WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[PanBiker]

On the journey home from Whitby today. We came back via Pickering, Thirsk and Sutton Bank. On the descent of the latter all OK until the 80 degree acute sweeping bend on the 1 in 3. About 100 yards before that the traffic came to a stop on the downhill, when we got to the bend we saw that there were two articulated lorry's with 20 ft trailers nose to tail stopped on the uphill bend. The leading one had swung out into the other carriageway to try and make the bend so the downhill was a bit of squeeze for the traffic going the other way who had to sneak past the tractor unit with care. Police were in attendance and directing operations. The wagons should not have been there of course but probably victims of bog standard sat navs which sent them quickest route rather than having the heavy wagon overlays for the navigation. The route over Sutton Bank is clearly marked as not suitable for caravans so what chance has a tractor unit and 20ft + trailer? Didn't notice if the wagons had foreign registrations but it wouldn't surprise me as they obviously were oblivious to the large signs banning such vehicles. There is a relatively flat route around which is where they send all the caravans etc.

There was about a 3 mile static traffic tail back building up out of Thirsk, it's was race day there also today!

We saw on Google that the incident was reported at 7am which begs the question why was the traffic still backing up at 10.40am. Surely a diversion for all traffic could have been instigated for all those going North. As we were approaching Thirsk more police cars were heading that way so maybe they were instigating two way managed traffic around the wagons, who knows. You are already on the 1 in 3 before you get to the acute bend so from a standing start it would not be very easy to negotiate the small gap if you were on the uphill. Will keep quite a few bobbies busy for a while I that's for sure! Wont be the first time either.

[Stanley]

I've often wondered where the trade name 'AirBandB' originated.
This morning I heard that it started with the idea of putting an inflatable mattress on the floor of your living room and advertising it as bed and breakfast.
I can't explain why but I found this newly acquired knowledge very satisfying.

[PanBiker]

I had to study that as I read it as Air Band B without any spacing.

AirBnB

The one we stayed in recently was an entire house (cabin style) a bit more sophisticated than an air bed. We made our own breakfasts as well from the fully appointed kitchen. Most AirBnB's are fully appointed but they do range between basic and absolute luxury. Have a look here:

AirBnB around our area

[Stanley]

How good my pork belly looked after sitting on low all night. The gravy is in the freezer for a second harvest of fat from it, I did one yesterday.
This is the start of today's cookathon, roast chicken and cook veggies. Hows that for planning, on the hottest day of the year so far!

[Tizer]

In her Saturday column in The Times Janice Turner tore into Elon Musk over his behaviour, his re-opening of Twitter to the malicious trolls and his own attacks on democracy including saying the riots in Britain will end in civil war. The Times had also interviewed his father who was born in Liverpool but now lives in Cape Town, South Africa. The father sounds as bad as the son and claims that Elon's satellite system will take over the Internet and rule the world.

Meanwhile, also in The Times, Ann Treneman writes how while all the social media and world news was on fire with stories about rioting bringing Britain to its knees she was enjoying a visit to Scarborough. The sun was shining, the donkey rides were doing good business (no pun intended), kids were catching crabs in plastic buckets and the old-fashioned gondola ferris wheel was at work. "There were lots of extended families, three generations deep, walking the front. Elsewhere in Britain they were rioting. Here, the Scarborough Spa Orchestra was playing a teddy bears' picnic concert."

[PanBiker]

All quiet on the Eastern front also last week in Whitby Peter. No donkey rides but all of the rest you described. I noticed a new venture by the local gulls. There are notices all over not to feed them as that only encourages them to mob for an easy meal. Speaking of which, we watched on enterprising gull sat on the harbour rail watching the kids crabbing. Seeing a good chance it nicked a decent sized crab directly from the line as the little lad was pulling it up. Took it to the nearest moored boat and cracked it open and ate it like an expert.

[Stanley]

A timely post Peter..... Do you remember a time when we were so busy working and earning a living that there was no time for conspiracy Theories, we were all too busy getting on with life.
I have decided that Elon Musk is not wired up the same as the rest of us and should be ignored. Much of what he does is pure attention seeking. I used to live with a primary school teacher who said that the cure for children suffering from the same syndrome was to deprive them of the attention they desired. So just ignore Musk and in the end he will go away.... Problem is that most of his audience have the same problem and welcome his stupidity.
Later.... The news channels are full of a two hour conversation between Musk and Trump on X. So musk has struck back, we can't very well ignore him talking to the Donald!

[Stanley]

I have just spent a miserable hour trying to arrange a refund for the non delivery of a shaver I ordered. It is impossible to get any sense out of EBay even though they have informed me I qualify under their money back guarantee and I have only got through to PayPal by asking the same question over and over again.
It would almost be worth writing the £50 involved off. I find these encounters of the fifth kind to be soul-destroying.....

[PanBiker]

Have you tried contacting the supplier. Ebay is only the marketing platform. There is normally a contact link to the seller.

[Big Kev]

As Ian says, have you contacted the seller? They may be oblivious to a 'non delivery'.

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[Stanley]

I tried but the only response I got was a scam email asking for my bank details so they could make a small charge for altering my address which was wrong and was the reason for the non-delivery. That was obviously untrue as the correct address was on the invoice they sent me. PayPal are now investigating, they may have more success.
This is the second time |I have had problems with an Ebay order......

