Cinnamon Girl is very deep down the anti vaxxer conspiracy rabbit hole where Neil Young is now basically the devil and that wrestling commentator guy is a brave freedom fighter.

At last I understand my own thread. Wasn’t where I thought it might go, but hey ho.

Mahler’s 5th fits all of your criteria perfectly.

And when you’ve finished, turn on Sibelius’ Finlandia.

Sadowski-Synnott’s father has been a continuing source of amusement in his reaction, having told the website Stuff that, in her bid for gold, his daughter made many sacrifices. “Zoi sacrificed doing the dishes, mowing the lawns, cleaning her room and getting the vacuum out, she sacrificed all of those things,” he said.

I hadn’t heard this or read it anywhere until now. Fantastic! :)

I can’t tell if you’re serious or not…

I was trying to ignore it, but it keeps making it to the top of the forum, so I no longer felt able.

Biathlon is amazing. Very amazing.

Met the owner and the dog, and the plan is now for me to have the dog this Wednesday for the day. The owner-family is extremely flexible and is happy for us to take the dog with us when we go on family hikes/rambles at weekends and everything. So all in all, it looks like we’re in luck!

@alwillis, it’s this one.

I’m going to see Echo and the Bunnymen in concert here in Cardiff tonight. A friend bought me a ticket!

lots turn their nose up at them, but I like ikea kitchens.

Our IKEA kitchen is going on 13 years-old now, and we discovered during lockdown that they could easily be refreshed by taking the doors off and painting them.

Still going strong, and a damn sight cheaper than the alternatives!

My (now-17 year-old) son went through a parkour phase a few years back. He has a hard time running now.

But whatever the damage one’s body can sustain, it’s got to be nothing compared to what those videos sounded like. Particularly the second and third. What’s with the violent ‘music’? Or is that just part of the scene?

I just opened this thread – being a little late to the party – and holy smokes. I’m glad I did. Words aren’t enough. Thanks for posting.

@swdan, I hadn’t seen this thread when it was first started, so have only read it all through just now. I am so sorry.

I can sympathise deeply, as I lost my dad – with whom I was very close – five years ago to cancer, and I still think about it all the time. It is horrible.

I am thankful to this place for the sincere care and expressions of sympathy, though, as it is a reminder that we’re not alone. So, not that you need me to say it, but don’t stop coming on here for advice, support, or just to vent.

Best wishes in spite of everything.

That’s a good one, Onzadog! Better than mine, anyway…

I was walking through the Olympic village when I saw a man carrying a very long stick. I asked, ‘Are you a pole vaulter?’ The man turned and answered me, ‘No, I’m German, but how did you know my name was Walter?’

I have a down jacket by Jack Wolfskin, and it is excellent. I have never worn it on its own in the rain, as I always put my rain shell over top if there is any risk, but between the two jackets together, winter days are made quite nice indeed.

Otherwise, it is light and cozy, and I can’t understand how I lived without it before!

So, another question I have is regarding chips. Is an older i7 better than a newer i5, for example? I realise there are subtle differences with each as well, but in general, if I saw a deal on an older machine with an i7 chip (say, 6th generation), and a newer machine for more money with a 9th generation i5, which would be likely to be better suited to my needs? Do chips get sluggish over time?

Like blank space.

I know. It’s weird, but in my OP, I tried to include a link, and the whole paragraph in which I did so simply didn’t appear. I tried multiple times.

Now, I tried to post an Amazon link without even trying to embed it, and it just shows up like that. Same with molgrips’ link, above.

Thanks for the replies so far.

@molgrips, I’m thinking that a dual monitor set-up could be quite handy when I’m looking at a document I’m researching and writing about it at the same time. Do you know what I mean? But, of course, I’m not absolutely stuck on on.

In any case, what does this set-up look like to you?

Thank you to everyone who has done the survey so far. @Cougar, I will send the link to this thread to SR jnr so that he can properly respond, and you all might see the results.

As for the flaws in the survey, I think he is aware of them, but I’m sure he will appreciate the feedback.

In the meantime, please keep your responses coming!

Not sure where to start with this one…

I just assumed he was on the sauce when he wrote that.

Yep, clutch cylinders can be a weak point but haven’t had any trouble in 5 years and 40,000 miles

Well definitely don’t let me jinx it! Keep enjoying!

Not big, but definitely old!

Love my E30 Touring. Has been used for everything from daily driver, to bike trips in Morzine, to track days. Never fails to raise a smile!

I used to have one of those, and almost loved it. I have to say that its dodgy clutch kind of marred the experience, though.

X Type? Just a compromised Mondeo.

Well, after driving mine for the last six years without so much as a hiccup, I have to say that I am not convinced of the criticisms. I know it’s a ‘tarted up’ Mondeo; but ‘compromised’?

As I said when I was asking about them on here before I bought mine: considering Mondeos were quite good, what’s wrong with tarting one up?

Excellent post, OP. You are speaking for me as well. And while I know that some of the answers you have received on here have been tongue-in-cheek, the fact is that I think it IS a problem. I know that, prior to lock-down, I hadn’t read anything substantial for a long time. Then lockdown hit, and for some reason I was able to ignore my phone. (We actually started a family reading competition at the beginning of lockdown which really helped!) In any case, with no phone in hand, I was able to read and write in a way that I haven’t for years. But now that it’s all behind us, and people ise every app on my phone as a way to get a hold of me, it is back in my hand and I can’t seem to shake it. Oh, and the last time I read something substantial? Lockdown. :-(

Anyone who thinks the royals aren’t full blooded tories are deceiving themselves to the extent that they are mentally incapacitated. She doesn’t give a **** about the common people or nation other than it’s role in glorifying and worshiping royalty. Her only concern with the current state of government is whether it will affect her power, influence and wealth.

