Post a good thing that happened in your life today

[Allan Bell]

37 minutes ago, gvallee said:

 

Aww... You're the one who took pity LOL!! Thank you, don't tell anyone.

 

SHhhh.

 

Allan

 

[John Morrison]

1 minute ago, Allan Bell said:

 

SHhhh.

 

Allan

 

 

I suspect a stitch-up. I demand a recount!  😎

 

Good thing? Just had my flu jab. The folk at my local medical centre are drilled like soldiers. I was in and out in two minutes. Hooray for the NHS!

Edited October 2, 2021 by John Morrison

[VbFolly]

24 minutes ago, John Morrison said:

 

I suspect a stitch-up. I demand a recount!  😎

 

Good thing? Just had my flu jab. The folk at my local medical centre are drilled like soldiers. I was in and out in two minutes. Hooray for the NHS!

I was supposed to have my flu jab today, but they cancelled it yesterday for the 2nd time - probably due to the petrol shortages but they didn't give a reason.

[Allan Bell]

1 hour ago, John Morrison said:

 

I suspect a stitch-up. I demand a recount!  😎

 

Good thing? Just had my flu jab. The folk at my local medical centre are drilled like soldiers. I was in and out in two minutes. Hooray for the NHS!

 

You don't need a recount. Romping away. Good luck.

 

Allan

 

[Colblimp]

I saw the new Bond film tonight - No Time To Die. It’s ok, but half an hour too long and the whole story is a bit silly. I’m glad I saw it but I wouldn’t watch it again. 

[Bryan]

8 hours ago, Colblimp said:

I saw the new Bond film tonight - No Time To Die. It’s ok, but half an hour too long and the whole story is a bit silly. I’m glad I saw it but I wouldn’t watch it again. 

Yes you need to switch off your credibility in order to enjoy Bond films, they're fun if silly. I enjoyed reading the books as a youngster, somewhat more gritty than the films. Won't be turning out to see this one, but may watch it on the small screen when it drops down to Freeview - assuming I'm still around !

[Colblimp]

40 minutes ago, Bryan said:

Yes you need to switch off your credibility in order to enjoy Bond films, they're fun if silly. I enjoyed reading the books as a youngster, somewhat more gritty than the films. Won't be turning out to see this one, but may watch it on the small screen when it drops down to Freeview - assuming I'm still around !

No, this HAS to be watched on the big screen. Some of the photography is really rather amazing. Any landscape photographer would drool. 

[Bryan]

44 minutes ago, Colblimp said:

No, this HAS to be watched on the big screen. Some of the photography is really rather amazing. Any landscape photographer would drool. 

 

Sure you're right Andy, but I don't like modern cinemas, the sound is often uncomfortably loud, too much popcorn and generally not my thing. We used to go to an old fashioned low key cinema in Durham, but, like many, it closed. We still have the old style film theatre in Newcastle but I confess  it's ages since we last went. 

[Colblimp]

4 minutes ago, Bryan said:

 

Sure you're right Andy, but I don't like modern cinemas, the sound is often uncomfortably loud, too much popcorn and generally not my thing. We used to go to an old fashioned low key cinema in Durham, but, like many, it closed. We still have the old style film theatre in Newcastle but I confess  it's ages since we last went. 

It’s certainly louder than your telly, but it wasn’t TOO loud last night. The biggest thing that annoys me is other people talking. 😡

[sb photos]

9 minutes ago, Colblimp said:

It’s certainly louder than your telly, but it wasn’t TOO loud last night. The biggest thing that annoys me is other people talking. 😡

 

For me it's the constant rustling of a crisp packet from someone sitting behind.

[Ed Rooney]

 

The last film I watched in a movie house was Road to Perdition in 2003 (?). A good film but I found it disconcerting that Paul Newman, as the head of the Irish mob, was named John Rooney, my father's name. 

 

I'm alway in trouble with constantly changing modern technology, but I've comfortably adjusted to watching videos on a small screen and reading books on a tablet. 

 

 

 

 

[Allan Bell]

For me it is the dirty old man who seeks me out to sit next to.

