[Bob Williams]

Went to Norway with Strategic Reserve, Steve. On balance, I preferred the hot places and keeping a close eye on the dangerous beasties. Although waking up in a basha with a snake on my chest, was not good. After my mate flicked it off me and macheted its head off, I had a very good bowel movement that morning. ??

Just outside the Arctic Circle – I like my tea hot, not in a frozen lump! Norwegians were good people, though I don’t know how they keep a SOH in those temp’s.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

I am so glad that I did not come out of my own Wasp experience with an allergy. I was in BAOR, August 1972 and a really hot day, windows wide open. Wednesday, Sports afternoon, and I had been out for a training run, bought a can of Coke in the NAAFI on the way back to my bunk, drank half, went for a shower, came back, laid on my front for a relaxing snooze. Felt something crawling up my back and dozily slapped it, stung half a dozen times. Air turned blue, one dead wasp. Picked up my coke, took a drink and stung 3 times inside and outside my mouth by another wasp hiding in the can. Air turned bluer, another deceased insect. Dressed and drove to Dortmund, where I had dinner with a German mate and family. Driving down the B1 (equivalent of a UK ‘A’ road) I felt something crawling up my back.

German motorists highly amused and/or alarmed, by the sight of a guy bare to the waist, slapping his shirt against his car. Several more stings, more Germans convinced that Englanders are all wahnsinnig. (Insane) No, I do not like wasps, but I don’t fear them. I just try to avoid the buggas! I had treatment by the doctor of my German friends, who also tested me for allergies, said that I would be fine. He also smeared some foul-smelling krap on the bites, which my then SWMRBO* at arms length for a bit, but which cooled the stings and they all went without a scar over a couple of weeks.

Steve, is this what attacked you in Turkey? –     http://tinyurl.com/y6vvruvj

Worst insect effect upon me was a Giant Centipede in Brunei, horrible thing crawled up my arm. Forgot instructions about these and knocked it backwards. Its feet hook backwards and they dug into my arm: they are not venomous as such, but it crawls about the jungle floor in all the krap lying there. Within an hour the scratches turned red and swelled up. By the end of the day I was in Sick Bay being treated for severe blood poisoning. Piccy of similar bug:

*She Who Must Really Be Obeyed!

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Forgot to include this site:

http://tinyurl.com/y9s6lqrq

“Cymdeithas y Dywysoges Gwenllian.”

“The Princess Gwenllian Society.”

The source of the naming of the (fake) Prince and Princess.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

“ He was referred to as ‘Y twll dyn twp’. ”    ☺?

Nolan, you may be interested to know that the last REAL Princess of Wales, and Llywelyn ap Gruffudd’s daughter, was taken to Sempringham Priory in Lincolnshire and held there until her death. SWMBO’s cousin John Griffiths, a great mate, lived in the village next to Sempringham and was always interested in the possibility of being a descendant of Llywelyn. So much so, that when he and his long-time partner married, they married at the Priory and he placed the wedding bouquet at the foot of Princess Gwenllian’s Stone. He placed flowers there every year on their anniversary. Unfortunately we lost John to cancer earlier this year, but his widow continues to place flowers at the stone on the same date.

Being a Williams, with a Griffiths MIL, SWMBO and I have always had an interest in Wales.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Spheksophobia – fear of wasps – I can understand, having been attacked (in Germany, actually!) several times in one day by several different wasps. One part of my brain tells me that they are another example of an insect that actually does more good than harm,* but the basic part recalls that day of pain and directs me to kill the things on sight. As I normally do with something that comes to my notice by its effect upon my person, I educated myself about wasps.

*They pollinate plants at least as much, if not more, than bees. They kill a lot of other insects, some harmful to humans or human food sources. I have read that one wasp nest may be responsible for catching and killing 5 tonnes of insects in one year, in order to feed their own larvae. The larvae return the favour by turning the chitin of the insects eaten, into food for adult wasps. A sustainable, ecological food supply.

There are two main species of colonial, nest-building wasps: the Common Wasp, which are the ones that nest in human environments and require Pest Control. And the German Wasp, Ed – really their name – building nests in trees and bushes. The German is darker and a bit larger.

None of that makes me love the things, although there has been a huge nest of Germans in a very big tree just 20 yards around the corner from my bungalow, ever since I have lived here, 14 years. Not one person has ever been stung by them, although a nest of the Common Wasp had to be destroyed and removed from a bungalow opposite mine, 3 years ago. The Pest Control worker showed me the differences between them, having retrieved a dead German from beneath the tree, where the Germans eject their dead. I love to throw out some fruit segments in the sun on a hot day, let them ferment and watch German wasps get staggering drunk on the results! Not the first time I have helped a German become insensibly intoxicated, I’m afraid…..???

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

The questions that have gripped my imagination for many years, and never been answered by anything I have ever read, are:

*Can a physical object in space exist in Absolute Rest, relative to every other physical object in the Universe?

*Can a physical object in space exist in Absolute Motion, relative to every other physical object in the Universe?

