Steamport Southport Posted December 18, 2022 Share Posted December 18, 2022 Erm. Aren`t Cadbury's Creme Eggs available all year round nowadays? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
62613 Posted December 18, 2022 Share Posted December 18, 2022 3 hours ago, john new said: You mean you had a road? You were lucky we had to machette through frozen grass 20ft high..... etc. Luxury! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted December 18, 2022 Share Posted December 18, 2022 Edited versions of classic songs, like Fairytale of New York, by The Pogues. Leave it alone, no-one's getting offended. 1 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Johnster Posted December 18, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 18, 2022 1 hour ago, melmerby said: Grass? We had a primeval swamp with T-Rex and others to fend off, just to get the outside khasi (i.e. hole in the ground) Primeval swamp? You were lucky; we lived back in the Hadean in a lake of acidic lava under meteorite bombardment and constant electrical storms. We’d have given anything for a T-Rex to fight off on the way to the outside khasi. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted December 18, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 18, 2022 (edited) I had the misfortune to visit my local M&S Food Hall and Waitrose this morning. The usual pack of dithering old people, blocking aisles and seemingly taking forever to decide what to buy, were even worse today with the Christmas Ditherers now prevalent, blocking out the entire cheese section in Waitrose whilst they tried to compile a mental list of who is visiting and when over the next week and what cheese they like. Arrrrggghhh!!!! Me, I have list, go in, buy and get out as fast as possible!!! Edited December 18, 2022 by John M Upton 1 4 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted December 18, 2022 Share Posted December 18, 2022 4 minutes ago, John M Upton said: I had the misfortune to visit my local M&S Food Hall and Waitrose this morning. Sounds more like showing off to me, rather than 'misfortune'. 😝 Funny program just been on TV, about how Aldi xmas foods are better than Harrod's', in blind taste tests. 🥳 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERS Posted December 18, 2022 Share Posted December 18, 2022 8 hours ago, AY Mod said: People who assume you are working. When they call you and say, “oh, I didn’t think you’d be working”, even when you are. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
62613 Posted December 18, 2022 Share Posted December 18, 2022 23 minutes ago, John M Upton said: I had the misfortune to visit my local M&S Food Hall and Waitrose this morning. The usual pack of dithering old people, blocking aisles and seemingly taking forever to decide what to buy, were even worse today with the Christmas Ditherers now prevalent, blocking out the entire cheese section in Waitrose whilst they tried to compile a mental list of who is visiting and when over the next week and what cheese they like. Arrrrggghhh!!!! Me, I have list, go in, buy and get out as fast as possible!!! Remember that old age comes to us all! 4 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted December 18, 2022 Share Posted December 18, 2022 I’m not sure what’s worse really, Christmas, or people moaning about Christmas. 2 5 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
APOLLO Posted December 18, 2022 Share Posted December 18, 2022 It was Christmas Day in the harem, The eunuchs they all were there, Watching the dusky maidens, Combing their hair, When a voice from out of the chimney Echoed round those marble halls. It asked them what they all wanted, And they all replied..."Some liquorice allsorts." Brit15 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Johnster Posted December 18, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 18, 2022 3 hours ago, J. S. Bach said: More on that, please?? 🙀 Exactly what information do you want, Dave🤔 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted December 18, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 18, 2022 1 hour ago, John M Upton said: The usual pack of dithering old people Sorry. I'll go to Sainsbury's next time😆 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted December 18, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 18, 2022 10 hours ago, AY Mod said: People who assume you are working. people who assume I’ll be on strike whereas I’ll actually be working (assuming others strikes won’t effect me!) 1 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium J. S. Bach Posted December 18, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 18, 2022 1 hour ago, The Johnster said: Exactly what information do you want, Dave🤔 I went back and re-read it, that will do. It was quite humorous. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurenceb Posted December 19, 2022 Share Posted December 19, 2022 12 hours ago, AY Mod said: People who assume you are working. People who assume you are not working! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jjb1970 Posted December 19, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 19, 2022 I think Christmas is great and love brussels sprouts, mince pies, christmas pudding, turkey etc, love it! 1 3 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted December 19, 2022 Author Share Posted December 19, 2022 I spent a number of Xmases (sp?) at sea over the years and on the whole, quite enjoyed them One which rather fell into the "unwanted" group was one of my last offshore jobs, a rig move in Danish waters. I'd taken this job on at short notice as a replacement, packed my wife off to my daughter's ... then found myself demobbed and re-mobbed over a span of 70 hours or so between Xmas Eve and 27th. This is always a risk in rig moves although it's not usual. Most commonly you are parked in a nearby hotel on a standby rate but on this occasion I made a chaotic, roundabout journey to a cold house (the client insisted I went to my "address of mobilisation") and lost a days pay in the process. Another low point was spending Xmas 2011 on a down-manned jack-up in a desolate Dutch port. The inevitable contractual game-playing meant that I had to be there as "Client Rep" ... it wasn't much fun although the Barge Master and one remaining member of the Stewards team did their best. 1 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post The Johnster Posted December 19, 2022 RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted December 19, 2022 Xmas eve, 1974, and The Johnster (for it was he) is 14.00 spare guard at Canton, and fully expecting there to be no work, since nobody else was booking on and everything was shutting down just after 20.00; I reckoned on being sent home early and up the pub not long after 19.00… At half four the foreman rang the mess room. There were only the 3 of us there, me, my driver, and our secondman, but be wanted me. ‘Sorry about this, prof’ (my railway nickname), ‘but I’ve got a Tunstead -Margam empty tanks on the way, with