WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[plaques]

...and the young royals are doing a bunk...

I'll bet they don't drop their HRH status. We'll just have to 'Sussex' and see.

[Stanley]

Tea with 14 of us at Susan's last night. Lovely.....
Royals.... who cares? I like the way they say they want to be financially independent.... So do we all!

[Stanley]

Later, some cutting comments about the royals. A Canadian paper points out that ditching the bits of being a royal that you don't like but retaining the privileges that come with the position isn't a very good example. They suggest they renounce the titles as well. It does rather look as though they want to have their cake and eating it and never consulted anyone. The Palace is not amused.....

[Marilyn]

It does rather point to “ don’t bite the hand that feeds you”.
I don’t think Harry quite grasps that he will be seen in Marks and Sparks buying his own underwear, without security guard coverage. He will be completely lost of course, never having bought his own undies and socks before...and taking his son out for a walk in the park will be a free-for-all in regard to snooping cameras. Does the Nanny go I wonder? Be prepared for getting up at night, teething troubles and “the terrible two’s” ( temper tantrums).
Can you imagine them standing in line at the Fish and Chip shop?
And on a serious note, I respect he has a right to give up his place in line for the throne, but does he have a moral right to give up his son’s rank? ( I think I would struggle with that. Archie may be a cute bundle of giggling baby fat now, but someone must protect his future.)

[Stanley]

Bottom line in my book is spoiled kids who want to keep unearned privilege but ditch the responsibilities. Not impressed.

[Marilyn]

They would have been respected more if they had made this choice before the royal wedding, expensive private birth, and the renovations to Frogmore! ( making the choice prior to great wealth being bestowed would have been very well accepted I think).
Don’t you just want to take them both by the scruff of the neck and EXPLAIN a few facts?

[plaques]

Frogmore was referbished at Tax payers expense.
The queen bestowed the HRH title on Megan at the marriage to Prince Harry.
Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, will have the option of using one of the subsidiary titles of Prince Harry. He will also inherit the title Duke if things continue as normal.
Prince Harry or should we say, Henry Charles Albert David Mountbatten-Windsor, Duke of Sussex.
And on and on it goes, Makes you proud to be be British.

[Wendyf]

Everone must be nice to Harry! He can't be upset because his mother was the sainted Diana!

[Tizer]

This headline caught my attention this morning...
`M&S sales squeezed as men shun skinny trousers' LINK
`M&S said it overestimated demand for tight-fitting men's clothing in the run-up to Christmas...'.

[Tripps]

Spooky again. . . .

I went to Marks and Spencers a couple of days ago to buy some trousers. This in itself is a rare thing - I haven't been in a real clothes shop for years. What I need I get from the internet. it was a revelation.

I went to Next' first, and was' surprised at how little choice they had. I'm used to scanning a website, with all options offered. next to M&S - similar situation - more choice, but not if your waist size is larger than 34 - 36 inches. Nearly all the stock was in that range.

I found some in an Italian range - better quality, but expensive - to find they were all 'slim fit' and sat below the waist. I don't think so. . .

Finally found what seemed to be the only pair in the shop which fit me. The news doesn't surprise me at all.

[Big Kev]

My last pair of trousers came from Boundary Outlet in Colne, it's leg length I struggle to find. Most stop at 33in.

[Tizer]

Kev, I have the opposite problem - you can have the bits we cut off from the bottom of my trousers!

Tripps, another trouser problem - in my case if the waist is big enough then the crotch will usually be too low and I only need a hoodie to pass for a rapper (or get a job as a special adviser in the Tory government!).

Now hear this...
`The Moon passes through Earth’s penumbral shadow on 10 January 2020, producing a penumbral lunar eclipse. The event starts at 17:08 UT and ends at 21:12 UT, the point of greatest eclipse occurring at 19:10 UT.' LINK
Don't get too excited, it only means that part of the moon will be darker than usual. But even that is enough to get the astronomers buzzing!

[Big Kev]

Kev, I have the opposite problem - you can have the bits we cut off from the bottom of my trousers!

[Stanley]

You can have mine as well, 29". I was once measured for a wet suit and was surprised to find I had the longest torso in the room. The lady said I was a tall bloke on short pins!
Glorious full moon in a clear sky this morning Tiz.
The never-failing delight of my daily pint of good coffee! Just brewed it and had the first scalding sip. What is it about some tastes that grabs us?

[Cathy]

United States Firefighters received a hero’s welcome at Sydney Airport today. Footage of the fireys walking thru arrivals has been uploaded onto social media this morning. It shows hundreds of Aussies stopping to applaud and cheer as the fires walk thru.

[Stanley]

Granddaughter Jess wanted a frying pan and I had one spare. Problem was it's base was a disgrace of years of burned on grease, it had set like Teflon! So I got some expensive oven cleaner, immersed it and left it all night. This morning I applied a bit of elbow grease and here's the result.





Not a bad result for an old pan! The modern version is about £50......

[Tizer]

`Trump says he deserves Nobel Peace Prize not Abiy Ahmed' LINK

[Stanley]

That man lives in a parallel universe......
Planet Trump?

[Marilyn]

Ah...now we get the truth about those young royals.
It seems someone wants to be a Princess on the big screen!
( this is one giant car crash isn’t it? )

[Marilyn]

I am just sat here thinking beyond and beyond.
Surely the film makers won’t allow all the usual plastic rubbish/dolls/badges/stickers that they call souvenirs for the Princess movie...given the couple are so environmentally aware and passionate about the earth?
Which means a loss of revenue. This plastic rubbish brings in the money. But madam supposedly has a conscience!
( oh dear...decisions...decisions...)

[Wendyf]

You must have heard something we haven't!

[Marilyn]

It is a “voice over” deal with Disney.
Already signed, I believe.
The money she would have been paid will supposedly go to a charity for Elephants. That, in my mind, does not cancel out all the plastic rubbish being generated as souvenirs and memorabilia for the movie, which is usually generated through sweat-shops in less affluent countries.
I don’t think the dear girl has thought it through...

[Tripps]

I think this cartoon sums it up nicely. . .

sussex2.jpg

[Stanley]

I saw this in PE. Penetrating comment on the plight of Tommy Atkins.

[plaques]

Tommy Atkins, Kiplin's poem. Tommy