Post a bad thing that happened in your life today

[Bryan]

7 hours ago, Harry Harrison said:

I bought a 1.8kw 40cms Makita UC4041A for around £100 for a similar task last year, it seems to have gone up a bit now though, hasn't everything?* It was much better than I was expecting and I've easily logged a couple of fairly substantial fallen trees in no time at all. Easily paid for itself several times over. Roots are tricky as the chain is easily blunted by contact with a stone of course.

 

* No, actually stock photo prices haven't gone up.

Bought a mains powered cheap saw from Screwfix this morning, circa £55 plus some chain oil £6.  So not as good as yours, but for a one off job it worked splendidly.  We took out a large conifer a few months ago using hand tools and it took three days. This time the plum tree was out in about 4 hours, including most of the roots. Needing a rest now mind.

 

No missing body parts, as far as I am aware 🙃

[wiskerke]

3 hours ago, Allan Bell said:

 

Not to do with phone queues but what I dislike is when I renew my car insurance and they tell me it has gone up by 75%.

 

I ask,   "Why it has gone up so much?"

 

The stock reply is,  "There has been a big increase in theft and damage to your model of car in your area."

 

I ask,   "Why does your company instruct you to respond with that statement EVERY time I ask about the increase?"

 

"SILENCE"     then   ERrrr!

 

I always get a big reduction in the increase.

 

Allan

 

Now how to take a photo of that. And of phone queue. 2,979 images for phone queue on Alamy. Almost all of a line of people with their phone. Some really good.

But if this problem resonates so strongly with all you Brits, it must be a good subject. Hmm maybe not. Very few searches for %phone%queue% and none for %queue%phone%.

Negative stuff just doesn't sell as well as positive. Otoh maybe it's just the wrong search phrase.

 

wim

[Rebecca Ore]

On 28/04/2023 at 09:01, Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg said:

...& now online co-workers, ✍___✍___✍___✍___✍

 

PLAN C : (wifey don't want our first road trip in some time to be so long in time AND distance)

 

16 nights, 2-4 nights each in one or more of these, or other nearby, urban areas,

Jacksonville FL, Macon GA, Atlanta GA, Athens GA, Charlotte NC, Asheville NC;

& spontaneous stops between using Atlas Obsucura*, Google queries*

*any other "real time" ways to search for smallish town stops?
thanks in advance

 

Asheville NC is in an interesting location, not far from Qualla Boundary Cherokee Reservation, lots of mountains, interesting shops in town.  Charlotte is mini-Atlanta.   Go up the Blue Ridge Parkway to Virginia and spend time in Floyd, VA, and then go Roanoke and turn east to Charlottesville if you haven't seen the Jefferson relics before.  I would also avoid Atlanta unless you have prior interest.  Floyd has both Appalachian music and an alternative culture community.  Blue Ridge Parkway rangers seem to disappear after dark and most of those who live near it use it as the mountain interstate.  Above Roanoke, it turns into Skyline Drive, same WPA era project.   Lots of concessions on the Parkway, better prices at the small towns off.   I've been to Atlanta and live in Charlotte, which is okay to live in compared to what's around it, but sigh, the traffic.   If you haven't done east coast indigenous reservations, Qualla Boundary off season (not in the summer) is worth the trip.   Giant tourist trap in the summer.   Atlanta to the mountains seems like a better bet than to Athens and Charlotte, but then where I currently live is mountains and a town of around 80,000, with a bigger town an hour away over the highest paved road in Nicaragua.

 

Floyd is a must unless you're familiar with Bolinas or whatever hippie areas in Scotland or Wales.  Or unless you hate hippies and back to the landers.

[sooth]

if you're near Atlanta, one of the best butters in the usa is made there, Banner Butter, small batch cultured buttered. eating this right now, and it's good. it's not available north of Washington dc.

[Betty LaRue]

3 hours ago, sooth said:

if you're near Atlanta, one of the best butters in the usa is made there, Banner Butter, small batch cultured buttered. eating this right now, and it's good. it's not available north of Washington dc.

Yum. While living on a farm for 18 months when I was a girl, we had milk cows & churned our own butter from raw milk. Delicious, but I hated churning it until my I thought my arm would fall off. My sister & I took turns. I was 8, she 11. I would love to have that old churn now, for decor & as a stock image.

[Harry Harrison]

19 hours ago, Bryan said:

Bought a mains powered cheap saw from Screwfix this morning, circa £55 plus some chain oil £6.  So not as good as yours, but for a one off job it worked splendidly. 

That one looks great, I knew nothing about them so went for the brand but that's a great price, quality Oregon chain and more powerful than the Makita. I don't know how they make them for that really.

[NYCat]

Bad night with the new cats last night and I haven't slept much if at all. The male cat wanted out of the bedroom and there was some hissing from the female cat but I thought they would work it out. Then a terrific amount of yowling.. a fight I didn't see and he came back into the bedroom. It's a much longer story and took place after my usual bedtime with the fight happening at 2AM. I've texted the people that it is not working and I could keep the female cat but the two don't seem to be getting along here. So now they will either take both back or just the male. That might work for them in terms of the allergy problems because he is the short-haired one. I don't know if they will want to split them up. Waiting to hear from them after having left multiple texts last night. I have one cat-sitting job this morning and then back home all day.