*Is there a difference, within the observable Universe, between Absolute Rest and Absolute Motion?

Think about it: to an observer with an object in Absolute Rest, the Universe will appear to be constantly in motion. To an observer with an object in Absolute Motion, the same phenomenom will be apparent, complicated by Parallax View and Relative Motion.

It always makes my head ache… Passing it on.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Thanks for that fascinating link, Ed: I think I said somewhere here that I should have been born a Kiwi. This goes back to the 1930’s and my mother’s cousin, born Elizabeth Bossons. I never discovered her married name, although I do have photos of her and her family.

In 1939 “Lizzie” as my mum called her, had been settled in NZ with her husband and the children they eventually had, for 6 years. They had bought a large area to farm and began to make a good life. In early 1939, Lizzie wrote to my parents and asked if they would like to emigrate: there was another large area of land adjoining theirs, they would sponsor my parents and two brothers. Dad was especially keen, having been a miner from the age of 14 in 1918, he loved the soil and always wanted to farm, my 2 brothers were also excited. (they would have been 10 and 8 years old then) The family began making preparations to leave. Then my maternal grandmother became very ill with what appears from mam’s description to have been a brain tumour. Mam just would not go, despite grandma urging her to leave. Grandma died 6 years before I came along, on the very eve of WWII: September 3rd, 1939. Every now and then, through the years, in mam’s hearing, dad would say to me “You should have been born a Kiwi.” There was no bitterness I could detect, but years later I grew to understand that he had lost the chance to have the working life that he always wanted, out in the open air and not down a pit for 51 years. The permutations are interesting when I consider what my life might have been like as a sheep farmer’s son, born in another country.

However, reading the link you found also reminds me that I was born in a country without many natural dangers, most of which are considered to be more dangerous by its inhabitants, than others who live with the kind of extreme natural forces desribed in your link.

Life is strange, and getting stranger as I get older. ” je ne regrette rien. ”

EDIT: I just re – read your last, regarding the sick mother in law. What a strange coincidence!

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

My Scottish gt-nephew is in NZ selling oil industry stuff, sez Kiwis reckon we Poms are wimps. They have typhoons, cyclones and earthquakes, we have a bit of a blow and the country falls apart. He has to grin and bear it, waiting on a contract. Knowing his Williams temper, I hope they don’t denigrate Scottish Rugby….

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

(typed and posted after Dave’s reply was posted)

Good idea to separate it from main Forum, Lee.

1 – is going to be difficult. Maybe ask that contributors must apply ‘Tags’ to a review, including product/service name. Then it can be back – linked in some way, maybe?

2 – Some sort of Rating, whether Stars or check marks, example:   – maybe 1 to 3 check marks , 3 being best. Put them at the top of the Review, gives an instant opinion.

Same for stars, maybe?       I always think, why 5 ratings? Product is either good, indifferent, or bad. 3 is plenty IMO.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Been to Cleethorpes, what a weird day! Orange/yellow sky, red sun as in photo, very dull going west up the Humber, clear blue skies to the west. Very warm wind, cannot remember a wind as warm in the UK before. Very much like a wind in the Middle East. Drove home watching this strange border between west and east. Sky is now clear but wind is getting worse, pulled our bins and neighbours up against the house wall. Across the Close is a huge old Willow tree which is being bent towards an old friend’s bungalow.

I hope she’s still there tomorrow…   Photo, Cleethorpes red sun, looking from the estuary:

Taken with phone, it was really dull, cars had hedalights on at 3:15. Martian skies, said Radio 2.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Been away all day, just come back to this. Great idea! I always rely on personal recommendations where possible. Quite often a Forumite will say they are looking for a certain item or service and ask if others possess or have used that, requesting opinions.

I would trust the opinions of Forumites much more than the “Reviews” carried out by certain companies. Example: I bought a device last year and found it wanting in several ways. Tried to review the thing on the website, it vanished before my eyes as I typed it. Sold it eventually, explaining what I thought was wrong with it, but the buyer was quite happy with it and still is. My problem with it was that it was far too slow in operation, but the buyer is non-technical and older than me, loves it.

That’s where Tippon’s words come in: ” Every man and his dog reviews the brand new shiny toys, but no one seems to review the stuff that your average person would use. ”

I sold to an average, non-techie Senior in his late 70’s.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Good one. Ed. Amazing model, amazing engineering.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

OK Steve: a word:

Boring.

Sorry, but most of the entertainment came from Jurgen on the touchline. One of these days the man will have a heart attack.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Ok not a word. ??

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Thanks Ed, I actually meant I look forward to a day when new discoveries make the laws of Physics have to be revised.

I had a look at the em drive and understand that its real use is in space, but I still believe that some form of light sail is the way to go. Perhaps initially accelerated by chemical means, then the sail opened. Once a large enough light sail begins to accelerate, it does not cease accelerating until mechanical intervention is made.

http://tinyurl.com/y8tx6koo

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Can we tell you if Liverpool win, Steve?

