The Night Mail

[iL Dottore]

21 hours ago, polybear said:

Baseless Scaremongering put about by the Honourable Society of Lettuce Leaf Worshippers**

 

17 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Definitely a bunch of weirdos, if you ask me Bear.

 

11 hours ago, bbishop said:

My breakfast was a lettuce and tomato sandwich.

Which IS kinda unusual. 

Anyway, we all know that you aren’t weird, Bill. Delightfully, idiosyncratically and beautifully eccentric, yes. But not weird. 😊

 

Unless you consider anyone who is interested in railways and model railways as “weird”. In which case TNM has more wierdos than a Monster Raving Loony Party rally!

[polybear]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

That’ll be “interesting”, given that The Bear is notorious for being incredibly reluctant to either share cake or dig deep into his pockets (some unkind people would call him “tight-pawed” which is a vile calumny: he’s just channelling his inner Yorkshire-Scottish bear*)

 

* there’s probably no truth to the rumour that PB regards his Scottish and Yorkshire ancestors as extravagantly spendthrift…. 🤣

 

Bear is hurt......

• I have indeed "bought the Donuts" (several times, in fact) for the Warehouse Team
• Tight?  Financially astute, yes......and very aware that fancy names on a product often DON'T make it any better - it just means you're paying for some T0sser to ride around in a Bentley whilst laughing at those standing at the Bus Stop in the p1ssing rain for hours waiting for that non-existence Bus to turn up.....

[Winslow Boy]

To true my Good Bear. Nowt wrong with running a fiscally secure stance. It's these Novo Rich lot you have to keep an eye. Buying properties and doing them up them's the dodgy ones.

 

Congratulations on your property purchase. When can I expect my first class train ticket to come and advise on landscaping your back yard? As a 'horticulturist to the stars' my calendar is quite full at the moment but I'm certain I can squeeze you sometime in 2026. The Boss says she's quite happy to come too so long as you've got enough food to her standards- chicken & fresh salmon should do. 

[polybear]

23 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

The Boss says she's quite happy to come too so long as you've got enough food to her standards- chicken & fresh salmon should do. 

 

Mrs WB should set her sights a bit lot higher (she'll be "on expenses" after all).  May Bear suggest the full blown wood-fired Pizza, triple-cooked curly fries and a massive wedge of Lemon Cheesecake with Ice Cream on the side. 

And then for the Main Course....

[Happy Hippo]

Nyda has just asked me if I'd like a cup of coffee.

 

Something's up......!

[polybear]

10 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Nyda has just asked me if I'd like a cup of coffee.

 

Something's up......!

 

Incoming.....

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

Mrs WB should set her sights a bit lot higher (she'll be "on expenses" after all).  May Bear suggest the full blown wood-fired Pizza, triple-cooked curly fries and a massive wedge of Lemon Cheesecake with Ice Cream on the side. 

And then for the Main Course....

I think @Winslow Boy ‘s “boss”  has “previous” with chickens…

[Tony_S]

7 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Nyda has just asked me if I'd like a cup of coffee.

 

Something's up......!

Aditi just asked if I would like a cup of tea. I said “yes, please” and I knew what was coming next.  “Can you make it then and make me some coffee”

Edited August 10 by Tony_S
Was not peas!

[polybear]

34 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Aditi just asked if I would like a cup of tea. I said “yes, please” and I knew what peas coming next.  “Can you make it then and make me some coffee”

 

Yet you walked right into it....again.....

[SM42]

Packing will commence shortly. 

 

AKA, fitting a quart into a pint pot. 

 

As the nephew is coming with us as he starts a two week camp on Monday in the lake district, ( I've warned him it's called the lake district for a reason ) the quartness is one of those known

unknowns. 

 

I know that there is an unknown bag, the size of which is known to be unknown, but it is uknown if once known the known unknown will be known to fit once it is a known unknown known. 

 

🤪

 

Andy

[iL Dottore]

3 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Aditi just asked if I would like a cup of tea. I said “yes, please” and I knew what peas coming next.  “Can you make it then and make me some coffee”

2 hours ago, polybear said:

Yet you walked right into it....again.....

With that statement you have just “outed“ yourself as a single unattached Polybear without a Polina bear in his life.
 

