WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Stanley]

I have taken notice Kev. When I have eaten my stock of cheaper cans I shall blag a lift to Aldi.
Another thing about Aldi I watched a comparison video on brands of corned meat on YouTube and they said that Aldi's own brand was definitely the one to go for in England!

[PanBiker]

Another thing about Aldi I watched a comparison video on brands of corned meat on YouTube and they said that Aldi's own brand was definitely the one to go for in England!

I can vouch for that, their Corned Beef makes an excellent tatie hash.

[Big Kev]

I have taken notice Kev. When I have eaten my stock of cheaper cans I shall blag a lift to Aldi.

Definitely worth blagging a lift, especially if you can get there at a quiet time. Once you get used to the layout it's a relatively stress free shop. Don't forget a £1 coin for a small trolley

Until Aldi opened in Barlick I always shopped at Sainsbury. Saw Ian and Sally in the veg aisle and Gus rummaging in the freezers today. Prices have increased in the last couple of years, as they have everywhere else, but I still find it the best value for money.

[PanBiker]

I can take you Stanley when you feel like dipping your bread. Weekends can be a bit manic, (our Jack say that old folk shouldn't get in the way of working folk who can only shop at the weekend, ) so middle of the week is best.

[Tripps]

I can take you Stanley when you feel like dipping your bread.

Good man - expand his mind. . .

[Big Kev]

I can take you Stanley when you feel like dipping your bread.

Good man - expand his mind. . .

Don't let him loose in the middle aisle

[Tripps]

No - no - that's all part of the fun. I've just had a small bet with myself. . . .

[Big Kev]

No - no - that's all part of the fun. I've just had a small bet with myself. . . .

[Stanley]

That's a good offer Ian, Thank You. I shall take you up on it when the need arises....

[Stanley]

A nice visit from Susan and Mick. They are staying in the area until after Xmas..... They have promised not to interfere with my quiet Xmas Day but will visit me on Boxing Day for a couple of hours. Jess and Mo will have about thirty people in the house for Xmas. Susan knows that that would be purgatory for me, I suppose at heart I am simply an anti-social old bugger!

[Tizer]

We saw his high-tech sleigh land nearby but we were on the wrong side to see Santa. I hope he was strapped in securely, we don't want to lose him!...
`Santa makes a flying visit to hospitals and hospices in an RAF helicopter' LINK

[Stanley]

He wasn't as lucky here.... This was a Gawthorpe Xmas Card in 1979.

[Mags]

Dad, I love Aldi, out here all there meat is West Australian and it is so good. I dont think I have bought anything there that my lot have said "dont but that again"

Laura is also converted at Aldi.

[Stanley]

That's good to hear Margaret. I shall be getting a lift down there when I run out of cheap baked beans, I shall definitely not be spending £1.70 a can on Heinz at the Co-op.....

[Tripps]

A nice visit from Susan and Mick. They are staying in the area until after Xmas...

I'm not keeping up here. Have they gone to a full nomadic life?

[Stanley]

Yes David, they have sold their house, bought a state of the art mobile home based on a Ford Transit chassis and are now full time travellers. They know that the only thing that would bugger this up would be me deteriorating and dying so I am doing my best to stay on an even keel for as long as possible! So far so good and that's why I keep as far away from hospitals as possible. That's my end of life gift to them, being as undemanding as possible.....

[Tizer]

...and are now full time travellers.

Would that be full-time travellers or full time-travellers?

[Tripps]

I'd say they were crazy - but whatever suits. . . .

I've been watching this pair for a while. I don't get why they don't go to Spain in the winter.

[Stanley]

I wouldn't say crazy David, that's a bit strong I think but it wouldn't do for me. The thought of not having a house and a shed frightens me to death......
What grabs me today is the fact that Susan is coming this morning to help me with my Xmas veggie shopping!

[Tizer]

How about this for blocking a major motorway route!...
`Overturned lorry shuts part of M5'BBC

[Tripps]

Do we have any former lorry drivers here, who could explain why so many modern well equpped and tested, all singing and dancing, lorries - driven by highly trained, and tightly regulated drivers - seem to be so prone to overturning? It's a puzzle to me. . . .

[Tizer]

Transport was different in the old days...
I've just been reading about the old Haytor granite quarry on Dartmoor which provided stone for many of the important buildings, docks,memorial stones (eg. Falklands Memorial Stone) and bridges (eg. London Bridge) etc. They made a trackway of long granite blocks end to end and shaped so wagons on flangeless wheels could run on them. The granite was loaded, 3 tons per wagon and a `train' of 12 wagons was hauled by a team of 18 shire horses all the way to the river or docks. You wouldn't want that lot to overturn. Hard work by hard men and hard horses!

[Stanley]

In answer to David's question.... You can have the tightest regulation and the best vehicles but if a driver lets his attention wander and then is forced to make a sudden steering correction a little known characteristic of articulated waggons can take control. It's known in the trade as 'slow speed roll over' and usually happens on bends or sharper corners like roundabouts. Basically what happens is that the trailer takes control of the tractor unit and the driver loses control. There is of course the separate matter of empty high sided vehicles being blown over by a strong side wind but that's not the case here. I'd put it down to a sudden violent course correction to avoid the vehicle in front. But I wasn't there and other causes are possible.
What grabbed me yesterday was a visit by Susan and Mick. Susan and I did my Town Square veggie shopping and a few small items from the Co-op. I might need a small milk to ensure I don't run out over Xmas.....

[Tizer]

That same BBC link about the lorry has been updated and now has extra photos worth looking at. This tells what the biggest problem was...
Sgt Owen Jones, from Devon and Cornwall Police, said the recovery operation proved difficult. "Unfortunately it's blocking all three lanes and the hard shoulder," he said. "We're working hard to get it recovered but unfortunately 22 tonnes of loose potatoes are causing us quite some problems. It's looking like an all-dayer."

[Big Kev]

National Powergrid report an outage to around 1000 houses in Barlick, looks to be around the Gisburn Rd area.