Christmas week Monday 23rd to Friday 27th December

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 12:32 am

tinyclanger2 wrote:P.
T.
O.

If you say so, I suppose.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 12:56 am

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 1:52 am

Christmas with a mum with late stage Alzheimer's. She never stops talking, ever, it's an endless stream of sadly restricted consciousness. The same simple phrases and thoughts repeated over and over and over again. It's maddening. And that's awful to say but it's true. Simetimes reality is an absolute bastard. Merry Christmas.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 9:21 am

I hear you. It’s a fine balance.

gilsey · Post by **gilsey** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 10:02 am

My love letter to Britain: family ties can never really be severed
Frans Timmermans

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 10:10 am

Frans Timmermann is more forgiving than me.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 10:33 am

On the big Q’s sensationally insensitive going on about Christianity (under the current circs) can we surmise what ‘bumpy’ is a euphemism for?

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 11:41 am

At least she didn't use Latin this time...

Or maybe she did. I confess I haven't actually seen it. Just assuming 'bumpy' is an attempt to appear less regal and more regular human.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 12:04 pm

Ah yes.
Vox populi, vox dei.
As I would say.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 12:05 pm

So not just p*ss-takingly understating what a massive c***-up 2019 has been then.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 12:08 pm

Willow904 wrote:At least she didn't use Latin this time...

Or maybe she did. I confess I haven't actually seen it. Just assuming 'bumpy' is an attempt to appear less regal and more regular human.

You haven't seen it? Who do you think you are? Jeremy Corbyn?

(I haven't seen it, either. I'm going to wait for the sequel which stars Andrew. With the Quing singing, in the background, "My Favourite Son" from "The Sound of Music".)

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 12:09 pm

Oh - good morfternoon.

I'm relieved that the drought is over.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 12:17 pm

@tinyclanger2

Thanks for the PTO! Much needed.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 12:19 pm

I only removed an extraneous space, for God's sake!

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 12:35 pm

tinyclanger2 wrote:So not just p*ss-takingly understating what a massive c***-up 2019 has been then.

Understatement is a core British value.

Co-incidentally I happened to catch the end of Carry on up the Khyber yesterday. The Queen is reminiscent of Joan Sims calmly telling an anecdote while picking a giant piece of plaster out of her hair. We can all see the room collapsing around her, but her zen-like demeanour almost convinces that all is well. And although most certainly doomed in the longer run, the royals can be reasonably confident that a distraction of kilt-lifting proportions will come along in the meantime and buy them a few more years of declining influence.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 12:45 pm

PorFavor wrote:Oh - good morfternoon.

I'm relieved that the drought is over.

Been so long (an entire day) that I had almost forgotten what rain is like

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 12:53 pm

Good afternoon, everyone.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 1:01 pm

gilsey wrote:My love letter to Britain: family ties can never really be severed
Frans Timmermans

"...there is no better way to be made aware of your own culture than by being immersed in another."

Yes, I agree.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 1:14 pm

tinyclanger2 wrote:Frans Timmermann is more forgiving than me.

Same here
Timmermann is more forgiving than me
My home is the UK
The UK's departure from the EU is a frightful mistake

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 1:34 pm

citizenJA wrote:
tinyclanger2 wrote:Frans Timmermann is more forgiving than me.
Same here
Timmermann is more forgiving than me
My home is the UK
The UK's departure from the EU is a frightful mistake

It may be a mistake, but it was no accident. The sabotage of UK trading interests has been deliberate and thorough.

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 2:12 pm

I've been thinking about the voting result in North East Somerset that comfortably returned Rees-Mogg and, although showed an increase in support for the Libdems, was nothing like what was suggested in the private polling released by the Libdems and which appeared, among other constituency polls, to prompt Swinson's delusional expectations. Were the Libdems played? To bounce them into supporting an election? I know it's a little extreme to suggest private polling may have been manipulated in this way but I'm struggling to understand how else the Libdems formed such a strong wrong impression of how things stood in certain seats. Dr Phil Hammond had withdrawn from standing for the NHA party having correctly surmised that only a unity candidate could beat Rees-Mogg and was querying where the idea the Libdems could win in NE Somerset was coming from. We both live here and we both knew they were very unlikely to overtake Labour into second, let alone win, yet social media was awash with people who believed just that.

Also some Labour material contained the equally delusional suggestion that private polling showed that Labour was more popular than the Libdems in Bath when tactical voting is stripped out. Again, complete nonsense and if believed only likely to reduce tactical support for the Libdems from Labour, with the result of letting the Tories back in.

The Tories can only win if the left is divided, we all know this, so why is the left always so enthusiastic in its desire to oblige them? Surely Labour is able to compile more accurate data for itself, even if the Libdems can't?

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 2:34 pm

Willow904 wrote:I've been thinking about the voting result in North East Somerset that comfortably returned Rees-Mogg and, although showed an increase in support for the Libdems, was nothing like what was suggested in the private polling released by the Libdems and which appeared, among other constituency polls, to prompt Swinson's delusional expectations. Were the Libdems played? To bounce them into supporting an election? I know it's a little extreme to suggest private polling may have been manipulated in this way but I'm struggling to understand how else the Libdems formed such a strong wrong impression of how things stood in certain seats. Dr Phil Hammond had withdrawn from standing for the NHA party having correctly surmised that only a unity candidate could beat Rees-Mogg and was querying where the idea the Libdems could win in NE Somerset was coming from. We both live here and we both knew they were very unlikely to overtake Labour into second, let alone win, yet social media was awash with people who believed just that.

