The great character actor Bernard Hill has died at the age of 79. He will be remembered for many iconic performances, from Yosser Hughes to King Theoden. RIP Bernard
Just watched Season 2 of The Responder on BBC iPlayer (all are available since yesterday) and didn't realise he was in it until halfway through. RIP
I still have to find a VPN the beeb doesn't recognise and tell me to do one or maybe a techie mate over here will sort something out, IPTV or similar. I'm more concerned with the green aphids on some of my house plants. Brushing them off and a soapy water spray will do, I don't want to use an insecticide, the greenies are food for useful bug. The dwarf french beans are ready to plant on having done well in a pot on a warm windowsill.
I hope that's not to scale Chilco. Nice paint job. We have some common bugs (and birds for that matter) that are so familiar that you don't really appreciate how beautiful they are until you see a picture like this. We used to get ladybirds that would come into the house for the winter and form a cluster in the corner of a window. All different colours, they looked really good. I'll try to find a picture I've got somewhere.
Yes we do but haven't seen any so far this year and would need to encourage them indoors to. The roses coming into bloom would benefit from a swarm although there isn't much sign of the little blighters yet. The weather hasn't been conducive to gardening, drying out a bit now I'll get stuff outdoors over the next days. No tomatoes this year maybe longer. We came back from holiday to find our big crop of assorted varieties had late blight which cut the yield fight back. Pissed me off no end, but that's nature for you.
Most people don't know that back in 1912, Hellmann's Mayonnaise was manufactured in England. In fact, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico, which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York. This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise ever delivered to Mexico. But as we know, the great ship did not make it to New York. The ship hit an iceberg and sank, and the cargo was forever lost. The people of Mexico, who were crazy about mayonnaise, and were eagerly awaiting its delivery, were disconsolate at the loss. Their anguish was so great, that they declared a National Day of Mourning, which they still observe to this day. The National Day of Mourning occurs each year on May 5th and is known, of course, as: Sinko de Mayo.
Hope this doesn't get modded for explicit sexuality. https://www.growveg.co.uk/guides/make-your-garden-a-ladybug-paradise/
Forever Yosser for me. Yosser's Story was one of the saddest, darkly funny piece of TV ever. The whole series was amazing but that 4th episode was outstanding. People are having a hard time at the moment but I left school in the early 80s when it was pretty much as horrible as it gets, so I feel like I can cope with anything these days. The scene with Graeme Souness was superb. 'You look like me. And Magnum' was Yosser in a nutshell: Arrogant, confident, brash and nothing like as good as he thinks he is. So his utter downfall is even sadder because he never believed it could happen to him, because he was Yosser.
A German, an Italian, a Frenchman, and an Englishmen are debating philosophy. The question arises over the course of their debates: What separates man from the animals? "Technology," says the German. "Other creatures have tools, yet none can match the hights of engineering we have accomplished. It is our industry that separates us from the beasts." "I disagree," announces the Italian. "It is our food. The creatures of the wild eat, but they do not cook. Humans on the other hand, create amazing dishes and new combination that make eating a most enjoyable experience." "I say it's art," decides the Frenchman. "No other being can create art. From our earliest days we have painted, and now we sculpt, write and compose as well. The wild animals cannot ever know what it is like to cry over a beautiful piece of art." All three now look towards the Englishman, expecting his answer. He takes a long sip of tea before answering. "The Channel."
This jogged my memory, with regards to the “What separates man from the animals” bit. Here’s a link to a lovely story about an orangutan “self treating a wound https://www.npr.org/2024/05/03/1248...ild orangutan in,poultice to cover his injury.
Erik ten Hag walks into a bank to cash a cheque. As he approaches the cashier he says, "Good morning, Ms, could you please cash this cheque for me?" Cashier: "It would be my pleasure. Could you please show me your ID?" Ten Hag: "Truthfully, I did not bring my ID with me as I didn't think there was any need to. I am Erik ten Hag, Manager of Manchester United”. Cashier: "Yes, I know who you are, but with all the regulations and monitoring of the banks because of impostors and forgers and requirements of the legislation, etc., I must insist on seeing ID." Ten Hag: Just ask anyone here at the bank who I am and they will tell you. Everybody knows who I am." Cashier: "I am sorry, Mr Hag but these are the bank rules and I must follow them." Ten Hag: "Come on please, I am urging you, please cash this cheque." Cashier: "Look sir, here is an example of what we can do. One day, Tiger Woods came into the bank without ID. To prove he was Tiger Woods he pulled out his putter and made a beautiful shot across the bank into a cup. With that shot we knew him to be Tiger Woods and cashed his cheque." "Another time, Andre Agassi came in without ID. He pulled out his tennis racket and made a fabulous shot where the tennis ball landed in my cup. With that shot we cashed hischeque. So, sir, what can you do to prove that it is you and only you?" Erik stands there thinking and thinking and finally says, "Honestly, my mind is a total blank...there is nothing that comes to mymind. I can't think of a single thing. I have absolutely no idea what to do. I don't have a clue." Cashier: "Will that be large or small notes ,Mr Ten Hag?”
A man got on the bus with both of his front trouser pockets full of golf balls and sat down next to a beautiful (you guessed it) blonde. The puzzled blonde kept looking at him and his bulging pockets. Finally, after many glances from her, he said, "It's golf balls." The blonde continued to look at him for a very long time, thinking deeply about what he had said. After several minutes, not being able to contain her curiosity any longer, She asked, “Does it hurt as much as tennis elbow?”
