Off Topic Other Stuff (anything you want to share)

Did the Broadstairs day out today....beautiful wall to wall sun...great day out.

One point to make...bought our tickets with discounts on Senior Rail Card and Freedom Passes.....the Freedom Pass meant that we didn't start paying for our journey until we left Londons Zone 6 area....which also meant we just needed to use our Freedom Pass to get on the train.....not once during our journey... there and back... did a Ticket Inspector appear to check that we had a valid ticket.....and of course on returning we used our Freedom Pass to get through the barrier when back at the end of our trip......also at Broadstairs you just walk out the station ....no barrier....and in the evening the Station is already closed down and you get onto the platform using a side gate.

Did we waste £40-80p buying tickets...when we didn't have to prove once that we had valid tickets during both journeys ?

How many people try this on and hope there is no ticket inspector....quite often when there is an inspector...he gives out tickets to passengers that have got on from smaller Stations.....so you can say that you've just got on and probably get away with it.

 

Don't tell everyone us old folk get stuff free or a lot cheaper Plym. They'll only start calling for euthanasia and calling us leeches.



p.s. If I was you I'd sneak on and keep quiet.

 

Want to know why A&E is falling apart and can't cope. Here is one theory.

Both me and her indoors got a letter from our Surgery recently to say we were due an MOT. I've been taking pills for a fair old time so they said mine would be a pill review as well. Bit of background. My blood pressure has been bolloxed for years and I've been taking pills to combat it. I also had a heart attack about 5 years ago now so they decided I should take Cholesterol pills as well. Her indoors has had none of that. I'm about 13 8oz in weight and about 5' 10"so a tad overwieght. Her indoors is 5' 6" and weighs in at a mighty 8st. She got a letter the other day to say her Cholesterol was over the limit and another one to say she was a candidate for type 2 diabetese. The proposal was she take a pill or two to combat this. Now as an aside to this she already has macular degeneration which is an eye condition that leads to loss of central vision over time. She has already got to that stage. What she does is important to her remaining vision. The pills say that as a side effect she should be aware if she has either got diabetese or is in danger of contracting it. The bottom line being one diagnosis and remedy sort of counteracts the other with regard to solution. She contacted the Surgery to ask to see a Doctor to at least talk about things before she started just swallowing what she was given. Remember she was written to to take these tests by the Doctor rather than her knowing anything was possibly wrong. There are no appointments she was told. Well I need to speak to somebody she said. No appointments with any Doctor or even the practice nurse for the next 3 weeks. If you need to see a GP then you have to ring in on the morning and see if they can fit you in as an emergency. It's not an emergency I just need to speak to a Doctor. Well you can't but we can get the GP to ring you. When? Sometime next week. What day? Can't say it will be sometime in the week. So to speak to a GP, not see one, you have to sit by your phone in the hope one will call you. Now what if you are actually ill. Same applies apparently. Ring in and see if they can fit you in. Feck you lot I'm off to A&E which is what the vast majority of people probably do and why they cannot cope anymore. Meanwhile the GPs just plod along and always find time to do other paid work to make up their very high wages. Why is the NHS failing? Go on have a guess. What happened to the days when your GP actually knew your name. It was a lifetime ago and we will never see those days again. The problem starts with your local surgery.

 

Mrs Plym has arthritis.....so she has been on tramadol for a few years now.....when I pick up her prescription I have to sign for it....it used to be for a hundred tablets (takes four a day).....they have now cut it down to sixty....so more trips to the surgery....more work for the doctor, staff and the chemist.....you can be given tramadol from different companies.....the latest tablet I picked up is about half the size of most others.....so it is harder to push out of the foil strip.....end result a squashed tablet....and that is with me doing it....remember Mrs Plym has arthritis and that effects her fingers....she can't do it......with the foil strip being so small it is hard for her to split it open with her nails....so frustrating.....tramadol is used by arthritis users everywhere.....what idiot designed a foil container that people with effected fingers can't open without damaging the tablet......

