Early Risers.

[Tony_S]

17 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

just now so it looks a little weird

I thought at first it looked like an AI image but then noticed everyone seemed to have the right number of eyes and noses. 

Edited September 13 by Tony_S

[jjb1970]

We had a favourite of mine for dinner tonight, crispy fried tofu with a mango and pomegranate salad with sweet chilli sauce. The salad has a lot of onion. Apparently it's a Thai dish which Mrs JJB had many years ago in Indonesia and adopted. I find tofu very sensitive to how it is prepared and cooked, some tofu dishes are favourites of mine while others I find awful. I'm like that with eggs, I love omelette, scrambled egg and poached egg but don't like hard boiled egg.

[monkeysarefun]

25 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I thought at first it looked like an AI image but then noticed everyone seemed to have thenrugh5 number of eyes and noses. 

 

 

To me it looked a bit like some old-school montage when you had to cut people out of magazines and stick them into a crowd scene  in Sargeant Peppers Something Or Other Album Cover  style.

Edited September 13 by monkeysarefun

[The Lurker]

4 hours ago, polybear said:

 

What I find very worrying is the number British in the UK that don't speak English (or Welsh) - it seems that in some areas (Newham, London for example) the rate is as low as 65%.

I've no idea what the UK immigration process is, but I would hope that we have a system** whereby you have to have a reasonable spoken & written knowledge (for day-to-day conversation, living etc.) of the English Language before you are granted the rights of becoming a British Citizen and the benefits that come with it.

 

**If not then we bluddy well should have - I believe numerous other countries do (such as USA & Switzerland?)

 

 

Why would the Swiss have a requirement to have a reasonable spoken and written knowledge of English?

[polybear]

4 hours ago, TheQ said:

Our sausages reside in a freezer whether cheap or quality. Therefore they may get a blast in the microwave to defrost before hitting the frying pan.

 

 

Bear tends to defrost such things overnight in the fridge - which I'm sure is a snippet that'll amaze a certain fellow ER'er....

[polybear]

15 minutes ago, The Lurker said:

Why would the Swiss have a requirement to have a reasonable spoken and written knowledge of English?

 

I believe the Swiss do have rules about those seeking residency etc. to have a reasonable written/spoken knowledge of their language (I'm sure @iL Dottore has mentioned the requirements previously).

 

[Andy Hayter]

2 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

I believe the Swiss do have rules about those seeking residency etc. to have a reasonable written/spoken knowledge of their language (I'm sure @iL Dottore has mentioned the requirements previously).

 

 

I suspect they only need one of the four languages although knowledge of the other would clearly be advantageous.

 

[Compound2632]

5 hours ago, polybear said:

I've no idea what the UK immigration process is, but I would hope that we have a system** whereby you have to have a reasonable spoken & written knowledge (for day-to-day conversation, living etc.) of the English Language before you are granted the rights of becoming a British Citizen and the benefits that come with it.

 

Your proposal would only be equitable if British Citizenship were to be removed from those who currently have it who fail to meet the same standard. 

[The Lurker]

I was being facetious.

 

My boss has just obtained Swiss residency. The language she had to have proficiency in was Germany (and probably Schweitzerdeutsch) because that was the language that the exams  and the interviews in her canton were held in. She found that a pain as she is fluent in many languages but she regards German as having to listen to a whole sentence before the verb pops up and you know what is going on.

 

Me, I struggle with English, but that's all I've got.

Edited September 13 by The Lurker

[45156]

Afternoon All,

 

Sorry, have been skipping for a few days due to lack of mojo, coupled with a bit of selling activity on eBay.

 

Had to go to the Dr this morning as the hospital in Shrewsbury contacted me asking me to go for a blood test-they sent a form for me to take confirming what they wanted.

 

Unfortunately, Ludlow food festival is on, but luckily I got on the Park and Ride one stop before it got to the main bus stop, as when the bus left there it was full - and they had no extra buses laid on.  The bus they use is a 26 or so seater as it has to negotiate a couple of narrowish streets and navigate a coulple of tight bends.  When I got back on, the incoming bus was full again.  By then, the bus company appear to have got something sorted, as a spare bus which works another route and was on its break between sporadic journeys had been pressed  into service.  I shudder to think that it's going to be like later when everybody leaves at once and descends of the bus stop - and the last bus is 17.30.  There could be quite a few walking back the 1.2 mile uphill route back to the Park and Ride.  Ludlow is best avoided during the food festival, as the town really can't cope with the numbers with limited parking narrow streets and a sporadic Park and Ride. 

