@bullstuff2
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I wouldn’t have an auto with paddles now. Even if I had a working left leg by some miracle, I would not go back to a manual at all. I believe that it actually improved my driving, by giving me more time to consider traffic and potential problems. I have been driving an auto since 1995 now and I have to say that it is only in the last 10 years or so, that my left hand stopped drifting across to an invisible manual gear stick.
In Army service I was persuaded conned by my old C.O. into taking a course driving an Aircraft Recovery truck. “You won’t need it, but it means more money.” Yeah, right. Then the wily old bugga had one stationed at our AAC workshop: guess who was the only AAC aircraft recovery driver in Europe? The bloody thing was like a mountain, 3 steps up to the cab, 16 forward gears, 4 reverse, no synchro gearbox so all clutch work was doubled. I went to a good few recoveries around Europe and should have seen a lot from way up in that seat, but was too busy swearing at that box to see much. It was an old POS that the RAF had in storage and our C.O. wanted it so that we could carry out our own recoveries. “We” meaning this particular sweaty little squaddie of course. I had to apply for and take the test every 12 months, so after 3 years I completely “forgot to apply” and was in bad books for some time. That truck was evil, it hated me, probably because I wore khaki and not RAF blue. It should have been in a museum, I think TE Lawrence (of Arabia) might have driven it when he joined the RAF in the 1930’s.
It was my own fault though: I once told our Fearless Leader at a Workshop Dance, that I could drive anything. I was very, very drunk…
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I'm out.I toured BC in the early 80’s with a mate and settled in Vancouver for the final few days. In this link, scroll down to “Granville Island Brewing”: we sampled beer from there and it was gorgeus stuff. Lager-based, but I had got used to ‘Real’ lager after 8 years in Germany, including NATO exercises in Belgium, Holland and France. It seems from the website that it has been taken over by the massive Molson chain, but left alone to continue doing their own thing. Molson itself is not bad for Big Brewing stuff, but is like Carling* to Carlsberg in comparison: you can drink it if there is absolutely no alternative. Link;
Granville Island Brewing – http://tinyurl.com/yakt7885
* remember the old Carling ad? – “He must drink Carling Black Label!” – after some guy does something unbelievable. Someone once said that to me in a Para bar after a bad landing (twisted shroudlines) as I limped into the bar. “No,” I said “I drink Carlsberg. I pee Carling Black Label though!”
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I'm out.4.4 apparently. Very slight here, more a noise than feeling of movement. TBH I thought it was related to the work we’re having done in the kitchen until daughter whats app’d me from Bangor to ask if I’d noticed anything. The give away should have been the sight of loads of Oxfam workers screwing anything in sight outside.
– Most definitely empowers local women …
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I'm out.I have not been through one of those Dave, what form does that take?
My worst experience of airport checks was (in view of my earlier favourable comments about Germans) in Munich, with a female gauleiter who was carrying out the security checks. First she would not let me have my stick, which caused me to fall halfway through a barrier. Then she would not even look at my 3-language medical notes, which explained the Stoma materials contained in the zipper bag. She just saw the X-rays, would not listen and immediately began stripping out my hand luggage. I used a raised voice and some choice Anglo Saxon German to draw the attention of her superior: I knew that my accent was North German, often referred to in Bavaria as “Prussian” and that it would grate on the ear. The supervisor came across and did what the gauleiter did not: listened to me and read the medical notes. Then he made her pack my hand luggage, but she was making such a mess of it that I did it myself. I then told her in perfect Deutsche sprache, that I hope her next posting would be directing traffic on the Reeperbahn, Hamburg. I told her also that there she could find a second form of employment, to boost her income whilst working there. As the Reeperbahn is the centre of Hamburg’s Red Light district, she knew what I meant. She was quite attractive in a Valkyrie sort of way, so would have would have made good money…
I do not like most airports, due to the hassle caused by medical conditions for both of us, but one of the best exceptions is Vienna. At sight of my stick, I was immeditaely given a wheelchair, asked for the location of my party’s transport, and whisked through checks and crowds by a very large, but charming Austrian lady. My poor old Gert struggled to keep pace, they should have let her ride pillion!
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I'm out.Any old mining around there Nolan? Wales has always been mined, even before the Romans arrived. Copper, Tin, Lead, Silver and of course coal. Not to mention Slate, although most of that is up north of course.
The place is a honeycomb!
EDIT: BBC noticed it: http://tinyurl.com/ybrhztb6
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I'm out.We are thinking of a French river cruise later this year, if I can get some good news from my op on the 26th. We have ‘done’ the Rhine and the Danube/Donau to death and I speak German, but my last French lesson ended in 1957, after which I took a technical engineering subject instead. I have two attitudes to any French person: if you want me to speak your language, you will have to be patient. If bad French is not good enough, you will just have to speak English, because even bad English is fine with me.
