A few birthdays of late….
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Joe Walsh is another having a birthday.
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Saw Nick Mason a couple of months ago, still puts on a great show for an 80 yr old
A giant iceberg has sailed to the Canadian island of Newfoundland
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Man who found smooth Mars bar gets £2 compensation
Thousands of people liked the Facebook picture of Harry Seager's smooth Mars bar
A man who caused an online storm when he found a Mars bar without its signature ripple has received £2 in compensation.
Harry Seager’s picture of the confectionery generated interest from thousands of members on the Dull Men’s Club Facebook page, with one labelling it “hideous”.
The 34-year-old said while Mars Wrigley UK would not give him a reason for the imperfection, group members said the bar had escaped being blown by air.
Mars Wrigley UK said earlier this month the bar "slipped" through its production line and confirmed the swirl was being kept.
Mr Seager, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, was on the way to a classic car show in Birmingham with friends and picked up the chocolate bar at a service station in Thame, Oxfordshire.
“The only reason I emailed [Mars] was because I was interested in what might have caused it to happen. That is all I wanted to know and they kept side-lining that question,” he said.
“I think £2 is great, it will be two free Mars bars. Maybe they could have sent me more but I’m not being ungrateful. I think it’s amazing after everything that’s happened that I got the £2 voucher.”
Image caption,
Mr Seager said he planned to buy more Mars bars with the £2
Mars bars were first made by hand in Slough, Berkshire, in 1932, and are still made in the town.
“A few people who used to work at Mars’ factories commented [on Facebook] and they said it goes through a machine called an enrober, which is like the waterfall the bars go through," Mr Seager said.
“Apparently they get blown with air along the top as it comes out of that waterfall. Apparently there’s meant to be somebody at the end who removes the ones which haven’t been hit by the air.
“I don’t know what happens to them then. I suppose they got put into products that have Mars bars in, like cakes and things.”
With regards to other confectionery, Harry enjoys most chocolate bars but is not a fan of all sweet treats.
“I don’t like the strawberry and orange cremes in a box of Roses or a box of Quality Street but I do like the coffee ones. I remember they took the coffee ones out a very long time ago but as a kid I remember them,” he added.
Those Quality Street Coffee Cremes are only available at John Lewis and Waitrose this Christmas.
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Thousands of people liked the Facebook picture of Harry Seager's smooth Mars bar
A man who caused an online storm when he found a Mars bar without its signature ripple has received £2 in compensation.
Harry Seager’s picture of the confectionery generated interest from thousands of members on the Dull Men’s Club Facebook page, with one labelling it “hideous”.
The 34-year-old said while Mars Wrigley UK would not give him a reason for the imperfection, group members said the bar had escaped being blown by air.
Mars Wrigley UK said earlier this month the bar "slipped" through its production line and confirmed the swirl was being kept.
Mr Seager, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, was on the way to a classic car show in Birmingham with friends and picked up the chocolate bar at a service station in Thame, Oxfordshire.
“The only reason I emailed [Mars] was because I was interested in what might have caused it to happen. That is all I wanted to know and they kept side-lining that question,” he said.
“I think £2 is great, it will be two free Mars bars. Maybe they could have sent me more but I’m not being ungrateful. I think it’s amazing after everything that’s happened that I got the £2 voucher.”
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Image source,Harry SeagerImage caption,
Mr Seager said he planned to buy more Mars bars with the £2
Mars bars were first made by hand in Slough, Berkshire, in 1932, and are still made in the town.
“A few people who used to work at Mars’ factories commented [on Facebook] and they said it goes through a machine called an enrober, which is like the waterfall the bars go through," Mr Seager said.
“Apparently they get blown with air along the top as it comes out of that waterfall. Apparently there’s meant to be somebody at the end who removes the ones which haven’t been hit by the air.
“I don’t know what happens to them then. I suppose they got put into products that have Mars bars in, like cakes and things.”
With regards to other confectionery, Harry enjoys most chocolate bars but is not a fan of all sweet treats.
“I don’t like the strawberry and orange cremes in a box of Roses or a box of Quality Street but I do like the coffee ones. I remember they took the coffee ones out a very long time ago but as a kid I remember them,” he added.
Those Quality Street Coffee Cremes are only available at John Lewis and Waitrose this Christmas.
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Gregg busily giving the working class a bad name. What a Neanderthal ****er.
Indeed. But it seems it's ok for middle class women of a certain age to talk all smutty though...
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Did Nigella really say that? I know Wallace did.
Have you ever worked on Raasay? Just saw something on telly about a crofter/lighthouseman/postman who spent years in the 70s building a road in the north of the island so his daughter could get home from school on Skye.
