WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Big Kev]

I stumbled across my Flickr feed and this was on there.
10 years ago.

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[Stanley]

Nice one Kev, that was done on the day you shot my birthday card picture......

[Stanley]

Later.... I tripped over this pic in my archive....



We think we know what potholes are in the UK. This is a 'proper' pothole in Minnesota where they have much colder winters than us.

[Tizer]

When I saw this BBC headline my first thought was `Where the heck is Eryri? Now I know...
`Easter parking warning after police tow 40 cars in Eryri' LINK

[Big Kev]

When I saw this BBC headline my first thought was `Where the heck is Eryri? Now I know...
`Easter parking warning after police tow 40 cars in Eryri' LINK

I had to look, when it was read out in the news they said Snowdonia

[Big Kev]

I signed up for Amazon Prime (currently a 30 day free trial) and it includes Amazon Music streaming. I've added it to my Sonos and am currently enjoying a selection of acoustic covers, very good so far.

[Stanley]

They had me baffled until as you say they clarified it by saying "better known as Snowdonia".
What grabbed me was the fact that, confronted by the impending doctor's strike the Department of Health and Social Care, headed by Steve Barclay, has insisted the BMA has to call off strike action before any negotiations can take place. The Conservative school of industrial relations and negotiating in full flow!

[Tripps]

She rang me back yesterday three days after I left her a message. Lady whose number I got from a Garden Centre, who does gardening.

The news was as as expected "I'm very sorry, but I'm just too busy to take on any more work". She was a lovely lady, and we had a nice chat and she did sound genuinely sorry she couldn't help. I'm on the waiting list, but not hopeful.

Memorable quote from her was "I've tried employing men, but they're all drunk or on drugs most of the time."

[Tizer]

Probably their only gardening experience is growing cannabis plants!

[Tripps]

I've just returned from Cambridge. I pass the back of Kings College where the tourist coaches can park. There was not a single EU registered coach. There always used to be plenty - of many nationalities. In fact there was just one plain white unmarked coach, with GB plates.

I read last week that the French do not feel welcome here any more, and since they now need a full passport to come - they are not doing so. Only about half their people have a full passport, and they have been used to travelling on their French ID card. It is simply too much hassle to get a coach load of school children all with a full passport to come here.

I am not a natural 'joiner' and it seemed good to me at the time, but I was wrong.

Things have changed a lot since 2016, but it's time to admit Brexit was a mistake I'd say.

[MickBrett]

I crumbled and got a bloke in to do my mowing and some tree trimming yesterday.
My lower back and knees thanked me profusely...

[Stanley]

I know the feeling Mick!
David, the evidence slowly accumulates to show that we misguided Remainers had a point. Even the wealthy people who saw opportunities for themselves in 'taking back our sovereignty' are beginning to question leaving.

[Tizer]

Scary!...
`Lorry tipped over in high winds on busy motorway' BBC short video
The moment high winds caused a lorry to tip over on a busy motorway has been captured by a driver's dashcam. The lorry was travelling on the M62 westbound when it was toppled between junction 22 for Huddersfield and junction 21 for Rochdale. Greater Manchester Police said there had been no reports of any injuries. National Highways has asked people take extra care when travelling due to the weather conditions.

[Stanley]

I know that bit of the M62 well of course, Ellenroad is on Junction 21. I've seen police range Rovers being blown backwards on shot ice there. It's a savage bit of moor..

[Cathy]

Gosh, the lorry, imagine that happening in front of you .
Very frightening.

I looked at the report of Porthcaul 90kmh winds.
Apart from the reporter, who are those people who bother to go out in it and get so close to it all… Crazy.

[Big Kev]

The clock is back on the Station Road bus shelter.

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[Tizer]

This is shocking...
`Texas dairy farm explosion kills 18,000 cows' LINK
But the last bit of the article is mind boggling...
According to the AWI, nearly 6.5m farm animals have been killed in barn fires since 2013, of which about 6m were chickens and about 7,300 were cows. Between 2018 and 2021, nearly 3 million farm animals died in fire, with 1.76m chickens dying in the six largest fires over that time period.

[Big Kev]

Following the demise of the 20 year old Dyson DC08, the motor has failed, I have replaced it with a Shark 'lift away' vacuum cleaner. I'm quietly impressed, it's got some suck on it, it's reasonably lightweight and has 'headlights' on the powered brush. Hopefully P will appreciate it as she'll use it a lot more than me

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If anyone wants a Dyson DC08, for spares or repair, there's one at Chez Kev going gratis. A new motor is between £25-£50 online (Amazon).

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[Wendyf]

I reluctantly changed to a Shark from a much loved Dyson last year and it is so much easier to use. It needs emptying more often and falls over very easily but it's very powerful and easy to use.

[PanBiker]

We had a cabled Panasonic bagless with built in theoretically 13ft extension pipe for the stairs. Did well for about 10 years. I got tired of carrying it up and down stairs so we changed to a cordless Shark which came with free tools for the car etc. It folds when not in use and is fantastic compared to the old vac.

[Stanley]

I saw activities around the bus shelter at 07:00 yesterday morning as I went to the Co-op for shopping but never investigated what was going on. I hope this iteration works better than its predecessors!
Peter, that really is a shocking report. It reinforces my aversion to keeping cattle in barns or on feed lots. They are not being treated as sentient beings, just like machines for making milk.
What makes it worse for me is that I know cows and like them, they are beautiful quiet animals.....

[Tizer]

What makes it worse for me is that I know cows and like them, they are beautiful quiet animals.....

Likewise tortoises, I had several as a child and Terry Pratchett built up a herd of them during his lifetime. When he was supposed to be available for press interviews he would often be found `out back' feeding the tortoises! They also helped him cope with his stressful job when he was PR man for CEGB Nuclear power stations in the south-west (and if you think that wouldn't be a stressful job you should read his biography!)
In today's news...
`Tortoise helped by pet oxygen mask after Tisbury house fire' LINK

Mrs Tiz pointed me to that article and, spookily, I was looking at the Wikipedia page on superglues and saw under the medical section it said `Used to mend tortoise shells! I think we should give tortoises access to AI and let them rule the world!

[Stanley]

I'll second that one Peter! (Douglas Adams favoured mice.....)
Watching the pre-race commentary on the Grand National yesterday I was struck by two things, first was the palpable outrage that anyone should interfere with the running of the race.... the national is important but not that important!
Second the way they went into overdrive to try to persuade us that there was no cruelty involved, the horses love the jumps and they are always treated like royalty. I'm afraid I don't buy it. Horse racing is a business and the owners are very canny business men and women. They conveniently brushed over the high rate of death and injury to horses and jockeys. Some of us have better memories than that.

[Stanley]

The fact that Muthomi visited and took away the bikes I have been minding for them. I am no longer a bike shed! (Funnily, the hall looks quite empty now...... )

[Stanley]

News this morning that pressure is being put on Nicola Sturgeon to leave the SNP as any statement from her will be pounced on by the opposition and ridiculed. The word is that if she doesn't walk away voluntarily she will be expelled from the Party.
How things have changed!