WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Stanley]

Correct P. I knew that OG would understand the reference.

[Tizer]

Fun photos...
`Your pictures on the theme of 'individuality'' LINK

[Cathy]

I enjoyed those pic , thanks

[Tizer]

I loved the robin and the tree on a rock.

[Stanley]

Liked them, you can't beat a good pic!



I did this pic in 1957 when I was open all hours qt Sough. A sweet traveller saw it, he was a very keen amateur photographer and took the neg away to do me a good print. First time anyone told me I had a good snap, never forgotten!
How easy it is to blow time away with a smart phone! I can see why youngsters get addicted. I shall be strong!

[Cathy]

I love the expression on the dogs face too.

[Stanley]

I think it would fit a theme on resignation Cathy.
This news is coming in, see THIS Guardian article. The level of activity is high at scale four but it is feared it will get higher and there is a threat of an explosive eruption and subsequent tsunami.
One more reason for living in Barlick!

[Tizer]

This caught Mrs Tiz's attention today. It's a lot more interesting than the title sounds!...
`John Laing - builder of M1 and Severn Bridge - opens archive' LINK
`Construction firm John Laing has built some of the nation's power stations and housing estates, motorways and cathedrals. As Historic England and the John Laing Charitable Trust open the company's picture vault to the public, here are some of the firm's photographs documenting their bigger builds.'

[Stanley]

That stretch of concrete paving just north of Wolverhampton always intriged me, the only example I ever came across I think. I stayed one night with a friend in the Barbican and commented that it reminded me of a back to back house, only one entrance. It wasn't appreciated.....
All the diodes down my right side hurt yesterday. Usual prize for identifying the quote.

[Tizer]

And we think that we have sinkhole problems here in the UK...
`China sinkhole: Six killed as ground swallows bus' Sinkhole
`At least six people have been killed and 16 injured after an enormous sinkhole swallowed a bus and a number of pedestrians in central China. The incident occurred on Monday evening outside a hospital in Xining, the capital of Qinghai province. CCTV footage showed an explosion inside the sinkhole shortly after the bus and bystanders fell inside on Monday evening.'

I've posted this link simply for you to see the video halfway down of cars being driven through the dangerous waves coming over a seafront...
`Snow, ice and more gales to follow Storm Brendan' Seafront waves

And a last one to amuse (or shock) Stanley!
`Veganuary: The makers behind the vegan-friendly kilt' Kilt
`When Scott Wood realised the ethical minefield vegans face wearing Scotland's national dress, he decided to create an alternative. A kiltmaker for more than 10 years, he switched to vegan-friendly kilts after adopting veganism three years ago. The made-to-order garment avoids animal-based products such as wool and leather, making it suitable for vegans. His kilts cater to the diet and beliefs that are becoming more and more popular in Scotland. "I still wanted to wear my kilt but it collided with my new beliefs, so I made a vegan one for myself," Mr Wood told BBC Scotland's The Nine programme...'.

[PanBiker]

Could go in Family or Medical but Sally is on extra Grandma duties for picking Isla and Fin up from school today. Their dad Ant had an accident yesterday and has severed the tendon in his ring finger. He is over at Bradford Royal Infirmary and is scheduled for surgery today, ouch!

[Stanley]

A Vegan-friendly kilt!? These people are barking mad.
What grabbed me was the latest report on Rochdale child abuse which has exposed shocking failings in the system. This on top of the latest revelations about the CofE hierarchy and Peter Ball (PE readers have known all this for yonks!) Remember Rotherham? Then look at the warnings from campaigners who are totally credible who say the same crimes and failings are current.
I was in Rochdale in the 1980s and had an inside track on the Satanic Abuse affair which was basically the same sorry tale. In addition a friend of mine is report writing currently for the CSA Enquiry. He tells me it is a harrowing job and has opened his eyes. All told it is a shocking indictment of society today. At the same time austerity cuts have decimated Youth Services and staffing of Social Services. Put this alongside inanities like Big Ben and January 31st and ask searching questions!
Ian, Ant has my sympathy. I escaped that narrowly when I tried to cut my finger off in the shed. There is a providence that looks after fools...... [That refers to me and not Ant.]

[plaques]

At the same time austerity cuts have decimated Youth Services and staffing of Social Services.

In my current book read ( Autobiography Theodore Roosevelt) He introduce boxing clubs and other physical activities into the New York youth scene to stem the tide of knife crime and thuggery which proved to work. Here we are closing them down and losing sight and control of what they are up to but I think we can guess where it will lead.

[chinatyke]

We lament the demise of the corner shops and this report is about the rise of express deliveries, a service industry that processes internet orders. The volumes are huge in China because of the large population but the figures are incredible.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202001/0 ... 82bb0.html

An extract:
China's annual business volume of express deliveries exceeded 63.52 billion items, increasing 25.3 percent compared with the previous year. Total revenue of delivery enterprises hit 749.78 billion yuan ($108.85 billion) in 2019, showing a rapid growth of 24.2 percent.

That's 44 articles per head of population (~1.44 bn). Incredible. I order quite a few things on-line and the final delivery is made by couriers on 3 wheel motor-bike trucks who ring me and I meet them at the entrance to my building. Collections are usually done this way also. Each parcel is tracked from receipt to delivery using QR or bar code scanning, imagine the data involved in that. We take for granted big data nowadays. How things have changed in the last few years...

[Cathy]

Gosh China. It brings to mind the way things were done years ago ie milkmen, bakers etc visiting every street, except these days they come by bike, vans and small trucks . It all sounds very efficient.
How much does it cost to have a grocery shop delivered? I think it’s $15 here.

[Stanley]

A surprise hospital appointment on Monday which is short notice and leaves me scrabbling for transport!
A nephew contacting me after going AWOL for two years!
How well I feel....
Re. supermarket deliveries. The short walk to the Co-op is the best paid work I do!

[chinatyke]

Gosh China. It brings to mind the way things were done years ago ie milkmen, bakers etc visiting every street, except these days they come by bike, vans and small trucks . It all sounds very efficient.
How much does it cost to have a grocery shop delivered? I think it’s $15 here.

It is very efficient. The delivery companies and their couriers are great and earn their crusts.

Local ("corner") shops will usually accept telephone orders and deliver your order for nothing and appreciate the business. Supermarkets deliver free if you spend more than 100 rmb (about £11). Electronic and white goods are delivered and installed free. There may be a small charge for food deliveries like KFC, I've never used this service. Internet items may carry a delivery surcharge but, if so, it is clearly stated and is only a few rmb. This works to your advantage if you order multiple low price items as you only pay for delivery once. Most items bought on-line are inclusive of delivery.

[Cathy]

You live in a very different world China, sounds a lot cheaper (cost wise) than Australia

But then I don’t know what the average wage is compared to ours, and too many variants, I would imagine.

[Cathy]

Today is the first day in what seems like weeks that I haven’t smelt any smoke, and my view of the Adelaide Hills is completely clear today. No bushfire smoke, no haze, no smell. Back to normal

[Stanley]

I hope it lasts Cathy but the outlook isn't good.
What grabbed me yesterday was the fact that Susan solved my transport problems for Monday, daughters are wonderful. One of the things that has happened as I get older is that I lack confidence when I am away from home on my own. That was why I ditched the car and driving licence, other drivers frighten me! This after all those millions of miles on the road. This doesn't worry me, natural I think, and I adjust my life style, I love being at home near my own bed and lavatory! Small things like that get to be very important.

[plaques]

Talking to a driving instructor acquaintance about the speed people drive round corners and on round-a-bouts he said it frightened him. We came to the conclusion that part of it was to intimidate other drivers. 'I can't stop at this speed so get out of my way'. Driving on a strange road always puts you at a disadvantage in such a situation.

[Tizer]

I agree with your conclusion about intimidation, Plaques. It's the same with tail-gating. Mini-roundabouts are also a problem, especially ones at T junctions on main roads. A Y layout is better but with the T layout there's a tendency for drivers on the cross bar of the T shape, where it has a road going off to the left, to drive straight on (and fast), ignoring the cars coming towards them and turning to their right even though they have right of way. We have one of these nearby and it's very dangerous.

For something a bit lighter, see this:
`Loose horse rescued from Cardiff road and put on bus' LINK

[Stanley]

Another factor is that modern car design allows higher speed in bends because of improved road-holding, suspension and tyre design. Add the 'womb with a view' influence of driver comfort and then add ICE and phones and you get people who have never regarded driving as a state of mind and a skill, Just a way of getting from A to B as quickly as possible. In the old vehicles we were constantly aware of road surface conditions and because our brakes were so bad, we had to be thinking 400 yards ahead all the time. Self-preservation made us very aware and safe, survival was at stake! Some of us even read the Metropolitan Police Driving Manual 'Roadcraft', stil, in print in a revised version. The opening sentence was "Driving is a state of mind.".
On another matter, I saw a news report yesterday that the most popular colour for new cars is grey. 1 in 5 last year. My own view is that the more visible a vehicle is, the less likely it is going to be invisible in bad visibility. The manufacturers of earth movers are well aware of this. That's why when I was running the Ford Shed I painted it JCB yellow! Having a grey car means you are more likely to be in an accident.

[Stanley]

See THIS Guardian report on the news that at last, free sanitary products are to be made available in schools to combat what has been called Period Poverty.
Good and about time too! I can think of few cases where for a comparatively small investment so much misery can be avoided but this is definitely one of them.

[Tizer]

I think by `grey' they probably mean the dirty white colour that is fashionable just now. When `brilliant white' cars (paint with titanium dioxide) first appeared we always chose that colour for safety because it's so visible at night. More recently we've had two bright red cars. I don't know the Metropolitan Police Driving Manual but when I first started learning to drive my dad gave me an old book about driving skills and I still remember the main point in that - `drive as if you have a glass of water balanced on the bonnet'. Imagine trying to do that now!

`Malvern's touchscreen tech secrets now on your radar' Malvern