Were you not so, you would’ve realised that the above is all part and parcel of the intramarital diplomacy that maintains a level of harmony within a marriage and avoids the whole messy business of either party going to Defcon 1 at the slightest provocation. 
 

Intramarital diplomacy is human politics at the highest level: It is both fiendishly Byzantine and devilishly Machiavellian. When marital things get (ahem) “complicated“ communication may descend into a frostiness that both Khrushchev and Kennedy at the height of the Cold War would have recognised, it nonetheless allows for dialogue. “Stiff diplomatic notes” go back and forth, and the next thing you know the marital SALT discussions are over and everyone is back to being good friends again.

 

Those men who think they can avoid or override such diplomatic niceties, soon find themselves in front of a High Court judge who will explain to them why they will have to fork out 80% of their gross before-tax income to the ex-wife for the next 50 years!

 

[PhilJ W]

24 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

With that statement you have just “outed“ yourself as a single unattached Polybear without a Polina bear in his life.

Were you not so, you would’ve realised that the above is all part and parcel of the intramarital diplomacy that maintains a level of harmony within a marriage and avoids the whole messy business of either party going to Defcon 1 at the slightest provocation. 

Intramarital diplomacy is human politics at the highest level: It is both fiendishly Byzantine and devilishly Machiavellian. When marital things get (ahem) “complicated“ communication may descend into a frostiness that both Khrushchev and Kennedy at the height of the Cold War would have recognised, it nonetheless allows for dialogue. “Stiff diplomatic notes” go back and forth, and the next thing you know the marital SALT discussions are over and everyone is back to being good friends again.

Those men who think they can avoid or override such diplomatic niceties, soon find themselves in front of a High Court judge who will explain to them why they will have to fork out 80% of their gross before-tax income to the ex-wife for the next 50 years!

I'm still single but I've just dodged that bullet a couple of times.

[J. S. Bach]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

 ...snip...  When marital things get (ahem) “complicated“ communication may descend into a frostiness that both Khrushchev and Kennedy at the height of the Cold War would have recognised, it nonetheless allows for dialogue. “Stiff diplomatic notes” go back and forth, and the next thing you know the marital SALT discussions are over and everyone is back to being good friends again. ...snip...

Marital, martial: same letters, almost the same order!

[SM42]

My phone continues to tell me storage space is running out, but every time it analyses my storage, the amount left gets bigger. 

 

I've gained 0.14 Mb in the last 3 analyses 

 

Andy

[Tony_S]

18 minutes ago, SM42 said:

My phone continues to tell me storage space is running out, but every time it analyses my storage, the amount left gets bigger. 

 

I've gained 0.14 Mb in the last 3 analyses 

 

Andy

Can you fit a memory card (usually a micro SD)  and transfer some stuff like photos or videos to that. In my phone if you fit a memory card you can’t use a second SIM card.

Tony 

[SM42]

7 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Can you fit a memory card (usually a micro SD)  and transfer some stuff like photos or videos to that. In my phone if you fit a memory card you can’t use a second SIM card.

Tony 

 

Interesting

 

I have no idea if I can. 

 

Andy

[The White Rabbit]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

... Intramarital diplomacy is human politics at the highest level: It is both fiendishly Byzantine and devilishly Machiavellian. When marital things get (ahem) “complicated“ communication may descend into a frostiness that both Khrushchev and Kennedy at the height of the Cold War would have recognised, it nonetheless allows for dialogue. “Stiff diplomatic notes” go back and forth, and the next thing you know the marital SALT discussions are over and everyone is back to being good friends again.

 

Those men who think they can avoid or override such diplomatic niceties, soon find themselves in front of a High Court judge who will explain to them why they will have to fork out 80% of their gross before-tax income to the ex-wife for the next 50 years!

 

Not if you pick your partner carefully. You are after all selecting someone to form a partnership/small business with, potentially for the rest of your lives. You two against the world... 'They' say you have to work at a marriage (or partnership) - I sort of see what they mean but surely if you have to work that hard, you're just not right for each other? If you really care for someone, then being thoughtful or considerate really isn't a problem. 