I get a look from the surgery staff when I pop in every fortnight as if I'm some sort of drug baron supplying the local druggies when I ask if Mrs Plym's prescription is ready to be pick up.

 

I saw a really annoying interview with Jurgen Klopp this morning, in which he defended Neymar's "right" as he saw it to throw himself down every time he's tackled. Apparently this is necessary to "protect himself as opponents really go for him".

I don't know if that's some attempt at mind games before Liverpool play PSG tonight or whether it's a disguised defence of Salah, who has been known to topple over quite easily too.

Even if true, and jumping out of the way of a tackle isnt a sin, what it doesn't explain is the writhing in agony after minimal contact.

It's disgraceful to hear a top manager publicly supporting the cheating that's corroding the game.

Sent from my mobile phone - E&OE

 

Neymar view is....any method is legitimate to win a game....cheating is what others do.

 

I used to go along to the surgery every other year to have a check up....a few years back when I had reached 75 I popped in to book an appointment...and was told that they don't do it after you reach 75...huh.....so what do they expect me to do....go play with the traffic on the M25 I assume... and not waste their time.

 

They all condone it because their own players do it notdistant. If they condemn one of the opposition then their own will get sited over and over. It's Referees I feel sorry for in this instance. The players are so good at it that in real time it looks terrible. What needs to happen is a VAR sort of thing where the contact is looked at in slowmo and where it can be proved there was no contact they should be done. But it won't happen. Blackpool had a couple of actors on Saturday. The one who clutched his face for one. The Ref ignored him but in my book should have booked him. Either he was caught and therefore it was a foul and he should have whistled or he wasn't and it was a dive. To ignore is a cop out.

 

35 years in the RN going to some really dodgy places, never been assaulted, ripped off or robbed (well possibly ripped off, but that is par for the course) . Currently in Paris for wife's 50th. On the actual day of her birthday was pick-pocketed on the Metro- 2 credit cards, 1 current account cards and my driving licence all gone in a flash & approx £400 and my wallet. Knew exactly when it happened and very probably who it was (two of then I think) . Timed to perfection as when I knew it was gone they were stepping off the train at the station. Within 45 mins they had attempted 15 different transactions totaling well over £2k. An hour at the police station followed by 2 on the phone to the banks and everything is more or less sorted out-not the best birthday afternoon- fortunately the evening river Seine cruise & dinner cheered us up. Luckily(?) I had put a wedge of cash in another pocket (so no-one would see my wallet! ) and another bank card was secured elsewhere on my person. Embarrassed to say that I always assumed that people who get pick pocketed must somehow be careless, or at fault. Now it has happened to me I feel very differently- it can happen in a flash and there is very little you can do about it. I am kind of over it now- no one was hurt, and I have lost nothing but money (most of which is insured) and a little confidence (it couldn't possibly happen to me!) . I guess the message is stay safe out there!

 

Sorry to hear all that lyndie. I was going to say none of it has ever happened to me either but given your story I might just refrain from saying it now. Hope the evening went well. Happy birthday to Lady Lyndhurst.

 

So sorry to hear that Lyndy....not a great start to your wife's 50th celebrations.

I did get my current account emptied a few years back in Thailand.....whilst I was still in Orpington.....happened through a local garage when I bought petrol....seemed a few people got done over that day from there. Got it all back.....my bank just shrugged their shoulders and said it happens all the time.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your time in Paris.....good idea having another card and other cash elsewhere....lets hope Argyle cheer us all up this weekend....but don't hold your breathe.

 

In the 'What's The World Coming To" series, Everton's Brazilian Richarlison has said he idolized Neymar in his youth. Did he copy Neymar's skills or his positioning? No, he copied his haircuts obvs.

Sent from my mobile phone - E&OE

 

Sad day today.

For quite a few years Mrs Plym and myself have regularly on a Saturday morning gone for a walk up at High Elms Country Park...just ten minutes by car from where we live, plus a visit to the Café they have there.