As a convinced and unapologetic leftie, I actually disagree with you profoundly on this one. Just because there is a constituency of flag-shagging Tories who probably weep at the changing of the guard, and have a portrait of the queen in one of their reception rooms, history has thrown up both hideously terrible monarchs and truly enlightened ones. And philandering asshats like Andrew aside, I think that we live in an age of some fairly progressive ones – both here in the UK, and in other parts of Europe.

Despite what a lot of folk might think, the Monarch has no effective power over the government.

I’m not sure you’re right. The monarch, as head of state, retains a surprising number of rights and responsibilities that have never had to be exercised. But they’re still there. At least that is the case in Canada. Maybe here in the UK we have imposed more limits on the monarch’s role, but I assume not.

This is probably make me unpopular, but I have one and it has been an absolute joy to own and drive:

Well, I have to say that this thread is slightly different in tone to what I imagined!

It is true that, other than an afternoon spent paddling in a Norwegian fjord, I have no kayak experience, I have extensive canoe experience. Importantly, though, that experience is almost entirely on lakes. So I have never have to consider tides and the like. I did earn a Red Cross ‘small craft’ qualification as a young teenager that entailed cold water capsize training, which, although it was a long time ago, and is probably vastly outdated now in terms of certain techniques, at least means I am not naive to the amount of learning I will need to undertake in order to become a safe and confident kayaker – especially at sea.

When I mentioned the boat that interested me, I only did so because I have serious storage issues at home, and don’t fancy the faff of storing elsewhere. But that doesn’t mean I won’t do it if it is only way of getting the right boat in the end. But even talking about getting one at this stage is probably premature!

The course I am taking is run by, and at, the White Water Centre here in Cardiff. And of course I want to learn the skills that will make me good on the water… especially when the going gets tough. That doesn’t mean I can imagine seeking it out, though! Just as it was with mountain biking, my fundamental interest is in taking up the sport for the adventure it leads to: travelling distances on water; seeing where I live from a radically different perspective; etc.

So, is what I hope for realistic? Tell me my dream of meeting seals up close somewhere near Tenby is feasible! :)

I just recently bought a Volvo XC90 and flipping LOVE it! It’s an oldie, but in virtually perfect nick, and beautiful to drive in the motorway.

It’s true that I am pretty pro-Volvo anyway, but would you look at an XC60 or similar?

Alive:

Michael Sheen
David Lammy
Marina Hyde
Guy Verhofstadt
Paul Thomas Anderson

Dead:

Bing Crosby
Tom Petty
Jean Cocteau
Audrey Hepburn

No boat as yet. Once I do the course (it’ll be in March), I was thinking that this inflatable from Decathlon looked like something I might want.

It’s just that most Westerners, as well as many Ukrainians, know nothing about him. And I, having grown up knowing where my German-Mennonite grandparents came from, only learnt of Makhno in the last few years. Anyway, thanks for bringing up his name; it is certainly worth knowing!

Incidentally, did you read anything more about the Mennonites?

@nickc:

The whole region is steeped in history that is largely un-taught and unknown in this country, including post WW1 Ukrainian collectivity anarchist communes (read histories of Nestor Makhno) both at war with and supported by the Bolsheviks and red Army and their wars with German supported Mennonite farmers.

How did you learn of Makhno? Just to be clear, the Mennonites were German; they weren’t ‘German-supported’. I know because I’m one of them. My great-grandparents were executed by Makhno.

I would throw in Hand in Glove or, funny enough, Oscillate Wildly

@tenfoot, look at my post toward the bottom of page 2 on this thread. You’ll see the 1970s Canadian television ad for the Smash-Up Derby toy to which you refer.

It took asking three Christmases in a row before Father Christmas finally relented.

It is not often you hear of someone doing something quite so evil.

I don’t think I’ve ever disagreed more with a statement on this forum than I do with what you just said, @poly.

First of all, I have certainly looked at what the UK driving test entails – both when I did it myself 20 years ago when I first moved over, and in the last year, as all of my older kids are either taking driving lessons now, or about to go for their own test.

I am not suggesting that the driving test here is inadequate; I AM suggesting that our approach to training could include more education around car and driving dynamics, as opposed to mere driving technique and highways code.

As for tyres, as you should be able to discern from everyone else’s posts on the matter, the difference(s) between cheap and proper tyres is clearly not limited to longevity! It’s R&D, tread, compound, durability, noise reduction, fuel economy, etc., etc… And no, it is NOT just a matter of how we drive that means we might push a cheap tyre beyond its limits. I mean, there are roads galore in the UK that are tighter and twistier than the speed limit takes into account (e.g. unlit, rural B roads for which the speed limit is 60 mph). A person could easily, and completely legally, overestimate how fast their car can take them around such curves without accounting for the fact that they have completely unworthy tyres under them. Then there is motorway driving. 70 is very fast. Lots of cars going 70 is very intense. Do I trust that everyone on the road with me is equally competent, alert, and well-equipped for the conditions as they should be? No. Do I trust that I am? Not always. I am human, after all. So why on earth should I (or we) countenance the added risk of rubbish tyres?

In any case, do I think that legislation should change, or tighten up on tyre quality for British vehicles? Absolutely.

Perchy! You’re back! That in itself has made me smile.