Seen in the News

[Tizer]

Do you accept Corgi and Dorgi dogs?

[Marilyn]

Yes...but not on the couches or chairs. And not on the beds unless I put a protective sheet over the duvets.( the dogs certainly aren’t allowed on pillows)
( and she must pick up all poo on our lawns)
(And she must wash all dog bowls seperate to the washing up, using paper towel to dry them. I am very particular about my tea towels, Brenda!)
I think we can still make it work

[Marilyn]

We lived quite well with son’s Labrador, who WAS allowed on couches and laps...

[Tripps]

Read this The Knacker Nearly enough to convert you to vegetarianism.

A far cry from All Creatures Great and Small

Jeff Mallock (Frank Birch from series 1 to 3 and Fred Feast from series 4 to 7) is regularly waiting in the wings to take ailing livestock to his knacker's yard. Whatever the vets' diagnosis, Mallock always thinks the real reason is "stagnation o' t'lung".

[Stanley]

It's a lousy job but someone has to do it. We used to send ours to 'Jerusalem', that was the yard at Jerusalem Farm, Thornton Bradford and I think they are still in business. Just one thing David. Nothing to do with vegetarianism. We would still need the knacker men even if everyone was Vegan. Just think of the horses that fall during races.....

[Tizer]

Want a cheap electric car? Read on!...
`Matchbox cars get green makeover in eco drive' LINK

One sentence begins `Since the inception of the modern-day die-cast car nearly 70 years ago...'. But didn't Dinky make die cast cars in the 1930s?

[Tripps]

And the winner of the Sony World Photgrapher of the year is. . .

No sadly not Daniel Meadows - but one Craig Easton

That's a shame. . . .

PS - this collection of photos is utterly depressing. We should be ashamed this is Blackburn in the 21st century. Why is it a world beater? It's embarrassing.

[Stanley]

I have to agree David. They don't float my boat either..... But what would I know about it....

[Tizer]

Craig Easton...PS - this collection of photos is utterly depressing. We should be ashamed this is Blackburn in the 21st century. Why is it a world beater? It's embarrassing.

Even more embarrassing for me, born and raised in Blackburn!

`Google Earth time-lapse feature winds clock back 37 years' LINK

[Stanley]

A thought triggered by a news item heard this morning. Question, is there a difference between a firework thrown at the police and one that is 'hurled'. Language is important.

[Bodger]

'hurled'. I wonder if this comes from the Irish game of Hurling ?

[Stanley]

I had a furtle Bodge....
"hurl (v.) early 13c., hurlen, "to run against (each other), come into collision," later "throw forcibly" (c. 1300); "rush violently" (late 14c.); perhaps related to Low German hurreln "to throw, to dash," and East Frisian hurreln "to roar, to bluster." OED suggests all are from an imitative Germanic base *hurr expressing rapid motion; see also hurry (v.)."

[Tizer]

With Mrs Tiz making things out of various materials it doesn't come as a surprise to me that someone is making stuff out of felt - but it's the scale of the operation that stunned me! See this video...
`Inside the chemist made entirely out of felt' LINK
One of the largest exhibitions of original work to open as lockdown restrictions are eased is from artist Lucy Sparrow, who admits she is often referred to as ‘the felt lady’. After opening the doors to her corner shop, with contents and fixtures made entirely out of felt in 2014, Sparrow’s fabric fantasies have gathered fans worldwide. Her latest exhibition is a fabric pharmacy: The National Felt Service’s Bourdon Street Chemist, created at her new Felt HQ in Suffolk.

[Cathy]

Thanks for the above link about the Felt Lady.
I’m actually a bit speechless. I don’t ‘get it’.
I’ve obviously missed something and can’t think of a reason to do it on that size scale.

[Tizer]

Thanks for the above link about the Felt Lady.
I’m actually a bit speechless. I don’t ‘get it’.
I’ve obviously missed something and can’t think of a reason to do it on that size scale.

It does seem a bit excessive. Perhaps she has a bit of OCD about her. But you'll see there are other people doing it and showing the results in videos.

[PanBiker]

I cant see what the problem is, it is just another type of medium for art or craft, scale is irrelevant. One could say the same about manipulating metal into miniature canons and steam engines is a bit weird also.

Each to their own.

[Tripps]

As Russia piles up thousands of troops on the Ukraine border, and we send warships into the Black Sea, it's disturbing to be told about this blatant act of agression against a Nato country.

"Salisbury poisoning suspects wanted over deadly Czech explosion condemned as 'war-like act' Tom Tugendhat tells Sky News the 2014 blast in the Czech Republic was a "direct attack on a NATO country"."


Strange this attack happened in 2014. That doesn't diminish its seriousness though - best declare war on Russia straight away.

[Stanley]

I had the same reaction David. Did you note that one of the things that made the connection was that they used the same cover names as in the UK?
I heard a theory that it was a timer malfunction. They actually booby trapped a consignment of arms for Ukraine but the timer actuated early setting off 50 tons of explosives in the depot.
The felt... There was an item on Farming This Week about a lady who is marketing her wool do amateur felt-makers because the market price is so low.

[Tripps]

he connection was that they used the same cover names as in the UK?

Yeah right. . . . espionage for beginners.

[Stanley]

Can you remember DEFRA starting a 'Pick for Britain' campaign to recruit UK residents as casual workers doing seasonal work. (See this LINK)
It failed and is being discontinued. Evidently we don't like hard work outside bending over.

[Gloria]

Can you remember DEFRA starting a 'Pick for Britain' campaign to recruit UK residents as casual workers doing seasonal work. (See this LINK)
It failed and is being discontinued. Evidently we don't like hard work outside bending over.

I could get really annoyed over this.

[chinatyke]

Evidently we don't like hard work outside bending over.

Seems they don't like the same work in America either! I had a friend who used to have a farm in Virginia. He told me that without Mexican immigrants many crops would not have been harvested.

[PanBiker]

Yes and just to put the icing on the cake we have made it increasingly difficult for seasonal migrant workers to come into the country. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot! This lot cant tell the difference between a seasonal migrant worker and an economic one. The vast majority of pickers follow the crops all over Europe and only stay while the work is here. They are bloody good at their jobs though and not frightened of hard work.

[Cathy]

The average Australian doesn’t go for Fruit Picking jobs either.
We have very recently allowed such workers in from Tonga, because growers were desperate for pickers and Tonga had 300 days free COVID-19 days.

[Big Kev]

No more new smart motorways until technology is in place to make them safe
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56815522