Good Morning Tuesday, 25th February 2025

[Bruce]

Good morning all on a rather warm humid but overcast day.

Had a very frustrating morning, went to get my car out to go to an appointment and bugger me if there wasn’t a ute blocking my drive.

Rang the police to get it moved but the bloke turned up so I helped him start it. with my jumper leads. When the police turned up I just thanked them and said he had gone.

Later mowed the grass and a bit of the council property that I like to keep clear, then it was out with the cheap Chinese Roundup to get rid of some weeds. The rest is growing beautifully

It has been a busy morning.

Have a lovely Tuesday.

Take care…

[LookingForward]

Hello Hi, from upside down US. Hope everyone reading is doing well. Bruce, sorry to hear about the rough start of the day.

Been wondering most of the weekend how in a month and a half, a takedown of governmental entities and functions happened. I had not envisioned such speed in the effect it would have on my twenty-year old children.

Another dismal display, the US voting with Russia…hmmm wonder whats up there.

Happy Tues.

[SheilaP]

Morning all – lovely sunny start to the day – although we are forecast some rain later (of course we are!)

Had a very frustrating start to the day yesterday. My bank had sent a bank statement to my old address (all previous correspondence has come to my current address) The only contact is via their “chat” feature on their website. First I was “talking” to a virtual assistant until I eventually got put through to a real person. After half an hour of answering his questions, him often disappearing for 10 minutes at a time before coming back, he finally gave me a complaint number. I asked if that meant the address had been corrected – no that was just the number given to my complaint!! More questions, more waiting while he disappeared (either dealing with other customers or off for a coffee break), after another hour he finally asked my permission to remove the wrong address!!! I am still not confident it has been dealt with!

I was cheered up when one of my sisters-in-law dropped in for a coffee and a chat later in the afternoon. I think she was looking for a bit of peace and quiet because her son and his girlfriend have moved back from London and are staying with them also her daughter and her 5 year old grandson are staying while her house is being renovated!

Plans for today are a visit to the cemetery, also to go back to the kind pharmacist to see if he can recommend anything else to unblock my sinus as I am still deaf in one ear!

Take care – hope everyone has a lovely day

[Eliza]

Good morning all ,

@Bruce looked like he was trying to park on your drive , (drunkenly )… he left it at an

awkward angle .

Hello to @LookingForward , nice to see you posting here .

@SheilaP what a palaver you had with the bank , so annoy when they leave you hanging

on the phone .Did they give you some nice music to listen to.

Ive nothing planned , so the day could go anyway .

Enjoy your day all

[SheilaP]

Not a phone call unfortunately, that would have been easier and quicker, all done on the “online chat”

[OldGreyFox]

Afternoon Everyone, worry thee not, Bob’s here…
Where did yesterday go? Had a good long lie in after suffering an attack of gout in my knee that kept me awake half the night. A couple of Ibuprofen did the trick and I slept like a baby…

I think it must be the change of medication that done it…

Anyway I’ve stopped taking the what I think it was and see what happens, it certainly is the mother of all pain and the strange thing is, it comes on at night but once I’m up and about it goes off…
After another painful night I awoke with a simmering knee but decided to go for my walk anyway. Clear blue sky, sun shining, and although a nippy 5 degrees C I pulled on the shorts and set off. The pain had virtually worn off after the first mile and enjoyed the rest of the walk.
I’ll sit here for a while after my porridge and and a fistfull of custard cream dunking biscuits and see what happens…
Must be a right pain Bruce to find you can’t get your motor out when someone blocks your drive, we live in a cul-de-sac and people prefer to park on the narrow road rather than on their drives (mostly doddering old folk who daren’t take the risk) so it’s like driving a slalom course getting out of the street…
Banks and shops of the future Sheila, everything done on the internet and mostly on yer phone. I hate it because I lived when life was good and communicating was face to face and cash was king. Kids don’t know what life was like and so accept it now…The smartphone is more important than your neighbour now.

[Surfermom]

Good morning from cetaceous Florida!

It is hard to tell in the photo below because they are trying to be so stealth-like, but there is a pod of three dolphins out back working cooperatively to catch breakfast. Two are going clockwise, and the other is swimming counterclockwise. When they are cleverly in the position of being farthest from the shore and each other, they somehow know to rush shoreward at the same time to trap the fish and catch a few in a frenzied rush. Their cooperative activity is absolutely marvelous to watch!

