WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[MickBrett]

On Tuesday April 8th 1969 I entered this workshop to start my 5 year apprenticeship. It was the start of my 51 years working in machine shops.
In all that time I was never fired, made redundant or laid off. How many these days get that opportunity ?
This, of course, is a picture of Dotcliffe Mill. All gone now so it also classifies as a forgotten corner, I guess.

[Stanley]

Morning Mick! It certainly does and straight into the archive.
What was the firm then?

[Stanley]

I have just spent 15 minutes applying for a Photo ID for voting as my bus pass is hopelessly out of date. A very straightforward service. Would that all online matters were the same.

[MickBrett]

Morning Mick! It certainly does and straight into the archive.
What was the firm then?

Earby Light Engineering. They had recently moved from Northside in Earby and took over Dotcliffe Mill

[Stanley]

I thought it was, thanks Mick.
Susan and Mick are packing in Perth. They fly out at 11:30 BST I think. I shall track them later this morning.
Looks as though they will be welcomed back by rain...... They'll be glad to see it.

[Tizer]

Mrs Tiz spotted this video this morning...
`Amazing automata fascinate Cornwall museum visitors' BBC

[Stanley]

A letter from my annuity provider asking me what account I wanted my annuity paid into.
I told them I didn't understand what they are asking and could they please use the same account that it has been going in for the last 24 years. Just to make sure I resent the details of that account.
This wasn't an email scam it was a snail mail letter and I have replied in the same way to their HQ in Peterborough.
Do you think they do things like this just to check they are sending the money to a sentient human being?

[Stanley]

Remember my fruitless hunt for bulk brown malt vinegar? I ordered some from Ebay and it arrived yesterday but the problem was it was not what I ordered and had the name 'Mark' on the invoice. It had my address on it but I apologised to the courier and refused to take delivery. He has cancelled it and now I wait to see what happens. I paid with PayPal so there is no danger of losing my £8.

[Stanley]

I've been watching the interrogation of Fujitsu executives at the PO enquiry.
The barristers are being very thorough and are getting the most damning admissions out of them.
I don't see how heads can't roll after this......

[Stanley]

News coming in of a direct attack on Israel by Iran involving over 200 missiles and drones.
We are told that neither country wants to get involved.
This is madness.

[PanBiker]

Apparently we despatched RAF fighters to deal with them, which is even more scary. Iran is not allowed to defend itself or respond to attack!

[Stanley]

In the madness there is one small gleam of sense. See THIS BBC report.
The White House has warned Israel that the US will not participate in any retaliatory strikes on Iran, senior administration officials have said. Over 300 drones and missiles were fired at Israel overnight, which Iran said was in response to an 1 April strike on its consulate in Syria. Almost all weapons were shot down by Israeli, US and allied forces before they reached their targets. Officials said Joe Biden urged Israel to consider its response "carefully".

[Tizer]

The M48 Severn Bridge is closed today due to the strong winds. It was closed a couple of weeks ago for the same reason and I hadn't seen this report until it was flagged up again today...
`M48 Severn bridge: Car crashes after driver ignores closure' BBC

[PanBiker]

Saw a report that the RAC are lobbying government to reinstate the hard shoulder on all "smart" motorways. This after the government has scrapped the project and abandoned further work on any further roll out due to the public's mistrust in the the technology. Obvious next step and to be welcomed to alleviate the madness of the idea. Unfortunately this little experiment has cost the lives of numerous individuals during the roll out.

[Stanley]

I agree Ian, it's evidence of how stubborn planners can be that the madness of eliminating the safety lane wasn't discarded long ago.
(I'm getting worried by the number of times 'madness' appears in my responses these days!)

[Tizer]

I agree and the inability to see the implications of their actions seems to be a common fault in recent times, extending well beyond road planners.

[Stanley]

I love articles like THIS which examine a subject which is the subject of wild speculation and bring some accurate information to bear. In this case on exceptional rainfall in Dubai.
Dubai is situated on the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and is usually very dry. But while it receives less than 100mm (3.9in) a year of rainfall on average, it does experience occasional extreme downpours. In the city of Al-Ain - just over 100km (62 miles) from Dubai - about 256mm (10in) of rain was recorded in just 24 hours.
Cloud seeding involves manipulating existing clouds to help produce more rain. This can be done by using aircraft to drop small particles (like silver iodide) into clouds. Water vapour can then condense more easily and turn into rain. The technique has been around for decades, and the UAE has used it in recent years to help address water shortages. In the hours that followed the floods, some social media users were quick to wrongly attribute the extreme weather solely to recent cloud seeding operations in the country.
The conclusion reached is that this extreme weather was due to natural causes and not human intervention.

[Stanley]

If you're interested in food listen to the Food Programme TX this morning 11:00 -11:30 which is all about the damage that Brexit rules and regulations are doing to vital food imports. It's a shocking story......

[Stanley]

The luxury of lightning fast servers.....

[Cathy]

It’s Postman Pete’s Birthday
HAPPY BIRTHDAY POSTMAN PETE
.
Enjoy

[Wendyf]

You are an excellent Birthday spotter Cathy! Happy Birthday Postman Pete, hope it's a good one.

[PostmanPete]

Thank you Cathy and Wendy for my Birthday wishes..!! I've just found out that Mrs PostmanPete is taking me to Crow Wood Spa for the day with an overnight stay so I probably won't be back on the site until tomorrow

[Big Kev]

Pete, enjoy your stay at Crow Wood.

[PanBiker]

Happy Birthday Pete have a good one as they say.

[Stanley]

I hope you enjoy it Pete!
Last time I was at Crow Wood was when Jim 'Crow' Jackson was farmer and chair of the Milk Marketing Board at the time. If I remember right he was called 'Wry-neck' as well because when he was younger he was bitten in the neck by a sow and carried his head at an angle..... That was in the late 1950s.....