 

Paulette

[Mr Standfast]

22 hours ago, wiskerke said:

Now how to take a photo of that. And of phone queue. 2,979 images for phone queue on Alamy. Almost all of a line of people with their phone. Some really good.

But if this problem resonates so strongly with all you Brits, it must be a good subject. Hmm maybe not. Very few searches for %phone%queue% and none for %queue%phone%.

Negative stuff just doesn't sell as well as positive. Otoh maybe it's just the wrong search phrase.

 

wim

 

Wim the phone queue is one thing for us Brits, but if you get us onto the Post Office queue!!!

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov/30/stuck-in-a-post-office-queue-all-i-could-think-about-was-how-much-i-hate-self-checkouts

 

🙂

[NYCat]

They are coming tomorrow to take back the male cat. He may wind up in the country where the husband has a workshop. It is the wife and daughter who have the allergies. I'm hoping I will sleep tonight....NOT letting the male out of the bedroom and hope he stays under the bed. Poor thing. He has not adjusted well at all to moving to a new home. The people are very nice and offered to take back both cats if I wanted to look for the bonded pair I had originally planned on. I have become attached to the female cat and I think she will be plenty for me. She asks for LOTS of loving.

 

Paulette

[wiskerke]

11 hours ago, Mr Standfast said:

 

Wim the phone queue is one thing for us Brits, but if you get us onto the Post Office queue!!!

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov/30/stuck-in-a-post-office-queue-all-i-could-think-about-was-how-much-i-hate-self-checkouts

 

🙂

Funny story. Great punch line.

 

But wow! You have Post Offices!

Here they decided in 2008 to close down all Post Offices. It took them 10 years till November 2018, but most had been closed by 2011.

 

wim

[Betty LaRue]

8 hours ago, NYCat said:

They are coming tomorrow to take back the male cat. He may wind up in the country where the husband has a workshop. It is the wife and daughter who have the allergies. I'm hoping I will sleep tonight....NOT letting the male out of the bedroom and hope he stays under the bed. Poor thing. He has not adjusted well at all to moving to a new home. The people are very nice and offered to take back both cats if I wanted to look for the bonded pair I had originally planned on. I have become attached to the female cat and I think she will be plenty for me. She asks for LOTS of loving.

 

Paulette

Good for you and sorry the male is having a hard time. Are you keeping the female’s name or renaming her? I never got an adult dog or cat. They were always kittens & puppies. I was the name-giver

cats, Inky, Divinity & Pinkie.

Dogs,  Jinx, Bunny, Gypsy, Pixie, Katie & a few others. I must’ve preferred the ee sound.

Horses,  Sunny, Sin, Dolly, Torchy, Cricket, Brandy & Chance.

 Birds, Tweety, Joe, (Budgies) Echo & Bogie (after Bogart)

The stallion Sin was an aptly named because his goal in life was to kill me. Had him maybe 6 months, sold him to a rancher who neutered him, then trained him to be a cow horse.

As much as Sin hated me and all women, the only damage was when he kicked my thigh. Tore & separated muscles. I could push on my skin & feel the bone. He did corner me once against a barbed-wire fence, turned & kicked at my head (missed) but my husband hit him in the nose which startled Him enough for me to escape. That was when we put him up for sale. Gorgeous dappled grey. Our friend, who we bought him from, warned me he hated women, but I thought my love & attention would turn him around. It didn’t.

Edited May 1, 2023 by Betty LaRue

[NYCat]

Yes, you would think my love and attention would make Ned happy but with Trish hissing at him it was a lost cause. I don't like Trish as a name and keep forgetting what it is. She has a nice polka dot on the back of her neck so I'm trying Dot or Dottie. Not sure it fits. I'll find something. She does know her name but I can use many names at first.

 

Paulette 

[Ed Rooney]

 

Paulette, have you read Cat Watching by Desmond Morris? 

[NYCat]

25 minutes ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

Paulette, have you read Cat Watching by Desmond Morris? 

 

No, I haven't. Sounds like a job description for my cat-sitting business.

 

Paulette

[Ed Rooney]

 

Famous for The Naked Ape, he wrote that one on cats and another called Dog Watching. The smartest non-human species is said to be the African Grey parrot, like Betty has.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=cat+watching+desmond+morris&crid=1RY5NSB8RJKPJ&sprefix=Cat+watching%2Caps%2C179&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_12

 

 

Edo

Edited May 1, 2023 by Ed Rooney

[Michael Ventura]

5 minutes ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

Famous for The Naked Ape, he wrote that one on cats and another called Dog Watching. The smartest non-human species is said to be the African Grey parrot, like Betty has.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=cat+watching+desmond+morris&crid=1RY5NSB8RJKPJ&sprefix=Cat+watching%2Caps%2C179&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_12

 

 

Edo

 

Speaking of parrots, last evening, I saw a couple walking a dog in my neighborhood and the man had a parrot on his shoulder...not sure what kind of parrot though.  

[Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg]

On 28/04/2023 at 12:10, Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg said:

oh Paulette

we have feral cats along our beach walk;
they watch humans walk by but run if
if anyone stops...

I've semi-tamed one all-white beauty
within days via once-a-day small piece

of sliced deli meat in open palm; first

few times had to drop it on ground...
NOW IT PURRS WHILST I RUB ITS EARS

😻___😻___😻

 

Whytie The Feral Queen:

Edited May 2, 2023 by Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg

[NYCat]

She is lovely.

 

Paulette

[John Mitchell]

Well, the inevitable has come to pass. I tested positive for COVID-19 today. It doesn't surprise me as lately I've been spending a lot of time around a hospital ER (long story) where not all the clientele were wearing masks. Feeling pretty punko at the moment. However, my health is good and I'm fully jabbed. Hoping that I can vanquish King COVID sooner rather than later. 👑

[gvallee]

2 hours ago, John Mitchell said:

Well, the inevitable has come to pass. I tested positive for COVID-19 today. It doesn't surprise me as lately I've been spending a lot of time around a hospital ER (long story) where not all the clientele were wearing masks. Feeling pretty punko at the moment. However, my health is good and I'm fully jabbed. Hoping that I can vanquish King COVID sooner rather than later. 👑

 

Join the Club! Have plenty of rest and get well soon John.

 

[Michael Ventura]

7 hours ago, John Mitchell said:

Well, the inevitable has come to pass. I tested positive for COVID-19 today. It doesn't surprise me as lately I've been spending a lot of time around a hospital ER (long story) where not all the clientele were wearing masks. Feeling pretty punko at the moment. However, my health is good and I'm fully jabbed. Hoping that I can vanquish King COVID sooner rather than later. 👑

 

Hope all goes well, John, and you just have a mild case.   For me, it was a rough two or three days and then just a nagging cough for a while.  The hardest part was staying home for quite a while.  See if your doctor can put you on Paxlovid, it really helps to knock down the symptoms quickly but you have to take it as soon as possible. 

[NYCat]

7 hours ago, John Mitchell said:

Well, the inevitable has come to pass. I tested positive for COVID-19 today. It doesn't surprise me as lately I've been spending a lot of time around a hospital ER (long story) where not all the clientele were wearing masks. Feeling pretty punko at the moment. However, my health is good and I'm fully jabbed. Hoping that I can vanquish King COVID sooner rather than later. 👑

 

So sorry to hear that. Use it as an opportunity to be nice to yourself in every possible way. Hope it passes quickly.

 

Paulette

[spacecadet]

On 29/04/2023 at 06:29, Bryan said:

Last year we severely cut back a plum tree that had got to be far too big, and yes we should have bought one on a more suitable rootstock ! We knew that it might not survive such a severe pruning, and, sadly, it has not - so I need to remove it. Having recently struggled to take out an oversize conifer I don't relish the task, indeed I'm under instructions to pay someone to do it. However we once paid a contractor to remove an oversize cherry tree and I ended up having to dig out the roots myself. So I'm thinking of spending the money on a cheap chainsaw, thinking of it as a disposable asset, a single use tool. I can buy a 2kw mains powered saw for £55 which gets mainly good reviews. I need to persuade my other half that this is a viable scheme. There might me photo opportunities, man loses arm/leg or other body part using chainsaw, editorial only.

Having done it I'd say the practical limit for an electric chainsaw is 15cm, tops, and that's a stretch. They're heavy and awkward to use at any appreciable height.

If it's bigger, or even if not, you might consider a hand chainsaw, basically a chainsaw blade with handles on. A bit more effort of course but I've found it practical and haven't gone back to the chainsaw since. We even lopped some inaccessible branches by tying ropes to the handles, throwing them over the branches and sawing from the ground. I also pollarded a full-sized copper beech with it. All under permit to BS3998 of course.

Edited May 3, 2023 by spacecadet

[Betty LaRue]

9 hours ago, John Mitchell said:

Well, the inevitable has come to pass. I tested positive for COVID-19 today. It doesn't surprise me as lately I've been spending a lot of time around a hospital ER (long story) where not all the clientele were wearing masks. Feeling pretty punko at the moment. However, my health is good and I'm fully jabbed. Hoping that I can vanquish King COVID sooner rather than later. 👑

So sorry you’re feeling punk, John. Stay hydrated. I haven’t seen a mask around here in 6 months, maybe longer.

[Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg]

12 hours ago, John Mitchell said:

a. I tested positive for COVID-19 today.
b. not all the clientele were wearing masks.

a. oh man mate
b. but were you ???!

 😷STILL WEARING  😷A MASK 😷I AM

Edited May 3, 2023 by Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg