[Bodger]

Another one showing life as a driver in central Australia, note you will need an hour or so
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ufj4yda7u4

[Tizer]

Tiz, I can't be sure whether it is Guinness or Corbyn.... Whatever, I hope Jeremy has the force with him. Things have gone very quiet out there.....

The pic is a crop from an image of the new Royal Mail stamp issue on Star Wars, shown below. They tell me it's Obi-Wan Kenobi but I think it's really a plug for Obi-Corbynobi!

[Stanley]

Bodge, we never had it as rough as Tom Kruse but I see many similarities in the job. I like the fact he carried a spare clutch plate. If something broke we mended it and carried on.... That was just how it was. I can remember sitting in the snow straightening valve stems out on a flat stone at the Jungle on Shap to get a Leyland truck home with a knackered gear box. It worked and I think Tom would have approved..... Would modern drivers do that? I don't know but I suspect they would have been straight on to the cell phone and back into the warm in the café ....
I hope Labour are working hard behind the scenes.... Actually I think it's good that they are keeping such a low profile. If I was Cameron I would be worried....

[plaques]

Rolls Royce shares drop 20% after the latest profit warning. Link. This is never good news and nearly always results in pressure to reduce manning levels. Lets hope Barlick escapes any further reductions in staff.

[Stanley]

I think they are already in the pipeline P. The unions are having the usual discussions about planned redundancies. I see BAE are having the same problem, they have cut back on Typhoon production and Samlesbury is going to take the brunt of it. Looking at the steel industry and outsourcing nuclear power as well you can't help wondering why our 'miracle economy' can't protect these vital skills.... The last couple of decades seem to have been one long story of manufacturing decline.....
Bodge, I watched the longer Tom Kruse film last night and it was fascinating. Especially interesting to me because when he was about twelve years old my dad ran away from home and blagged himself a place with an expedition that was going from Dubbo to Darwin. They used Afghans and camels for transport and he must have travelled through this country long before Tom. It must have been hard going! He told me that at one point the local Aborigines stole a camel. They camped and the Afghans went out to look for it. When they found the Aborigines they lined them up and shot half of them to discourage the others. Looking from our vantage point, terrible and while I can understand the reasoning it was hard 'justice'. You can find father's account of this if you look on the site for his memoirs.... He certainly never forgot it.

[Stanley]

The terrorist attacks in Paris, no need for links as it is all over the news.

[Marilyn]

Shocking!
Puts me off further overseas travel. We were en route to London when the bombs went off years ago...mayhem...and this is one fright too many.

[Cathy]

It's been on our news all day, won't say shocking in this day and age (sadly), but it's awful, just awful.

[Marilyn]

( Cazza...if they lined up all of those innocent bodies before you, it would be both awful and shocking...and terribly, terribly, overwhelmingly sad)

[Tizer]

Anyone thinking of a buying or renting a place in a retirement village in the UK should read this first. The report touches on something which is a much bigger problem than it appears at first sight.
`Retirement villages: Nice places, but what's the catch?'
"...Many older people who move in to such villages find the experience so positive that their final years are transformed. But, there is what some people see as a catch. The biggest bill only arrives when you move out or die. And since it will often run into tens of thousands of pounds, it can come as a shock for your next of kin."
More here: LINK

There have been serious problems in recent for many older folk who bought or rented retirement houses or flats then found they were being asked for exorbitant maintenance fees, exit fees and fees for anything the companies could think up. Then when the person died their children found they too were expected to pay the fees, often enormous sums that they didn't even know their parents were having to fork out. The obvious answer was to sell the house or cancel the let...but that's when the exit fees came into play. Or even worse, they would find it was almost impossible to sell the house because the company locked them in paying monthly fees. You haven't heard much about it because the the scam was spread over a lot of companies with different names but mostly owned by the same person (well, actually persons - they were brothers) who had the money and power to suppress all reports and have web pages about them taken down. More recently the business, Peverel, went into administration and was then bought up by two private equity companies. It has now merged under a different name, FirstPort. Have a look at these web pages:

`Peverel bought out of administration in £62m deal that saves 4,200 jobs' 6 March 2012

`Any port in a storm as Peverel desperately rebrands to … FirstPort' 9 September 2014

[Tripps]

Interesting - I went to look at such a development when I was close to retiring, about 15 years ago. I went here It's a very impressive place, if a little out of the way.