 

Allan

 

[Ed Rooney]

1 minute ago, Allan Bell said:

For me it is the dirty old man who seeks me out to sit next to.

 

Allan

 

 

I'll try to sit elsewhere, Allan.

[spacecadet]

6 minutes ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

I'll try to sit elsewhere, Allan.

Actual LOL. Thanks, Ed.

[Ed Rooney]

Over the years, I've dipped a toe in a number of creative activities, which I think I've occasionally mentioned in the forum (Constantly mentioned?) 

 

I once tried my hand as a film critic for the Hearst Publishing's website. I reviewed 10 films and said goodbye. I hated doing that. 

 

Edited October 3, 2021 by Ed Rooney

[NYCat]

2 hours ago, Bryan said:

 

Sure you're right Andy, but I don't like modern cinemas, the sound is often uncomfortably loud, too much popcorn and generally not my thing. We used to go to an old fashioned low key cinema in Durham, but, like many, it closed. We still have the old style film theatre in Newcastle but I confess  it's ages since we last went. 

 

We must have very good hearing compared to the rest of the world these days. I also find the sound too loud in almost all movie theaters and it is usually too cold as well. I've learned to bring a sweater and usually wind up stuffing some Kleenex in my ears. Definitely not a comfortable experience. I remember "in the old days" I used to enjoy the previews but now they are even louder than the feature.

 

Paulette

[Allan Bell]

3 hours ago, NYCat said:

 

We must have very good hearing compared to the rest of the world these days. I also find the sound too loud in almost all movie theaters and it is usually too cold as well. I've learned to bring a sweater and usually wind up stuffing some Kleenex in my ears. Definitely not a comfortable experience. I remember "in the old days" I used to enjoy the previews but now they are even louder than the feature.

 

Paulette

 

Similar thing happened one time to my lady friend and me when we went to the Cambridge Arts Theatre to see a musical. (We used to go there quite often.) During the first half the sound was really loud for such a small theatre and we could not hear the words so a group of of the audience, including us, demanded to speak with the manager and producer. They agreed to reduce the sound levels for the second half and it was better but still loud. The outcome, we found out later, was that the actors complained to the producer that they were having difficulty hearing their lead in lines. We did not notice anything wrong.

 

Allan

 

[NYCat]

Everybody is accustomed to amplification nowadays and I miss the sound of the un-amplified human voice. I do get it beautifully with the choral music of the Voices of Ascension. They have four concerts scheduled for 2021-2022. I have missed them.

 

Paulette

[Bryan]

2 hours ago, NYCat said:

Everybody is accustomed to amplification nowadays and I miss the sound of the un-amplified human voice. I do get it beautifully with the choral music of the Voices of Ascension. They have four concerts scheduled for 2021-2022. I have missed them.

 

Paulette

Agreed the human voice is musically tops, but unplugged music a close second.

 

Pre Covid we would search out small local folk venues, a small bookshop, a coffee shop etc where amplification wasn't needed, and the performances normally very good. However the odd one, typically the warm up act,  insisted on using amplification and it was both unnecessary and inappropriate. 

 

My hearing might have been damaged after spending time on engine test beds in a previous life, but I find loud sounds actually painful. 

Edited October 3, 2021 by Bryan

[Betty LaRue]

On 03/10/2021 at 13:12, Bryan said:

Agreed the human voice is musically tops, but unplugged music a close second.

 

Pre Covid we would search out small local folk venues, a small bookshop, a coffee shop etc where amplification wasn't needed, and the performances normally very good. However the odd one, typically the warm up act,  insisted on using amplification and it was both unnecessary and inappropriate. 

 

My hearing might have been damaged after spending time on engine test beds in a previous life, but I find loud sounds actually painful. 

Yes, Bryan. My husband damaged his hearing banging on stones which made a particular loud, sharp high-frequency sound while laying a walk, and forevermore complained of pain from loud sounds.  Some of the sounds, like voices, I didn’t consider that loud. Yet he had trouble understanding dialogue because certain frequencies were muted or lost.

