Alt.Mustardland

Hi. Think I'll open an April Fools Calender Post. See yo thereb in av minute.

Are you renewing wit the same company?

I got waylaid with the FSC website.They sell lots of guides on anything in the wildlife field you can possibly imagine, including trees.

When you were working with two other people who were named after you, was that when you were identified as "the good looking one"?
Generally speaking, I think own brands are made by Northern Foods, but the Tesco version of Cassie's food may be made by Butchers. Seems to be the same thing from the smell.

I'm sorry your sister is having so much difficulty with shopping. If she shows ID as NHS staff they may fall over themselves to help, but there are some sick morons for whom it works the other way. Not many of those I hope.

Thanks for that - afraid I got waylaid.
However, I tried to use a camera to get a photo, I have charged the camera battery, but I cannot find theb whatever-its-called to load the camera (or the card) to the computer - seems to have a different plug-socket to anything else.

MIGHT BE ash, or not? the leaves aren't all the same shape - some are heart shaped, but My guess is that the leaves are still growing and not yet reached their final shape/size. - not all are the same size.

Possibly a lime or an ash? Try here for clues:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/how-to-identify-trees/

HELP.....
Got a problem. For various reasons (too complicated to go into) My House Insurance renewal got a last minute delay. A Possible insurer wants to know the type of tree growing in my garden, near to the House.
Does anyone know how to identify it.

All in feet and inches I'm afraid. No metricals in this house.

Its about 15 - 20 feet high.
Trunk about 9 inches Diameter/36 inches circumf
Bark, Very rough, with vertical grooves about an inch apart.
A few green leaves on each twig, Each leave almost heart shaped tapering down to its stem, serated edges.
leaves about an inch wide, possibly one and a half inches long excluding the stem, one to five leaves on each stem, and several stems from a slightly larger stem.
(but remember time of year, probably not fully grown)

Hi!
My pooter went "belly-up" - seems to be a Keyboard failure (it started by mixing upper and lowercase Characters randomly - which was a problem as I needed Passwords and so on, to renew my house insurance). I tried to restart, BIG MISTAKE. This pre-historic steam-fired computer was Rebuilt as a Physiotheray workshop by a disabled Group. .. Fine, except that the County did the loading of their (cut price I think) Window seven, AND put a Security start-up that needs a Password entered before one can start. As the Keyboard did not work I had to buy another keyboard - Not easy with the Limited access to shops. New keyboards are without cables, and use "Wireless connection to the computer", So my first attempt still wouldnt get through whatever devices the expired keyboard used.
Got it working but I'm not in a good mood - - Much to get done on the Last day of March - But I needs a good nights sleep first.

My Kid Sister works (and Lives) in the Greater London Area. She Works in a Hospital (Near Ilford) and is conceerned about the lack of Face Masks etc., as she is saying that the Building is now Crowded with Patients, Ambulance Crew, and so on. She seems to have Patients or Prospective Patients and their Carers displaced from other Hospitals, although Her own Site have ceased taking ICU of conventional needs, to use that dept for the Cornoavirus expected crowds. .. not to mention Staff shortages so The queues of incomers and outpatients are cluttering the place. Hence she only gets Late to get Shopping and in the "one person out - new shoppers must queue".. And shortages must visit more than one supermarket to try her needs. (e.g., the Milk Depot - From just North of Cambridge - only have Two drivers for E London instead of three, thus One supermarket lacks a delivrery - Ditto to Fruit, dittoo for..... etc). Shortage of Bus drivers making Evening Shopping more difficult to visit more than one Supermarket.

I don't know Which petfood maker also makes the "Own Brands", But In my "working days" I remembered that makers of Human Foods (Heinz, Joe Lyons, Cross and Blackwell) did make other Brands products but with Different Recipes. You wouldn't believe the rapid changes of my Namesake ([i]Harris*[/i] Pork and Bacon) Bacon Curing ... Mark and Spencer even needed different salt bath containers.... Now I've gone off topic again - I was just remembering the Milk bottling factory .... All came out of thge same processing tanks (Irrespective of whether it was Local Farms, or Tankers From Europe via the Ferry), but some shops (M & S, Waitrose) wanted a much "shorter" use-by date. ......

