Monday 25 July: The big new change is that the NHS can no longer guarantee life-saving help in an emergency

Posted on by Geoff Graham

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Today’s letters (visible only to DT subscribers) are here.

716 thoughts on “Monday 25 July: The big new change is that the NHS can no longer guarantee life-saving help in an emergency”

  2. Good Moaning.
    Hoorah; Hoorah; Hoorah ……
    Start the week with bang.
    According to the Dept of Financial Affairs in Nigeria, I have $5.5 million dollar waiting to wing its way into my bank account. Rather surprised to see it has to be done via an address in Germany. I mean ter say ….. Germany!?!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJOjTNuuEVw

  3. Good Moaning.
    Hoorah; Hoorah; Hoorah ……
    Start the week with bang.
    According to the Dept of Financial Affairs in Nigeria, I have $5.5 million dollar waiting to wing its way into my bank account. Rather surprised to see it has to be done via an address in Germany. I mean ter say ….. Germany!?!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJOjTNuuEVw

  4. Morning, Peeps and Geoff.  Cool and overcast here, but little prospect of any ‘organised’ rain.

    Today’s leading letter:

    SIR – Recently a 38-year-old family man had a severe reaction to a bee sting at our home. His face swelled, he could no longer breathe through his nose and his throat was tightening.

    The 999 operator, after a lengthy discussion with his manager, told us the wait would be at least eight hours. My wife (a retired GP) and I confirmed that this was a life-threatening emergency. The operator apologised and suggested we transport the victim to Accident and Emergency.

    Rather than risk A&E – seven miles in rush-hour traffic – I drove him to our local health centre as my wife phoned ahead. He got the vital adrenaline injection in time.

    The NHS always had its flaws but until recently the assumption was that its response in an emergency could be relied upon. Our experience supports growing evidence that this is no longer so; a frightening paradigm shift. If this milestone does not encourage appropriate action, what will?

    Brian Simpson FRCS
    Dinas Powys, Glamorgan

    A minimum eight hour wait for a patient in anaphylactic shock?  Better send an undertaker in that case.  What happened to the availability of a first responder car from the ambulance service?  If this wasn’t a life-threatening emergency I wonder what is?  Meanwhile, with a service as bad as this I can only conclude that we are truly done for.

        2. Exactly. I have a friend who happily ate nuts throughout her childhood.
          At the age of 19, when out with friends, she woke up to find herself in hospital.
          That was her first sign of a now permanent allergy to nuts.

    3. We, here in the sticks, have really long waits for ambulances and this has resulted in some near misses and some fatalities. The local ambulance station was closed down and replaced by a paramedic in a car parked on the edge of the local town. This facility has since been withdrawn so the nearest ambulance is 20 miles away.

    2. They wouldn’t. One guarantee you can have of the Left is that they never permit anything to interrupt their own opinions.

  6. Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss serve up ‘red meat’ policies to tempt Tory members. 25 July 2022.

    And so this weekend has seen Truss and Sunak compete to promote the hardline approach they would take on immigration, both committing to Johnson’s policy of deporting to Rwanda those who come to the UK by irregular routes.

    Truss has a commanding lead in the polls and the support of key figures on the right of the party such as attorney general Suella Braverman, so Sunak is having to scramble to shore up support from the same wing.

    It was with this in mind that the former chancellor laid out a 10-point plan for immigration, which included narrowing down the number of people who can qualify to be granted asylum status, withdrawing aid from countries that fail to cooperate on returns and striking more Rwanda-style removal deals with other countries.

    This is just a sign of the increasing desperation of the Political Elites as they try to gain the votes of the White Peasants. Usually they just ignore them but this time they need their support. There is not the remotest possibility of any of these immigration proposals working. Most will in fact be ignored as soon as the election is over. The price paid for this cynical deception will be afterwards in increasing disillusion with the political process.

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/24/rishi-sunak-and-liz-truss-red-meat-policies-tory-leadership-members

      1. Good morning, all.

        Is there room for any more disillusionment?

        There is if one looks at disillusionment as an ever expanding balloon that rarely leaks (i.e. the Lib Dums win a couple of by-elections) and has never ruptured despite being overinflated. The latter will be required to enable a change in the voting pattern sufficient to end the two horse race system. Currently the Tories are teetering on the edge of the abyss but if current trends persist then the electorate will switch riders to the Labour party and the inflation of the balloon will not only continue but probably accelerate. Will it ever ‘pop’? If it doesn’t ‘pop’ during the current shit-show then it’s unlikely it ever will.
        PS Where’s ogga1 when we need him/her?

          2. Never understood that. Blocking someone seems an act of tremendous cowardice, the ultimate ‘wah wah I’m not listening’. If you don’t want to read it, ignore it but hiding from what someone has to say just doesn’t seem rational.

          4. I did block someone once for while because I was being trolled and followed to other sites.

          7. Does anyone have the answer? Short of a revolution it seems that the same cycle repeating itself is the future.

          8. 354586+ up ticks,

            Evening KtK,
            Without a shadow of doubt.

            Ogga1 the male also without a shadow of doubt.

          9. 354586 + up ticks,

            Afternoon CS,

            “Our political problems” are down, in the main to party’s riddled with corruption& overflowing with self interest politico’s ALL supported via the electorate majority, again,again,& again.
            The majority voter is actually standing by, and watching their children, ,elderly,Country defiled and the doors to open on the polling station to once again cast a vote for a shuffled deck of politic shite, seeking more of the same.
            If I am wrong I will go and kiss mandelson arse.

          2. Sad thing is the electorate on the whole is as dumb as a field of cabbages so they’d probably win if they had the balls to call an election. It’s not like Labour are brimming with good policies at the moment.

          3. Labour don’t need to do anything. Every policy they could want the Tories are enacting.

          4. If there’s going to be an election called after the change at the top of the Tory party then they should have a decent manifesto ready on time. Useless see you next tuesdays.

          5. I’ve given up with their manifestos. They’re all utter hogwash that is ignored as soon as they gain office – they being any of them.

            The sad reality is government is racing the ship of state over a cliff and is very happily filling up the lifeboats with our cash and resources for themselves while leaving the rest of us to drown.

      2. Nope, they’re cowards. Whoever wins, nothing will change. Immediately they’ll begin campaigning for re-election. It’s so incredibly tiresome. Frankly give them both the job and let the entire sack of squirrels fight amongst themselves. While they’re arguing the rest of us can get on with our lives.

      3. The general population have no vote in this charade. It matters not whether Truss or Sunak or the No.10 cat are elected by the dwindling Tory Party membership.

        All policy will continue to be directed by international bankers, a cabal of psychopaths whose only qualifications are that they are all as rich as Croesus and an assemblage of ‘men behind the curtains’ each with malevolent intent towards humanity.

    3. These ‘policies’ are nothing more than chatter for the #ScumMedia. After all, no ‘members’ or voters will get input to the MPs ‘choice’ of WEF-backed leader.

  7. SIR – The best performing NHS Trusts all serve prosperous areas. It would be reasonable to assume a higher proportion in those areas use private-sector hospitals and medical care. It is thus obvious that this is a major factor in reducing pressure on NHS trusts.

    Advice to our future prime minister: allow private care to be tax deductible.

    Tom Sheward
    Marlborough, Wiltshire

    SIR – If the NHS spends £10,000 per household, could I please have my share back so I can go private?

    Victoria Cockburn
    Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire

    I seem to recall that the cost of private care did attract tax relief a long time ago, but unfortunately it wouldn’t help to address the alarming state of emergency medicine.  Nevertheless, it could help to reduce the vast number of people on waiting lists?

    2. I don’t believe we’ve ever given tax relief for private healthcare, and if it is employer provided you’ll find it’s likely a taxable perk.

      There are also no private A&E facilities and when private healthcare goes wrong it’s invariably the NHS that fixes the problems.

          2. It was another desperate attempt by big government to ensure that as few people benefitted from something as possible, and then to target it to those least likely to use it while claiming the greatest headlines.

          3. It was based on the knowledge that pensioners are more likely to need medical attention.
            My father took advantage of it. Inevitably, he kept the benefit for a rainy day, so as not to seem greedy.
            He finally made use of it by spending the last week of his life in a private hospital.

      2. Unlikely, as if someone’s gone privately then the NHS has already failed. A simple solution is to have all health care come form an insurance system and to be tax deductible. Not only does this cripple the treasury – which is good – it wipes out the biggest problem the UK has with healthcare – big, fat, useless government.

        Also remember that while the state spends £10,000 per household, that isn’t all going into health care provision. In fact, given the way teaching works I’d assume less than a third actually gets to patient care. Remember the department of education swallows half the £9000 schools ‘receive’ per pupil. Until folk grow up and accept that government is useless, indolent, lazy and wasteful in those areas most important – education, defence and healthcare – nothing will change.

        1. Usually private care is given in a NHS hospital done by a NHS surgeon in his spare time. You’ll also recuperate in the same hospital. In fact all it’s really any good for is skipping waiting lists.

          My old man had a triple heart bypass and a valve replaced. This cost him somewhere around 50k overall with all the follow ups. This was done in St Barts hospital at the far end of London Wall by a NHS surgeon. He was in a ward of four people. He was looked after by NHS nurses. He begged us to go to takeaways to get him food when we visited because the hospital food was inedible. The operation was booked and arranged in two weeks whereas if he had to wait for it to be done free it could have been 18 months or more.

          1. Which shows the value of insurance backed systems. If the worker only gets paid once they do the job then they’ve more incentive to be efficient.

      3. Now you also pay an ‘insurance premium tax’ for private health subs, on top of the normal taxes…

  9. SIR – To solve the problem at Dover, why not return to the former system of passport control, with French checks carried out in France, so that the chaos caused will be experienced in the country that caused it.

    Roy Moore
    Ashton-in -Makerfield, Lancashire

    I have a better idea, Mr Moore: for the time being avoid France and everything French.

        1. Didn’t in the past. One boarded and shortly after formed an orderly queue for passport to be stamped by PAF and landing card issued. Straightforward, simple and no time-wasting.

          1. The French passport checkers won’t even travel to Dover by boat, they insist on using the tunnel to Folkestone.

  10. SIR – Your News Focus, “The NHS is broken”, says that the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, which has a regional catchment area the size of Scotland, is the worst performing acute NHS trust in the country.

    I visit fortnightly for excellent palliative care and almost each time the published statistics for the previous week before show that around 32,000 outpatients turned up and 5,200 did not. Patients have responsibilities too.

    Chris Hodson
    Leominster, Herefordshire

    If these figures are accurate then perhaps we should consider refundable deposits?  At the very least the no-shows should go to the back of the queue.