From Day One in Germany, I found the German people patient with my attempts to speak their language. That’s why I had the motivation to learn it as well as I could. I have met a lot of French people but I have to say that I prefer the Germans I met to any one of them. Except Monique, the lovely blonde lass from Rouen, whom I met on holiday in Freiedrichshafen, Lake Constanz, 1968……???
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I'm out.JB I am about to renew our passports and this can be done online: https://www.gov.uk/apply-renew-passport
You have to register or already be registered, with the Government Gateway.
Photos can be done: at a local photography shop (we went to the local Kodak place) and have photos taken. Then you can get a code from the shop and send the code in the online application, or (as we are doing) the shop emails the photos to your email address and you add the pics to the online application.
This prevents any photo mistakes, as shops which do this provide photos exactly as the Passport Office want them.
But it does not stop the photos looking like Wanted Posters!
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I'm out.Keith I sympathise with you, but does your truck not have a dashcam of any sort? Video the barstewards and take it to the law. The days when there were “Drivers’ mates” are long gone of course, thanks to the cost of wages and overheads. An old mate of mine owned a small haulage company and drove one of his own trucks. He always took a mate, which paid off one night when he was forced off the road by an attempted hijack. His mate got out quietly, unseen, and set about the 3 hijackers with an old cricket bat. Dave joined in with boots and fists. The 3 guys legged it to their car, the drivers got the Reg plate and the law picked up all 3 within a week.
My mate sold up and retired 7 years ago, then started taking “one-off” jobs for others. Asked me to go with him on some Euro trips, but I didn’t fancy it. I saw what living in truck cabs did to him: he is 3 years younger but looks older, than me.
Richard, you should see what happens in my village at times. We are on the (single-carriageway) A157 road to the coast, the village has a series of sharp bends running through it. In the last few years we have had several incidents: a truck full of 200+ piglets overturned, blocking the road, a huge truck carrying a massive static holiday home overturned onto what was once the Post Office and several other RTC’s including two fatalities and several injuries. Ther are big trucks, huge agricultural machines, cycle races, horse riders and in season, the worst hazard of them all – holidaymakers. Motorhomes, caravans and campers are driven through the village at well above legal maximum of 30 mph. There is a Junior school just before the last hairpin bend which exits the village, and a nursery just around the corner from that. There have been several accidents near those, fortunately no injuries to locals. Grockles* are irrelevant, if they cannot drive with consideration at legal speeds and cause RTC’s, I would have survivors euthanised. People who buy a caravan for the first time and neglect to learn how to drive with it attached to their car, should be made to live in it. At John o’ Groats, from November to April.
This is our peaceful time of year: very little traffic apart from tractors, etc., and they are a big part of the local economy. We love our farmers!
*Hoidaymakers. Codes:
Carfull of holidaymakers: Grockles. Caravan: semi-detached Grockles. Motorhome: Detached Grockles.
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I'm out.Understood.
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I'm out.Wish FIFA and EFA would read and act upon this:
” I’d introduce instant reds for anyone, bar the captain, address the ref with out being asked to. It would solve the issue in one weekend, would be open shut case to rule on. ”
Absolutely! I don’t know about “only a game” though Steve. Bill Shankly* gave that memorable quote – ” Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don’t like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that. ”
Football. Full of mad dedicated Jocks.??
*From Cloughie’s biography, one of only two other managers he respected. The other was Bobby Robson.
Great result against Porto Steve, I watched it. Although they could have gone two goals down in the first 10 minutes, must have realised it was serious and played some great football. It’s been a while since we had 5 English teams clubs in the Euro’s at this stage.
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I'm out.Different ball game, but I always remember the great man who taught his teams that the Referee is always right: Brian Clough. He would never allow players to argue with a referee and the result was that Nottingham Forest were fairly treated by refs. At least in the UK.
I am aware that it does not happen in Rugby, but what really p****s me off about the spherical-ball game, is the way that players surround match officials and dispute a decision, even in the lower Leagues. This seems to be getting worse every season and must have a detrimental effect upon children watching. Mr. Clough had been known to substitute a player who disrespected a match official. It does nothing for the team involved, must the official involved in the frame of mind tolook upon them with disfavour.
I think that many of the most popular sports are suffering from too much outside influence, including “Trial by TV”. Right or wrong views of an official’s decision should be disregarded and sport should go back to taking the official’s decision as final. Over a season or a tournament, it evens out.
Unless you are NFFC in Europe, up against a corrupt official: http://tinyurl.com/hx6pwrx
Now that’s a ref (and EUfa) to complain about! We never won again in Europe. How can that ever be correctly punished?