No Good - My mind wandering - I'll disappear for the night...

Goodnight.

* P.S. Not only was the same surname as me, BUT, both the Manager, and the Accountant with whom I was working for, BOTH had my Same Suename AND Forename. Made it awkward to Submit Their Signatures on my Time-sheets for my Agency. What's the chances of that Coincidence?

Goodnight again.

Own Brand does have plenty of jelly, but who knows what they use to pad out loaf food? I think own brand is all made by the same company with slightly different recipes. I give Cassie half and half mixer and meat. The mixer (Wagg) is allegedly 'complete'. We used to feed earlier border collies on basic Vitalin. They seemed very active and shiny, but Cassie was never keen on it. Blunders first got Wagg for her and she seemed to like it. Her favourite thing is British Brie. But as a treat. Not available last time when I looked, sadly.

I don't think I can justify a 32 mile round trip to the nearest Halifax, though I get my petrol in Bridgwater. My gardener is covering his gardening work with shopping trips. If I ask him to bring me a quiche from the bakery and some yeast, he can come and do some more work in the garden. We'll have to sit a metre away from and opposite the bistro table at coffee time.

That Damn Moggy of mine. I have told his benefactors that He doesn't eat "Dry" food. Just to prove me wrong, He tore open the dry food and raided it .... But when I offered him some, He left it.
I also said that the "own brand" cat food had minimal meat and much Jelly .... Proved wrong again - The recently opened pouch had LOTS of meat. Something odd about their quality control.

Gotta go, He is sitting beside me in Head-butting mode - Like an irate Diner demanding the waiter to serve him. ..... I know my place.

Just had to go out to see Bank. Minimal customers in My Bank, (Halifax) but easily outnumbered by staff - some of whom I had never seen before. (I didn't want money, but the afore mentioned change of address has caused problems and I need some evidence to prove who I am). But I noted the Other Banks (Lloyds, Natwest, Sanander) all had doormen to control the number of customers, queueing down the pavement at about 10 feet spacing. So was ASDA, but with a much longer queue = abpot 12 shop widths long, but of course, with 10 ft spacing the queue was not too many people.

PS. I MUST learn to type - Possibly using two fingers instead of one.

The Filiing cabinet(s) and a lot of the clutter has gone. - only noticed by the timber scraping agaist my wall - but it actually sound as though the removers have just chucked some of it back into the house???? No Lorry??? So I guess there have been complaints about blocking the footpath.

Shopping had been easier. but since then the Town Centre Bus Station is now a Parking Place for Many (now unused) buses - including a Fleet of NEW Shiny Blue buses (with lots of Luggage shelving) for the Airport Holiday runs ?????? The local buses seemed to have been "Condensed" into only the two "Doorways from Shops to bus" out of the 12 Bays. Looks like all routes to my end of town at one bay, and all in the other direction (Towards Mr Legs & Karmik Chris) end of town.

I don't want to give Catfood to Cats Protection or PDSA Hospital, when it is the Kind folk of "Purrs" provided it. I'm trying to get The Lady Neighbour to keep me in touch with them, to make it clear that it is available to them... assuming that availability becomes available again.

When I went to the bank a few days ago there was a definate shortage of staff to watvch me suspiciously, but I noted that NatWest had a doorman, limiting the number of customers whilst the Latter queued accros the paving - at ^ feet spaces between them.

Yes we can get out, but I time my forays for approaching dusk, about when everyone is having their tea. Shopping is easier then too. I received my instruction today from HMG by text to stay at home. I stopped socialising a fortnight ago

Today I walked round my garden enjoying the spring. Very excited to see a couple of clumps of fritillarias, so posted pics on Facebook. It's always difficult to get photographs of violets and bluebells, and my best pics of the latter were taken while it was raining, last year.

When Cassie went toddling off after her stroke she turned up at Cats protection where they treated her with love and anxiety thinking she'd been hit by a car. I gave them some cat food, so if there is a local branch they might be grateful if you have a surplus.

I could do with another filing cabinet and accoutrements so was just a little envious of the fortuitous bounty that has come your way. You could probably do with one to organise your paperwork.