The last couple of years this has included a close neighbour...whose wife passed away 3 years ago....and asked if he could join us on our walk....and this has been happening until a few weeks back when he developed a painful back and had to refrain from walking because of the pain.....he went down hill quickly and spent two weeks in Guy's Hospital....they were trying to manage the pain....but not too successfully....a week or so back they transferred him to a Hospice....and we heard this Thursday that he had died with a spine cancer.....less than 6 weeks since it first showed up....a bit of a shock for quite a few people in this cul-de-sac....he had lived here longer than anyone else about 35 years.

So a lovely sunny day...a little chilly and it's Saturday walk time.....but unfortunately without our friend anymore, a sobering thought for us all.

 

My sister in law's father passed away 6 or 8 weeks back. Recently, her mother has been complaining of earache. Eventually, she went into hospital where they have removed a lump . She's awaiting biopsy results. Some people have all the luck.

Sent from my mobile phone - E&OE

 

I see one of Argyle's ex owners is in the news locally. Good old Dan MaCauley is trying to flog off Drake's Island and is looking for around the £6m mark. I tink he's caught a bug from Jimmy Brent when it comes to not finishing anything he started. I seem to remember ambitious plans to do a major build and refurbishment on the Island and him fighting tooth an nail to get the appropriate planning permission for it all. I also remember the outcry when he bought it originally. There were few people in favour probably because mostly he had been the Argyle owner and they hadn't forgiven him anything for not destroying his wealth on their football club. He definately has one thing in common though. He apparently bought the gig for just under £400k and now that planning permission has been obtained the selling price has gone up a tad to the £6m now. And he hasn't laid a brick or mixed a bucket of cement.

Personally I think Drake's Island has been a complete waste of ground for years and it is a shame that nothing has ever been done with it, It is a prime site for development irrespective of the history or anything else. I also don't care if Dan the Man makes a few quid either. I never subscribed to the abuse he got as owner. He put a load of cash into Argyle and backed Shilton to the hilt. It never quite worked out but it wasn't his fault even if he was a bit of a bullying loudmouth type.

 

A while back I moaned about the Halifax dropping their bonus from £5 to £3 if you put a £1,000 a month in to your current account.

A letter has arrived adjusting that bonus from £3 down now to £2 for £1,000 a month in to your current account....sounds like a touch of two fingers in your face for staying with us for 55 years.

Doesn't that work out to a bonus of 0.002%.....not close to inflation....how can they get away with that....walking away and going somewhere else seems to be the answer.

 

Great day out at Knole Park, Sevenoaks today.....wall to wall sunshine and a top temperature of 70F.

Half term this week so lots of families there today.....but saw a first today on the golf course within the park.....we came up to one of the greens and bunkers that run alongside our walk....to find a granny standing next to one of the bunkers with three grandchildren building sand castles and having great fun with the rake.....what a pity there wasn't any golfers coming up to the green as we passed.....they would have had a fit at the state of the well used bunker sand....the granny was completely unaware of all the signs nearby telling you to stay off the greens etc....would have loved to have lingered a while to see golfers having a fit at the state of the sand....there was three players a stroke or so away from the green coming down the fairway....they're used to having to give way to some of the 500 deer that roam the park....but a granny and three youngsters is something new.....unfortunately had to press on and miss the fun.

 

Just off to bed but saw my phone in melt down

A helicopter belonging to the owner of Leicester City has gone down into a car park after their game against West Ham.

Casualties unknown by clearly very serious accident.

Puts it into perspective....

Sent from my mobile phone - E&OE

 

Seems to be just beyond the car park in an Industrial estate.....casualties as yet unknown.

 

Well it will probably be the pilot for a start as somebody was driving it. The thankful thing, if there is anything to be thankful for, is that it wasn't in the car park for the ground. There would surely have been people still there if it had been but doubt there was anyone in the nearby area of an industrial carpark at that time on a Saturday.

I have seen a helicopter hit the deck and burn. I have seen the contents of it after the event and whoever was in that copter is highly unlikely to have survived. Not a healthy record of survival in choppers when they crash sadly. Surprised there is no more news yet given there must have been a fair few around the area still with their photographic cameras.