WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Stanley]

The news is of course overwhelmed by politicians telling us how we voted but to be honest (and unusually) this leaves me cold. I'm interested in what happens in Barlick and Pendle of course but far more interested in monitoring the changes in my metabolism brought about by my new medication, Ramipril. Time will tell, all I can say at the moment is that there are no serious side effects but I think it's a powerful drug and I am definitely different. I shall report when I am certain.

[Stanley]

The idiot Trump's outrageous rant to the NRA about London being a war zone. He reckons the reason people carry knives is because of repressive gun laws..... The man is unspeakable.....

[Big Kev]

On a lighter note, the sun shining through the stained glass window in my hallway and projecting part of it on the wall put a smile on my face this morning.


I have marked the occasion by wearing shorts and sandals (no socks)

[Marilyn]

No socks? Wow!
Our rear patio doors face the morning sun, and I always enjoy standing in the pool of the first sunlight of the morning. I find it energising....then I go upstairs and our double doors out to the upstairs deck face the morning sun too...so I get an extra dose of pleasure. One of my little rituals that I couldn't live without. A small, but enjoyable thing.

[Big Kev]

[chinatyke]

I have marked the occasion by wearing shorts and sandals (no socks)

I always wear socks even with sandals, which I wear often. My saying is "where I come from only poor people don't wear socks."

[Marilyn]

Aussies never wear socks with sandals.
You can always spot the English visitors!

[Cathy]

Just don't wear a hankie with a knot in each corner on your head if you ever come down-under.

[PanBiker]

You wouldn't spot me, I don't do socks with sandals or hankies on head. Got my proper shorts on today for a bike ride, not the Lycra but not the so called shorts below the knee either. "Ice Cold in Alice" proper shorts large expanse of thigh, I like to air my legs.

[Stanley]

The Romans always wore socks with their sandals and they were hobnailed as well. I don't get the sun in the mornings unless it's high summer, up too early!
Some wonderfully good snooker at the Crucible, it's the final today.....

[chinatyke]

Aussies never wear socks with sandals.

It's in their culture, transported convicts didn't have socks!
Like I say, only poor people don't wear socks!

[Marilyn]

It's considered "dorky" to wear socks with sandals, though it is entirely socially acceptable for those under five years of age. In fact, the only people wearing SANDALS in OZ are under 5 or over 65!

[Tizer]

The Romans always wore socks with their sandals and they were hobnailed as well.

I didn't know you could get hobnailed socks. Whatever next?

I notice the young generation now seem to go without socks even in winter when wearing long trousers. There must be a lot of cold ankles about.

[Stanley]

Tiz......
How a bit of warm weather brings people out on to the café pavements and benches in the Town Square....
The dire shorts that have been dug out of the bottom drawer.......

[Marilyn]

I live with views that overlook a golf course. There is nothing quite as ridiculous as some golfer's outfits! We are always having a giggle...

[Stanley]

I agree Maz and it's even worse in the US!
Another thing yesterday was the good drying weather. I washed my bedding and as I brought two duvet covers and the towel I use for a pillow in after three hours on the line I thought that just for once we had Aussie drying weather! Straight back on to the bed still warm from the sun, lovely!

[Stanley]

A name from the past surfaced this morning. See THIS ABC report on the election of Oliver North as the President of the NRA. The older ones among us will remember the Iran-Contra affair that bedevilled the Reagan administration and North a former marine, was found guilty of several counts that involved selling arms to Iran and using the proceeds to fund the Contras in Central America. He escaped punishment on appeal on a legal technicality. Nothing could demonstrate more clearly the rabid right wing flavour of the NRA and its potential for harming the US. As we have seen in the last few days, Trump has publicly backed them with disgraceful comparisons with the UK and France suggesting that if guns had been freely available knife crime in the UK and terrorism in France wouldn't happen. Totally ridiculous and yet another example of what a dangerous leader he is...

[Stanley]

Sorry, it's still Trump but this time his scrapping of the US involvement in the Iran Treaty...... 'America First' is the most dangerous policy imaginable.
Later comment suggests that this move is not quite what it seems. The theory is that it is mainly due to Trump's stated aim to undo as much of President Obama's policies as possible which is what he promised in his campaign. Another point that has been raised is that this might affect the talks with North Korea. They see a deal on de-nuclearisation torn up, does this give them any confidence to proceed?

[Tizer]

My attention was caught by an article in The Times (5 May, 2018) describing how an innocent lady in her 60s ended up paying £820 when bailiffs visited her house because of someone else's debt. The newspaper has provided detailed advice on your rights if visited by a bailiff and I've posted it here. The lady had allowed an old friend to lodge in her house when she was left with nowhere else to live. A bailiff called because the lodger had a previous debt over a TV licence. The house owner was at work and the lodger let the bailiff in. As the lodger had no money the bailiff said he would take goods from the house. The lady pointed out that virtually everything in the house was belonged to her; the lodger had arrived with nothing. The bailiff wouldn't accept that she owned items unless she could prove it and said he would take them unless she paid up the £820 debt. In the end she paid because she didn't have receipts for things she'd bought many years ago. She tried to recover the money but couldn't - it went on for two years until she accepted she'd never get the money back. The Times looked into it but couldn't help her. The company that employed the bailiff said she had made a voluntary payment. He was wearing body camera but the company said they didn't keep the data for as long as two years. What it shows is that anybody could get a visit from the bailiffs so it's worthwhile knowing your rights.

[Stanley]

Very timely Tiz, it can happen to anyone. I knew about never letting them in and the rest is valuable advice.
A delivery of 8 litres of Lea and Perrins yesterday means that I can once more sleep easily in my bed!

[Stanley]

The inability of BG to correspond promptly!
The way I am reacting to my latest medication, all good!
The fact that I look forwards to my walk every morning.... Possibly the best thing I do all day.

[Stanley]

The apology to the family kidnapped and sent to Libya for punishment and torture under the 'rendition' policies operated by the US and which we all suspected were being aided by us but this was always denied by the Blair government. Remember Blair's deal with Gaddafi ?

[PanBiker]

Today would have been my Dads 100th birthday.

[Stanley]

[Stanley]

We lost Mark our streetsweeper yesterday, he has moved on to pastures new......