This is a second attempt to post what I had typed earlier today.

Yes, things have quitened down beyond exchanging minor discomfort. I assume you can get to buy food and essentials.
Last Fridays "stock up" encountered Sparse hunter-gathering, involving supplementary visits to more distant supermarkets. Each seemed to be in different "Cycles" of deliveries to each dept. (i.e., Thousands of Mutherng Days flowers but no Fruit? and plenty of fruit at another, but no bread).

I Bumped into a near neighbour (She is a Child minder and was "stocking up). I mentioned trouble getting catfood. Could only get "own brand" More Gloop/Jelly than meat, So I had to buy a Brand more expensive than usual brands, so that I could balance the two extremes between meals. Merely a "passing the time of day problem" We had only just stopped to exchange views of the enormous amount of "stuff" that had been dumped around my house - seems that my immediate neighbour has gone. - back to back with my house by being in the next courtyard. (There was a very nice fairly new woodturning Lathe on the back of one lorryload). This is an all pedestrian estate (Blollards preventing any vehicle wider than the sweepers vac m/c/rubish collector lectric) so the path into the next courtyard which goes under my upstairs story is forming a sheltered store for removed Furniture/broken furniture/matresses/Carpets/File boxes/Filing cabinets/unrecognisable electrical gear and... and...) - including an old writing bureau (soon snaffled) - and not started on his Garden yet, which is covered in Sheds - Which incudes the shedroof-mounted windmill (for electric power)Which I'd asked the Council to remove because the rotating blades produced a Sunlight Flashng frequency into my Lounge (distracting and tiring).

Where was I? Oh yes, On Monday I found a Note through my door (addressed to my cat?), telling me to call as an even more distant neighbour (unknown to me) was "Animal Mad" and had left some cat food for Ginger George. So I called her - an Outfit called "[i]Purrs[/i]" had left supplies - unknown to me, but Coockiepus tells me that [i]Purrs[/i] is a cat homing place in Romford (15 miles from here). Thus Neighbour and the Child she was Caring for brought me:
A catering pack of mixed variety of 84 pouches of Whska's catfood,
Three boxes of (12 pouches per box) Felix Catfood,
Two large packs of Dryfood cat biscuits (different brands),
A box of teabags,
a pack of (human not cat) Biscuits,
tin of Baked Beans (not eaten them since I was a Kid)
& ..... two toilet rolls.....

All very thoughtful, BUT... I had just bought a box of the afore mentioned Gloopy catfood (48 pouches for a possibly looong interval before another purchase) and a Second box (afore mentioned) of more palalable catfood to alternate (also 48 pouches), and I was not completey out of stock even before those recent purchases (I was aware of the "expected" Shortage), so I seem to have weeeks of moggy food here, and I am feeling embarrased/guilty of this feline wealth. The Vast amount of Dry food especially, as His Gingerness is somewhat fixed in his ways as one would expect from a 23 year old cat, and passionately refuses Dryfood. A big cat who needs 4 pouches of food a day (reduced to alternated 4 per day, and only 3 per day during warmer weather)
I have posted a note into the Neighbours door, asking to profusely thank her "[i]Purrs[/i]" contact for her thoughtfullness but I'm quite happy to share the Bounty with any nearby hungry cats: What else can I do?

I assume that you (and Cassie) can get out for a walk. I used to get up to walk through .. well it is a Country Park (no tarmac paths, nor spoerts, pitches or playgrounds, and about 50% woodland) but is officially a "Nature reserve", nearby. Unfortunately The pedestrian Railway crossing is now closed, and necessitates a walk over the railway bridge and through the housing estate before it gets pleasant, and the (only) bus to the top of Langdon Heights is now on a reduced/unknown frequency.

I'm locked down. I was going to meet my sister at Westonbirt tomorrow but we agreed last night that it was better not. I joined Gareth Malone's Choir today, even though I missed the first rehearsal, my daughter sent me the link and I caught up later on You Tube.

I sent a message to my nephew in Spain. He's well, but locked down. He used to go out to coffee and lunch with friends so he's a bit lonely, I think. I sent him some genealogy files so it will be a while before he gets back to me.

