Scrobs is fed up with seeing the awful layout of the previous post, so here's a later one to start the weekend with a song, a cheer and a tincture.
I'm not actually writing anything, just making sure that I don't have to see the stupid white lines behind the letters!
Have a nice day!
26 comments:
I thought you were a ghost writer there for a minute! I was almost at the point of getting my Ouija board down from the attic but thankfully I am spared that onerous task. I'm singing and cheering at the moment and tinctures will be on hand shortly. You have a nice day too!
Doesn't the remove formatting button (second from right in edit mode) get rid of it?
Bit of a relief for us too.
I'm so glad you stayed out of the attic, Madame La Goose, as ladders are dangerous items, and you always need someone on hand to catch you, well, two hands if I'm really honest...
Thanks for this Mr H, I tried it and no avail...
It maybe because I did the writing in a draft on Gmail and did a cut and paste, so when I have less time, I'll rewrite it I suppose!
Good posts are hard to compose in February Thud, in fact they're so difficult, it's the only way unfortunately!
Oh really?
And there was us, your happy band of responders, thinking you did it deliberately to celebrate them there winter limpicks.
DID YOU SEE ALL THOSE SIMPLY GORGEOUS SCRUMPY GIRLPERSONS LEADING OUT THE TEAMS???
Obviously not many femininny loons allowed in the Koreas.
Not really a big fan of winter limpricks Reevers, it was cold enough watching England stuff Wales yesterday, and I was sitting in the kitchen with a glass of white!
Solved the problem anyway, I was having a senior moment with the colour scheme!
Might update the whole shebang again soon, but not until I can find a suitable layout...
It's cold here too Mr Scrobbilicious as the cat flap won't stay shut because of the rather strong breeze that's currently blowing, so I'm sat in my little office with a heater on but am still freezing by butt off so's to speak. Reevers - I'm with you on the stupidity of banning lovely laydees from parading around before, during or after various tournaments. If they wanna do it, they wanna do it. I'd do it, or would have been up for it in the past, and would have felt no detriment whatsoever to my femininity. It's all getting out of hand.
Neither am I Scrobs. In fact I was in t'other room when the opening ceremony came on the telly and I was summoned with a peremptory "Come here and see this". I must say I was very impressed with the displays which left me wondering how the hell they do all that technical stuff with drones and lights and wotnots. Far far better than the dreadful lefty b***sh88T we endured for our limpix opening a few years ago.
Velly solly no can join you all in the coldness comp. Our thermometer currently shows 32*C with a beautiful clear blue sky above us and a gentle breeze wafting in from the garden - and my a/c is humming away gently in the background. By God, it's tough in the tropics mate I can tell you....
Regret I did not get to watch the wugby as I was otherwise engaged in the middle of nowhere. Maybe one of the sports channels will show a reply in the next few days.
Goosey, B&Q do an excellent line in blocking-tape to cure noisy and swinging pussy cat flaps. (Oh am I allowed to say that here?).
rvi - I don't think blocking tape would work because if they were busting to go they'd bash their way out and get covered in the stuff. My OH persuaded me to get one of those electronic ones that works with their microchips; however it's still waiting to be inserted in the appropriate orifice and an alternative one will be found if he doesn't get a move-on! BTW - no more rude jokes of the feline nature and what divine weather you are enjoying or you will be struck down with either Kawasaki's Disease or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever!
It's been so gorgeous here today, with brilliant sunshine wall to wall!
We have the occasional visit to Tesco's groceries shop in Hastings, which covers several football pitches, but also sells things we can't buy locally. Today was the day, and after an eye-watering bill at checkout, we decided to tie one on to celebrate the new Bluetooth Speakers - more on that in another post...
So while it's now a coal fire and a glass of red, it's downhill through several Delboys and trying to start a new book for the fourth time!
Thought you might like to know all this; it is only February after all...
Oh woe is me!
My automobile caught Kawasaki's Disease a couple years ago. It so badly affected the CD player hiding in the glove box that the infernal machine simply bunged itself up and died on the spot. After inspection, my tame, but extremely reliable, mechanic declared it dead-on-arrival and quoted the equivalent of 800 quid for a replacement - so we now manage to enjoy our drives without CDs.