They don't tell you the monthly management fee on the website now, but it was about £300 - £400 per month then. The lady in the sales office barely condescended to speak to me, and said lied they were all sold. Note the variation in sales prices now - sure sign that some are trying to get out at any price, whilst some still believe the hype.

I've also almost had dealings with Peverill. However after a few moments due diligence, decided I wanted nothing to do with them. I'm pleased the went bust. However, phoenix like, they have returned.
Mr Barnum was right.

[Stanley]

That man figures largely in 'In the City' in PE..... Good post Tiz.
Cathy, I know what you mean, shocking isn't enough because these events are too common these days. If there is any shock in this one it's because it's in Europe and not some far away country......



On a lighter note, Janet sent me this pic. She's enjoying her new Nikon camera.....

[PanBiker]

Water still coming in through our new kitchen cupboards, not surprising with the wind and the amount of rain we had last night. Bad news now is that it has started to swell some of the cabinets where it has made its way in behind the edging strips. I have a roofer coming to look early doors tomorrow. Will ring insurance company as well, may need some new cupboard carcasses. Only been in a few weeks, sods law!

[Wendyf]

What a shame Ian, I hope the problem is easily sorted and that the wind and rain hold off for long enough to get your roof fixed. A few years ago we had just put some new cupboards up in our utility room when an old copper pipe in the ceiling above gave up the ghost and water poured everywhere. Col and I had just reached the end of a long and tiring day laying flags in the hallway when I discovered the mess....could have cried.

[Thomo]

As the aftermath of the despicable events that took place recently in France and Egypt rumble on, and as the blame is already being apportioned to whoever was responsible, both recent and historical, it needs to be remembered that these terrible events took place, and that nothing can now change this situation. It is suggested that negotiation is the best way forward, a noble sentiment, yet in the words of an old song, "you cannot talk to a man with a shotgun in his hand"! actually you can, but it takes a lot of courage, and can be a futile gesture. As the "blame game" continues, they at the "top" will inevitably bear the brunt of any accusations made, the armchair generals, and they who's political ideals and beliefs would be truly wonderful if they could be achieved, will have a "field day" yet at the same time will not present a workable solution to what has occurred. In the early 70s as a part of my Naval Career, I attended many lectures based around global politics and future defence related subjects, it was at that time that it became clear, that despite the "Cold War" any prospect of a future global conflict would originate in the middle east, and that its geographical and ideological capabilities would be difficult to contain let alone overcome. It needs to be remembered that some of these people have been hammering away at this for centuries, and long before we became involved.

[PanBiker]

I was thinking of the problems in France while mopping up this morning. Puts it all into context, my problem is a hassle but in the vast scale of things minor and can be fixed. Not so easy for the current middle east situation though, a proper can of worms and a long road ahead whichever way you look at it.

Hope you are mending up Peter.

[PanBiker]

Watching the news tonight and seeing the paranoia levels now apparent in Paris. I cannot help thinking what it was like 10 years ago when we walked back across the city in the early hours of the morning after dancing at the Caveau de la Huchette in the Latin Quarter back to our hotel in the Opera district. It was about 2.30am when we left the club, the Metro was closed and it was a nice summers night so we elected to walk the two miles or so across the city. We crossed the Seine at the Ile de la Citie' and then down the embankment until picking up the avenue leading to our hotel which at Opera was adjacent to the 10th arrondissement where the current atrocities have taken place. I remember that we hardly saw another soul apart from someone sleeping in a doorway but at no point felt threatened on our journey, how different it would have been on Friday.

[Marilyn]

Wasn't me Stanley...( could have been Moh)

[Bodger]

A nifty bit of kit for underwater recovery
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwwI8qMWJv0

[Tizer]

Ian, you have my sympathy; water ingress is horrible at any time but when you've just fitted out the kitchen....aaagh!

Tripps, I'm glad you didn't get involved with Peverel. We almost fell into the trap when looking for a place in town for my dad a few years ago. It was a small semi bungalow on a housing estate near the town centre and looked ideal. We thought it was a normal house purchase but then got more details and found it was a leasehold belonging to one of the companies in the Peverel group. At that time I knew nothing about them but after some Web research realised it was a dangerous trap. We `made an excuse and left', as they say. Unfortunately a lot of older folk get taken in by it all and end up being drained of their savings and their children being left with an unsaleable property and fees to pay forever.