a Margam driver and a Hereford guard who doesn’t sign downline from here’. Oh, well, no beer for me, but he was a good foreman who’d do anything for you so it was only right to return the favour, not that I had much choice. ‘He’ll be on the down relief in 15 minutes, but come and see me first’. Of course, my first worry was how I was going to get back from Margam, but he sorted that when I saw him; gave me the telephone and account numbers of the taxi firm they dealtvwith and told me to ring that, quote the a/c, and a car would come and get me whatever time it was. Just as well as it turned out. Plain sailing to Margam Moors where I coupled the 47 off, pinned some brakes down and left the consist in the label clip on the leading tank, and secondmanned the loco on to Margam shed. It was getting on for 19.00 now and there were no more up trains from Port Talbot. At this point, the Margam driver offered me a lift in his car up to the main road where I call my taxi, but on the suggested going for a pint, which I thought was a pretty good idea! ‘My brother’s in the steelworks’ he said ‘we’ll go to their staff club, he’ll sign us in’. And so he did. It was a good night to be in the SCOW club, as they had chicken’n’chips inna basket laid on, and entertainment; Max Boyce, and a couple of strippers. One had a python. Moreover, neither the driver nor his brother, nor the other lads we were drinking with, would countenance me putting my hand in my pocket for a round, and there were more of them than me and four of them were big ruffytuffy steelworkers, so I didn’t think it was wise to make an issue of it… The upshot was a cracking evening, cost zero, food, entertainment (Max doing his blue stuff), good company, plenty beer, and picked up by the taxi at 2 on xmas morning; slept most of the way home. Oh, and the Canton foreman booked me 12 hours at triple time and a half xmas overtime rate, worth about the same as a week’s pay! Xmas isn’t always all bad! 22 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted December 19, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 19, 2022 7 hours ago, APOLLO said: Many years ago at work we took turns at being on emergency standby over the season. Before I had kids I often traded New Years Eve for being on call Xmas day. I once spent the whole of Xmas day in a chemical works in Widnes, and another in a tunnel shaft under the Manchester Ship canal - both times supervising gas emergency works. Not all bad though, one Xmas week night we attended a big job outside the management HQ of ICI at Runcorn, I remember the butler (or whatever his job was) coming out to us with a nip of Brandy and a mince pie each on a large silver tray !! So spare a thought and raise a glass on Xmas day for all those who serve us and work on Christmas day, in a multitude of occupations. Aaah, the good old days, when single I did the holidays, double/triple time, day off in lieu and a call out payment each time, and the most grateful customers you'll ever meet! I always remember the Ascot water heater I went out to 5 times one Xmas day, luxury! Mike. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted December 19, 2022 Author Share Posted December 19, 2022 I was never paid extra for working Xmas and New Year, rig work (especially offshore) doesn't work that way; but I definitely found over time that having a reputation for availability paid off on various ways. My earliest years of rig work (for NCB contractors) paid differently, with plus rates for weekend working and very little Xmas or New Year work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted December 19, 2022 Share Posted December 19, 2022 6 hours ago, rockershovel said: on a down-manned jack-up in a desolate Dutch port Award of the year for the best unpublished FALL lyric goes to.... 4 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Hroth Posted December 19, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 19, 2022 10 hours ago, F-UnitMad said: Sounds more like showing off to me, rather than 'misfortune'. 😝 Funny program just been on TV, about how Aldi xmas foods are better than Harrod's', in blind taste tests. 🥳 It was Aldi evening, there was also an hour long infotainment programme about how they got this year's "must-have" Christmas goodies from manufacturers to the store. And how people loved Kevin the Carrot... Didn't watch the taste tests. Who won? 🤪 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post Bernard Lamb Posted December 19, 2022 RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted December 19, 2022 10 hours ago, 62613 said: Remember that old age comes to us all! I am almost 80 and yesterday the woman on the check out at Aldi tried to beat me. She held the last four items in one hand to push towards me as one lot, at the same time asking me if it was cash or card and when I said card, swinging the reader round towards me with her other hand. I was ready. I pushed the items into my open bag with my right hand while removing my card, that had already been removed from my wallett, with my left hand from my jacket pocket and held it over the reader. Still up for a challenge. Bernard 7 1 4 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Hroth Posted December 19, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 19, 2022 15 minutes ago, Bernard Lamb said: I am almost 80 and yesterday the woman on the check out at Aldi tried to beat me. She held the last four items in one hand to push towards me as one lot, at the same time asking me if it was cash or card and when I said card, swinging the reader round towards me with her other hand. I was ready. I pushed the items into my open bag with my right hand while removing my card, that had already been removed from my wallett, with my left hand from my jacket pocket and held it over the reader. Still up for a challenge. Bernard Unlike others, much younger than you, who put everything carefully in their bags as they pass through the till, then get their purse out of their handbag and rummage through it, either for a card (which they slowly INSERT into the reader and slowly key the PIN in) or for the exact amount, including the slummy. Now imagine that there are a couple of such snails ahead of you in the queue.... 😬 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
APOLLO Posted December 19, 2022 Share Posted December 19, 2022 30 minutes ago, Hroth said: Unlike others, much younger than you, who put everything carefully in their bags as they pass through the till, then get their purse out of their handbag and rummage through it, either for a card (which they slowly INSERT into the reader and slowly key the PIN in) or for the exact amount, including the slummy. Now imagine that there are a couple of such snails ahead of you in the queue.... 😬 I'm a snail and ain't rushing for anyone at any checkout - I'm the paying customer don't forget !!!! One of my pet hates, over quick, pushy checkout staff. Brit15 3 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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