[PanBiker]

Personally I have never had a problem with anything bought via Ebay.

I bought my last beard trimmer from Boots online as they had the model I wanted.

[Tizer]

People I used to buy stuff from on Ebay moved to Etsy a few years ago because Ebay was giving them too much hassle and upping its charges. Now they're leaving Etsy for the same reasons and moving to social media sites. Unfortunately I don't use any of those sites

[Big Kev]

I tried but the only response I got was a scam email asking for my bank details so they could make a small charge for altering my address which was wrong and was the reason for the non-delivery. That was obviously untrue as the correct address was on the invoice they sent me. PayPal are now investigating, they may have more success.
This is the second time |I have had problems with an Ebay order......

Have you reported that activity to eBay? It sounds like a scam and there may be others, not as sensible as you, who fall for it.

[PanBiker]

I ordered some components that I need from CPC at Preston on Sunday evening they were dispatched via Royal Mail 48 hour tracked. They left the supplier at 21.13 on Monday night. They were sent to the North West Super Hub which is at Warrington and arrived there at 21.37 on Tuesday? The Warrington hub then sent my parcel back to the Preston Hub arriving at 04.43 today. The Preston Royal Mail MC is on the same industrial estate as the supplier! You couldn't make this up! Another thing I have found out is that the Tracked 48 hour service is given as 48 to 72 hours which I suppose is the get out jail free card that says why it wasn't delivered today. Why did Royal Mail send it to Warrington rather than the more or less next door RM hub? Do they not actually take into consideration the postcodes they are delivering to. I could have actually walked there and back to the trade counter in the time.

[Stanley]

"Have you reported that activity to eBay?"
Yes and they recognised I had a case and told me to wait until August 9 and they re-contact them. When I did they kept chucking me out saying there "was a problem". I tried four times with the same result and so went to PayPal for help. They have initiated a case and Ebay must have listened to them because they have informed me that my case with them is closed. I am now waiting.
In the meantime I rang Garlick's and they have a razor in stock.

[Stanley]

The seeds arrived from Peter and Janet. The plastic bag had leaked but I realised in time and have rescued them from the envelope. I shall plant them while it is raining.
Slightly later.... I have had my first shave with my new Panasonic razor, a change from the Phillips I have been using for years, and am delighted. I have got a much better shave and now realise how far Phillips had fallen behind.... Very happy.

[Tizer]

The seeds arrived from Peter and Janet. The plastic bag had leaked but I realised in time and have rescued them from the envelope. I shall plant them while it is raining.

These are the seeds of Bird's Foot Trefoil collected from our garden as mentioned in the Gardening thread. It's a tough native plant with lovely yellow flowers and loved by bees so I hope it will do well in Stanley's garden.

We were sitting in our garden with a cup of tea and cake at about 16.50 today when we heard a roaring noise from the other side of the house and it was growing louder. We soon realised it was jet plane noise but were surprised when two RAF Typhoons in close formation flew directly over our house at about 500 feet. Very impressive and loud! But once they'd passed immediately overhead we got the full blast of sound from the engines. Terrific!! They were heading due east and could be on their way to join or replace other Typhoons already policing NATO's eastern border: LINK

[Stanley]

Nice to know we have two Typhoons to rub together Peter!
Later.... I decided that yesterday's shave with my new razor was so good that there was no need to shave this morning! I may change my mind later but I am off to bed with a day's growth.......

[Big Kev]

This...

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Fortunately I was able to cancel the hotel reservation without charge. We were really looking forward to that.

[Stanley]

Did they say why they cancelled ?

[Big Kev]

Did they say why they cancelled ?

Unofficial word is 'a security threat', whatever that means.

[Stanley]

[Stanley]

Ian and his motor got my full attention around noon. He called in and some sort of complicated flimsy bearing had collapsed. I went back to steam engine technology and made a bronze bush and fitted it. It looks as though it will do the job and one strimmer rescued form the skip. It wouldn't surprise me if the bearing was better than new.....
I do like being able to help out like that.

[Stanley]

Have a look at THIS BBC account of modern slavery on Scottish fishing boats.
Dozens of workers from around the world may have been trafficked into the UK to work for a small family-owned Scottish fishing firm, a BBC investigation has revealed. Thirty-five men from the Philippines, Ghana, India and Sri Lanka were recognised as victims of modern slavery by the Home Office after being referred to it between 2012 and 2020. The workers were employed by TN Trawlers and its sister companies, owned by the Nicholson family, based in the small town of Annan on the southern coast of Scotland. The TN Group denied any allegation of modern slavery or human trafficking and said its workers were well treated and well paid. The company was the focus of two long-running criminal investigations but no cases of human trafficking or modern slavery have come to trial, although some of the men waited years to give evidence.
There is much more evidence in the article and it makes you wonder why there haven't been prosecutions. Well done the BBC for pursuing the matter......
Later.... I listen to World Service each morning and I have been struck more and more lately of the superiority of their news readers techniques over their counterparts in say R4 Today. They pick an informant ask them a question and let them answer it rather than doing what the Today presenters do, interrupt and badger their informants.
I learn more from the World Service news than R4 Today. Perhaps they should listen to how their World Service collegues do it!