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I'm out.I don’t have any input to offer in the discussion between you, Ed and Richard, as High Finance is not my forte. However, I can answer this, Richard:
” ...what is wrong with some equity financing where the investor punts the cash, carries the risk and hopes to make a return? ”
I’ll tell you what is wrong with that scenario: it is when a family gets a small windfall just before the brown & smelly hit the rotating object of UK and world finance. The result was a loss of >50% and it has taken until very recently to replace just about 50% of the 50%.
If I won the Lottery Big One this week, there is no way on this corrupt, capitalist-driven planet that I would dip my toes into investment again.
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I'm out.Thanks Boris, that appears to be good news, although some comments there are still worrying. In view of some of those comments: if our WF phones die, we will be reluctant to replace them with another WF phone. I think the company will struggle now, damage is done.
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I'm out.Thanks for the links Ed and Steve. I have put both in Firefox Pocket as a possible way out if needed. If I do manage to receive any information from the WF website, and/or an Email reply, I will post results here.
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I'm out.Too much uncomfortable truth within that joke Dwynne.
But it made me laugh.?
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I'm out.Nolan, that is a “swings & roundabouts” issue. I believe you may be right, but over a tournament such issues have a way of cropping up and biting all teams indiscriminately. At least some key Welsh players are returning for the Ireland match:
That will be a good game, both teams play open rugby when they are on song. A win for Wales will be good for England of course.
And a Williams returns to the fray!
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I'm out.Bob …. if you or anyone you know uses emollient creams there is a stern warning about fire risks arising from the product getting onto clothes and bedding, especially if the person smokes or has contact with smokers. I Understand that a hidden number of deaths are now being ascribed to these creams and the flammable residue that can build up in clothing.
Yes Richard I saw this on the Beebsite earlier. As I know that SWMBO usually checks this on her lappy after lunch, I waited. Sure enough, around 3 she came in with the story. My Gert does indeed use such cream: in fact after her new HipOp (injoke here) the swelling caused by the anti-DVT stockings on her legs has begun to go down daily. This has left flaking skin from knees to toes: guess who has been ‘volunteered’ to apply the E45, twice daily? The two worst parts of the process (for me of course) are (a) rolling these horribly tight stockings back on and (b) getting back up from my popping, cracking, painfully arthritic knees again.
Back to SWMBO’s “news”: I informed my Hippo good lady that yes, I had seen the report, but unless she was intending to take up smoking in bed, or otherwise intending to carry out inflammatory practices whilst in bed, she (and by association I) were in no danger of bursting into flames, whilst within the marital bed, that I could foresee. This appears to have relieved her anxiety, but she has gone away to think. Any action which may ensue as a result of this cranial activity, is absolutely beyond my imagination, as usual ….??
The good news is that I have not smoked for over 40 years and SWMBO has never used the filthy weed.
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I'm out.Microsoft recommend a PIN plus biometric as readers break down.
Ed I did not expect my own thoughts to be supported by Microsoft recommendations! ??
Gizzajob, Redmond?
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I'm out.After the two Johnny May tries (first was 2½ minutes in) England sat back and just tackled and blocked everything Wales threw at them: and they threw a lot! Welsh flair was handicapped by mistakes and forced errors. The ‘Try that wasn’t‘ might have had a different outcome if given, but even after repeatedly watching the action, I could not judge it either way. Great game between two teams getting better gradually, which became a contrast in playing styles.
Reworking an old Max Boyce song: “… the Sunshine Home in Wellington, for Blind NZ TMO’s!”
My opinion: not enough Williams’s in the Welsh squad nowadays! I knew this would happen! ????
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I'm out.My own opinion is that an Aphanumeric password of at least 6 characters, with symbols, is the most secure way to protect a device. Together with properly working biometrics, this should be enough protection. However, most users will baulk at this, as being far too complex. I am thinking here of the type of user who is informed that their email has been hacked and possibly affecting all their contacts, but refuses to change email and passwords ” … because everyone knows it. ” That is from personal experience of two people: one listened and changed her address and passwords. The other is blocked and no longer receives answers to emails from any of her contacts, and blames me for informing them all. Which worries me not: just another idiot acqaintance lost.??
The “Pattern drawing” security facility on some tablets is pathetic. Both my Hudl and Lenovo Tab3 8 use this method, supposed to prevent access after 3 tries. In reality I was able to carry on trying after that number, as a test, having asked someone else to set the security pattern on both tablets. I beat it in 7 attempts on the Hudl and 6 on the Lenovo. Neddless to say, I deleted Pattern access and used 4 digits, which IMO is still not enough.
Then I came across this, from the University of Waterloo:
This demonstrates the constraints and mistakes in Secure Patterns. If it were possible for Google to allow the Android app to use a pattern dot more than once, this would be a very much more secure method. Bringing us back to user who cba to use a complex routine in order to protect a device, I suppose.
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