 

And yes, we had some good times together avoiding such games - very little stress or complications. Twice when something important & problematic cropped up we dealt with it. Not easy times but we worked through them. We weren't married but took the 'for better or worse' vow seriously. Unfortunately things were cut short by your colleagues in the NHS who wouldn't listen when she knew something was wrong, wouldn't take us seriously and refused to help until it was far too late. Utter, utter barstewards.... and people wonder why I'm bitter? I doubt I'll ever find anyone like that again and even if I did, I'm so emotionally traumatised that I'd probably make a mess of any attempt at a relationship. I'm not soliciting sympathy and realise your post may have been made at least partially tongue in cheek but would like to mention that some of us manage relationships without such 'complications'. 

[polybear]

1 hour ago, The White Rabbit said:

Unfortunately things were cut short by your colleagues in the NHS who wouldn't listen when she knew something was wrong, wouldn't take us seriously and refused to help until it was far too late. Utter, utter barstewards.... and people wonder why I'm bitter? 

 

Bear shares your pain....

Momma Bear had similar - a certain Pr1ck of a GP diagnosed "indigestion" and gave medication accordingly when the problem was an increasingly sore throat and difficulty in swallowing; by the time he decided that a camera job might be a good idea (after Momma Bear practically had him pinned to the wall by his throat) the tumour was so advanced they couldn't get the camera down....

That B@rstard is (as far as I know) still walking and talking.  One of my great regrets is not doing something about that.

[Erichill16]

On 09/08/2024 at 17:51, iL Dottore said:

Just two questions:

 

When?
Where?

In September I am meeting up with our Anglo-French representative of le flic (AKA, the plod). 

 

If timings and locations work, perhaps we can all team up and create an international incident?

 

Hmmmmmm…..

Been looking through SWMBO’s paperwork and recent card receipts and my requested ‘birthday surprise’ holiday in Switzerland is still to be arranged! Getting a bit late, perhaps another hint/reminder is in order!  

[Winslow Boy]

9 hours ago, Tony_S said:

I think @Winslow Boy ‘s “boss”  has “previous” with chickens…

And ducks, geese, swans, tree rats aka squirrels, bunny rabbits do I need to go on.

[AndyID]

My lifelong pal and best man succumbed to a heart-attack in his mid fifties. He had been feeling unwell for at least six months but the useless NHS banker doctor completely failed him.

[Happy Hippo]

I think the sum of any railway modelling today was screwing a wagon chassis back to the body , and then painting the bottom six rungs of a signal ladder white.

 

Tomorrow the ladder along with the signal will be toned down with some dirty streaks... Which begs the question, why did I bother to paint the rungs white in the first place?

[polybear]

22 minutes ago, AndyID said:

My lifelong pal and best man succumbed to a heart-attack in his mid fifties. He had been feeling unwell for at least six months but the useless NHS banker doctor completely failed him.

 

I've seen enough to make me feel that if I'm concerned that a GP has got it wrong then I will splash the cash for a consultation at a Private Hospital/Clinic.  Unfortunately not everyone is in a position to be able to do that though.

 

 

 

[AndyID]

6 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

I've seen enough to make me feel that if I'm concerned that a GP has got it wrong then I will splash the cash for a consultation at a Private Hospital/Clinic.  Unfortunately not everyone is in a position to be able to do that though.

 

 

 

 

The sad thing is he had more than enough to be able to do that but he trusted the NHS.

[iL Dottore]

The experiences of @The White Rabbit, @polybear and @AndyID really, but really p*** me off. There is absolutely NO excuse for not listening to the concerns of the patient. Perhaps the concerns are unwarranted, but it is a doctor's job to also reassure his or her patients when their concern are unfounded (and explain why).  
 

In my view a good doctor takes his time and listens very carefully to his patient on what they are saying, how they are describing what they are experiencing and – sometimes more importantly – what they are not saying!
 

I know quite a few excellent clinicians who worked in the NHS who left because of their frustrations with the NHS (amongst which  was its seeming inability to provide timely diagnostic intervention for patients). I have also met more of my fair share of arrogant NHS doctors who were complete and utter t0ssers.
 

I interviewed a number of these types when they applied for a job with the large Pharma  company I used to work for. Needless to say, they didn't make it past my interview (or get the job)