Let's start a Friday thread

[An Tarbh Dubh]

Well, the Tuesday one carried on for a while, but it's now Friday and that doesn't start with the letter T, so maybe time for a new one

A large entry all ready to set off on three days rallying in Donegal. But a bit of a problem on one of the stages already: apparently a delivery man was trying to make a delivery before the roads were closed (as he was fully entitled to!), and was remonstrated with by a "press" representative - who then scarpered (I gather the language was a little rough). So now the organisers are having to soothe ruffled feathers and try and get him to move his truck, pretty please?

Have a good day everyone, and a great week-end.

[Rwth of Cornovii]

Phew! I thought I had broken it!

It's been an interesting day. I had a phone call this morning to pre-pone my appointment with the hip replacement consultant by a month, so it's at the end of this month instead of next. I also got round to ringing the garage about the Volvo, and he can fit me in on Tuesday afternoon. The very time my book group is meeting not very far away, so I can do some duo-monolithic avicide, even if the walk is likely to be a bit much. I had good news earlier in the week too from of all people, the DWP, so I'm a fairly happy bunny at the moment.

I'm glad the meeting is going well. Hope 3 Wells comfort is standing up to things.

[Brians Cravat]

I'm all for a Friday thread.

I've exchanged e-mails with a poster that I consider to be a friend. She expressed the hope that I might join some of the refugees from Sue's, either in Peet's or on The Archers in Mustardland board. I explained that the former is not the best format for someone like me who often uses a smart phone for posting. The latter however had, I explained made me angry.

I have heard/read some unhappiness expressed about 'Bowmanland'. Not everyone appears happy with it.

Enjoy your weekends, whatever you are up to. We have our granddaughters staying overnight. That's always a thrill for all involved: DES and DiL who get a few hours to visit 'Gardeners World Live' at the NEC, the Good Lady Cravat and I love having them and, the girls themselves who perhaps get away with stuff that they can't do at home.

Sunday sees us invited to our daughter's home for Father's Day barbecue. So, interesting times at Castle Cravat.

[An Tarbh Dubh]

There's the nice thing about being Grandad and Granny .... you can hand them back to their parents afterwards . Enjoy the grand-parenting week-end, and here's hoping you get good barbecue weather - or barbecue anyway! (I think my best experience of BBQ in sub-optimal conditions was in a snowstorm, temperature -19 degrees (C)).

[Brians Cravat]

EB, you're absolutely correct about being grandparents except, nights like tonight. They're sleeping over. That means they get to stay up later and, it's a cast-iron certainty that, they'll be running round the walls at 5:30 in the morning. Love having them though.

I am not the greatest fan of barbecues. Food is either barely cooked or, coated with carbon. As for the wasps, well!

[goodlookingone]

A quick Lurk... Not looked in this thread before...

Never been involved in Car Rallies (My car was before I owned it; Monte Carlo Rally, Prepped for Coronation Year, Then got "Ousted by the new Model). But... Three of us (The Gang who organised the Essex Monthly Ramble) We had a go at Walking Ramble. We didn't want a Bunch gathering together, so arranged Four Different starting points in a circular walk, But each of the four points had People sent in Opposite Direction. So 8 sets of questions to form direction, and to form a competitive element,,,
We decided to shorten the route so went to the Finishing pub expecting an 16:00 arrival ... First arrived some tome after 20:00.

[Rwth of Cornovii]

Oh dear GLO! That sounds a bit slow. I did enjoy a treasure hunt in cars with silly clues, and often the answers are standard. A pair of green knickers was 2 pound notes, and a soldier in uniform was Wellington on the £5 note.

Our most successful barbecues were both breakfast ones. The grass verge by Sherwood Forest on Good Friday on our way to the North York Moors. All the trimmings and home made Hot Cross Buns too. The other one was at Nimmings Car Park picnic area on Clent for OH's 60th birthday in late May, a year early. Again all the trimmings, and not a sign that we had been there. The real 60th birthday we tried to celebrate at Milldale on the River Dove, but the single use barbecue kit we had bought from the Co-op wouldn't stay lit. No idea what happened there. We did manage to get some food from the shop so had a decent picnic lunch down river, but repeated our triumph on Clent the next year. My birthday is in January, and doesn't lend itself to outdoor celebrations. Maybe I'll have an picnic breakfast next week on the way to meet my sister in the Cotswolds,

[Brians Cravat]

Car treasure hunts are good fun. As you say Rwth, silly clues add to the fun. Recall one around Bridgnorth in Shropshire where the first clue was 'One-legged friar got on the bus.' Monkhopton was the answer,of course. Most recent experience of silly clues was on the recent river cruise. They had a formal quiz a few days previously but the second one was somewhat more obscure. A person sitting next to me was perplexed by the question "Why can't a man living in York be buried west of the Trent?" This guy started off on some strange flight of fancy about Yorkshire people not being allowed to be buried west of the Pennines. The fact that the man in the question was living in York had not occurred to him.