Alas, I have my own fish to fry so I am off to the university before heading to a fabric shop an hour away. Astounded at the price of throw pillows and bedding, I’ve decided to break out the sewing machine and sew my own. Like the dolphins, necessity (or poverty) breeds creativity, so if you hear mumbling and from afar about broken needles, getting the tension on the machine right, and otherwise bungling up the threading… that is me you hear! If only I had a cooperative dolphin to assist…

@Bruce, that was a good turn of you to help out the source of your problem, and hopefully the guy will solve his battery or alternator issues. Interesting model; if that’s a Mitsubishi, they don’t ship those compact trucks over here.

@SheilaP, how nice that your SIL visited. I am sure she is glad to have her family around, but it sounds like she is experiencing a little, “Be careful what you wish for.”

@Eliza, I envy your day of freedom! I have no idea what that looks like. Have fun for me too

@OldGreyFox, well, you should have given me a call as I was likewise up most of the night with a case of gout brain - too many ideas crystallizing in my head . I am not a worrier, so I am not sure what fired all that up, but I have a perfectly dusted house as a result. Seriously though, I am sorry your knee has decided to pile on. Ibuprofen works wonders and, at least for me, stimulates good dreams because it promotes such good deep sleep. Motion is the secret to the universe, too bad motion is also ever in the direction of chaos .

The sun is shining, all is well in the USA and I hope you all have a fine rest of this late February day!

[Rose2]

Good afternoon from drizzly Italy, not too cold at least. Just some shopping this morning, sitting by the fireplace at the moment, just resting from doing nothing!
@Surfermom, I can’t identify the dolphins but it must have been a beautiful sight.
I agree, ibuprofen works wonders for excruciating pain, like when I had sciatica a few years ago, it lasted six whole weeks, could hardly walk, my husband had to even carry me down the stairs one morning!

I know how you feel @SheilaP, I consider it a miracle when reporting internet problems or other breakages and I finally get a human being on the phone, I couldn’t believe it when I managed to speak to a very kind young lady when I had a query on my gas bill. When she answered, after lots of recorded silly stuff, I made an effort to stop myself asking her : “WOW, are you really human?”. I just thanked her enormously for her kindness, my problem was sorted out instantly.

Are all of you really human? I am, honest! Of course, we all are, just a bit of humor.

[Ripple]

Afternoon all
I’m keeping my fingers crossed for clear skies tonight, it’s been too cloudy for stargazing the parade of the planets .

Mr Fox I’m so sorry to read you’ve not been well .

Wishing everyone clear blue skies . Xx

[Besoeker]

Hi Mr Foxy. I’m sorry about your ailments but you still do you do the miles !!
We walk quite a lot - the wee dog makes sure of that !

[Bruce]

@Surfermom

Interesting model; if that’s a Mitsubishi, they don’t ship those compact trucks over here.

It’s actually a Holden ute, no longer made, the brand has been abandoned, Australia no longer makes cars they are all imported.

My son used to have one, his first new car. They are considered a sports car by the insurance companies

[Bruce]

@OldGreyFox

Had a good long lie in after suffering an attack of gout in my knee that kept me awake half the night. A couple of Ibuprofen did the trick and I slept like a baby…

You are having a bad trot at the moment. I have never had gout but I know from friends who have that it is debilitating.

Glad that you can get out for your walks though.

Chin up!

[scot37]

@OldGreyFox

A couple of Ibuprofen did the trick and I slept like a baby…

Ibuprofen is supposed to be bad for anyone with heart problems but I suppose a couple now and again should be okay.

[Bruce]

Doesn’t do your kidneys any favours either.

One of its benefits is as an anti-inflammatory, after the debacle of Vioxx I take it occasionally (as Brufen) for my back when it is not bad enough for the real painkillers like oxycontin.

[OldGreyFox]

@scot37

Ibuprofen is supposed to be bad for anyone with heart problems but I suppose a couple now and again should be okay.

@Bruce

Doesn’t do your kidneys any favours either.

Yeah, unfortunately you are both right and my kidneys are probably responsible for not clearing out the uric acid fast enough so it builds up in the bloodstream and crystalizes in the joints…Ouch! The pain is so excruciating I would imagine its what childbirth feels like…