Made me think that nowadays there would be protests and petitions to get someone else to do it for them (possibly not on Raasay, they may be made of sterner stuff), huge amounts of unproductive energy spent in not actually doing anything.
Was on Raasay back in the summer...no roads for me though...
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Had my own helicopter for the day! It's only a short ferry crossing to Skye, but a completely different world. You'd need to be made of strong stuff to live on that island - probably why there's only 160 living there!
I was up on Skye last week - it's a beautiful island, hardly any tourists at this time of year, but in the summer it's a nightmare - it's campervan city with numpties who don't know how to drive them. Add to that that most of the roads are single track with passing places and it can be gridlock at times.
lost the plot Pupils 'sob' as vicar discusses existence of Santa
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Image source,Getty ImagesImage caption,
The vicar gave a talk on Father Christmas during a religious education lesson
Marcus White
BBC News
- Published
2 hours ago
Pupils reportedly began to sob as Rev Dr Paul Chamberlain made comments during a Religious Education lesson at Lee-on-the-Solent Junior School in Hampshire.
One parent described his talk as "absolutely disgusting", while another said her daughter reckoned the vicar was mistaken and had "lost the plot", The Times reported., external
The Anglican Diocese of Portsmouth said Rev Chamberlain accepted it was an "error of judgement".
A 10-year old pupil, quoted in The Times, said some children "gasped" during the vicar's lesson, in which they were also told that parents ate the cookies left out for Santa.
One parent told the newspaper: "I don't know how it can be undone, but I think it's absolutely disgusting.
"I don't want him anywhere near my daughter. I hope he never comes into the school again."
In a statement, a diocese spokesperson said: "We understand that the vicar of St Faith's, Lee-on-the-Solent, the Rev Paul Chamberlain, was leading an RE lesson for 10 and 11-year-olds at Lee-on-Solent Junior School.
"After talking about the Nativity story from the Bible, he made some comments about the existence of Father Christmas.
"Paul has accepted that this was an error of judgement, and he should not have done so.
"He apologised unreservedly to the school, to the parents and to the children, and the headteacher immediately wrote to all parents to explain this
Pupils 'sob' as vicar discusses existence of Santa
You must log in or register to see imagesImage source,Getty Images
Image caption,
The vicar gave a talk on Father Christmas during a religious education lesson
Marcus White
BBC News
A vicar has been forced to apologise after telling a group of schoolchildren aged 10 and 11 that Father Christmas was not real.
- Published
2 hours ago
Pupils reportedly began to sob as Rev Dr Paul Chamberlain made comments during a Religious Education lesson at Lee-on-the-Solent Junior School in Hampshire.
One parent described his talk as "absolutely disgusting", while another said her daughter reckoned the vicar was mistaken and had "lost the plot", The Times reported., external
The Anglican Diocese of Portsmouth said Rev Chamberlain accepted it was an "error of judgement".
A 10-year old pupil, quoted in The Times, said some children "gasped" during the vicar's lesson, in which they were also told that parents ate the cookies left out for Santa.
One parent told the newspaper: "I don't know how it can be undone, but I think it's absolutely disgusting.
"I don't want him anywhere near my daughter. I hope he never comes into the school again."
In a statement, a diocese spokesperson said: "We understand that the vicar of St Faith's, Lee-on-the-Solent, the Rev Paul Chamberlain, was leading an RE lesson for 10 and 11-year-olds at Lee-on-Solent Junior School.
"After talking about the Nativity story from the Bible, he made some comments about the existence of Father Christmas.
"Paul has accepted that this was an error of judgement, and he should not have done so.
"He apologised unreservedly to the school, to the parents and to the children, and the headteacher immediately wrote to all parents to explain this
Sack the ****er and ask him to convincingly explain to the kids how God exists.
they were also told that parents ate the cookies left out for Santa.
how dare the miserable bastard give away the parents trade secrets
how dare the miserable bastard give away the parents trade secrets
Our heating isn't working this morning, so my wife just phoned to get someone out to fix it. They initially said that they wouldn't be able to get anyone here until tomorrow, so my wife said, 'Does it make any difference that there's someone over 70 here?' 'Oh yes' they said. We'll put you down as vulnerable'.
Finally, I am of some use!
Finally, I am of some use!
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I remember a Jehovah’s Witness asking me what will happen when my kids find out I’ve been lying about Father Christmas. Ha the irony
Nice to help out some folk...did their first mobile site last week!