    1. Morning, HJ.
      I agree. If there are “mental issues” then that fact should become apparent or even already be in the notes. My only worry is given the low calibre of so many staff, the matter would drift.
      Much as I am loathe to follow our “European friends”, how do their health systems deal with this serious problem?

      1. They pay for it. You make an appointment, you pay for the Doctor to see you. If you don’t go, you still pay. Their insurance models equally punish those who don’t attend through slightly higher premiums.

        When people whinge about insurance healthcare it’s always America they point at – never *every other country apart from North Korea*.

        1. Yes, I’ve noticed that.
          We need our old friend “happy medium”. (NOT Mme Arcati!)

        2. Same in Norway. Dr or Outpatients appointment costs, whether you turn up or not. Children & OAPs don’t pay as much. When you hit a limit (about £250 per year for all medical bills including prescriptions) it becomes free at the point of use until the end of the year. Reset at 01 January, start counting again in the next year.

          1. Similar in France. You pay to see the médecin, then claim it (and the cost of any treatment) back from Sécurité Sociale.

    2. I find the “fact” it has a regional catchment area the size of Scotland very hard to believe.
      Greater Birmingham is estimated at just over 100 sq miles, Scotland just over 30,000 sq miles.
      Scotland has a population five times that of Birmingham.

      1. Time to depopulate Birmingham. Move everyone, say, who’s not paid income tax for 3 years on to a ferry – and sail it ‘away’.

    4. Considering that those patients paid for the service anyway – assuming they’re not welfare dependent- then oh well. The NHS doesn’t lose out. No, patients DON’T have responsibilities. The individual does. Did the hospital remind them, using a text message or email? Or did it write an expensive snail mail letter? We send a couple of thousand messages a year to our customers and the cost is about 0.2p per message. At the scale the state works that would be 0.02, but no. It insists on using the slowest, least efficient, most expensive methods.

    5. I wonder how many people tried to cancel and found the system would not allow them to?
      BTL Comment

      Megan Eisenbraun
      1 HR AGO
      My husband had an appointment at a hospital which he needed to cancel. The appointment did not appear on the NHS app so he could not cancel from there, so he had to use the number on the letter. They would only accept calls during office hours – after over 2 hours sitting in the telephone queue, he was nearing the top- When it sounded like he was being to transferred to be answered then it was cut off
      He had already missed a mornings work, and could not miss another. The contact us form on the hospitals site was broken.
      He could not let them know no matter how hard he tried!

      1. In the recent past I’ve had long awaited appointments cancelled.
        Tried to phone to find out why and found it impossible to speak to anyone. Or even have the call answered. Try phoning a private medical facility and they answer within three rings.
        I once went to the department in person were my appointment had been cancelled and the receptionist printed off the ‘letter I should have been sent’ which confirmed the appointment.

        1. Answer within three rings was the standard when I was in tele-sales forty years ago. At that time telephones were answered first hand by real people.

    6. The problem with this country is, for many decades the NHS has been treating people who have never or will never pay a single penny for any treatment they receive.
      There must have been billions spent on people who have flown in from abroad and walked into A&E with known symptoms logged in and sat and waited for treatment. And on many occasions admitted for treatment.
      And it seems likely that a plan has been hatched for change. With many new private medical facilities springing up for for many years.
      And not only this their administration has been appalling over the last 2-3 years. Cancelled appointments have been rife.
      Probably caused by medics moving on to private practices.

      1. And medical staff saying they have no duty to police the provision of care – in their view, all are welcome

        1. Over 30 years go one of my nieces was a Physio o in a London hospital. A man had recently been admitted with severe stomach problems. It turned out he had flown in from Lagos turned up at one of several London hospitals, but this one with the appreciate department. He started to roll around on the floor of the A&E and was subsequently admitted. He spent at least three weeks being treated and cured of what what ever was wrong with him. Got out of bed got dressed and walked out.
          This has been happening for decades and probably still does.
          We were in Singapore about 6 years ago on the way to Oz and a lady traveling in the same direction had two young children with her her eldest a little boy about 7 years old was taken ill and she had to produce her bank card and deposit over a thousand pounds for his treatment. Fortunately she told us her insurance would reimburse her.

    7. Appointments have been made and also cancelled without the patient knowing. Clearly to fiddle the figures. I have had direct experience of this.

      1. Even when you’ve cancelled the appointment (and confirmed the cancellation) they still claim you have just not turned up! I have direct experience of this, too.

  11. Should I mention to Herr Scholz, that Colchester Borough Council could supply him with a fox proof caddy? Wonder what has been hidden in the fox’s earth? Wallpaper receipts? Ann Summers brochures? Macron’s car keys?

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/07/24/german-leaders-bin-bags-torn-apart-foxes-leaving-top-secret/

    German leader’s bin bags torn apart by foxes, leaving top secret documents strewn across the street

    The couple came under fire in Germany, with several media sources questioning the decision to dispose of the documents in such a manner

    By Daniel Wighton 24 July 2022 • 5:43pm

    Top secret German government documents were found strewn outside the chancellor’s private apartment after his bin bags were torn apart by foxes.

    Olaf Scholz has been criticised for disposing of confidential information in the bin after neighbours in Potsdam, on the outskirts of Berlin, found several papers marked confidential scattered across the street outside their home.

    The documents mainly relate to the chancellor’s wife, Britta Ernst, who is the education minister in the state of Brandenburg, of which Potsdam is the capital.

    The neighbours told German media it was clear at first glance that the documents, which had not been shredded, were government briefings strictly not for public consumption.

    The rubbish, which has been seen by German media, included a briefing note produced by the country’s foreign office with information about the upcoming G7 Summit, including specifics about each of the partners of the G7 leaders.

    The note included specific talking points about Carrie Johnson, the wife of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, including that she had studied art and that she had a history of environmental activism.

    The briefing about Maria Serenella Cappello, the wife of Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi, said she was an English Literature graduate who “avoids the public”.

    The briefing notes on US First Lady Jill Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron’s wife Brigette include information about their occupations as teachers, while the entry of Yuko Kishida, wife of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, reads “secretary at (Japanese automotive company) Mazda”.

    In addition to the G7 notes, the rubbish shows a detailed plan of what Ernst was to wear at several official events, such as when casting a ballot in last September’s federal elections (jeans, blue shirt, thin blazer) and at the election afterparty (Black Hugo Boss suit, grey shirt, chain with stone, black trainers, black Anke Runge bag).

    The rubbish also included a draft speech she was to give to the parliament in Brandenburg, a detailed schedule of where Ernst would be and who she would be meeting, along with evidence of her signing up for courses to improve her English.

    Several of the documents were classified ‘VS Confidential’, the highest standard for government documents. According to the classification system, the documents must remain on the premises of official government buildings, or be taken for official trips.

    The couple came under fire in Germany, with several media sources questioning the decision to dispose of the documents in such a manner, given they both have several decades of experience in politics and the public service.

    Germany’s Spiegel magazine said the chancellor and his wife “apparently have a relaxed relationship with confidential documents”, while tabloid Bild hit out at couple’s recycling habits, writing: “In the Scholz house, they don’t take it very seriously when it comes to waste separation – and certainly not when it comes to keeping secrets”.

    Scholz, who took office in December 2021, has faced domestic and international criticism in recent months amid steep hikes in the cost of living, along with an apparent failure to properly provide heavy weapons to Ukrainian troops despite promises of support.

    Scholz’s government is also under increasing pressure ahead of likely gas shortages this coming winter, due to Germany’s heavy reliance on Russian gas for energy.”

    2. Our lot leave briefcases on trains, take live databases home despite every precaution and actively refuse to use VPNs or equivalent software preferring data to be put on to CDs and biked around, only to mysteriously go missing – and then you look at the nationality of the couriers.

    3. Amateurs! Bah!
      To clear Mother’s house, we bought a shredder for any piece of paper that might identify her in connection with personal or financial matters. I spend days and days searching her documents and shredding many of them (bank statements and the like…) just keeping a few, such as certificates.
      Why cannot those in government manage these simple things? Are they all stupid? All you need is a box for secret waste, a shredder, and a security-cleared gopher to feet the shredder…

      1. It’s the lackadaisical mentality that’s the worry.
        That particular information – or what has been released – is anodyne. But who made the judgement? And what would they do when faced with a similar wodge of bumph containing something more sensitive?

    4. Rubbish indeed; there’s a huge difference between ‘confidential’ and ‘top secret’.

  12. Good Morning Folks,

    Breezy start here, can’t decide if is going to be cloudy or sunny yet

    1. Drizzly overcast is brightening up here.
      And I think the drizzle has paused.

  13. SIR – To pay £15.20 for a kebab, I offered a £20 note and 20p.

    The girl looked at me puzzled. She turned to her manager who was also perplexed. Eventually he gave me my 20p back and £4.80 change.

    If we go cashless, then an inability to deal with money will go hand in hand with it – just as satnavs have bred a generation who can’t read a map and don’t know where they are.

    Patrick Smith
    Gorleston, Norfolk

    I can’t remember when my change was last ‘counted back’ but it is a very long time ago. Besides, I thought modern tills did the calculation…perhaps she couldn’t find – or wasn’t aware of – the ‘tendered’ key?

      2. Never NEVER buy a kebab. An EHO once showed me the livestock that lives on the “sword” thingy….hidden by the “meat”….

        1. Well if the EHO thought they were dangerous then there would be no kebab shops. I’ve had hundreds of doners and shish kebabs, never got ill from them ever.

          3. But you are not from a diverse culture, are you?

            A parallel is the way the police do not trouble themselves with slammer paedophiles – but jump (rightly) on a white similar.

          4. Im from East London. Yes I’m one of the rare white guys from that area. Wasn’t quite so bad in 1970.

          5. Whereabouts in E London?
            I did some growing up in Tower Hamlets and the Isle of Dogs (Millwall estate, representing…). Krays lived there at the time – absolutely no thieving went on, didn’t need to lock the car, even.
            Happy days…

          8. Queen Mary?

            I worked in the White Hart opposite for a time and spent many a night porking the students.

          10. I lived at Westferry road, Canary Wharf. That’s when i had more money than sense.

          11. We lived in “hard to let” accommodation in Montcalm House, Millwall Dock. The next step for the place was demolition, but a couple of decades ago when I was passing through, the old place had been done up and looked quite good.
            Used to drink a beer (one only) in the Anchor & Hope, West Ferry Rd. One only, ‘cos that’s all I could afford. A Friday treat, so it was.

          12. The apartment building i was in appeared on the news. Massive drug haul in the underground car park. The other apartment i lived in was No 1 Baltic Quay. Featured in a Ford advert. Had a wild time in those days.