Talking of the Rocky Mountains, a few years ago we indulged ourselves in an extended pre-retirement leave trip (using up all those accumulated weeks) to Canada. We flew to Vancouver where we spent a few days based in the local Sheraton exploring the local environs, including the Whistler ski resort and Vancouver Island. On the appointed day, we were collected from the hotel to join the Rocky Mountaineer train (first class of course) which runs (or rather, putters) from Vancouver across/through the Rockies all the way to Calgary. It takes 5 days with overnight stops on the way in little mountain towns, including the highest town in the world, Banff, a magical little place with a magnificent cable car ride and lots of lovely moose/elks wandering aimlessly along the main road. Well worth a go if you fancy something different. Just dial their website for further info.
Unknown to us, or rather overlooked by us as we knew it was on, we clashed with the G8 conference meeting at a little backwoods town somewhere along the way. One morning as we were enjoying a hearty breakfast in a delightful mountain hotel before rejoining the train for the next leg, we were suddenly invaded by about 30 heavies all decked out in their bulletproof jackets, helmets, sunglasses etc and of course lots of lethal looking guns. They had been on night duty at the conference and were now knocking off for the day. Quite enough to put one off one's kedgeree...
We were also very fortunate to collide purely by chance with the Montreal Jazz Festival week which was also very interesting. Lots of very talented musicians busking on every corner 24 hours a day. Only disappointment was the absence of the Cirque du Soleil whose home is Montreal, but were away on tour. Another very interesting place where folks spend half their year living underground during the winter months.
Talking of Hastings, Scrobs, when I lived in Sutton about 30 years ago, I used to take my mum out for a ride to Hastings on occasional Sundays where, having stocked the pre-prepared cold bag with fresh fish straight out of the sea from one of the beach huts, we always enjoyed a plate of fish and chips in one of chippies on the main road. Still reckon they serve the finest f&s in the world along that stretch of the coast.
The fishing fleet in Hastings, one of the rare off-shingle fleets is so depleted these days because of the bloody EU letting in the rest of the world, they're struggling, but just alive. You're right, their fish is fantastic and you can't beat fish and chips from there!
Talking of Sutton, I was at school with a good chum whose dad lived in The Highway! Wow, what a place and all those avenues nearby must be worth a fortune by now! His sister still lives there and we often used a big pub (now gone I think), close to Belmont station!
Saw 'The Longest Day' in that big cinema by the crossroads when it first came out!
Sutton used to be a very nice little town. We lived elsewhere, but my grammar school was there so I knew the town quite well from those 5 years. It had everything one needed and folks were really civilised and friendly, which was why in the 1980s I chose to buy a flat and live there. Nice area and easy commuting into Victoria or Waterloo. But it is a long time since I last went back and I am now told that the pedestrianised High Street is now inhabited mainly by charity and betting shops. Very sad if that is true!
I agree there are some super houses there and I agree with you that they all cost into 7 figures these days.
There is nothing better than getting a really good quality fish and chips wrapped in newspaper! When I was a girl guide I went to the local chippie for a penn'orth of scraps then later on when getting back from college and waiting for the bus home I always got fish and chips from a local shop near the bus station. The best ones I ever had was when I worked in the Kendal lab and went down a very steep hill to a place called Hanratty's. They were brothers who never spoke to each other but, by gum, they were the absolute best! Why they don't taste the same these days I don't know but have got the impression of furtive meddling by the "no salt, no dripping, no saturated oils" brigade.
Madame La Goose, Tesco do a fabulous battered cod in their Finest range! They're the closest we've ever found, to the real thing from a shop, and Mary, our lovely girl on the chilled cabinets, recommends the triple cooked chips, so they're resplendent, third drawer down in the first freezer as we speak...
Pint of Tartare sauce please barman, and have one yourself...
Oddly enough we were invited out for dinner last night to a new place here which claims to serve the "best British traditional fish and chips". The place was decorated with Union flags, old photos of 1930s London, Tower Bridge, Big Ben, telephone boxes, red pillar boxes and buses etc etc and prewar UK newspaper cuttings all done quite tastefully.
The food was properly cooked and very tasty and there were pepper and salt shakers and Sarsons vinegar bottles on each table. However, one major feature was missing (and I told the manager he could not claim to be a British fish shop with out it!) - a large jar of crispy Haywards pickled onions on the counter.
However, the meal was excellent (including a sliced dill) and I am sure we will go back again soon. I wonder if they will take onions hint???
Sorry to brag, Scrobs.
I just can't keep it in.
Laddo's come back from med school (2nd year - where did that go ?) and has won a 4 year scholarship to research brain tumours during his summer hols. He gets mentored by leading brain surgeons and specialists - maybe a stint in Harvard too.