Professor Sue Black is chair at Dundee University. She's been on Desert Island Discs. Prof Hunter was at Bradford University but took the chair of Archaeology at Birmingham University. Just before my last year at Birmingham.

Cassie is fine. We went to Webbers Post below Dunkery Beacon for our walk and we left a donation of hair for birds nests after I gave her a good brushing.

The Proff who's name you Mention is ... well, not known to me, but I have heard of her.

I'm feeling suddenly Tired, so I'll say no more until I can get more sleeps. How is Cassie now?

We Editors must mock unsavoury political acts so that they don't go unnoticed. It is a sacred task. Besides, many good politicians try their best and should also be lauded. Most politicians start out with good intentions but the Whip system starts the downward slide.

In my work as temporary secretary at a Mental Hospital I typed up notes about a child abuser who had had a sad childhood being abused horribly by his family and others, so I understand that there is sometimes more to some tales than appears to be the case.

I did a course online in Forensic Archaeology by Prof Sue Black where we solved a (fictitious ) murder. It made up for not being able to do that module at university because of a timetable clash with my major subject. I went to a couple of day lectures from the Prof of my dept John Hunter who was also a specialist.

Mocking Pollyticians - That must be difficult?
I have met the odd MP (some VERY Odd), but some were actually useful, and some were even attempting to do good for the community - or at least, finding some common ground between opinions - The Recent (now deceased alas) Teddy T (Southend) was a good bod who actually spoke to his electorate, and a Good emmloyer to boot. Even some Local Gov bods are also honest, but I'm far from convinced that they have any real-life idea of Management. I also recall a ... shall we say "weak" ...MP who used to visit my boss when I worked in a ball-bearing factory in Chelmsford (odd how He only turned up when work on the RB2-11 Engines - Rolls-Royce-remember Concord?- was newsworthy). But He (MP) was accussed of nasty things which he ignored - Only recently disproved... far too late.

The Talk at Southend (if I can find the Universary - they have taken the name of a former Forum that I could find easily ) is only a one day course.

I also want to get to another Lecture at a different College in Southend later this month. A bit Gory, but it involves (very vaguely) in a couple of jobs a Did for NHS ... One of those jobs was surveying what/How Records hads to be removed out of London (The 250 year old patient record was just a single line in a book for each patient?), and the Second job I did was in another Hospital: our office was once the Home of a Royalness Who "May" have been involved in the Deaths of some of the records that had been in the Whitechapel Hospital.

Iv'e been a co-editor of a local magazine which took the mickey out of local politicians one of whom was leader of the city council. Over a couple of years the power shifted to the opposite camp. We mocked the corruption and the lack of accountability of the Business district and that went well. We printed hard co[y and there was a website, and my other editor said we were getting hits from Canberra, Langley, Moscow and Beijing,

When I came here I said to someone in the parish, that I'd really like to edit the Parish Magazine and she said she knew the current editor wanted to give up and find someone else to do it. I reassured the rector that we wouldn't be controversial, but encouraging people to be nice to each other is pretty revolutionary, and I'm into the 4th year of doing it. The meeting was for established editors to exchange good practice. One woman was doing it all herself, but we have a good team of people contributing, checking and distributing. We have an advertising manager who also designs the covers.

I hope you enjoy the course and don't sink without trace.

Gotta go - only one bus an hour to Doc's.
I eventualy got a Ticket (£1) to Lecture Re The HMS London - (Sunk in the Thames) on Saturday - but what a convoluted way to get a ticket - several link's including E-Mail a place called USA.
So are you now an Editor - You'll be Famous - I've only met two Editors before - My Cousin was Editor of a Cycling Club (in his Later years He was Editor of a Model Boat club), and My Colleague Fiona was an Editor of A Ladies Mag called "Good Housekeeping"... Neither publications showed much here???? Hope Yours goes well.

It's a bit far for me. If it was in the Bristol Channel I might be tempted.

I went to a parish magazine editor's training this morning. The road was slightly flooded in places, but only shallowly, and it has almost dispersed on the way back. I had a rest on the bed in preparation for tonight's quiz. Our favourite opponents won but fed us well. I'll take my blood pressure and go to bed now.