          14. Isle of Dogs- Prospect of Whitby pub- some great jazz back in the day. Then it got put on the tourist routes and would fill up with chattering Japanese or American tourists all taking photos. Put us off going.

          15. Easy target, decent people, likely to be very clean and they’re not going to be mobbed by ‘brothers’.

            Chances are that environmental health mean well and make every effort to do a good job, but they’re only human and, like plod, they’re going to take the easy route wherever they can.

          16. Out of curiosity i looked at the hygiene ratings for takeaways in Portsmouth. Almost all of them scored a rating of one. Barge pole time.

          21. There was a report in my local rag about a place getting a zero rating. Then they showed a picture with the name on the front. “Raj” told it all.

          23. You can’t beat a kebab for a cheap, tasty and filling takeaway. Well maybe souvlaki but that’s just a kebab really and not as easy to find.

          27. There are doner kebabs … and there are doner kebabs. The common ones, made from a huge lump of minced lamb and god-knows-what are inedible. The proper ones, that are a compressed stack of whole lamb breasts, are divine.

          28. How do you tell the difference? Ive had some that seem all meat, and some that look like strips of meat with connecting fat to the next strip of meat. Generally those are too fatty for me and I pull a lot of the fat out.

          35. Chewing is difficult for me. I’m getting used to a partial denture. I was at the dentist today to re-align a crown and i fainted. They had to give me glucose. I’m normally okay but this was a new dentist as mine doesn’t work Monday.

          36. I have to agree though. Keeping a membrane on (such as the one on pork ribs) is a no-no.

          37. There is a nice butcher in the village next to mine. I had used them dozens of times. I went in with a big list to fill my freezer. He said when do you want it? I said whenever you are ready. No one else was in the shop and he got his assistant to do it. Utter disaster. Even the lamb racks hadn’t been trimmed properly ! I shop online now for meat from Pipers farm and New Forest Stores. Good quality and half or nearly what Donald Russell charges.

          38. I have to say that I am not a fan of “French trimming” of lamb chops (or cutlets, or racks, or crowns). Those “cleaned” bones not only remind me of a desert carcase, picked clean by vultures, they are also the wanton and unnecessary removal of the tastiest bit of meat on the chop.

          39. Sorry to hear that, Pip. We both seem to have been through the mill at the dentist today.

        2. The very sight of that minced, sweaty “thigh” is enough to turn my stomach.

        3. All protein when cooked, surely? I find it astonishing that they don’t kill people regularly.

          2. Perhaps they get cooked as the outside layer slowly moves inwards? Stomach-churning, I agree.

    2. I’ve noticed that a club that I have been a member of for many years are now employing local people instead of Eastern Europeans to work behind the bar and serve food.
      Quite comical really how our local staff have no idea what Merlot or Malbec is or where to find it on the computerised till.
      Some have served it up in an ice bucket, some look for it in the fridge and scratch their heads when they can’t find it.
      Well you can’t blame them for not having any proper training but they appear to make the same mistake week after week and are very slow learners.

      2. Or they’ve never come across those wines themselves. It’s a question of training. A simple note of where the wine can be found and how served just the once would alleviate the issue entirely. Finding a restaurant with a properly trained and experienced sommelier who can advise as well as serve is very, very rare.

        1. That’s one advantage of the Wine Monopoly in Norway – they have a huge selection of wines, and the knowledge to be able to recommend and advise, based on the wine and your planned menu.

      3. Years ago, went to a record store for a cassette of Wagner. She didn’t have any, but she did have Wagg’nuh.
        Sigh

        1. I wrote some notes for a fellow teacher about summat or other- can’t remember now. There was an important bit which I wanted emphasised so I put N.B. and underlined the paragraph. Later, the teacher came to me and asked what N.B. meant.

    3. A year or so back, I went to a Post Office and asked or 10 second class stamps. I had the right money. The bloke behind the counter said, “Gosh, that’s clever of you.” But still used his calculator to work out 10 x 65p (or whatever it was)….

      1. Especially if one goes wrong or the road is closed – strange city, dark, raining… the voice guide is really helpful ten.

        2. Satnavs are excellent tools but some drivers forget to look out of the big window and follow simple signage.

      2. Same here. As I travel alone, except for my dog, I need a navigator that can talk to me.

    7. I had the same experience last Thursday evening. Out for a drink with my ex-BT pals I offered a £20 note and 30p for a total of £12.30. The young barmaid asked me if £7 was the change I wanted. My quizzical look caused doubt and she falteringly offered £8, my, “That’s what it was when I was at school,” response confirmed her second guess. She’s studying at the local sixth form college, but not maths.

    8. I’ve had that happen to me, too. I had to explain that they took the extra pence off and counted the whole pounds. Decimalisation started the rot, but now they’re trying to go cashless we’ll end up with people totally unable to add up or subtract (and I should know because I am severely arithmetically challenged, but that’s due to dyscalculia, not intellectual laziness).

  14. Good morning, all. Cloudy, sultry, cool and DRY….. We had ten minutes of drizzle about 8 pm. The same may recur today. Or not.

    2. ‘Morning bill.
      A brightening overcast here with light drizzle, so probably about to rain harder.

  15. 354586+ up ticks ,

    Monday 25 July: The big new change is that the NHS can no longer guarantee life-saving help in an emergency

    May one ask WHO has brought us to this pretty pass this is not global it is local.

    How many illegal potential patients have arrived this past month, how many potential
    armed troops have arrived this month, how ,many New tenants have arrived this month,
    how many education, incarceration types have arrived this month?

    Multiply this by twelve if you find this acceptable then you must join the ever expanding queue for mental illness treatment.

    The odious condition of these Isles has been cultivated & nurtured via the polling booth clearly seen, time after time,not so bad to vote for your own demise, your choice, but to decide for others following on
    to continue along the same lifestyle path is totally unacceptable.

    Party before Country is a killer mantra.

    1. The NHS’s customer isn’t the patient, it’s the state machine. While the state provides money from a source that cannot refuse it sets the agenda and direction.

      The NHS has no say but to do as it is told. Comically, it wants to. The management are from the same cloth as the Department of Health so they all think alike with the same agenda – more money, more power, grow but achieve less.

      We’ve had the NHS killing the elderly, killing babies, making truly monumental screw ups and yet nothing changes because those at the top don’t want it to.

      1. The NHS should be made into a QUANGO and the DoH responsibility should start and end at ensuring adequate funding for said quango.

        1. Far and away simpler is to make them private hospitals. It’s a tangled mess, but a start would be to keep A&E open and public, but for hospitals just move to an insurance model – the Dutch system, with a ceiling on costs is a good one. Close all the trusts, the quangos and the department of health down. This could be done slowly, and unlike the hospital where this was tried, keep the wretched state out of it. Treating the hospital as if it were an NHS hospital with private funding was intentionally malignant. Anyone would think the Dept of Health wanted it to fail.

          1. Insurance is just a funding model. Where the money comes from isn’t important. How it delivers care is what’s important.

        2. The NHS should be made private, and the DoH responsibility should start and end at ensuring adequate funding.

        3. Will it be the same people who decide on the funding now?
          I have a suspicion it would be.

      2. 354586+ upticks,

        Morning W,
        The rest of the world do NOT have an end users certificate ( 40 plus years NI)
        for starters.

        The mental case numbers have gone through the roof, ALL lib/lab/con
        member / voters really should be under some sort of self harming suicide watch.

    1. Any reason you’re haunting a page 3 girl’s twatter? 🙂

      Dirty old man 😀

      I met her once, she’s quite lovely in person.

        1. Leilani Ogga. She used to be paid to get her tits out in the national newspapers back when they did that kind of thing.

          I met her at a fete she opened. Typically she thought my bro was cute and signed his jacket.

          1. 354586+ up ticks,T,

            T,
            If you got it , flaunt it, in a legal honest manner , of course.

          2. It is obvious that she doesn’t keep her brains in her chest, she appears quite astute Certainly she’s smarter than the towering intellects of the unemployed Semi, the Poundshop Jussie Smollet Owen Jones or the war criminal Alki Campbell.

            Admittedly, that’s a low bar.

  17. Morning, all!

    A couple of photos from yesterday’s wanderings. St Augustine’s Abbey in Canterbury feeling remarkably like Rome, and the weather changing to something a lot less conducive to sunbathing at the tidal pool in Margate (just as I got to the beach 🤣) https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/950473eaf371e22f9d645c52521a5149e5208e4eb33fa3bd62e3f02aa2b2a283.jpg .

    On to East Sussex today, with any luck. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5978f4bbd9d8b88f2feb4f6ba81bc0df1a0d969f8377f3a6c326c72e14354e02.jpg

  18. Viktor Orbán sparks outrage with attack on ‘race mixing’ in Europe. 25 July 2022.

    Hungary’s far-right prime minister says countries where races mingle are ‘no longer nations’

    Katalin Cseh, an MEP from the opposition Momentum party, said she was appalled by the prime minister’s speech. “His statements recall a time I think we would all like to forget. They really show the true colours of the regime,” she said.

    On Twitter, Cseh addressed mixed-race people in Hungary: “Your skin colour may be different, you may come from Europe or beyond, but you are one of us, and we are proud of you. Diversity strengthens the nation, it doesn’t weaken it.

    Yes but do they believe that?

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/24/viktor-orban-against-race-mixing-europe-hungary

    4. I know a Hungarian lass, probably the best-looking lass I ever met. If she is typical of Hungarian women, I’m moving there already.

      1. And best of all communication is almost nil. Very few hungarians speak even basic english.

        1. That wasn’t my experience. But then i was staying in Andrassy avenue, Budapest.

          1. Most central and eastern europeans speak reasonable english, except hungarians. Polish are very good, romanians too, even bulgarians and croats tend to speak good english but not hungarians. I don’t know why, perhaps it’s just not taught like it is in other eastern european countries.

          2. As I found in both Sweden and Holland. Because not many foreigners speak their language, they are taught, and rely upon, English as their Lingua Franca

          3. The Dutch also get English TV en version originale so they can practise and pick up idioms.

          4. Good to know – the Swedes rely upon sub-titles, not always accurate but, if the English, in Wallander describe Norrköping as Gnaw kopping (with a hard ‘k’)then who can blame them?

          5. I disagree with the generalisation that “Polish are very good”. My Polish art tutor and I were forced to converse in French as a (literal) lingua franca because his English wasn’t good.

      2. My land lady came to check up on me to see if i had settled in and was happy. She arrived on a little scooter wearing bra, panties and a big white shirt. Nothing else.

