@Arbutus– I’d love to get one of those little hoover-droids. But mostly to wind up the dogs. They’d probably kill it. When we had carpets and nine dogs, I was forever vacuuming. We switched the Vinyl flooring, I don’t think I could go back to carpets. Sounds like you have quite a sporty family?

Everyone re-backups. I have an external hard drive…[Read more]

@arbutus @puroandson (and anyone else who might be interested)

Expanded on my thoughts here.

@janetteB,@Arbutus: my housework schedule runs thus: someone is coming to the house (I insist on an hours warning; I resent the assumption that my house is permanently in a visitor ready state). Clear surfaces (random draws are great for that) sweep up sand and dog hair. Mop. Visitor leaves. Things pile up again. I plaintively ask how the kitchen…[Read more]

@arbutus  Thanks for the thumbs up; and I know just what you mean about historicals (real or fantasized) and absorption in the details.  That’s why there’s not just LOTR, but The Silmarillion from Tolkien — he loved all his background detail too much to give any of it up (note also the comparison between the numbers of readers for LOTR and t…[Read more]

@arbutus

Not only that, but has also written two books designed to get girls to engage with maths (or math, to use its American diminutive).

Just watched the episode when Kevin’s sister runs away from home. Unspooled a little. I doubt Donovan’s Catch The Wind has ever been deployed to greater impact. In fact the last 5 episodes of the second…[Read more]

@Arbutus your system sounds exactly like my system. I was just sorting through some of those piles of paper earlier today looking for something. I try to avoid writing on paper now but still end up with piles of written notes to add to the confusion.

I will describe the current state of our table. At the far end is a projector, behind that a D&D…[Read more]

@arbutus

Thank you, I shall have a shufti around.

Ttfn

Missy

@stitchintime             I make lists of the jobs I want to do an then check off each item as I finish them.   The little check marks beside each job gives me the incentive to keep going until they are all finished. Like @arbutus I play music while I work and sing loudly and badly but with a lot of enthusiasm.

@Arbutus– I have found studying the only way to force me to work, especially the creative writing modules. I’ve just finished one and trying to keep going with the writing until the next module starts. I love writing, but not always while I am doing it. Sometimes people say things like ‘Oh I’d love to be a writer’ and I think, especially when I’m…[Read more]

@missy– ah, but though I don’t deny the blood and gore. There is more to it than that, and it is the other things I watch it for. The Medieval period was itself rather bloody- I wouldn’t want to watch someone being hung drawn and quartered. People used to watch quite gory executions, for entertainment, I suppose the point I want to make is not…[Read more]

@arbutus

My thanks to you too. I understand what you mean.

Ttfn

Missy

Happy belated Birthday to  @Arbutus

So Punk — @puroandson   –    Definitely the Clash

most punk rock was angry protest class struggle music and a lot of it was rubbish but not all of it.

and Iggy Pop —  this is 1 YT vid I particularly like with scenes from old flicks to a great song…[Read more]

@arbutus

It seems that they aren’t bringing in the non-smoking law over here – it was media hype. Just as well, as i wouldn’t adhere to it. When they constantly advertise alcohol and gambling on Televsion, but ban cigarettes, I tend to be a little cross!

ttfn

Missy

and so a belated birthday to you @Arbutus.

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to yooou
Happy birthday deeearr Arrrrrrbuttuuuuuuuuussssssss
Happy birth-day to yoooooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

Now, there is no single piece of music that’s perfect for you, so a couple of random ones connected by the joy of “Life”
Yep – you guessed…[Read more]

@Arbutus @puroandson

I think the smoking at home thing might be something to do with 70 years of accumulated evidence that, not only does smoking kill you, but your exhaled smoke kills others. Including your kids.

Historical scientific irony: the link between smoking and cancer was first identified by scientists working in Nazi Germany. P…[Read more]

@StitchinTime. Well said.

@Arbutus. Like you I have been following the discussion of late but not contributing in part due to other commitments. I once saw a forum tear itself apart over the smacking issue and so would rather leave that discussion alone now.

The topic of schools and excessive pressure on students is a different matter. I am…[Read more]

@arbutus

That is what I meant about being ‘nannied’.

They are now bringing out a law over here – and possibly everywhere else- where you are not allowed to smoke in your own house?

Now, I don’t care whether any of you oppose smoking or not, but this is taking things much too far. Even Merry

Christmas may soon be banned.

Ttfn

Missy

@puroandson

BTW, the term “politically correct” has been knocking around for decades, along with may variants, in leftie/ liberal circles as a way of mocking communists and other Soviet/ Mao apologists (the preferred variant when I was at LSE was “ideologically sound”). It was always mockery and often at our own expense if we caught ourselves…[Read more]

@arbutus Indeed it is.

@ichabod Ww women don’t have this problem.
It’s quite acceptable for us to say that we love our friends.
A great shame.

Ttfn

Missy

@arbutus  I suspect that with the anxieties and frustrations of S8 and S9 burned through and put away, maybe we’ll see a bit more of the sharp edge, but in S10 it will be directed outwardly, not a matter of painful self-interrogation, so — more snarky comedy, less angst and bitterness, will go nicely with a more confident and optimistic CapDoc…[Read more]