[An Tarbh Dubh]

That's like the old one: if there's a plane crash in no-man's land between two countries, in which country do you bury the survivors?

Years ago, the "historic" competitors in car rallies where a law unto themselves ... compiling results for them was something of a challenge. First challenge: find out which pub they've decided to finish up at (since they tended to take the official route more as a sort of handy guideline rather than the strict schedule it's supposed to be). Then, find out who they have decided on as their spokesperson for the day. And then, inquire which prizes did they want given to whom? Since what they thought was "fair" rarely had anything to do with any objective measurements like stage times! They have become rather more competitive these days though.

[Brians Cravat]

EB, hasn't everything become more competitive? I 'm currently in the same room as a 7 year-old and a 3 year old playing snap. This far there has been tears, triumphant shouts of joy. Anyone would think that it was a matter of life and death. It's clearly more important than that.

When it comes to 'trick' questions, many of them rely on the fact that people hear the question but don't listen. When I worked in the training sector, one of the 'Ice breakers' that I saw used involved the speaker reading out half a page of text, having asked the audience to count how times the letter 'F' is used in the text. The truth is that they mostly miss the letter 'F' in the word 'of'. This is because that word has a 'v' sound that few of them associate with the letter 'F'. Ask them to read it and, the result is totally different.

[Threewellsofmyown]

As an aside that bull of mine gets fed from the BBQ most evenings from April to the end of September

As the range is in a smallish room with no ventilation or extractor fan it is too darned hot to cook indoors for the late spring summer and early autumn months

Some day he will learn that I can and do prepare full meals on the BBQ - cooked properly and hot when served

Beer can chicken is great fun

Take a chicken and a can of beer and open the beer and drink a mouthful or two

Place raw chicken on top of the can leg end down and pull it so the can is sort of in the cavity of the hen

Season the bird and place can on BBQ grill

Put lid over and leave for 15 minutes per lb then check

If the juices run clear when you stick a skewer in the thickest part of the bird the chicken is ready to serve

It cooks quite fast as the beer boils and steams the bird from the inside as well as roasting from the outside

[An Tarbh Dubh]

Trick questions ("fool-the-brain"):

What are windows made of? Glass.
What is a greenhouse made of? Glass.
What are wine-bottles made of? Glass.
What does an electric cooker run on? Gas .... er ..........

Ain't the brain a marvelous thing?

[Rwth of Cornovii]

Our local bus driver drove me almost mad with the question "What's three thirds of fourpence?" I nearly turned my brain inside out just doing the calculation, then when I reached the only possible answer, I had to admit that even apparently uneducated adults had more about them than you'd think.

[Threewellsofmyown]

Good morning from a slightly warm and humid rally office

If horses sweat and gentlemen perspire while ladies glowI am er glowing like a pig and clutching my inhaler while that thur bull is huddled into his fleece

In winter he ambles around in a T shirt

[Rwth of Cornovii]

Our thermostats are rarely 'fit for purpose', are they! I can cope with most temperatures except summer evenings that have me crouching in my chair, almost shivering while I carry on with what I was doing. Sir Billy Connolly said while disrobing in the Arctic, "There's no such thing as weather, only the wrong clothes".

[goodlookingone]

I think i was said before Sir Billy... Baden Powell??? Wainwright??? That Rescue Bloke in The Peak District - That sort of vintage.

Hows things? I've been a bit distracted recently.

[Threewellsofmyown]

I have to giggle with my friend who never ever wears less than four layers of clothing

With woolly hats and gloves and coat if she ventures out of the house to get fuel in for the stove

So I can be quite happy in shorts and a vest top while B will be in a vest a long sleeve t shirt a jumper and a cardigan!!!!

I will be nice and comfy while she shivers beside me

I was dragged up on the north coast which is noticeably colder than our home area now is

Those degrees of latitude really matter

And we are close to the sea with the Gulf stream acting as a big radiator for us

Hence I am usually quite comfy in fewer layers

[goodlookingone]

Just been shopping... Something really odd.. Two ambulances in the Bus Station, so it took a delay before Bus could get out. so .. PEOPLE WERE ACTUALLY TALKING TO EAXCH OTHER... Can you imagine sucha a thing. Things like "Ant it ot?"
to which can only repy: "Yes, just like the middle of June".

[Threewellsofmyown]

GLO

In Ireland (rural Ireland where we live anyway) the problem is to escape folk talking to you!

[Rwth of Cornovii]

I lived in a fairly rural area. My mother couldn't walk down the street in the local small town without stopping or being stopped by other locals determined to chat. It would take about 90 minutes to walk 400 yards. She sent us to do the shopping as soon as we were big enough. I was addicted to Mars Bars which were on ration, and to small glass dishes which were not. We would add to our collection of butter dishes or small casseroles whenever I was sent. It took her a while to get through to me that a present bought with her money wasn't a present. I thought I had the last word. "It's the thought that counts." The same people would accost me but I never recognised them and conversation was thus curtailed. "You may not know me, but I know you, and I know your mother."