    5. ‘Far right’ oh, that tiresome slur. Where is the ‘Hard Left’ for momentum, who want to overturn the nations of Europe with uncontrolled black and brown immigration – except not in her neighbourhood, of course.

      Diversity is the worst thing that can happen to a country. It is nothing less than upheaval to pander to a divisive, abusive, group. What has it brought the UK? Crime, welfare dependency, reduced services, massive costs. There are many folk who work and integrate. However those who arrive and attempt to make this country into the mirror of their own have no place here.

        1. That, too. Not to mention pushing the indigenous to the back of the queue for everything.

  19. Viktor Orbán sparks outrage with attack on ‘race mixing’ in Europe. 25 July 2022.

    Hungary’s far-right prime minister says countries where races mingle are ‘no longer nations’

    Katalin Cseh, an MEP from the opposition Momentum party, said she was appalled by the prime minister’s speech. “His statements recall a time I think we would all like to forget. They really show the true colours of the regime,” she said.

    On Twitter, Cseh addressed mixed-race people in Hungary: “Your skin colour may be different, you may come from Europe or beyond, but you are one of us, and we are proud of you. Diversity strengthens the nation, it doesn’t weaken it.

    Yes but do they believe that?

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/24/viktor-orban-against-race-mixing-europe-hungary

  20. Good morning all.
    And, as we start the last week of July, it’s a drizzly, dull start after last nights rain with a tad over 12½°C outside.

    2. 15.4C, 4.2mm of rain since 2pm yesterday. Drizzling now . The school hols have started.

  21. Morning all 😃
    It’s been pretty obvious for quite a long time that our government is trying to wind down the costs of the NHS. About a year before the Covid outbreak they installed around 6 regional directors on huge salaries. And they must be working their socks off for their 250k salaries.
    I heard the plan was to charge OAPs for prescriptions soon. In my experience the measly pensions paid out wouldn’t even cover such costs.
    Typically our politicians will eff it up. They never miss an opportunity.

    1. We should all move to Wales and Scotland where such things are “free”

          1. Thank you, Spikey, I have lived there before now – in both Banff and Irvine.

          1. No problem, Bill, lived there before as I told Spikey – Banff and Irvine.

            On top of that I can play the bagpipes but, being a gentleman, I don’t.

          2. I lived in Glasgow for two years while married to a Scot – and received a great deal of vituperation (and some kindness).

          3. Hmm, vituperation – I think they’re working on a vaccine, gene therapy for that, as it’s likely to be the next pandemic.

          2. Moffat is quite handy. There is a road that you can use to go elsewhere.

          3. I think there’s more than one, Horace.

            Maybe you’re referring to A74M and M74.

        4. Good luck Tom,……… I expect in more ways than one, the grass will be greener.

        5. Best of luck with the move and everything. I really hope it works out for you!

          2. I’m sure I’ve already said, “Thank you” Ruth but, like lots of Disqus anomolies, it just doesn’t shew.

      2. Or at least set up a postal address. Get you meds delivered to Press statin .

    2. Funnily enough, I was just thinking today that about the only thing I got back from what I’d paid into the the NHS was my free prescription and I wondered how long it would be before they started charging me for it.

  22. Morning, all Y’all.
    Back a work… 🙁
    Effing miserable day. 13C, cloudy, raining… just like autumn, but that’s not scheduled for 3 to 4 weeks yet.

    3. Similar to when the cutlery slides off the table. And shouting where’s me fork and knife from under the table.

  24. Bit of a tipple down here for a couple of mins. I’m glad since I noticed yesterday that my young (15 years) Magnolia Campbellii “Kew’s Surprise” already has brown leaves. I’d have had to do some serious watering, in fact I might still have to…

    1. Who are these looney dopey woke people ? If the victim of the ‘crime’ has been exposed why not the instigators of the event ? Why should they be allowed to get off.

    2. Sadly, I think there is very little left to shock the band of well read rebels on here. We already know how the Online Harm Bill is actually going to be used..

  27. Got stuff to do today so early wordle…
    Wordle 401 4/6

    ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩
    ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
    ⬜🟨🟩⬜🟩
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    1. Bogey Five – my two mistakes!

      Wordle 401 5/6
      ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨
      ⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜
      ⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜
      ⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  28. NHS faces ‘greatest workforce crisis’ in history – putting safety at ‘serious risk’, MPs say. 25 July 2022.

    The study says there is a shortage of 12,000 hospital doctors, and more than 50,000 nurses and midwives – and that the government has “no credible plan” for making the situation any better.

    We are facing the Perfect Storm here! Health. Energy. Food. Education. Immigration. It’s all going tits up! The politicisation of the Health Service with the imposition of a Marxist Ideology made this problem inevitable. When politicians think that they know better than doctors or teachers about their particular profession only disaster can follow!

    Time to stock up Fellow Nottlers. Hell is coming to breakfast!

    https://news.sky.com/story/nhs-faces-greatest-workforce-crisis-in-history-putting-safety-at-serious-risk-says-shock-report-12658657

    1. Not a shortage of doctors and nurses but an excess of patients. We know why.

    2. I’m not sure it’s Marxist, especially, just the usual statist incompetence. When there is no market, there is no awareness of what’s needed. Government doesn’t do joined up thinking – look at the massive uncontrolled immigration we have and the pressure on services. All because there is no interest in actual planning, just ideology.

      Look at taxation – massive taxes on the worker and high welfare mean that the wrong people are having a lot of children who go on to live on welfare. The end result is a spiral of indolence.

      Massive immigration of *skilled* workers buggers up the employment of native skilled workers. I regularly get 100+ speculative CVs over 90% usually are very capable Indian fellows. With that level of competition it’s absurd that the single native chap gets a look in. At the other end a chum refuses to hire locals for his farm as they only turn up to claim welfare then bunk off, so he prefers Poles.

      1. 354586+ up ticks,

        W,
        Surely after three plus decades it is orchestrated
        incompetence..

    3. 354586+ up ticks,

      Morning AS,
      It has been in the making
      openly since major tucked i into curry, fed & nurtured by the same old electorate majority, party before Country wallahs.

    4. Blair started all this rot and Brown, Cameron , May and Johnson continued it.

    5. What with the hot weather and rewilding, it makes our invaders feel at home. All we need is to sort out that pesky white woman’s footie team and install a dusky PM and we’ll be there.

  30. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DgCHblN_x0

    I don’t know how much is hyperbole but we do seem to live on a house of cards forced up by debt and borrowing. The state must dismantle the borrowing gradually and start significantly cutting taxes. I know Thayaric disagrees with this and I respect that, but trying to pretend our economy is not a papier Mache blob over the top of a balloon is nonsense.

    I get that people don’t understand. I appreciate that change is freakin’ terrifying but we simply cannot allow half the country to live on welfare, nor inflate prices *because of* that welfare dependency.

    Our energy bill went from £66 to £170. About 3 times over! That’s a month’s net income spent solely on energy – half of which is tax. Money NOT going into the real economy. Jobs not created. We’ve got to start dismantling the welfare state AND, as a corollary, cutting taxes. The continual inflation of the tax and welfare bubble is crippling our country. Yes, I get it. Easy for me to say being ‘young-ish’ with a rational income and low-ish mortgages but we simply cannot allow the state to keep spending so much of our money. The state cannot keep forcing ideologically driven spite (the green nonsense, rewilding, fertilizer, road taxes, massive uncontrolled immigration) at the expense of market needs.

    A chum with a penchant to self harm through narcotics – paid for by prostitution – is already teetering on the edge of being able to cope. The cost of living issue has stopped being a headline, it’s positively insane. Radical change is needed – we truly can ‘build back better but it *won’t* be how the state wants. It’ll be an obliteration of big, fat lazy government and a large number of redundancies in officialdom who have utterly failed us.

    1. I’ve had time to watch this now.

      None of this is hyperbole, he’s completely correct.

      He’s advocating more government help. i.e. higher government borrowing to save households. The debt he mentions is private debt not government debt.

      I agree that green taxes should go, and I also think energy should be VAT-free. But this is nothing to do with state ‘borrowing’ which you have seemed to blame for the problem.

      Martyn Lewis wants more welfare not less.

      We are going to have one hell of a recession.

      Again the state doesn’t spend ‘your money’ it spends its own money which it creates at will. The problem as I’ve told you before is money creation could make inflation worse if tax levels also drop. The BoE is putting rates up not to soak up excess demand, there isn’t really excess demand at all, there’s a lack of supply due to bad energy policy since Heseltine stopped us from building new nuclear power stations preferring gas instead which is a finite fuel and running out. We’ve also spent 35 years ridding ourselves of gas storage and things are now so bad we need just in time supply of gas as we can store only enough for about 5 days. The BoE is increasing rates to strengthen the currency against the dollar because the Fed is raising rates fast and the Dollar is very strong atm.

      There is no easy answer to this. The time to work on this problem was 30 years ago. Our lack of planning for the inevitable has been the problem.

  31. Phew. The wonderful well keeps on keeping on. Just taken 800 litres out to fill cubitainers at the top of the garden.

    That induced three spots of rain….. I tell a lie, six…

  32. I quote an extract from a woke piece by a woke woman in the very woke Grimes today:

    “…..Long before plant-based eating became fashionable,….”

    What the daft totty means is “eating vegetables”……

    You wonder, don’t you?

    1. I remember back in 1975 when I started art school, one of my fellow students felt the need to convey the status of her family background by telling me that, “We have meat every day”. What she meant was, “The roast joint and two veg that you only have on Sundays”…we have every day. I wonder how she’d establish her class credentials today?

          1. Nothing wrong with a nut roast! My first wife used to make a brilliant one…when we were hard up

    2. Sitting on the rough end of a pine apple all your life can’t be easy, unless you are extremely dopey wokey. Which appears to be the case here.

      And you couldn’t make it up……… earlier i went in to the garden to open the green house and thought i’d get the mower out and level off the unsightly strands of grass that might catch fire. And before i’d got back in side the house, it had started to rain.

        1. It didn’t last long Bill, I think i’ll grab the mower and give it a go.
          One thing I can guarantee is if I go off on holiday it will rain (which wont be long) I have a 100% record the family call me rain man.
          Travelling in land and south from QLD to Victoria in the late 70s we stopped over in a town named Coonabarrabran NSW it hadn’t rained for three years they had water tankers in the streets………..it rained. Election Night 1979.
          I’m still waiting for the cheque.