Also some Labour material contained the equally delusional suggestion that private polling showed that Labour was more popular than the Libdems in Bath when tactical voting is stripped out. Again, complete nonsense and if believed only likely to reduce tactical support for the Libdems from Labour, with the result of letting the Tories back in.

The Tories can only win if the left is divided, we all know this, so why is the left always so enthusiastic in its desire to oblige them? Surely Labour is able to compile more accurate data for itself, even if the Libdems can't?

There's nothing Tories won't do to remain in leadership.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 2:36 pm

Willow904 wrote:
citizenJA wrote:
tinyclanger2 wrote:Frans Timmermann is more forgiving than me.
Same here
Timmermann is more forgiving than me
My home is the UK
The UK's departure from the EU is a frightful mistake
It may be a mistake, but it was no accident. The sabotage of UK trading interests has been deliberate and thorough.

(cJA bold)
This scares the hell out of me.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 4:24 pm

Given that the righteous ones (the left, environmental campaigners etc) will alway split on small ideological details rather than coalesce on more important things, our only solution is PR. Surely this is one thing the left could agree on - and if not why not?

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 4:28 pm

tinyclanger2 wrote:Given that the righteous ones (the left, environmental campaigners etc) will alway split on small ideological details rather than coalesce on more important things, our only solution is PR. Surely this is one thing the left could agree on - and if not why not?

Are you talkin' to me or chewin' a brick?

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 4:35 pm

Both. What of it?

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 4:37 pm

That's alright, then. Just checking.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 4:37 pm

I could perhaps have phrased the above more delicately.
But I couldn’t be ars*d.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 4:38 pm

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 4:38 pm

I think I need a vermouth.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 4:43 pm

But am making do with a sherry being chez parents.
A largely booze-free zone.
Perfect for Christmas.
Or indeed any other time of year.

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 4:51 pm

tinyclanger2 wrote:Given that the righteous ones (the left, environmental campaigners etc) will alway split on small ideological details rather than coalesce on more important things, our only solution is PR. Surely this is one thing the left could agree on - and if not why not?

I get the feeling Labour are as far away as ever from the proper left coalition necessary to achieve constitutional change. Given the ridiculous amount of votes the Libdems got per MP elected this last time, however, I wonder if they might be a bit closer to seeing the need.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 4:55 pm

Not to the mention the Green’s 800 k votes per one seat.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 4:59 pm

tinyclanger2 wrote:But am making do with a sherry being chez parents.
A largely booze-free zone.
Perfect for Christmas.
Or indeed any other time of year.

It's been a largely heat-free and hot water-free zone here. Bloody festive. Still, I've survived.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 5:02 pm

Party on!

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 5:06 pm

What does Constance make of it?

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 5:49 pm

Afternoon all.

A brief visit to hope everyone's well and having a fun time.

My day hasn't been exactly a barrel of laughs - woke up feeling wretched and have spent all of it until now in bed. Come downstairs for some tea and toast after which I will no doubt return to bed. And Orient lost in my absence - my son went and is now on his way home in that Wales.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 6:34 pm

tinyclanger2 wrote:What does Constance make of it?

She's been refusing to do the washing up. But she's been keeping warm.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 6:39 pm

PorFavor wrote:
tinyclanger2 wrote:What does Constance make of it?
She's been refusing to do the washing up. But she's been keeping warm.

That’s cats for you.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 6:52 pm

RogerOThornhill wrote:Afternoon all.

A brief visit to hope everyone's well and having a fun time.

My day hasn't been exactly a barrel of laughs - woke up feeling wretched and have spent all of it until now in bed. Come downstairs for some tea and toast after which I will no doubt return to bed. And Orient lost in my absence - my son went and is now on his way home in that Wales.

Hope you feel better soon.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 7:04 pm

The best apple blackberry blueberry port honey crumble with vanilla ice cream I've ever made in my life is here.
Please help yourselves.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 7:05 pm

oh yeah

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 7:09 pm

PorFavor wrote:
RogerOThornhill wrote:Afternoon all.

A brief visit to hope everyone's well and having a fun time.

My day hasn't been exactly a barrel of laughs - woke up feeling wretched and have spent all of it until now in bed. Come downstairs for some tea and toast after which I will no doubt return to bed. And Orient lost in my absence - my son went and is now on his way home in that Wales.
Hope you feel better soon.

Get well soon, RogerOThornhill.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 7:11 pm

crumble post was stream of consciousness

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 7:49 pm

Cue HindleA

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 7:50 pm

For some reason I have been singing “I wanna wish you a merry christmas” in my head all day ....

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 7:51 pm

... from the bottom of my hea ea ea eart.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 8:03 pm

Guess what?

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 8:03 pm

SUIT YOURSELVES!

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Thu 26 Dec, 2019 8:04 pm

(PTO)