Off Topic The "Discuss Anything Else" Thread

My prospective father in law is proper old school. The family bought him a mobile phone a few years ago as an xmas present. I did tell them they were wasting their time but what did I know as I've only known him for a dozen years or so. He hardly ever takes it out with him and when his missus insists he does he never switches it on. He only goes out on his own to fetch a paper and pop in William Hills in any case.

 

Except I have never been addicted to a mobile phone and never had one (except a business phone I had; but in those days they were just phones). Actually Chan, I very rarely borrow one. It's more, "Take this phone, just in case". Eg on the very rare occasions I do the shopping (as Swanny describes precisely above)

 

Is it not possible these days to buy a mobile phone that is just a phone with decent size buttons and no touch screen. Required functions:
On/Off
Make call
Receive call
Contact list for easy dialling
Voice mail

Optional extras:
Text messaging

 

Ron, what's all that Chinese stuff appearing when website opens? Will have to ask Cyclonic for a translation?

 

Would appear not Ron. When I renewed my contract a few years back I asked for a Nokia 5810 (I think that was the model) that only did what you describe. No chance. Instead I now have a series 5 iPhone with a battery life of half a day and is slow as ****e after I succumbed to the relentless messages to load up the updates.

 

Didn't notice Swanny. Haven't been on the computer today. Down the beach all afternoon. Preparing my grandson for his training session next week. Nice long walk along the beach (in the gently rippling waves), a run back and some passing and moving with the ball. What with that, cutting hedges (manually) and pulling out loads of bloody stinging nettles, I think I will sleep well tonight

 

What a wonderful story, two old guys in a nursing home escape their nursing home to go to a heavy metal concert in Wacken. Does beg the question, is it necessary to 'escape' the confines of a nursing home to go listen to a concert? They had a great time and were not found until 3 a.m.

Know next to nothing about heavy metal stuff, but would they have bumped into BayernKenny at this shindig?

https://www.dw.com/en/elderly-men-escape-nursing-home-to-go-to-wacken-metal-festival/a-44955305

…….oh boy, and look at this too, think I might become a late-blossoming Metalhead?

https://www.dw.com/en/german-metalheads-construct-beer-pipeline-for-wacken/a-38962724

 

Stand by to be educated.

Care Homes; the two 'auld rockers' would have still been quite compos mentis as they would normally have two 'locked' doors requiring passwords to pass through. Their would normally be CC television and staff to foil their latter days attempts at Steve McQueen. I suppose they could have asked to sit in the gardens however I suspect their attire would give a hint that their was shenanigans afoot!

Stand by for some information from your resident pedant.

Not a great fan of heavy metal or thrash metal however my love of hard rock (Led Zeppelin, Mountain and more modern 'beat combos' such as BAP and The Dead Daisies) has obviously been detailed in my posts. I have recently become reacquainted with my American cousins one of whom is a Trump hating fan of heavy metal and thrash metal. She cannot understand my adoration of Led Zeppelin but my neutrality on her favourite fast and loud (for the sake of it) bands.

Anyway, at the moment I am going through a second, possibly senile, hippy faze with First aid Kit and Brandi Carlile; my friends think I am going nuts!

SH; I hope the above is helpful! Becoming a 'metalhead' is fairly simple; grow your hair and don't wash it, wear black (that includes non denim jeans) and do exercise to allow extreme 'heidbangin'. To study their behaviours, lifestyle and environs I would suggest a visit to Schwabing where they congregate in a few bars/clubs where I may have wandered into on occasions.

 

Thanks very much, BK, very educational! Yes, afraid too late for me in most respects, very sad that. On the hair, no problem there as have enough, but to not-wash would be way too itchy surely? Wear black OK but a bit gloomy for me. Dumb as I am, did not know there was such a thing as non-denim jeans. Heedbanging OK too, would hold my own, I think? Visit to nearby Schwabing, easy. Erm, isn't a Harley-Davidson necessary too, they look a bit like bikers as well to me?

So, all-in-all, I'll forget it, but I remain mightily impressed with these Heavymetal guys, what with their pipeline efforts, etc. Wife told me that the Wacken locals like them and appreciate the visitors' efforts to keep the place clean and orderly. An object lesson for other Festivals of Music?

 

I suspect a Harley-Davidson would be out of their budgets. On reflection the jeans are probably denim however not any denim which would touch my pins. Talking of Schwabing there is one wee 'local' I love; when you get off the u-bahn at Munchener Freiheit and head down to the 'Englischer Garten' it is about 100 metres short of the entrance to the park. It is a small place beginning with an 'A'. The manager/owner is very kind to this old codger and allows me a few musical requests before I toddle off to the Osterwaldgarten for some Nurnberger Bratwurst with Petersilienkartoffeln.

 

Whaaa, just placed a request in front of the missus. Love that meal, especially in that place in Regensburg by the old bridge over the Danube, the "Wurstküche"

P.S. I always pass on the sauerkraut!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regensburg_Sausage_Kitchen

 

I mostly use the other "Wurstkuche" at the start of the shops when you are on your way from the Hbf. to the centre of the town. Usually get cold potato salad with your Bratwurst.

Also very fond of the Regensburger Weissbrauhaus and the 'Wirtshaus im alten Augustiner Kloster' (Hacker-Pschorr) however usually have something more substantial. Great deals available from their 'weekly' menus. Sometimes just a 'Gulashsuppe' and some ice cream (separately).

I hope you enjoyed your meal; did you get your Nurnberger Bratwurst from Aldi or Lidl?

 

Not yet, far too hot today for such a meal, all I did was put in a request! We had salmon and potato salad, excellent. Answer to your question: Aldi-Süd, much much better than Lidl for things like that, certainly in southern Germany anyway.

Weather supposed to drop radically next Friday to about 21°C. Believe that when it happens. Europe is a lousy place in extremely hot weather, prefer Winter down here.

 

We have only ever got up to about the mid-twenties up here in the Tundra so it has never been uncomfortable. Down in London it has reached the mid-thirties which would kill this bourbon, Weissbier and winter loving old soak!

Two of my fellow peely-wally Scots have been driving for three days to the south of France so I hope they take care of their alabaster skins.

 

RIP Barry Chuckle...

The Chuckle Brothers have been replaced:

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.

 

In very poor taste, QMII.

 

Have just realised that being on a 'bender' plus recovery time means that you miss two weekends of excellent offers at Lidl; Nurnberger Bratwurst were on offer for £0.99 for 14 of the wee beauties! Bastardo!

 

Just been attacked by hornets (I think it was hornets) I didn't stay around to look. I was pulling up overgrown nettles when suddenly I felt a horrible sting on my nose, swiftly followed by one on the neck and my waist and on my wrist. I ran off swearing and swinging my arms, keeping my head down and made for the kitchen. I gather ice packs and/or white vinegar are the best treatments

I was chased and stung by a hoard of wasps once and got them all in my clothing. Ran indoors, stripped off then found 12 of the buggers in the house and killed them all with rolled up newspaper

But whatever these were the stings are much more painful. Horrible things. Wait 'til I get some spray. I'll teach the little ****ers a lesson