 

I will be staying home tomorrow, and we are hoping that 30747's best friend is going to come round.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

[rockershovel]

5 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Having worked with citizens of a certain Middle-Eastern Country on numerous occasions I find it somewhat amusing that their strict religious code can slip somewhat when out of the country - namely when there's grog around.....

 

 

As a fully paid-up and proud member of the "lower echelon riff raff" I see no reason whatsoever to get delusions of grandeur and strive to join the ranks of the so-called upper class - they don't exactly set the greatest example after all.

 

 

What I find very worrying is the number British in the UK that don't speak English (or Welsh) - it seems that in some areas (Newham, London for example) the rate is as low as 65%.

I've no idea what the UK immigration process is, but I would hope that we have a system** whereby you have to have a reasonable spoken & written knowledge (for day-to-day conversation, living etc.) of the English Language before you are granted the rights of becoming a British Citizen and the benefits that come with it.

 

**If not then we bluddy well should have - I believe numerous other countries do (such as USA & Switzerland?)

 

 

The very worst Pizza that Bear has had was in....Italy....

If Bear doesn't finish a Pizza then there's gotta be something seriously wrong with it.

 

 

Bear has never, ever stooped to such levels.  Bear has standards.**

 

(** Note to fellow ER'ers:  @iL Dottore may be unavailable for some time whilst he composes himself.  He may be some time.....)

.... which is the reason, I think for our recent Election result. My late grandfather (a veteran of the Kaisers army) took 15 years to achieve naturalisation and even then, the fact that he had lost a son on active service, and another a veteran of the Western Desert and Italy weighed in the balance. 

 

The French have a similar qualification, "Francais par sang verse", French by spilt blood. 

 

 

[Peter Kazmierczak]

7 hours ago, rockershovel said:

Nothing wrong with Domino's. 

 

The thing about pizza is that the basic idea is fine - dough, mozzarella and tomato. You won't go wrong with adding anchovy, onion, olives and pepperoni in moderation. Mushrooms, too.

 

Beyond that ... don't. Just don't. 

 

 

 

Don't forget the pineapple.

[PupCam]

Afternoon

 

6 hours ago, Coombe Barton said:

Nearly an Arthur Dent, then?

 

Is he still in his pajamas I wonder?

 

ION

 

A very pleasant walk across the fields to the next village has been walked.

 

Telescope mount failings have been investigated.   Rectified is over egging it but at least it might be a bit better next time (tonight maybe?), we will have to wait and see.

 

Questions to vendors of fuel injector spares have been dispatched.

 

We appear to have no mains water.   A phone call to Anglian Water confirmed a burst water main up the hill we walked near earlier (close to the top of our road).     It should be fixed by 5:00pm 🤞.    A quick squint at the Facebook page for the village reveals a report of a burst water main (with photos) of a burst water main at the bottom of our road.     They are going to be busy in the village this afternoon then.     Still, let's not worry that all the infrastructure is failing, as long as the Directors and shareholders got their dividends and bonuses regularly all is well with the world.     Oh yes, a neighbour mentioned there's trouble with the drains and/or sewers down the road as well.

 

Next task is to put some petrol in the Beeza in readiness for a chug over to Woburn tomorrow morning followed by stopping off at the Bedfordshire Steam & Country Fayre for a gander on our return.       The event is back in the Shuttleworth park I'm pleased to say after it was (or at least seemed to be) booted out by a previous regime.   We all know about regime change 😀

 

Oh yes.   So far I've managed to resist spending money but it's very very hard.    I may have been found loitering again on a certain unmentionable website last night.   Over chunky buffers and a strange orange (or is it green, how would I know?)  line over and around the white cab areas and body sides strengthened my resolve.  What's that all about?    I've never noticed such a thing in all the years I've been admiring those particular tin boxes.

 

TTFN

 

 

 

 

Edited September 13 by PupCam
Added the D*lt*c update

[rockershovel]

58 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Your proposal would only be equitable if British Citizenship were to be removed from those who currently have it who fail to meet the same standard. 

It was suggested some time ago that it was long past time for a moratorium on any rights to entry or nationality - a Statute of Limitations, as it were. 

