Phoenix

I've a feeling this is slipping away.

On 09/08/2022 at 07:39, BriggRam said:

Vitesse Arnhem........once a year they even change there colours to maroon and blue to commemorate the British Airborne Forces that fought there in 1944 ?️

Does that constitute a political statement, like England wearing poppies?

Exeter 7-0 up away to Cheltenham

1 hour ago, Wolfie said:

I agree with your main point but this solution would see medal winners in each event who aren't the best at that event. Not sure what the solution would be for decathlon/heptathlon but you could limit all of the competitors to a maximum of 2 or 3 events?. It would stop swimmers winning golds in the 50/100/200/400 in freestyle and then breast stroke etc, plus the relay/medleys etc.

Still not ideal. Maybe there are just too many events that each individual swimmer/gymnast/cyclist could realistically win in certain sports.

 

It's rare that the winner of the Hep/Decathlon wins all the events. KJT for instance is good at sprinting & jumping but weak at the throwing events. Taking it event by event she would have got 2 golds, three silvers and a gold as overall winner, much like gymnastics.

It'll never happen.

What bugs me about the medals (any games meeting) is that the swimmers, divers and particularly the gymnasts can win multiple medals during the duration of one meeting, whereas in athletics, even a superstar like Bolt was only ever likely to win 3. It's not unknown for gymnasts and swimmers to win 5,6 or even 7 medals.

Therefore  (carefully avoiding 'so') why not award medals to the 3 leading athletes in each of the Decthlon/Heptathlon events? I can't see the difference.

2 hours ago, Unlucky Alf said:

I'm not to sure but did the rear doors open the opposite way, My Dad was a ford man, Pops, Anglia, Escort, Corsair, Then in the 70s bought a Rover...he never did get used to that Alsatian...?

Yep them were't days arr kid ? 

I dont think it had rear doors but time (60 years) dulls the memory.

14 hours ago, Unlucky Alf said:

Wow I remember them times also, Not me, My Dad early 60s, He had a black ford pop I think where the indicator flicked out at the side and there was a running board, He'd put one of those miners lamps at the front wheel, Beauty of it, It was still there the next day.

I used to have one, an Anglia I think, about 1955 vintage. It was superior to the popular in that it had rusty chrome bumpers and trim, rather than painted. The idicators used to stick so you became adept at flicking the driver's side one out with your hand. It had 3 gears and wipers that worked off the compression of the engine or summat, so that if you were straining up a hill in a rain storm (not uncommon in Buxton) the wipers slowed to a standstill.

There used to be a series of books pulished in the 60's called 'The art of coarse ***', in this case motoring.

Two of the essentials for coarse motoring were a running board and a bonnet that opened from the side. The Anglia ticked both boxes.

Ee, them were't days.

2 hours ago, Turk Thrust said:

Yep. From the old expression “Life is meat and potatoes, and the luxuries are gravy” so  the modern phrase “different gravy” means a standard is so high that comparison with anything is pointless. 

Perhaps he should have said different potatoes.

34 minutes ago, EnigmaRam said:

Well he certainly wasn’t Bisto

More like Marmite

4 hours ago, Jimbo Ram said:

Even understanding the graphics and score on the tv is painful...going to give it a miss again....

Totally agree. It's like something out of a very young child's comic, but confusiing.

1 hour ago, 86 Hair Islands said:

Well this is an exciting one, not that the others haven't been. Can't say I know too much about him but my Everton pals say he's highly rated.

Dare I say it, but Bielik aside, we seem to be putting together a better balanced side than we had for much of last season. 

My Liverpool-supporting neighbour told me Andre Wisdom was 'different gravy'. I took it to mean he was exceptionally good.

16 minutes ago, RadioactiveWaste said:

Know nothing about him, so I'll confidantly state he's the best thing since sliced bread / an utter waste of time and effort will never make it, after all he didn't make it at Everton and they lent us that Dowell fellah.

Round peg in a square hole.

This 100 rubbish is a bit of a damp squib.