  33. In the local news today a fire at Tee Green near Luton. Here’s another one that ruined the new Pub covered out door area built after lock down. This fire was in April 21.
    https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=8c90f8a6c5c4e973JmltdHM9MTY1ODc0NDIyMiZpZ3VpZD0wZDUxZWIxOC1hMTE5LTQ1MDktOTFjYi1kNzJkMWZkZjlmMmYmaW5zaWQ9NTE3NQ&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=eccfab3c-0c02-11ed-92d8-3e7cfd8d246c&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvbS9uZXdzL3VrLWVuZ2xhbmQtYmVkcy1idWNrcy1oZXJ0cy01Njc1ODE0MA&ntb=1

  34. The drizzle lasted ten minutes. Didn’t even mark the paving or the roof tiles. Dagnabbit….

  35. ‘Morning All

    While the Con political wiff waff dominates the headlines an act of pure Kabuki theatre the evil ones draw their plans against us…….

    Ever heard of C40Cities ?? No me neither but here they are(scroll down for details)

    https://twitter.com/fleroy1974/status/1551152472844025856?s=20&t=a7qmTTFVq_YpBq_qIeUGdg
    No Meat
    No Dairy
    No Private cars
    3 new items of clothing a year
    1 shorthaul flight every few years
    Imposition of utter serfdom for us while they’re served champers and fillet steak on their private jets
    The iceing on the cake?? the current chairman is none other than Mayor Khan

        1. Your taxpayer money, the UK government has somehow been conned into being a supporter.
          Even Trudeau hasn’t fallen for that despite most of his voter base being in the three Canadian cities that signed up to this boondoggle

          Buenos Aires in October, could be a worse place for their next shindig.,

          1. Hmm, “Buenos Aires in October…”

            That’s the Southern Hemisphere’s Spring.

          2. Hmm, “Buenos Aires in October…”

            That’s the Southern Hemisphere’s Spring.

    4. These people are totally batshit crazy – and probably extremely dangerous.

    5. You forgot the crime and bombs inflicted on us which we have to accept as the “price” the plebs have to pay for living in “a major city” like London etc. (I think he meant living in Western civilisation, now that his lot have got in).

      It really goes to prove: import third world, get third world… (the missing word is shit).

  36. God that was a frustrating and fiddly job!
    Just replaced the chain-brake spring on the chainsaw. A simple (HA!!) matter of hooking one end over the end of the brake band and the levering the other end over the anchor pin.
    40 minutes later I finally managed it!

    Also managed to get the smaller petrol saw going so I’ve now got two working petrol saws plus the battery saw for snedding and other light work.

    1. They want you to give up and buy a new saw, Robert!

      Well done for your patience in defeating them!!

      1. Bloody even more annoying was that when I twigged the actual technique it took 30 seconds!!!!

    3. Moi aussi. I messed up the recoil starter spring last week.
      Complete new recoil assembly just over a tenner online, so I saved my time, fingers and whatever remains of my mental wellbeing.

  37. Modern Life…….

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4cf5f856fc6f6881a302da0e6249deed9bbce2efc5fdcd86c0b027a2050d5ec8.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/447bf16e07948b6dfdcdedc4d3ae98874cab03ad6dd4ba8f432558f455ba90fe.png

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a4e862a5f3001cc83dbc6211931c8df4d6d2483ce8eac71aa9da6c200d83e7a4.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3cc8da00d51a4682d8447a5da8ae0e02c763ad0ff7bf62c442516fa8fae67465.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b0d1db069cc960bb50a68a24055d5f2c0abcbdbce61cdc8d4e21b4f825598c75.jpg

      1. “Tedros should be dispatched back to Ethiopia…”

        Better read as, “Tedros should be dispatched back to Ethiopia Euthanasia

    3. Emma. It is no longer monkeypox, far too racist.

      They are now talking about it being called MPV1 (MonkeyPox Virus).

      Your money being spent wisely by the folks at WHO.

  39. Cricket Scotland failed on almost all tests of institutional racism, report finds. 25 July 2022.

    A damning review of Scottish cricket has found that its governing body failed on almost all tests of institutional racism.

    A damning review of Scottish cricket has found that its governing body failed on almost all tests of institutional racism.

    Sky News revealed on Saturday that the independent review found the sport in Scotland to be institutionally racist.
    Independent investigators have now published the details of their findings.

    The “independent” investigators are Plan4Sport an “equality and diversity organisation” The organisation itself is almost completely opaque. Nothing of real value can be gained from its website. One suspects that it is simple a façade controlled either by the EU or the UK Government, though of course Polly’s bête noir Mr Soros cannot be discounted. It is however relentlessly Woke. To have asked them to investigate Scottish Cricket was like asking the The Vegan Society to enquire into Abattoir Management.

    https://www.plan4sport.co.uk/about/

    https://news.sky.com/story/cricket-scotland-failed-on-almost-all-tests-of-institutional-racism-report-finds-12658819

  40. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtzLIKzrGpY Precisely what I have long known: those running the show don’t believe that some people are stupid enough; time to ‘educate’ more stupidity into them. Failing to be able to ‘reckon up’ a bill when serving in a shop or restaurant (as mentioned earlier) Is only one symptom of the worldwide crusade for a more stupid population.

      1. Yes, but a very rich climate goblin.

        Congratulations to her on becoming so wealthy at such a young age.

          1. That’s a little unfair Phizz, because people on the ‘spectrum’ experience the same emotions, but are often unable to understand, or ‘process’ those emotions. People with low level autism are fully aware that they are ‘different’, but there is nowt that they can do, except not grin, and bear it. Not all disabilities are visible.

            The exploitation of Ms Thunberg was also unfair, because it is wrong for adults to verbally attack chidren, although some of us were sorely tempted.

          2. I have lived with it all my life. Not recognising faces is the worst aspect. It doesn’t mean i can’t be happy and enjoy myself. She on the other hand has been brainwashed.

          3. In my library I had a programme called Doggy Tales where kids came in and read to the dogs. The dogs were all therapy dogs and super.
            There was a 5th grade girl who was mildly autistic but also a selective mute.
            She had rarely been heard to speak.
            One day she came in and read aloud a short story to Clancy, a Golden Retriever. ( Yes, I’m biased.) She read the whole little book without fear or hesitation. I had to go in my office as I had teared up.
            When I told her teacher, she cried and said she wished she’d been there. Clancy got an extra biscuit!
            There were also 2 Dalmations, Dottie and Maggie, and a couple of smaller dogs.
            Dogs don’t judge or laugh and that’s why the kids felt so secure reading to them.

          5. I teared up again just thinking about it. Teaching can be a pain in the arse but also wonderful and you never get the same day twice.
            I couldn’t have done any other job.

          6. Although I was teaching adults in fairly complex seminars, there is still that great sense of satisfaction when you spot the light going on in someone’s head.

          8. One time the principal came in and asked if this programme was worth it- I inherited it from the previous incumbent. Come and watch next time I said. He did- he lurked and pretended to be looking for a book. He left after 20 mins and gave me a big thumbs up.
            Of course, the dogs all knew I had bickies in my office and made a bee-line for me when they came in.

          9. I can’t do recognition easily. Leads to some appalling embarrassments and misunderstandings.
            Such as introducing myself twice to the same bloke within an hour… he thought I was taking the piss, and got violent.
            Having to recognise SWMBO by what she’s wearing…
            Jumping on some poor woman in a supermarket and giving her a huge hug, realising she isn’t SWMBO, then having to talk myself out of that one… 🙁
            It’s not fun.

          11. I once famously introduced myself to my mother-in-law because she was staying in Colwyn Bay (meeting people out of context is a COMPLETE no-no as far as what little recognition ability I have goes) and I thought she was an aunt I’d never met. MOH was upset and annoyed, but I really didn’t know who it was.

          13. Is not recognising faces a side effect of being autistic?
            Autism runs in my family. I can’t recognise faces.

          14. Yes. It means one is on the spectrum but then again most people are to one degree or another. I have real difficulty with the phone when i can’t picture the face of the person i am talking to. Creates problems. I end up talking over them.

          15. Not being sure whether I know people or not makes me very unconfident in social situations even now. I’m in a constant haze where everyone looks half-familiar. It doesn’t help that so many women have the same haircut. And you can forget Africans who change their hairstyle every month…I have no chance of recognising them.

          16. I understand. As someone glances at you just smile sweetly. If they are amenable they will come to you. Worst thing to do is smile all the time !

            People not on the spectrum forget names and faces too.

            Just be honest and polite. Nice people will help you out.

            The others…………Buggrit, Millenium Hand And Shrimp!

          20. I have them all too, Tom. Plus my boys were read Truckers, Diggers and Wings!

          21. Snap! I really dislike using the telephone because I can’t see the person I’m speaking to. It’s also why, although I enjoy amateur radio, I haven’t spent a lot of time on it.

          22. I also have difficulty recognising faces. I just put it down to the facial recognition side of my brain being burned out by 25 years of trying to memorise new names and faces (up to 100 annually) every year.

          23. “The exploitation of Ms Thunberg was also unfair…”

            Not least by her parents who, doubtless, have made a fortune by exploitation of their gullible daughter.

          24. Not while being a professional misery-guts makes her wealthier. I said right from the start that she was just another teenage girl who wanted to be rich and famous on the internet, she was just going about it a different way.

    2. When I was 20 – and stationed at RAF Linton-on-Ouse – I worked as a barman in the Punchbowl, in Stonegate, York. That was pre-decimalisation and calculators, so I had to reckon up a round in £sd and, when they came back for ‘Same again’, not only had the drinks to be right but the bill the same as before.

      I always seemed to manage well enough, that I was offered a Manager’s job, which I couldn’t take as I was full-time Royal Air Force.

  41. An excellent piece from “the Z man”

    It cannot be stressed enough that the vaccine is looking like one of the greatest boondoggles perpetrated on people in human history. Hundreds of billions for a worthless vaccine that may leave millions with long-term side effects, one of which is reduced immunity to infection. This boondoggle includes immunity for the drug makers, bestowed on them by the politicians who pushed the vaccines.

    https://www.takimag.com/article/flu-review/

    2. One of our news reports quietly admitted that thevaccinated are contagious for longer than the non vaccinated. In a country with very high vaccination rates that should be a concern to people.

      Oh all right, go get a fifth shot then!

  42. I’ve just been to M&S with the great beast. Not only did he not want to sit in his usual place in the boot where his blanket is, but he wanted to go in the front.

    Ever driven along with a Newfoundland head bumping the ceiling of a car? They’re huge. Monstrous things.

    Anyway. Once belted in we set off and once there, his harness goes on and … he won’t get out. Not ‘is difficult’, he won’t. So we close the door up, leave the windows open (by the way, crooks – if a dog has been left in a car, it’s fair game. They won’t attack you) and… he starts barking as we move away.