 

The last major colony (Nigeria) gained its independence over 60 years ago. Ian Smith, UDI - these are phrases meaningless to the modern generation

 

Why do these rights endure? 

[Compound2632]

3 minutes ago, rockershovel said:

It was suggested some time ago that it was long past time for a moratorium on any rights to entry or nationality - a Statute of Limitations, as it were. 

 

The last major colony (Nigeria) gained its independence over 60 years ago. Ian Smith, UDI - these are phrases meaningless to the modern generation

 

Why do these rights endure? 

 

I fail to see how your post follows on from mine.

 

For myself, I welcome our multi-cultural, multi-lingual, post-colonial society - the best and greatest fruit of Empire. There should be more opportunities for speakers of English as their mother tongue to learn some of the other languages spoken in these islands. 

 

I recall the story I was told by a Polish acquaintance, of his grandfather growing up in what was then the Russian partition of Poland - now part of western Ukraine. They spoke Polish at home, and read English literature. At mass, Latin, with a phrase or two of Greek. At market, Ukrainian; at the tailor, Yiddish; at the doctor, or if dealing with someone in any technical profession, German. If dealing with the government bureaucracy, Russian. But if talking to a Russian army officer or other aristocrat, French.

[polybear]

31 minutes ago, Peter Kazmierczak said:

 

Don't forget the pineapple.

 

It's on the list; I've got the ham, beanz and CF's substitute** already.....

(was there anything else on @iL Dottore's list?)

 

(**Smiley Faces probably - or maybe chips.....)

 

Watch this space.....

 

[iL Dottore]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

I believe the Swiss do have rules about those seeking residency etc. to have a reasonable written/spoken knowledge of their language (I'm sure @iL Dottore has mentioned the requirements previously).

1 hour ago, Andy Hayter said:

I suspect they only need one of the four languages although knowledge of the other would clearly be advantageous.

It is preferable to be fluent in the language of the Canton (or Kanton) in which you apply for citizenship, but in general knowledge of at least one official Swiss language (there are four, plus English as a lingua franca and which is semi-official) is necessary (and usually a must. Depends upon Gemeinde and Kanton).

 

I obtained my citizenship through the "facilitated" route (as I was already married to Mrs iD who is Swiss), which meant that I didn't have to sit the formal exam. But I still had to talk to the officials of the involved government departments in German (luckily High German was OK, not just Schwiizerdütsch), my wife and I were separately interviewed to determine if it was (is) a real marriage or a "marriage of convenience" (I felt like asking: whose convenience: hers or mine? 🤣) and I had to undergo a thorough background police check (which cost me £60). After the Police found nothing on me (thank you! CC).Then after paying assorted fees*, I became a Swiss Citizen and received my first - coveted - red passport. The whole process took about a year from start to end (and that was for the "facilitated" [or fast] pathway).

 

Deffo a good move on my part!

 

Depending upon Gemeinde and Kanton, the fees to become a Swiss Citizen can be as much as 25% of a year's gross (pre-tax) income.

[iL Dottore]

2 hours ago, The Lurker said:

Why would the Swiss have a requirement to have a reasonable spoken and written knowledge of English?

I think you are being disingenuous, the Swiss have a requirement for one to be reasonably fluent in one of the four official languages (German, French, Italian and Rumansch). English is widely understood and usually most Swiss people can "get by" in English.

 

As Switzerland's economy is pretty much powered by smart people (i.e.  folks with extremely high levels of knowledge and experience in various fields - from Pharma to Banking), there are a lot of medium term Ex-Pats for whom English is the most convenient language and so most Governmental websites (from national bodies down to local Gemeinde) will have at least top level information in English. Our local Gemeinde has its website in both English and German. The national Health Agency, Bundesamt fur Gesundheit has webpages in DE FR IT EN.

 

[rockershovel]

18 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

I fail to see how your post follows on from mine.

 

For myself, I welcome our multi-cultural, multi-lingual, post-colonial society - the best and greatest fruit of Empire. There should be more opportunities for speakers of English as their mother tongue to learn some of the other languages spoken in these islands. 