[CAROL SAUNDERS]

Managed to get fuel at my local BP this morning, only about a 5 minute wait.  Feeling liberated again, I then when to Costco, the rest as they say is history😄  I did pass another couple of fuel garages with only short queues, maybe things are getting better.

 

Carol🙏

[Betty LaRue]

I learned on my own to pick the notes of “I’ll Walk the Line” on my guitar last evening. Now to repeat it often enough for it to stick.

[Bryan]

On 05/10/2021 at 18:40, Betty LaRue said:

I learned on my own to pick the notes of “I’ll Walk the Line” on my guitar last evening. Now to repeat it often enough for it to stick.

I find playing by ear to be difficult, I've not got a good memory, and I feel insecure without a sheet of music in front of me, so good for you that you can achieve this.

 

But today's good thing involved my allotment garden - indeed many good things occur there. This year's season is almost at a close, the first frosts are not far away, and all of the tender plants are coming to the end of their lives. I was dragged into a shop by my wife who wanted to buy some boring thing, when I spotted some Aquadulce broad bean seeds being offered at half price. Now Aquadulce is the bean of choice for overwintering in the UK climate. It doesn't always survive the cold, but it will make it through a mild winter. Worth a punt I thought. Previous experience has taught me that germination can be patchy in cold wet soil, so I always start the beans off in the greenhouse. My allotment neighbour gave me a bag full of that most useful commodity, toilet roll tubes, and they provided an excellent biodegradable host for my beans. Great to be sowing a crop at this time of year. Once planted out I might try to protect the beans from the worst of the cold, a snug blanket of horticultural fleece to be applied when the weather does its worst. 

 

Then I tackled an old well established rhubarb bed, but that's another story....

[Betty LaRue]

I had the most delightful day. In the middle of taking out a monarch butterfly into my front garden to release, one of four today,  and getting a picture of it, my next door neighbor Mike wandered over. He and his wife have been great neighbors.

He asked how the guitar playing was coming along. He’s a fabulous guitar player. He’s played in bands and done stage music for musical plays. He got his acoustic and came over to my house. He gave me advice, showed me a few things, but mostly we sat and rapped about music, artists and shared favorite songs. 3 1/2 hours of discourse and fun, with him shredding some licks. He said he’d found a kindred spirit. He has probably 10 guitars, mostly electric but two acoustic.

I played “River of Tears” by Eric Clapton I had on my iPad for him because of the guitar work. While familiar with Clapton and having favorites, he’d not heard that one. He started playing riffs with Clapton’s recording and it was wonderful. By the way, that’s my very favorite Clapton song.

The whole afternoon disappeared and when he went home at 4:30, I had a smile on my face for the rest of the day. Butterflies and guitar music. Can’t beat that much.

And tomorrow I’m having lunch and shopping with my daughter. And it will be a 3 butterfly day, I can see they are about ready.

[Bryan]

4 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

 

He asked how the guitar playing was coming along. He’s a fabulous guitar player. He’s played in bands and done stage music for musical plays. He got his acoustic and came over to my house. He gave me advice, showed me a few things, but mostly we sat and rapped about music, artists and shared favorite songs. 3 1/2 hours of discourse and fun, with him shredding some licks. He said he’d found a kindred spirit. He has probably 10 guitars, mostly electric but two acoustic.

 

Music helped get us through the lockdowns, I regret that our grandchildren haven't been pushed to learn an instrument - as yet.

 

In my youth most households would include a person or people who could play. My dad played the clarinet, mouth organ and latterly the guitar, while my wife's family had a piano and her uncle played the banjo. We had been playing at Washington Old Hall, but that had to stop because of Covid. However we have been allowed back since the summer, first playing in the garden, then in the hall itself. Sadly, due to the financial losses incurred during lockdown, the Hall is closing over winter and will be shutting at the end of October.  A couple of weeks ago a bloke asked if we had any CDs, an incredible complement for couple of very amateurish musicians. In truth if you confine yourself to pieces that are not too difficult and don't try to play too fast, even the most untalented can make a satisfactory sound. 😉

Edited October 7, 2021 by Bryan