    Won’t come with us, won’t stay… so Junior sits with him outside. Now, as Junior is six and Mongo’s not a guard dog, I’m stuck, so we all wait for Mongo to decide what he wants to do. Eventually he decides to move, but the wrong way.

    Last time ever. Worse than shopping with the Warqueen.

    1. Put a saddle and reins on Mongo and let junior ride him. Problem solved. No, please, don’t thank me…

      1. We put a stop to that when Junior was a baby. Mongo’s a big boy, but he’s not meant to be ridden – it can damage his hips and ankles. Although, he is big enough. Usually we hook up a trailer. Junior stands in that and they go charioteering.

    2. I remember a lovely sociable Newfie, well known all around the village and most of the local area.
      Only problem was that he didn’t live in the village.

      1. In CT, a neighbour once knocked on the door saying my dog, a very large Golden, had got out and she’d got him in her car. At this moment, Fred appeared at the top of the stairs. Oh hell, she said, whose damn dog have I got?

        1. Heh! El Floof has gone walkabout occasionally and as he’s too friendly by far does tend to wander about with folk. This is OK when I’m about, but he can be ‘too helpful’ with older people.

        2. My red setter used to love going for a ride. I always had to be careful if someone opened a car door when I was walking him past. He’d think, “ah, a lift, how kind!” and try to get in!

  43. UK to host Eurovision in 2023, officials confirm. 25 July 2022.

    The BBC will host the contest. It has not yet been announced which city will play host.

    The announcement comes after Ukraine won this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, Italy, with their song ‘Stefania’ by Kalush Orchestra, after receiving an astounding 631 points. Sam Ryder gave the UK its best result since 1998 and came second with his song, Space Man, finishing on 466 points.

    I don’t suppose I should complain really. I haven’t watched this piece of Olympic Sized Kitsch since Katie Boyle hosted it. Still we have left (or so it’s rumoured) the EU and Ukraine was last our ally (well never actually) so we should perhaps have given it to Luxembourg or better yet France.

    https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/uk-host-eurovision-2023-ukraine-sam-ryder-nadine-dorries-b1014507.html

      1. That’s a good phrase to finish a letter of complaint. I personally find it very satisfying to use, when writing such a letter, which thankfully doesn’t happen very often.

    2. I’ve never watched it. I only ever listen to Blues, Rock, Classical, Jazz, Folk, Pop and Soul played by proper musicians. Weekend “light entertainment” has never been on my agenda.

    4. The Irish used to fall for the game of entering a decent song but hosting the following year wiped out 20% of RTE’s annual production budget. I wonder where the money is coming from this time. Zelensky could fund it from his money laundering business?

      2. The EBU, European Broadcasting Union, is a separate entity and pre-dates the EU. I guess they figure the Ashkenazim and Ozzies are effnic Europeans?

    1. No mention at all that THIS country paid to end slavery – a cost that we, the taxpayers (whoever we were then) were paying over centuries to free slaves, and to police the freeing of slave throughout the world. Thank, mate. The USA had a war between those who wanted to keep slaves and those who didn’t. C.f. for , where the French governmment demanded that the slaves on the island pay for their own freedom.

      I usually have a lot of time for Thomas Sowell, but he isn’t giving credit where it is due.

        1. Yes, many Yanks don’t realise that there there is a world that has existed far longer than their country, with ideas which built their country, and that has relevance in spite of all the crap that they have foisted on us over the years. BLM, woke, etc. etc. recently.

          Spoilt brat mentality springs to mind.

          I remember being on an interail ticket as a student when I was 18, and meeting up with an American girl on the train from Florence to Paris. We met in a Second class carriage and she suggested that we sit in first class. OK, I thought, why not? Then the ticket inspector came, and I was prepared to go back. “but we’re YOUNG, and I have DOLLARS” she said (not prepared to use any of them to upgrade her ticket). The fact that she had DOLLARS she thought was enough to shut any ticket inspector up. I ended up despising her- stupid, Yankie boastful twit, with no idea of manners.

          Unfortuntely for me Mary-Ann ditched the friend who came to meet her at the station and tagged along with the people who came to meet me, having invited herself as they seemed more fun. Awful person – can imagine that Markle is in the same ilk (only far, far, far more important, of course).

          1. Whilst there are individual Americans I’m happy to call friends, as a nation it is too full of itself and likes to think it’s Democratic whilst that is epitomised as a donkey.

  45. Can the new PM survive the looming winter energy disaster? 25 July 2022.

    While events in the Netherlands – where farmers are protesting government plans that may require them to use less fertiliser and reduce livestock – have barely made it on to the news over here, word does seem to be getting out. It is important that it does. Most people assume that climate and environment policy emerge at the end of some rational decision-making process. The sheer insanity of the Dutch government’s plans –or the complete ban on chemical fertilisers initially imposed last year in Sri Lanka are therefore revelatory: we are in the grip of an irrational race to the bottom. (In case you were wondering, the UK has indicated that it will force farmers to reduce fertiliser use over the coming years, unless by chance they do so voluntarily.)

    The energy crisis is probably even more pressing: most of Europe faces a serious possibility of rolling blackouts this winter and even, in a worst-case scenario, people being unable to heat their homes. By October, as the price cap goes up another £1000 (for the average household) and central heating is switched on again, millions of families are going to find themselves unable to pay their bills. Personal finance expert Martin Lewis has warned of a ‘cataclysmic’ energy crisis, with the real threat of ten million people driven into poverty.

    Things do not look good!

    https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/can-the-new-pm-survive-the-looming-winter-energy-disaster-

    1. “government plans that may require them to use less fertiliser and reduce livestock”
      What a mealy mouthed way of describing a blatant land grab!

      1. We’ve had the home gardening scare so how long before ‘grow your own’ becomes the next cause of SADS?

    3. The Netherlands closely followed by Canada, richardl mentions that Trudeau is pushing that, and now Ireland are stepping up to the idiot step. When will the people realise that they’re being played big-time by a bunch of chancers with sociopathic tendencies. How soon will our ‘new’ PM fall in to line? Already we have the government requesting that farmers consider early retirement and threats to beef farming because of cattle’s exhaust emissions. Beef goes, rapidly followed by dairy and it’s goodbye to milk, butter, cheese, yoghurt etc.

      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/838e92c8bca24c82cf8c6610042a5c75b3fe9ec3be72c3f24a4e4e38d09ec45d.png https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b6ac299776246074e2fedd3a78d40ee626c8d6fd82cea5c33c6db3c18e5e8ae1.png

      1. Perhaps all their “travellers” who have the (ridiculous) right to come here, take benefits paid for by us, and despoil our countryside anywhere they camp, can be sent back with windmills on top of their caravans, in order to generate wind-power and make the Emerald Isle even greener.

        Well, we can only hope.

        1. The Irish don’t put up with Travellers aka Tinkers. As a consequence, they all come over to the UK.

      2. Perhaps all their “travellers” who have the (ridiculous) right to come here, take benefits paid for by us, and despoil our countryside anywhere they camp, can be sent back with windmills on top of their caravans, in order to generate wind-power and make the Emerald Isle even greener.

        Well, we can only hope.

      3. Another scam to divert attention from the CO² scam that is fast falling apart. Now it’s ‘N’ that’s causing climate change.

        Not one of these idiots will raise their heads from navel-gazing to look at that big yellow thing in the sky.

      4. “They are saying that farmers need to give up 30% of their land by 2030.”

        The space is needed for housing.

        1. But, but, but, the WEF has already said that their aim is to cull the total population to just 500, 000,000 so the extra houses just won’t be needed.

          Unless they wish to set themselves up as rapacious Rachmans.

          Now that would be a surpise, given their obvious philanthropy.

    4. Things can only get bitter!!!

      ” moments ago when shortly after Siemens finally delivered transport documents for the controversial Nord Stream turbine that had been stuck in Canada for weeks, Gazprom unexpectedly announced it would halt one more Nord Stream turbine at its Portovaya compressor station from July 27, “taking into account the technical conditions of the engine,” the Russian company says in a statement.
      This means that as had been whispered much of last week, gas flows from Portovaya will drop to as much as 33 million cubic meters per day from 7am Moscow time on July 27, which means flows along NS1 will decline by half, from 40% of capacity to just 20%.

    1. I’ve seen them, they’re utterly inappropriate. A dog should depending on size have a collar lead which is loose enough to not throttle or a harness.

      I’ve seen far too many people with muzzled dogs and I keep thinking the poor animal just needs training – the human that is, not the dog.

      1. Dolly doesn’t have a collar. I don’t like them and they can if they get caught, strangle. She had a body harness.

      2. The mutt that was the canine compainion of my childhood, called Tramp (after the Disney movie), had leather collars which in time would wear thin and shiny. When the time came to replace old with new, he would become very distressed at having his collar removed. He was allowed out without a lead and never strayed far.

        1. I think a lot comes down to the dog and the owner. Bad owners assume dogs will just do what you tell them but they won’t. They have needs and interests of their own. I honestly believe that anyone wanting a dog should be trained to see if they’re willing to take on the responsibility first. A good dog requires a massive investment in time, energy and confidence.

          1. When I first had Charlie he was a nightmare because he’d never had any discipline whatsoever (and he was an alpha terrier). Towards the end of his life, people were saying, “what a good dog he is.” I used to say, “yes, it’s only taken me seventeen years” 🙂

        2. My dog as a child didn’t have a lead either. She used to sleep in the middle of the crossroads.

          1. I never had that problem with my tortoise. She (we assumed) stayed in the back garden.

      3. Yes, dogs can be and should be trained- as should their owners. However, if a dog is really scared or feels threatened it will use its teeth as a defense.
        I don’t like muzzles and have never used one on any of my pooches.

        1. Yes, entirely true. This is where training comes in – not only of the dog but of the owner. A frightened dog will bite, or jump. An excited dog will bite, or jump. I’ve had dogs settle into that growling fight or flight mode with me.

          When I say ‘train’ it’s also build a relationship to have a confident, inquisitive dog who knows what is and isn’t good. That means the human must properly reward the dog, encouraging good behaviour and NOT bad. A dog that snatches a cake from a worktop is doing a bad thing, but hitting it is even worse. The dog didn’t know – unless he’s shown at the time. They’ve no concept of past or present.

          I was vetted by Marion, the breeder for a long while until she visited with Wiggy’s sire and he flopped in, sat on the couch and seemed happy as Larry. We’ve done well ever since, with my asking lots of questions of her and when we went to puppy school (when Wiggy was bigger than most of the dogs there, despite being only 6 months) it was a learning curve for us both.