No mains power or mobile signal: The valley 'on edge of society'
Image caption,
Sam Wood has campaigned for a decade to get mains electricity to the Upper Coquet valley
"We have appalling roads, no street lights, no fibre broadband, no mobile phone signal, no gas, no mains water, no mains sewerage and no mains electricity."
Sam Wood is one of the 48 people living in the remote Upper Coquet valley in Northumberland, in farms and cottages dotted along a single track road winding into the Cheviot Hills, straddling the border between England and Scotland.
She has campaigned for a decade to get mains power to an off-grid community she describes as "on the edge of society".
But with a connection to mains electricity coming, this is the last Christmas the community will have to celebrate with the threat of a blackout hanging over them.
This is the mast I was working on!
The noisy diesel generators that power their homes cost up to £10,000 a year to run, and can break down at any moment, including on Christmas Day.
The noisy diesel generators that power their homes cost up to £10,000 a year to run, and can break down at any moment, including on Christmas Day.
"We never know when it might happen, we can go months with no problems then the generator can stop working three times in a week," Sam says.
"My husband Daniel has to go out in the dark to try and sort it and if he can't, well, I get the candles out."
The mast is on this farm
The properties in the valley are owned by the MoD, which is joint funding the project with the Home Office
There are very few people in the country who are able to repair and service them.
For now, the community relies on Claude Schiavetta, who travels from his home in Dunkeld in Scotland.
"Sometimes when I arrive, families have been without power for a week or two," he says. "So they're usually very pleased to see me."
The valley missed out on the electrification programmes of the 20th Century because the farms were too remote, and for many years the community was told a connection would be too expensive.
But when the Home Office decided it needed to supply mains electricity to three emergency telecommunication masts in the valley, an opportunity arose to connect many of the properties too.
The project is being funded by the Home Office and Ministry of Defence (MoD) which owns the land.
Upper Coquetdale is a community of fewer than 50 people, some living many miles apart, but the valley Christmas party is well attended and all the talk this year is of the new cable.
"There's still that little doubt," Shona says, "but it's so nice to see the poles as you drive up the valley and you think to yourself, yes, this could actually happen."
Sam agrees: "This is a community where we look out for each other.
"If someone's in trouble, we all help, and that's happened many times.
"Mains electricity won't change that, the valley will always be a very special place."
No mains power or mobile signal: The valley 'on edge of society'
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Image caption,
Sam Wood has campaigned for a decade to get mains electricity to the Upper Coquet valley
"We have appalling roads, no street lights, no fibre broadband, no mobile phone signal, no gas, no mains water, no mains sewerage and no mains electricity."
Sam Wood is one of the 48 people living in the remote Upper Coquet valley in Northumberland, in farms and cottages dotted along a single track road winding into the Cheviot Hills, straddling the border between England and Scotland.
She has campaigned for a decade to get mains power to an off-grid community she describes as "on the edge of society".
But with a connection to mains electricity coming, this is the last Christmas the community will have to celebrate with the threat of a blackout hanging over them.
You must log in or register to see images
This is the mast I was working on!
The noisy diesel generators that power their homes cost up to £10,000 a year to run, and can break down at any moment, including on Christmas Day.
The noisy diesel generators that power their homes cost up to £10,000 a year to run, and can break down at any moment, including on Christmas Day.
"We never know when it might happen, we can go months with no problems then the generator can stop working three times in a week," Sam says.
"My husband Daniel has to go out in the dark to try and sort it and if he can't, well, I get the candles out."
You must log in or register to see images
The mast is on this farm
The properties in the valley are owned by the MoD, which is joint funding the project with the Home Office
There are very few people in the country who are able to repair and service them.
For now, the community relies on Claude Schiavetta, who travels from his home in Dunkeld in Scotland.
You must log in or register to see images
"Sometimes when I arrive, families have been without power for a week or two," he says. "So they're usually very pleased to see me."
The valley missed out on the electrification programmes of the 20th Century because the farms were too remote, and for many years the community was told a connection would be too expensive.
But when the Home Office decided it needed to supply mains electricity to three emergency telecommunication masts in the valley, an opportunity arose to connect many of the properties too.
The project is being funded by the Home Office and Ministry of Defence (MoD) which owns the land.
Upper Coquetdale is a community of fewer than 50 people, some living many miles apart, but the valley Christmas party is well attended and all the talk this year is of the new cable.
"There's still that little doubt," Shona says, "but it's so nice to see the poles as you drive up the valley and you think to yourself, yes, this could actually happen."
Sam agrees: "This is a community where we look out for each other.
"If someone's in trouble, we all help, and that's happened many times.
"Mains electricity won't change that, the valley will always be a very special place."