 

I recall the story I was told by a Polish acquaintance, of his grandfather growing up in what was then the Russian partition of Poland - now part of western Ukraine. They spoke Polish at home, and read English literature. At mass, Latin, with a phrase or two of Greek. At market, Ukrainian; at the tailor, Yiddish; at the doctor, or if dealing with someone in any technical profession, German. If dealing with the government bureaucracy, Russian. But if talking to a Russian army officer or other aristocrat, French.

Likewise I fail to see the relevance of the anecdote about the multi-lingual Pole. 

 

Regarding "welcoming the multi society", it was made quite clear in the 1960s that this wasn't the consensus. Controls were instituted that endured for over thirty years. 

 

What THEN happened was a political upheaval which our system could not cope with. The "old" Right and Left engaged in a fight to the death, as the stresses of the post-1945 consensus reached breaking point. The "New Left" took control of the devastated political landscape. 

 

They would govern with, in effect no Opposition for over a decade. They would be succeeded by a notionally Conservative leader who described himself as the "heir to Blair" whose policies were largely indistinguishable. 

 

We now have, again an overtly ideological Labour government. We have, in effect been living in a de-facto one party state. 

 

However another unprecedented event has occurred. The last GE produced a huge vote for a party which is not a party of government in any meaningful sense. It can only be construed as a rejection of the status quo. 

 

Right now, I am supposedly represented by a Labour MP, holding a long-stsnding Conservative seat by a margin of less than 500 votes. In third place, the "protest" candidate who wants less than 5000 additional votes to see them BOTH off. 

 

There are further changes coming, I'm sure. 

[jjb1970]

All getting a bit too political for me I'm afraid.

[iL Dottore]

7 hours ago, polybear said:

The very worst Pizza that Bear has had was in....Italy....

If Bear doesn't finish a Pizza then there's gotta be something seriously wrong with it.

I bet that at least two of the following conditions were met:

• It was mostly full of foreigners, not Italians.
• the menu was printed in at least 5 different languages
• the menu was laminated
• the menu featured out-of-season dishes (such as wild boar ragù [an autumn dish] in high summer)
• the menu featured out of area dishes (e.g. pesto [a Ligurian dish] in the Veneto)
• the food was altered to meet foreigner's expectations (e.g. throwing cream and cheese into carbonara)

The Italians, like most, like making money with minimal effort and what could be easier than separating clueless foreigners from their Lira (or Euros to be pedantic) by serving them poor quality, easy to chuck together (pseudo-) Italian food*

 

*ma cosa direbbe la mama???

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. The NHS must think I'm telepathic. I received a letter this morning from the NHS stating that I hadn't chosen my clinic yet ?????. It told me I should choose my clinic but for what? As I have two ongoing medical conditions. The gave the option of doing it online or on the telephone so I opted for the telephone. I eventually I got to speak to a human being who informed me that it was concerning my knee replacement. he then told me that there was only one clinic on the list! Fortunately it is the one that I would have chosen anyway (The Brook at Brentwood, a Nuffield Trust establishment). I will have to visit the surgery on Monday and have a word with the practice manager about a few things that have happened recently.

[iL Dottore]

7 hours ago, polybear said:

Bear has never, ever stooped to such levels.  Bear has standards.**

 

(** Note to fellow ER'ers:  @iL Dottore may be unavailable for some time whilst he composes himself.  He may be some time.....)

To quote the late, great John Lennon:

 

"I'm Stunned...

...Shocked...

Stunned AND Shocked"

 

Should be said in a Liverpudlian accent for greatest effect.

[rockershovel]

19 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

All getting a bit too political for me I'm afraid.

I have set the O Gauge floor layout running as therapy 

[rockershovel]

18 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

I bet that at least two of the following conditions were met:

• It was mostly full of foreigners, not Italians.
• the menu was printed in at least 5 different languages
• the menu was laminated
• the menu featured out-of-season dishes (such as wild boar ragù [an autumn dish] in high summer)
• the menu featured out of area dishes (e.g. pesto [a Ligurian dish] in the Veneto)
• the food was altered to meet foreigner's expectations (e.g. throwing cream and cheese into carbonara)

The Italians, like most, like making money with minimal effort and what could be easier than separating clueless foreigners from their Lira (or Euros to be pedantic) by serving them poor quality, easy to chuck together (pseudo-) Italian food*

 

*ma cosa direbbe la mama???

I've probably mentioned this before, but the worst food organised and supervised by Italians I've ever had, was served to Italians on an Italian vessel in West Africa....