          I will confess that Mongo’s worn a muzzle once. A big loose one more like a hockey mask as he was biting a scab on his leg and scrabbing at the bandages. He itched, it was uncomfortable, but it was a deep wound and after 2 weeks of looking forlorn and grumpy it came off.

          1. You’re right, Wibbles, dogs live in the ‘now’. and punishment delayed is just not understood.

            Judy hates this and complains, “What right have I (owned many dogs) to interfere in HER dog’s training?”

            Something I’ve tried with her (Dotty) and Judy, conveniently forgetting I was the one she was first attracted to and ended up paying for her.

          2. I shall have to leave her when I go to Scotland – probably a bigger wrench than leaving Judy.

        2. I have to muzzle Oscar if I want to treat him for anything (removing a dressing that the vet has put on, for instance). Once the muzzle is on, he appears to think, “oh well, I can’t do anything, so I’ll just put up with it”. Once I’ve finished, he puts his paw on the muzzle as if to say, “you can take it off now”.

      4. That’s why governments all over the world attempted to control the people by the use of muzzles, quite recently. And people complied – training people is easier than training dogs.

        2. Are they not ‘Halti’ leads, designed simply to stop, without distress, the dog from pulling? It is difficult to pull on a lead from that part of the body. Poppie has a harness, with her address tag attached to that.

          1. A bit like that but just one sliding loop which you twist to make a figure 8 which pops over the dog’s snout. I saw it used yesterday and was impressed. It calms down a dog without even any pressure. Got to be seen to be believed. My Oscar, lovely as he is, is very excitable in new places, especially busy ones like a town. He’s used to be out running free on Kit Hill, and only goes on a lead when the herd of ponies and foals are a bit frisky. This might be a very good solution, I shall have a little experiment next time I take him somewhere new,

    2. Loose knot over the throat? Not good. Never mind the muzzle pull-down. I’d suspect that would be close to, if not yer actual, cruelty.

      1. No, it doesn’t work like that. In effect it’s more under the chin. I’m getting one because I saw the effect it has on a dog.

    4. I’ve seen them, but I’d never use one. I had a Halti on Charlie until he learned not to pull.

  48. Well, looks like the rain has ceased, bright & sunny, so I’ve just got Student Son to hang the washing up the garden.

    I’ve picked up on this young Black American lad who appears to recognise how his compatriots have been lied to for the past years.
    https://youtu.be/CN78WOF4HzI

    1. It is the habituation of deceit against the black community that most annoys. There’s deep rooted, systemic problems in that community and that should be addressed, but oth the US and UK continue to ignore it under the aegis of ‘waycism’ which just makes everything worse for the majority of decent, law abiding, black folk.

      Frankly that in the 21st century we’ve regressed to defining a blasted skin colour as a defining construct for behaviour is beeping miserable.

  49. I simply do not understand the dog collar debate. For thousands of years, domesticated dogs have been collared. Until I was 70 I had never seen a “kept” dog that was not wearing a collar.

    If the collar fits properly, and the owner uses the lead properly and has been to training classes (as much for owners as for their dog) there should be no problem of any kind.

    1. Neither Mongo nor Wiggy have/had collars. I appreciate the ‘return to sender’ information they can convey, but if he’s ever that far away from me chances are there’s a problem. As for trying to hold him by it – with his strength pulling against mine he’d suffocate before that worked.

      1. In the UK, the Control of Dogs Order 1992 states that any dog in a public place must wear a collar with the name and address (including postcode) of the owner engraved or written on it, or engraved on a tag.

        1. In the USA the dog or cat must also wear a rabies tag- showing they have been vaccinated as rabies is endemic there. If your dog is found roaming and does not have a rabies tag, a cop can shoot it.
          Must be said though, that trying to get a collar with or without a tag on my Maine Coon Cat, Basil, would have resulted in loss of limb. For me. So he was always collarless and any cop who came up against Bas would have come off worst;-)

          1. Since cats are inveterate climbers, it is very dangerous for the cat to be collared.

            A great risk of strangulation, high in the branches of a tree.

          2. Beast doesn’t climb trees. He just attacks them. He is the only cat I’ve seen half way up a tree, furiously clawing at it. Not to climb, just to attack it.

          3. Should be loose enough for them to slip out if they get caught. I put a collar on a cat once and she deliberately got it caught and slipped out!

          6. When G & P were kittens and had the castration operation, the vet put them in those lampshade collar things. They had both removed them before we had driven 400 yards… We tried again – and gave up!

            That was the time Pickles got his operation tag off and ate it. We discovered six hours later when he sicked it up….!!

          7. When Claude had the same op she was so miserably unhappy that I’d carry her around and open doors so she could cope. She would lie in the airing cupboard and the collar stopped her getting in. The poor lass was miserable.

            Once it was off, she bit me. And scratched and clawed. Not for no reason was she ‘all teeth and Claude’s’

        2. That’s on Mongo’s harness, which when we’re out and about he wears. It goes around his chest, not his neck.

    2. My dog always wore a collar with his name tag on it and as noted below, hated it being removed.

      1. Frederick, Prince of Wales (1730s) had a dog with a collar and tag. It said ” I am His Highness’ dog at Kew. Pray tell me, sir, whose dog are you?”
        A gift from Alexander Pope.

    3. As Anne said. A collar on a Chi can be fatal. There have been two occasions where Dolly was so spooked that she launched herself into the air. As she was wearing a body harness she just spun around. If she had been wearing a collar it would have broken her neck.

    4. I have been told that it’s a “badge of slavery” by some woke idiot. No, it’s a badge of belonging, you prat. Besides, dogs by law must have, in addition to a microchip, the owner’s name, address and phone number on a disc (or agility band) attached to their collar.

  51. Just cycled down to admire the goats. They ARE funny! They assume that any human is bringing food. The farmer was there and said they were he most ungrateful animals he knows. They prepared a 5 acre field about a mile away. Fenced. water, shade, cover and endless food. The goats got out and made their way back to the tiny paddock where we see them! The ground is so dry, the electric fence doesn’t work…

    Said farmer also lost several acres of grazing on Thursday when there was a fire (about three miles from us). It was only thanks to prompt action by his sons, a neighbouring farmer with a water bowser and the fire brigade that several cottages and a huge duck production shed did not go up in flames…. They think it was a cigarette end thrown from a vehicle – as the first started by the edge of the road…

    Makes one shudder….

    1. Makes one think about those cigarette smokers (not all, of course) who just feel entitled to throw their butts out where they want. Do they take them home – no. Do they dispose of them in their own landfill bins (given that butts are very close to being classified as non-biodegradable?) NO.

      Given the state of some pavements, those moronic, selfish twits are not confined to the country.

      1. I clip the end off and put the butt in my pocket. I hate to see them littering places i like to visit.

          1. It’s bad enough smoking in the street. I try to avoid but since they withdrew Champix i can’t break the addiction.

          2. Try E-cigs, Philip. I had to in March 2017, when a heart-attack tore through my spleen and also took out one of my kidneys. Fortunately it missed the ⅔ of a heart I have left and I survived but ’twas then I resolved to give up the weed and, because my brain kept yelling, “Nic, nic, nicotine,” I bought e-cigs and the juice to run them and I’ve been happily addicted since then.

            It’s also far cheaper than tobacco.

          3. Thanks. Glad you survived and got through it. I do have vapes but they make me cough. I know what needs to be done but i enjoy smoking. I know it will eventually be the death of me but i feel something else will get me before the fags do. I have PAD. My Consultant made it clear to me that he didn’t believe my smoking was the cause. Bless him. Just lifestyle and age. However, because i still smoke the NHS will not operate. I’m spending about £500 a month. Still…….no where near what i spend on alcohol !

          4. The way this country is right now… I don’t smoke but MH does and we both drink. Why the hell not? To each their own and I am going to skid through the pearly gates ( assuming I get there) with a large glass of Pinot , shouting “Yipee, that was one hell of a ride!”

          6. Well, I hope that’s not the case- I think you are 10 years younger than I.

          9. My vape kept leaking in my pocket. Was really annoying. It cut my smoking down for sure but it couldn’t replace the after meal ciggy or the after sex ciggy not that i’ve had the latter in 18 months.
            I also can’t roll joints with vape juice and you need a special vape to vape weed and tbh I simply prefer a joint.

          1. Twitter wouldn’t release to him how many fake/bot accounts. That is why he withdrew. Now Twitter are taking him to court. He laughed his head off because they will have to provide the bot info to win against him. Thus buggering their own chances of winning.

          3. It will be jolly embarrassing when Twitter’s board discover that half their accounts are completely fake.

            Even funnier when the Hard Left wingnuts on it discover that actually, no one else human agrees with them.

    2. BC is not exactly an accumulator of wealth at the moment, hope the car batteries are better

    4. He was manipulating it.

      He does have a weird sense of humour but as long as he is taking the piss out of Bill Gates i think he is okay.

  53. Texas Senator Ted Cruz announced that his pronoun is “kiss my ass” during an appearance at Turning Point USA’s Student Action Summit this past weekend.

  55. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/887829b326bf52d099ff07b5e408eaa0b4f8fd0d6f1c1bae8df2614bf15a0386.png BTL Comment:

    A family of six weasels was hunting around the bee-eater watchpoint last Thursday. It’s to be hoped that they don’t find the bee-eater nest holes.

    Incidentally, records of bee-eaters have been increasingly annually since 1975, when the weather experts were predicting the arrival of a mini ice-age. There was no mention of global warming when three pairs attempted to nest at Streat in Sussex in 1955. Seven young fledged.

    2. One continues to wonder at what the reaction should be/could be, to that funny yellow ball that appears daily in the sky.

  56. That’s me for this dreary day – cloudy; sultry, spits and spots of useless damp from the sky. At least I was able t take lotsa water from the well.

    Still – saw the goats. And finished the latest puzzle – which, maddeningly, had five pieces missing. It is very bad form (in the jigsaw exchange) NOT to mention that… Grrr. Tricky but enjoyable though:

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/fa272ec5e3c74d39b02d32b787738f103839ff7f62d0579efe9bb5ae04e79590.jpg

    Have a jolly evening – bet you can’t wait for the Tory “interviews”……

    A demain.

  57. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/21b34345e5683a65837ca7e8bc137f2a5b9025825fb5a76a2ce511c15ea2dd10.jpg Just sampled the first of my summer cabbages (variety: “Primo”), which I sowed back in March. I’ve been enjoying the leaves of some of the early-sprouting ones as spring greens, but this was the first full-balled cabbage I’ve sampled. I simply cut it into wedges, steamed it, and then served with melting butter. It was utterly divine. A rare treat for me since it is impossible to buy spring and summer cabbage here in Sweden. Those I do not eat this summer I shall blanche and freeze for winter dinners.