£2k a year so no more Deliveroo at weekends for him. Yay !
This is the medical equivalent of being selected for the youth squad of a top six Premier League side. Literally top in his year.
He's decided he wants to be a brain surgeon and hopefully this will set him up with the contacts, experience and CV he needs to be selected for it.
They like his attitude and from the Facebook pages he is clearly a very popular young student.
The other twin is doing well too - MSc in Chemistry, excellent results but not quite so driven. V proud of him too.
Wow!
Well done those Guys! Excellent news!
Just telling Mrs Scrobs has brightened our day! Seem to recall that we all started blogging with Lilith, Pip and co nearly eleven years ago, and I think they were going for the eleven-plus...
If you like, I'll make it my next post so everyone sees it, because I'm sure they'll want to know! If you look up Goosegirl's profile, she's from some sort of similar background, so there's one interested poster for a start!
Fabulous news anyway, congratulate them from the both of us, you deserve to be very proud of them, you two!
They were nine eleven years ago so we were in the prep stage. I recall that period. We could not afford to have both go through the tuition so we paid for one and Mum got paid in free tuition for invigilating the weekend mock exams which went on for about a year.
The boys got to the grammar and Sam decided that he wanted to be a doctor at 14, which we took with a pinch of salt (most kids say that) but looked up what he needed to do.
He had to build a CV of voluntary work, DofE, sport - a set of extra curricular activities that developed well roundedness. He represented England at orienteering, coached in underwater hockey, helped out in a hospice at weekends and held down paper rounds and shop jobs (in sixth form.) It was important to keep him in a motivating peer group - both orienteering and underwater hockey have a fair number of doctors in them.
When his GCSE results came in we knew he was a contender. He got the near perfect scores that medical school demand. He then opted for IB instead of A levels with a bent towards chemistry, biology and maths. He got 39 out of 45 which is the equivalent of 4 A* + 1 B at A level.
Only one university offered him an interview. As it happens the one that did took him on.
The less I say on this the better. I can understand universities rejecting a candidate of this calibre but to not even interview him ??? We can all surmise why.
Their loss, quite clearly.
We are so thankful to Leeds for taking him on.
As well as his IB he had to take two extra exams: UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) and British Medical Aptitude Test (BMAT) - these were taken at the local driving test centre where everyone else was doing their driving theory test. This on top of an already heavy workload.
This guy is EXACTLY the type you'd want poking around your brain in a crisis.
Kev, I'll post this exactly as you have said if it's alright by you!
I'm sorry we can't see your posts any more, you were one of the first ever repliers to my posts, along with a few others, and as you lived in a town we both loved from our holidays, the click was made...
We also feel happy that you actually would have seen our daughter's house on your journeys near her; she lives in Horsmonden, between Paddock Wood and Marden, and you would have steamed through there at a million miles an hour...
You're a lovely family - I wish you all well.
Fine by me. With thanks.
You and your family are lovely too. Shucks ! But true.
That is a very heartening account. It is always good when sprogs actually fulfill the (secret?) ambitions of their parents.
We have good friends whose two sprogs both got straight 'A's throughout their school years at the local International School. Both were awarded Victor Ludorum in their years, went on to Durham and came out with Firsts in their subjects. They are now doing very well for themselves in the private sector - one in China and one in Japan.
The daughter of a family member followed a similar path - straight 'A's all the way, then local university from where she earned a scholarship to Harvard for a year doing biometrics (or similar), returned home and in less than 3 years has worked her way up to be the CEO of one of local major medical centres. I'm told she is one of the youngest CEOs in the country.
The one interesting this about all this is that the mothers were both of Chinese ethnicity; and all three kids are normal down to earth people and are a real pleasure to know. I hate, no - envy, kids with blotting paper for brains!! Good luck to them.
rvi - I have twins. The other is doing a chemistry MSc and is scoring 90%s in exams and dissertations (Southampton)... yet this is overshadowed (we are trying to be conscious of this situation.)
Sorry to brag yet again. I'm just astonished by it all and trying to comprehend it.
Durham is a fantastic university. My niece has a shot at Oxbridge but wants Durham for her English Lit as it is the most revered in this subject.
Her Dad's Chief Scientist Engineer at Gillette and her uncle's head engineer on fuel systems at Jaguar. There are several teacher in the family and wifey's a systems analyst by profession... and here I am... a simple train driver serving the drinks !
I do feel a bit left behind at family gatherings now.
(We had a house full of med students last summer.)
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