54 minutes ago, Gaspode said:

When folk get upset about the country grinding to a halt for snow, you have to ask yourself (as a tax payer) if you'd really be happy to pay the many, many tens of millions for extra snowploughs and prep that we'd need to keep the country running, in the full knowledge that they'd all be sitting about deteriorating for 360 days every year? Countries that cope better than us with wintery weather tend to do so because they expect more show and ice so are willing to pay....

True. I grew up in Buxton (my wife will tell you I never grew up, but never mind), and the weather's nototious. A couple of times a year there's a heavy puther which disrupts routes in and out, even cuts the town off. But you can be sure that within 2 -3 days, traffic's flowing again, so I take your point.

On 27/07/2022 at 14:35, FindernRam said:

BBC overstaffing.

Using an outside reporter to introduce a report by someone else. Andy Swiss travels the world but only talks for about 20 seconds at a time. What's wrong with the army of commentators also out there? Same with news reports.

At the Lioness game there were at least 9 women involved not including the commentators, all of them quite screechy. Pre-match, half time pundits and post match waffle. Muted them till match started.

This really grinds my gears. One of my constant moans is the number of weather presenters. Admittedly, some of the ladies are quite tasty, some less so. It's the sheer number.

I came across this article a while ago, and admittedly it's 8 years old, but has anything changed? Do we need so many? Answers on a postage stamp to the BBC.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2699451/Why-does-BBC-waste-money-weather-forecasters-One-forecast-week-dozen-different-faces-country.html

On 18/07/2022 at 21:36, Anon said:

We are honestly pathetic when it comes to the weather. We must be the nation with the most narrow temperature tolerance. The country routinely breaks down the moment it drops below freezing, now we can't handle 2 days of hot weather without having to be reminded by the government to drink water.

One January some years ago, my cousin who lives in Ashbourne, was taking his daughter to Manchester aiport for a flight to Canada. It was snowing and by the time he got to Manchester there was about 2-3 inches lying. This, naturally, caused flights to be cancelled for the unforseeable future.

My cousin, fearful that the people who were to meet her in Canada would have a wasted long journey, and not being able to contact them, phoned the airport in Canada (don't know which one) to warn them. Don't ask.

"Gee, you're planes are grounded!? How much snow have you got!?".

"About 2 - 3 inches"

Peals of laughter on the other end of the phone.

On 24/05/2022 at 11:56, Coconut's Beard said:

Thanks for filling us in on the trials and tribulations of having a fetish for doing up buttons.

I didn't know such a kink even existed, just be glad you don't get turned on by zips because that would be fraught with danger.

You should read the Inspector Morse novels. His erotic thoughts are triggered by the word 'unbuttoning'.

8 minutes ago, Unlucky Alf said:

Complete random here, I have a 9 year V/Corsa it does me proud, Had it 6 years, Only found out a few months back that If I hold the unlock door button down it will open the front windows from a distance, Utterly useless for me...but was so pleased I wet myself ?

Cue for 2000 nutters all holding the unlock button down on random cars to see if it works.

On 28/07/2022 at 08:57, FindernRam said:

From my increasingly frequent use of the NHS I can state that diversity is not an issue.

The post advertised cost is just the tip of the iceberg here. By time you add up all the other costs, office ,desk, computer etc ,you will almost treble that cost. Then there will be a secretary and her costs. Probably also an assistant Director or two. Then the liaison team to link all the NHS Trusts and their teams.

Bureaucracy is a malignant cancer spreading its tentacles ever wider! 

For diversity and inclusivity, visit Leicester Royal Infirmary.

I read an article many years ago in the Daily Telegraph, where the reporter obviously decided to go on a mission to find the Head Honcho for his local Hospital trust. He went through layers and layers of management until he reached the very pinacle, 11 layers.

He was told that was after they'd already reduced it by 3 layers.

Just think how many nurses you could employ if they did a cull.

3 hours ago, Mucker1884 said:

Annoying thing No 1:
Having need for this, whilst away on holiday back in June:

Having to dismantle the door handle just to get in the bloody thing to lift the bonnet catch... battery had died whilst switched off and locked!  Literally nothing would work.

 

Annoying thing No 2:
Having the same thing happen 3 weeks later at home, and calling out the AA man.