I would like to see Mourinho upset, striding past the reporters with a scowl.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

My Gert is just the same and really intelligent with most things Steve: gets totally panicked by every message on her lappy, even the ones I have explained over and over. Won’t even do Windows Updates, I have to check them out “So they don’t break anything.” That’s why I spent a long time setting up the Lenovo Lappy before she used it. Being a Lenovo, I have left some of the Bloat on it, just the protective stuff that automatically cleans up for her. It took me a long time, but now she can carry out AV scans and even use the Temp folder to clean up. I have always said that everyone who buys any device should have to have some simple User Instruction.

My missus was, until 1999, a PA for 3 people: the MD and 2 deputies of a big educational furniture factory, which employed disabled people, mostly injured ex-miners and was run by the Council. She had her own fancy work station, a chair on a track which zoomed along between 2 monitors and 2 computer stations, running the Orders/delivery/invoice databases. She practically ran the place, until a botched operation completely messed up her right hand. The MD, a great guy, tried to get the Council to send her to a private hospital for treatment as the NHS had no clue, but they wouldn’t do it. 2 years later the government withdrew funding to the Council for the factory and it closed, Every school our grandbrats have attended, we have gone to their Open Days. She points at the school furniture – “That’s one of ours, that’s one of ours – etc, etc.”

2 years after she retired, my missus had lost all interest in computers. Between then and 2012, she had fallen behind and forgotten everything. Our son is happy with the old Core2 PC I built him  yonks ago, not interested in Gaming but uses it for work and for running his Stationary Engine Club and Shows. His son, my No.2 gson, is an avid gamer, has a desktop I built for him and keeps upgrading it. He is part of the generation that grew up with computers as always being there: fingers fly across a keyboard, but being dyslexic cannot write like he types. He is now fixing PC’s for his better-off mates, for money of course! His sister has our old HP lappy, which is about 10 years old now. All she does is recipes (she’s a Chef), FB and music videos. Calls in little brother when it does something she can’t handle.

My team plays Derby on the enemy ground on Sunday. There is always trouble: like all local derbies, it can get violent. Most of my family in Notts don’t go to the away fixture, but will be at the City Ground for the return match. It’s always played on Sunday, nearly always at 12:45. Being so close along the A52, there are supporters of both teams working together in different places by Monday. I’m hoping that the Rams are the miserable buggas having the p*** taken out of them this Monday. We have to start winning some consecutive games soon, last season was 1 point from a drop into League One.

I think your team has the opposite problem to mine: we defend well, dominate possession at times, can’t score enough goals and always seem to concede in the last few minutes. It’s a very young team, some Academy players. All the Youth teams do well, but can’t seem to make the step up.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

I look forward to the day when the Laws of Physics as we have been taught them, are found to no longer apply.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

” Though counter to that, I had a friend that lived 200 to 300 meters from my house and he was with TT and he would tell me how bad their Internet is and how stupid their cs staff was.

However he is in his 50s and “doesn’t get stupid computer things”, so I can only guess his issues was of his own doing and he was unable to follow basic instructions.

He would moan that his Internet couldn’t send emails, stuff like that. ”

This Senior Ghetto is full of guys (and gals) like that, I have gradually stonewalled most of them. One woman I got very tired of helping,  because she just would not listen. She has just returned to Sky for the second time: while I have lived here (14 years) she has had at least 3 other ISP’s.

It’s always their fault and the computer/TV/tablet/radio always has a fault, which is of course the seller’s or manufacturers fault. The Openreach van is always at her house.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Never had a problem understanding anyone from Merseyside* Steve, except one lad from Wallasey in my platoon in NI. He was part of a Pioneer Corps attachment, which probably tells you about the kind of lad he was. Eager, hard working, but a 5 watt bulb. Him and his mates were building a concrete apron (landing pad) for our heli’s and they did a fine job, but they were out in the open and overlooked by some nasty areas. Most were careful, but this lad could not understand why he had to have his SLR with him outside. Best I could make of his reply, was that it got in the way of his work and he might lose it. I imagine him after leaving the Army, working on roads somewhere and driving his boss mad trying to communicate.

But the most illegible conversation I ever had was when another mate took me up to his Geordie village on leave and we went to Wallsend. I sat on a bar stool, waiting for my mate to go round the corner to buy a car: got into conversation with one of his mates for about 20 minutes. I could not understand a word the guy said, just watched his face and said yes or no, mumbled a lot. When my mate returned, we got into his new motor and drove to his house. After a week, I went home to Notts, met my Geordie mate again back from leave in the mess. He asked me what I had said to the other guy: “Not a lot, why?”    “he says he enjoyed talking to you and you are an intelligent guy.” I nearly choked on my pint.

*I had a good grounding in Scouse with the Huyton GF that I was seeing for about 18 months, met her family, (11 kids) spent a couple of leaves there. Half Blue, Half Red… it was interesting. ?? But I had a great time.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Author]

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