      1. Next year – try COBRA climbing beans. We have two wigwams each of six pole. Each wigwam takes a square yard.

        I set 20 seeds in the greenhouse and planted out the 18 seedlings. We are now (despite the drought) having a stupendous crop. Carolyn has already frozen 5 kg. More follows. The easiest and best climbing bean I have ever grown. Tasty, luscious….

  60. Just make it up as you go…

    Is hay fever getting worse in the UK?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61823683

    Dr Beverley Adams-Groom, one of the UK’s leading pollen forecasters, said pollen grains may be getting more potent due to CO2 levels in the atmosphere.

    “Pollutants from traffic can interfere with the respiratory system and reduce the threshold that people start to experience symptoms,” she added.

    E minus for logic. We can accept that pollutants (the products of combustion of petrol and diesel but not CO2) might affect the ability of the nasal epithelium to cope with pollen but that doesn’t mean pollen is more potent.

    I hope this garbage is the interpretation of the writer of the column, not Dr Adams-Groom.

    Elsewhere, the sad old git that the USA establishment continues to push out in front of the cameras and microphones is apparently considering declaring a climate emergency. Silly old Cnut.

    3. Last year it was covid bugs hiding amongst the pollen grains ( presumably to jump out and pounce upon us when we least expect it).

        1. I sneeze a lot at work. Seems to be the aircon. In church, even when I’m assisting the thurifer by carrying the boat, the clouds of incense don’t make me sneeze.

          3. Alas, I am banned alcohol until tomorrow (it might cause renewed bleeding from the hole in my jaw).

          4. Alcohol raises the blood pressure and thus increases the chance of further bleeding, I was told by my dentist, so alcohol was a no-no for the evening following an extraction.

      2. Do you think they’ve been spaying the virus again PM ?
        I mowed what’s left of the lawn/grass in our back garden. I haven’t stopped coughing since. The dust was horrendous. But t had to be done, there were a lot of tuftie bits of growth. So at least it’s flatter now. If nothing else.

        1. It would not surprise me if viral particles were being sprayed. It is odd that so many of us are being ill during these summer months, and they do some to know of it in advance.

    2. Why can’t they be honest and refer to it by its correct name – Money Pox

    3. Sue, that’s a beaut.
      In a flash of inspiration I see now that the phrase ‘men who have s*x with men’ (MSM) is not prudery, it’s a way of explaining that men who have s*x with monkeys are blameless.

  63. I’m feeling rather tired these days, so I will have an early night tonight. Good night, everyone. PS – The Wrinklies (7 of us) watched WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING this afternoon and unanimously enjoyed it. I can recommend it to you all.

    1. It’s had very poor reviews by the “Press”, usually a sign it’s worth watching!

      1. Not that i watch Marvel films but Masters of the Universe scored by critics 97%. Audience score was 39%. The audience doesn’t like wokeness.

        1. The same process in reverse, if the critics love it, it’s usually one to avoid.

    3. I had imagined (incorrectly) that it had something to do with the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond!

      2. It’s a form of crustacean (not unlike a lobster) which lives in the marshlands of North Carolina, apparently.

    4. Goodnight, Elsie and may God bless you – even if it’s the morn’s good light before you see this.

      1. Schwab and co will have someone in mind. I can’t remember why Salvini was ousted.

        1. Because he believed in strong national borders and refused boats full of “immigrants” permission to land on Italian shores.

          1. That was it…. was there a cover story though? I recall being surprised to learn that Draghi was once again in situ. I don’t watch or listen to televised news so I do miss some items that might be genuine and of interest.

      1. Good, for some reason I couldn’t, perhaps as it was a reply to one of my posts

  66. I’m watching Leonard Rossiter’s Reggie Perrin and it made me wonder how my own dad felt about his family and life. I wonder how far away from that chaos myself.

  67. Well it’s twirly to go to bed not much else happening. Except my 6 and a half year old grand son has lost two of his first teeth within three days. As is the accepted and an old tradition he’s putting them under his pillow. Hoping to top up the 18 quid he’s made from selling toys he no longer plays with. Entrepreneur before seven years of age.

    1. Credit to the lad. We had a moment of pure terror when Junior chewed his and asked why the pasta had bones in it. Toys he doens’t play with any more…..? I bought a slew of He Man figures. Junior and I play with them often.

      When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. _Inclulding the fear of being seen as childish._

      1. Hang on to the He-Man figures. My son has a lot of them and has done some research….they can reach quite a lot on E-Bay. I used to buy them for him for about $5. Mind you, he’s 41 now!
        PS- my favourite was Skeletor.

        1. Yep, they’re not going anywhere.We’re working on 3d printing a big proper Snake Mountain and Frightzone.

          2. Making it in concentric circles it should stand about 3 ft hight with a base of 2ft (thereabouts). It’s meant buying another big printer… the horror!

        2. I guess it won’t be long before ‘She-man’ will be in the shops in time for Christmas

          1. The latest ‘Masters of the universe’ was a woke pile of tripe that slid off the top 50 netflix chart. No one wanted it, horrific Left wing nonsense.

  68. Evening, all. Hopefully, I’ve managed to make it before everyone has gone to bed tonight! I’ve had a bit of a rougher day than I expected. I went to the dentist first thing this morning, expecting to have a root filling. Unfortunately, in trying to remove the old (and I do mean old!) filling, the dentist managed to split my tooth in twain and it had to be removed. In addition he pumped so much local anaesthetic into my gum that I had to go to bed to sleep it off once I’d managed to get home; my face was numb as far as my hairline and including my ear! Even my front teeth (it was a back one that was removed) were numb. There were at least two syringes worth and there may have been a third, but by that time I was past caring. I sympathise with RE’s grandson, except that I refused the offer to take my tooth home with me; the tooth fairy does not visit this house any more 🙂

      1. Having spent more than two months eating Ibuprofen like Smarties until I could get my tooth sorted, I thought I’d be able to give up painkillers, but so far today I’ve needed to keep them up (now the numbness has worn off). I’ve nearly maxed out my limit so I’ll be working through the paracetamol next 🙁

        1. Be careful with the Ibuprofen- it has been known to cause liver problems.
          Do hope you feel OK soon.

          1. Yes, I know. Not good with my drinking habits 🙂 Still, much the same applies to paracetamol. Not allowed aspirin for a couple of days (due to its blood-thinning properties).

          2. A good night’s sleep and then a restoring glass of plonk tomorrow.
            A hug to you and to Oscar.

          3. Thank you, Ann. Oscar’s asleep (quelle surprise! he’s so relaxed these days he spends most of his time asleep), so I shan’t disturb him, but I’ll take your hug gratefully and pass it on to him when he’s awake. I am looking forward to opening a bottle tomorrow evening.

          4. Hope you have a good nights sleep, Conway! Oscar will look after you, I’m sure!

          5. Thank you, Sue. I’ll take a co-codamol tonight and that will knock me out. Oscar will be snoring his head off!

    3. OUCH! That sounds bad.
      I’m overdue a dentist visit, but can’t get signed up to an NHS practice and can’t afford going private.

    5. Sounds like you’ve been in the wars, Conners but I’m sure once it has settled down you’ll be glad you had it done.

      1. I am definitely glad it’s been done, Stormy. It’s sore, but nothing like as painful as it was.

    6. The mistake i make is not eating before an appointment. Blood sugar low and a propensity to get light headed. Add on the the injection and i’m heading for trouble.

      They are regulated in the amount of anaesthetic they are allowed to use. Three is the limit.

    2. He is far too slick. I am reminded of some words from Pygmalian/My Fair Lady…..
      “Oozing charm from every pore, he oiled his way across the floor…” Or summat like.
      I don’t like either of them.

        1. The Hungarian (?) chap who claimed to be a language expert?
          It’s years since I have taught Pygmalian.

          1. Spoken: Thank goodness for Zoltan Carpathy.
            If it hadn’t been for him I would’ve died of boredom.
            Carpathy? that dreadful Hungarian?
            Was he there?
            Yes he was there all right and up to his old tricks.)
            That blaggard who uses the science of speech
            More to blackmail and swindle
            Than teach
            He made it the devilish business of his
            To find out
            Who this Miss. Dolittle is
            Every time we looked around
            There he was
            That hairy hound from Budapest
            Never leaving us alone
            Never have I ever known
            A ruder pest
            Finally I decided it was foolish
            Not to let him have his chance with her
            So
            I stepped aside
            And let him dance with her
            Oozing charm from every pore
            He oiled his way around the floor
            Every trick that he could play
            He used to strip her mask away
            And when at last the dance was done
            He glowed as if he knew he’d won
            And with a voice too eager
            And a smile too broad
            He announced to the hostess that she was
            A fraud
            No!

          2. Oh thank gawd, my memory is not totally failing me. Now, who am I and what am I going to do next?

          4. No, this penguin now lives on the south coast in England. And it’s tough, I tell you- warm and not nearly enough fish ;-))

    3. Sophie Raworth allowed him far too much leeway to speak over Liz Truss. The whole thing was badly controlled. His demeanour was overbearing and smarmy.

  70. 354586+ + up ticks,

    May one ask seeing as we are asking Belgium for electricity to back up our supply will that mean those creaming off via the money mills be asked to reimburse the nations wonga chest ?

    https://youtu.be/YIu4hf7pEVA

    1. Over-hot weather also permanently degrades the panels so they need replacing sooner.

    2. I was aware that solar panels lose efficiency as they get hot but I didn’t know by how much.
      It looks as though output starts to go down above 25 degC:

      The best way to determine your panel’s tolerance to heat is by looking at the manufacturer’s data sheet. There, you’ll see a term called the “temperature coefficient (Pmax.)” This is the maximum power temperature coefficient. It tells you how much power the panel will lose when the temperature rises by 1°C above 25°C. @ STC (STC is the Standard Test Condition temperature where the module’s nameplate power is determined).

      https://www.cedgreentech.com/article/how-does-heat-affect-solar-panel-efficiencies

      Son and family came round today and he said he can get power out of his solar panels in moonlight.

      1. That’s when the power of moonlite
        Shines down on me and seeps into my soul
        The power of moonlite…

  72. I have been the recipient of so many good wishes and kind comments here, so before turning in, I wish all those in pain and suffering, a good night’s sleep and a much better day tomorrow.
    We will prevail, we will!!
    Sleep well Y’all.
    XX

  75. In Richard’s absence, may I remind Nottlers that today is Delboy’s birthday.

    Many Happy Returns to you, Del, and hope you have a good day.

    We also hope that Delgirl is on the mend.

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