Sunday, December 02, 2007

A better day - Spot the Ball - Water pistols

Picture One is a 'Spot the Ball' competition like they used to run in the Evening Post. Perhaps they still do - it's ages since I read it. So dear reader. There is a ball in the photo but I have'photoshopped' it out. Please try to guess where it is ? Tomorrow I will publish same snap with the ball back in.

While the blogger picture enlargement problem persists my 'workaround' will be to publish the pics. in the body of the blog, as large as I can get them without pixelation. It then doesn't matter much whether or not you try to enlarge them. It will be good when it's fixed though which it isn't yet because I've just checked.

Picture 2 is the Liquidamber, still with some leaves, but suffering. Hasn't he done well ? It's watching Brucie you know. Strictly come Dancing was a nail-biter and as you will see if you open the link Kenny and Ola went out. If you saw the show you might agree that it was a close thing. Letitia stayed in even though in one sequence I thought she looked like a dray horse trying to break into a gallop.

My legs are much much better and I can stand up from a sitting position without having to go through a pain like having a tooth extracted without anaesthetic. I can stand with just a stick for ages, and walked to the front gate to get the footie pictures. My decision to see the doctor tomorrow though still stands (ha ha ha!).

And poor AnonymousRob with shingles. Sooooo painful and debilitating ! If it has kept him away from a camera and his noxious chemicals he must be bad.

I've been contributing some advice in WUforums about the use of 'google advanced search'. And the boolean operators of +, -, 'OR' and ~(tilde) Apparently, with the massive amount of information available on the net people are feeling deluged by the amount of sites google finds for them. When I was chatting to David this morning, about this, he came up with a gorgeous Confucius quote :-

"The foolish man can ask more than the wise man can answer"

I don't mind at all that he has inherited the quotation gene but I am devastated that he seems to have inherited the bad back too. He described his problems in finding a comfortable sleeping position and says he feels he needs the bed equivalent of a spit-roast mechanism to keep turning him over. I know John also suffers as my Dad, Grandad, and most of my Uncles did.

Comments now......With you 100% Jill about waiting till Sunday to discover about Strictly. It would spoil the fun to find out straight away. Wherever you put your name Jill it worked because your comment carried it. I think the trick is to remember to click in the little grey button to the left of the nickname box.

Yours came through loud and clear Bungus. Your comments about knicker-elastic reminded me that extra-strong Stella was reputed to rot it ! Now we shall be in trouble. Thanks for the wiki extract re Newcastle Central Station and I've made that a link for the others.

Madeline. You are right about the cats. It's just that I love the garden birds so much. Instead of a squeezy bottle I think a Mookie Water Pistol might be just the thing. If you open the link and scroll down it's the 'looped trigger' job that appeals. The trouble is it might be such fun I shall be sitting there waiting for a cat to appear ! I speak in jest because I do recognise your sensitivities about cats. I remember your avatars on WUforums, now sadly missed !

AnonymousRob. We will definitely do the St. Pancras thing and I know Bungus feels he won't be up to it but we can always hope. Y is checking out the walking distances involved in getting from one bit to the other but to go to Paris as well would be 'dreamweaver' stuff (What a super name for a bit of software innit?)

Far too much for one day. If you are still with me thanks for your patience. Sleep tight and I'll catch you tomorrow
Bit sedate but it will do.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear about AnonRob’s shingles. I have never yet experienced the affliction but everyone I know who has says it is the most infuriating, unbearable, persistent agony imaginable. (I have only once had a tooth extracted without anaesthetic and they decided to take it out through my backside – well, that’s what it felt like – but that pain, like ripping a cartilage, is over in moments whereas shingles can go on for weeks). I conclude that there are many things more serious but few deserving so much sympathy (cramp is another one, but also over more quickly).


My guess is that the ball is level with the ref’s knees about halfway between him and the player immediately to his left


If the doctor gives you any hassle I should tell her you won’t stand for it.


The ‘Marsden back’ seems to provides yet more proof of the effects of nature as opposed to nurture. Only Dan of Sandra’s brood seems to have inherited that affliction (he had to give up his job for a couple of years because he couldn’t endure the 100 mile a day round trip). He seems to be handling it better now (although not without some suffering) even though it is still Newark/Hereford return. I believe Simon has had some trouble but his general level of peak fitness (still sprinting for the national Fire & Rescue team, as a veteran !) must help.


I remember extra-strong Stella. What a girl!


Rather than a water pistol, may I suggest that a firehose would effectively remove cats from the garden? It would take out the bedding plants as well, of course.

Unknown said...

That's much better! I like the water pistol you linked to, very colourful and probably very effective too. I shall ignore Bungus' suggestion about a fire-hose even though I'm sure he made it with his tongue placed firmly in his cheek!
You mentioned the WU forums, I think it must be nearly 6 months since I posted there. I used to find them friendly and pleasant to use, but in the last year or so, the moderation and attitudes of mods and admins really annoyed me. I'll probably post there again eventually, but only if I can't find an answer to something elsewhere, so don't hold your breath! I prefer to post in forums where people are treated as adults rather than tiresome children who need to be kept in order. I had a few private messages from long-standing members who feel the same.
Back to birds. One thing you have to be aware of is that small birds are prey creatures and cats are predators. I can cope with hungry cats taking a bird sometimes, but I'm not so sanguine about well-fed pets. I have quite often seen a sparrowhawk catch, kill, pluck and eat a collared dove and once a sparrowhawk took a terrified greenfinch. C'est la vie, ou peutĂȘtre la mort!
It reminds me of the poem(?):
Big fleas have little fleas
Upon their backs to bite 'em.
Little fleas have lesser fleas
And so ad infinitum!
Oh dear, my spell checker really doesn't like this comment!

Anonymous said...

I know Y is/was a keen walker but wouldn't it be easier to go from St Pancras to Paris by train?

Rob