 

Annoying thing No 3:
Having a car full of gadgets, but a battery not up to the job of supplying enough oomph to get said gadgets to work.  No keyless entry on 3 of the 4 doors.  No auto engine stop/start.  Constant warnings about low battery etc!

 

Annoying thing No 4:
Ford having the car for a day, only to say there is nothing wrong with the battery.  ?

 

Annoying thing No 5:
Waiting 4.5 weeks to drop your car back in, as the last diagnosis was inconclusive, so they needed to re-book it back in "for a few days", for further and more thorough investigation, and 4.5 weeks was the next available slot for a 3 day courtesy car.

Turn up this morning... no record of requiring a courtesy car, and seemingly none available!  ?

40mins and one kick-off later, a courtesy car miraculously becomes available!

 

Annoying thing No 6:
Courtesy car not been valeted inside or out... and its duckin' red! ?

 

So much material here.

1.Had a 'low tyre pressure' warning come on whilst driving over the most remote part of Exmoor. On reaching destination, when I turned the igniton on again, there was a different warning for the same thing, which made me wonder if it was now critical. Not a suitable garage in sight so stumbled back to Barnstaple and bought an inflator at Halfords. Good old SatNav.

2. Badly gouged the wing and door (very long story) in January. Decided to have it repaired on the insurance, having got it through 'GOCOMPARE' I was confident I could reclaim the excess. NB the car is still totally driveable, thank God.

2a. Got a call from the repairers late March to collect the car. Postponed a brief planned holiday to accommodate only to be told the part required had not yet arrived, so not collected.

2b. Insurance renewal in April. Quote was exactly double last years premium, and because I'd made a claim, my 22 years of accumulated No claims was reduced to 7. Two problems.

2b i)Despite my belief i'd taken NC protection, apparently I hadn't.

2b ii) Even though it says 22 years, 9 is the actual maximum you can have, and it's reduced by 2 for a claim.

Having ascertained that the original insurance company is liable to pay, I found a better quote, but did it through 'GOCOMPARE' to ensure continuity for my NC recovery.

3. Got a call from the repairers late May to say they'd got the part and would collect the car, which they did with an enormous low loader, and I was supplied with a courtesy car by a different company in a different town (having again delayed a short holiday).

4. A couple of days later we set off down the M5, and as I pulled in at a service station I got a call from the repairers to say that now they'd seen the car it required another new part and that they'd return my car until it arrives. Life is too short to describe the hoops jumped through to co-ordinate return of vehicle and return of courtesy car, whilst on holiday.

5. We are now in August. My car is on a PCP agreement, which should expire late September. The second part has not yet arrived. If I return/exchange the car they will knock off a chunk for repairing it themselves, this on top of the extra I had to pay for insurance having made a claim, not fulfilled as of this date.

6. Hyundai finance help line is not fit for purpose. It's like talking to a gravestone.

Wahaay. The 100's up. Hope I don't have a nose bleed

A mystery solved. It rhymes with Cows.

17 hours ago, Eddie said:

The most amazing statistic from the game is Hargrave of Shropshire carrying his bat for 69*, and in the process notching up a truly staggering 77.5% of his side's runs.

Took me a while to find it but I definitelty remember this, probably mid 1970's so 'modern era'.

Glenn Turner scored 141 not out, out of 169 (all out) for Worcestershire v Glamorgan. A modest 83.43%.

No-one else got into double figures, 3 ducks and 1 extra.

*Looked it up, 1977.

Have there been any significant delays or injuries. or is it the new EFL timing system?

2 hours ago, jimbo jones said:

What gets me, they bang on about everything being about producing for the England team. Then put all their efforts into a form of the game no sod else plays, and doesn’t have an international version. 
 

I understand the bringing in new fans element, it has worked for my sister in law, who went to a hundred game last year, and is now cricket mad. I just don’t see why that couldn’t have been achieved by putting all that effort into the T20 competition. Chuck the money at that. Allow 4 overseas, play it in august and have the England players available, change the format if you need to and get games on the BBC, tell the clubs to have flashy rebrands if that’s what you want.

Sorry, no. Far too sensible.